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Francis L. Sullivan
Acting

Francis L. Sullivan

72 titles on file · died at 53 · Wandsworth, London, England, UK · IMDb ↗

Francis Loftus Sullivan (6 January 1903, Wandsworth, London - 19 November 1956, New York City) was an English film and stage actor. He attended Stonyhurst, the Jesuit public school in Lancashire, England whose alumni include Charles Laughton and Arthur Conan Doyle. A heavily built man with a striking double-chin and a deep voice, Sullivan made his acting debut at the Old Vic aged 18 in Shakespeare's Richard III and appeared in his first film in 1932. Some of his notable film roles include Mr. Bumble in Oliver Twist (1948) and Phil Nosseross in the film noir Night and the City (1950). Sullivan also played the part of Jaggers in two versions of Charles Dickens's Great Expectations - in 1934 and 1946. He appeared in a fourth Dickens film, the 1935 Universal Pictures version of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, in which he played Crisparkle. In 1938, he was featured in The Citadel, starring Robert Donat, and a decade later, he played the role of Pierre Cauchon in the technicolor version of Joan of Arc, starring Ingrid Bergman. Also in 1938 he starred in a revival of the Stokes' brothers play Oscar Wilde at London's Arts Theatre. Sullivan also acted in light comedies, notably My Favorite Spy (1951), starring Bob Hope and Hedy Lamarr, in which he played an enemy agent, and the comedy Fiddlers Three (1944), portraying Nero. He also played the role of Pothinus in the 1945 film version of George Bernard Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra. The film was directed by Gabriel Pascal, and was the last film personally supervised by Shaw himself. Sullivan later reprised the role in a stage revival of the play. Sullivan, who eventually became a naturalized US citizen, won a Tony Award in 1955 for the Agatha Christie play Witness for the Prosecution. Earlier, he had played Hercule Poirot at the Embassy Theatre (London) in the Christie play, Black Coffee (1930). He died of a heart attack, aged 53 (some sources claim he died from an unspecified "lung ailment"). Description above from the Wikipedia article Francis L. Sullivan, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

known for

Filmography · 64

Robert Montgomery Presents
TV ★ 3.0

Robert Montgomery Presents

1950

Suspense
TV ★ 2.5

Suspense

1949

The Philco Television Playhouse
TV ★ 3.3

The Philco Television Playhouse

1948

Studio One
TV ★ 2.7

Studio One

1948 · Herod Antipas

The Ed Sullivan Show
TV ★ 3.4

The Ed Sullivan Show

1948 · Self

Lights Out
TV ★ 3.0

Lights Out

1949

Cavalcade of America
TV ★ 2.3

Cavalcade of America

1952

Oliver Twist
Film ★ 3.8

Oliver Twist

1948 · Mr. Bumble

Great Expectations
Film ★ 3.6

Great Expectations

1946 · Mr. Jaggers

Joan of Arc
Film ★ 3.1

Joan of Arc

1948 · Pierre Cauchon, Count-...

General Electric Theater
TV ★ 3.4

General Electric Theater

1953

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
TV ★ 3.6

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

1951

Night and the City
Film ★ 3.7

Night and the City

1950 · Philip Nosseross

21 Days
Film ★ 3.1

21 Days

1940 · Mander

Caesar and Cleopatra
Film ★ 3.1

Caesar and Cleopatra

1945 · Pothinus

The Citadel
Film ★ 3.2

The Citadel

1938 · Ben Chenkin

The Prodigal
Film ★ 2.3

The Prodigal

1955 · Bosra

"Pimpernel" Smith
Film ★ 3.5

"Pimpernel" Smith

1941 · General von Graum

The Man Within
Film ★ 3.4

The Man Within

1947 · Mr. Braddock

The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Film ★ 3.0

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

1935 · Rev. Mr. Crisparkle

My Favorite Spy
Film ★ 3.0

My Favorite Spy

1951 · Karl Brubaker

The Drum
Film ★ 3.0

The Drum

1938 · Governor

Cheating Cheaters
Film ★ 3.5

Cheating Cheaters

1934 · Dr. George Brockton

The Winslow Boy
Film ★ 3.5

The Winslow Boy

1948 · Attorney General

Ingrid Bergman Remembered
Film ★ 3.4

Ingrid Bergman Remembered

1996 · Self (archive footage)

Behave Yourself!
Film ★ 3.1

Behave Yourself!

1951 · Fat Freddy

Broken Journey
Film ★ 3.1

Broken Journey

1948 · Anton Perami

Great Expectations
Film ★ 3.5

Great Expectations

1934 · Jaggers

Plunder of the Sun
Film ★ 3.1

Plunder of the Sun

1953 · Thomas Berrien

The Wandering Jew
Film ★ 3.7

The Wandering Jew

1933 · Juan de Texada (Phase...

The Red Danube
Film ★ 3.4

The Red Danube

1949 · Colonel Humphrey 'Blin...

The Four Just Men
Film ★ 3.3

The Four Just Men

1939 · Leon Poiccard

The Foreman Went to France
Film ★ 3.3

The Foreman Went to France

1942 · French Skipper

Strange Wives
Film ★ 3.5

Strange Wives

1934 · Bellamy

Fiddlers Three
Film ★ 4.2

Fiddlers Three

1944 · Nero

Hell's Island
Film ★ 2.8

Hell's Island

1955 · Barzland

Kate Plus Ten
Film ★ 4.2

Kate Plus Ten

1938 · Lord Flamborough

The Missing Rembrandt
Film ★ 3.5

The Missing Rembrandt

1932 · Baron von Guntermann

Dinner at the Ritz
Film ★ 2.9

Dinner at the Ritz

1937 · Brogard

The Day Will Dawn
Film ★ 3.0

The Day Will Dawn

1942 · Kommandant Ulrich Wett...

The Laughing Lady
Film ★ 3.8

The Laughing Lady

1946 · Sir Williams Tremayne

The Return of Bulldog Drummond
Film ★ 3.0

The Return of Bulldog Drummond

1934 · Carl Peterson

Christopher Columbus
Film ★ 2.9

Christopher Columbus

1949 · Francisco de Bobadilla

Take My Life
Film ★ 4.0

Take My Life

1947 · Prosecuting Counsel

Non-Stop New York
Film ★ 3.4

Non-Stop New York

1937 · Hugo Brant

Red Wagon
Film ★ 3.5

Red Wagon

1933 · Cranley

The Lady from Lisbon
Film ★ 3.8

The Lady from Lisbon

1942 · Minghetti

Sangaree
Film ★ 3.4

Sangaree

1953 · Dr. Bristol

Drums of Tahiti
Film ★ 5.0

Drums of Tahiti

1954 · Commissioner Pierre Du...

Caribbean
Film ★ 3.2

Caribbean

1952 · Andrew McAllister

Climbing High
Film ★ 3.6

Climbing High

1938 · Madman

The Ware Case
Film ★ 3.2

The Ware Case

1938 · Attorney General

The Butler's Dilemma
Film ★ 3.2

The Butler's Dilemma

1943 · Leo Carrington

The Fire Raisers
Film ★ 2.8

The Fire Raisers

1934 · Stedding

The Right to Live
Film ★ 4.0

The Right to Live

1933 · Roger Stoneham

Action for Slander
Film ★ 3.5

Action for Slander

1937 · Sir Quinton Jessops (a...

Chu Chin Chow
Film ★ 2.5

Chu Chin Chow

1934 · The Caliph

F.P.1
Film ★ 3.3

F.P.1

1933 · A Sailor

Her Last Affaire
Film ★ 4.0

Her Last Affaire

1935 · Sir Julian Weyre

When London Sleeps
Film ★ 3.5

When London Sleeps

1932 · Rodney Haines

Pontius Pilate
Film

Pontius Pilate

1952 · Herod Antipas

What Happened Then?
Film ★ 3.1

What Happened Then?

1934 · Richard Bentley, Prose...

Young Man's Fancy
Film ★ 3.2

Young Man's Fancy

1939 · Blackbeard, Vincent St...

Called Back
Film ★ 5.0

Called Back

1933 · Kaledin

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