Lupino Lane facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lupino Lane
Lane in 1922
Born	Henry William George Lupino (1892-06-16)16 June 1892 Hackney, London, England
Died	10 November 1959(1959-11-10) (aged 67) London, England
Occupation	Actor theatre manager director producer
Years active	1896–1940
Spouse(s)	Violet Blythe ​ (m. 1917)​
Children	1
Relatives	Wallace Lupino (brother) Stanley Lupino (brother) Ida Lupino (cousin) Richard Lupino (nephew)
Family	Lupino

Lupino Lane (born Henry William George Lupino, 1892–1959) was a famous English actor and theatre manager. He was part of the well-known Lupino family of performers. His cousin, Ida Lupino, also became a famous actress and director.

Lupino Lane started performing when he was very young, earning the nickname 'Little Nipper'. He became known for his funny silent films. In the UK, he is most famous for playing Bill Snibson in the play and movie Me and My Girl. This show made the song and dance called "The Lambeth Walk" super popular!

Early Life and Stage Work

Lupino Lane was born in Hackney, London. His father, Harry Charles Lupino, was also part of the Lupino family of entertainers. Lupino Lane got his stage name from his great-aunt, Sarah Lane. She was a director at the Britannia Theatre in London.

In 1917, Lupino Lane married actress Violet Blythe. They had a son named Lauri Lupino Lane, who also became an actor. Lupino Lane's brother, Wallace Lupino, and his nephew, Richard Lupino, were also actors.

Lane first performed on stage at age four in Birmingham. He made his London debut in 1903 as 'Nipper Lane'. He continued to perform regularly after that. In 1915, he appeared at the Empire Theatre. He played funny roles in plays and movies in both England and America.

In 1921, he amazed audiences by diving through 63 stage traps in just six minutes! This was during a play called Aladdin at the Hippodrome. Lane and his wife Violet Blythe also performed together on Broadway in New York.

Silent Films and Comedy

Lupino Lane began his silent film career in 1915. He appeared in many short British films. He became a comedy actor and starred in 40 Hollywood films in the 1920s. He even appeared in D. W. Griffith's film Isn't Life Wonderful? in 1924.

Lane signed with Educational Pictures to make short comedies. These films showed off his amazing acrobatic skills, like flips and falls. Sometimes, famous director Roscoe Arbuckle directed his films. But soon, Lane started directing them himself. He used the name "Henry W. George."

His comedies showed how agile and versatile he was. In one film, Only Me (1929), he played 27 different characters! His brother, Wallace Lupino, often acted alongside him in these comedies.

Moving to Talking Pictures

Lupino Lane successfully moved from silent films to "talking pictures." He starred in some short sound films. He also made a guest appearance in the Warner Bros. film The Show of Shows.

In 1929, he played a big role in the musical film The Love Parade. However, within two years, he left Hollywood and returned to England.

The 1930s and The Lambeth Walk

In the 1930s, Lane directed and acted in mostly British films. He co-produced a play called Twenty to One in London's West End. In this play, Lane first appeared as Bill Snibson, a character who was a big hit with audiences. The play ran for a year starting in 1935.

His next show, Me and My Girl, was an even bigger success. In this play, Bill Snibson inherits a country estate. He then invites his friends from Lambeth to come and stay with him. The show featured a very popular song and dance routine called "The Lambeth Walk". This dance became famous all over Europe in the late 1930s.

Lupino Lane directed, produced, and starred in Me and My Girl. He performed in it for 1,550 shows between 1937 and 1940. It was the first British musical comedy to be shown on television. It was also made into a film in 1939, which was known as The Lambeth Walk because of the dance's popularity.

Later Life and Legacy

The huge success of Me and My Girl made Lupino Lane a wealthy man. He continued to act on stage and television in England for the rest of his life.

In 1946, he bought the Gaiety Theatre in London. It had been damaged during World War II. He wanted to save it and produce comedies there. However, he couldn't get enough money to fix it up. He sold it in 1950, and the theatre was later torn down in 1956.

In March 1956, he was featured on the TV show This Is Your Life. He also appeared on the radio show Desert Island Discs in 1957.

Lupino Lane passed away on November 10, 1959, in London, at age 67. He is buried at Streatham Park Cemetery. His wife, Violet Blythe, died in 1983.

To mark 50 years since his death, his memorial was restored. A special service was held at St Paul's in Covent Garden. On June 15, 2014, a special blue plaque was put up at his former home in London. This plaque remembers famous people and places.

Partial Filmography

DVD Releases

• On December 26, 2012, Alpha Video released Lupino Lane Silent Comedy Collection, Volume 1 on DVD.
• On January 28, 2014, they released Lupino Lane Silent Comedy Collection, Volume 2.
• On November 15, 2022, D&D Productions released Lupino Lane: Silent Comedian on DVD and Bluray.

See also

In Spanish: Lupino Lane para niños

• Lupino family