Ernest Thesiger

Ernest Thesiger

Born: January 14, 1879
Died: January 14, 1961
in Chelsea, London, England, UK
Ernest Thesiger, CBE, was an English stage and screen actor. He is best known for his distinctive performance as Dr. Septimus Pretorius in James Whale's 1935 film The Bride of Frankenstein.

Movies for Ernest Thesiger...

Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman
Title: Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: May 16, 2007
Type: Movie
Famous Monster takes a fast-paced, colorful look at the life of science fiction's greatest fan - Forrest J. Ackerman, whose 85 year love affair with the genre helped bring it into the mainstream and shape the way we view science fiction today.
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Universal Horror
Title: Universal Horror
Character: (archive footage)
Released: October 8, 1998
Type: Movie
A documentary about the era of classic monster movies that were made at Universal Studios during the 1930s and 1940s.
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Terror in the Aisles
Title: Terror in the Aisles
Character: Dr. Pretorius (archive footage) (uncredited)
Released: October 26, 1984
Type: Movie
A non-stop roller coaster ride through the scariest moments of the greatest terror films of all time.
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The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone
Title: The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone
Character: Stefano
Released: December 28, 1961
Type: Movie
Critics and the public say Karen Stone is too old -- as she approaches 50 -- for her role in a play she is about to take to Broadway. Her businessman husband, 20 years her senior, has been the angel for the play and gives her a way out: They are off to a holiday in Rome for his health. He suffers a fatal heart attack on the plane. Mrs. Stone stays in Rome. She leases a magnificent apartment with a view of the seven hills from the terrace. Then the contessa comes calling to introduce a young man named Paolo to her. The contessa knows many presentable young men and lonely American widows.
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Sons and Lovers
Title: Sons and Lovers
Character: Mr. Hadlock
Released: August 29, 1960
Type: Movie
The son of a working-class British mining family has dreams of pursuing an art career, but when he strikes up an affair with an older, married woman from the town it enrages his kind but possessive mother.
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The Battle of the Sexes
Title: The Battle of the Sexes
Character: Old Macpherson
Released: February 25, 1960
Type: Movie
Angela Barrows is a man-eating business woman sent by her American employer to investigate their export opportunities in Edinburgh. En route she meets Robert MacPherson, a businessman who asks for her help to bring his company into the 20th Century. The staff, led by Mr Martin, has other ideas—and a battle between the old and new business methods soon breaks out.
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Lord Arthur Savile's Crime
Title: Lord Arthur Savile's Crime
Character: The Dean
Released: January 3, 1960
Type: Movie
Saville is told by a palm reader he is doomed to become a murderer at some future time. He decides to get the inevitable out of the way before his upcoming society wedding, and goes about attempting the crime on several likely victims.
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The Horse's Mouth
Title: The Horse's Mouth
Character: Hickson
Released: November 11, 1958
Type: Movie
Gulley Jimson is a boorish aging artist recently released from prison. A swindler in search of his next art project, he hunkers down in the penthouse of would-be patrons the Beeders while they go on an extended vacation; he paints a mural on their wall, pawns their valuables and, along with the sculptor Abel, inadvertently smashes a large hole in their floor. Jimson's next project is an even larger wall in an abandoned church.
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The Truth About Women
Title: The Truth About Women
Character: Judge
Released: October 1, 1957
Type: Movie
Baffled and at a loss to understand the mentality of Diana, his wife, Anthony makes a frantic visit to the home of her parents to discover that she is staying with them.
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Doctor at Large
Title: Doctor at Large
Character: Examiner
Released: March 26, 1957
Type: Movie
Losing out to Dr. Bingham (Michael Medwin) in a competition for house surgeon when he offends a member of the board, young Dr. Simon Sparrow (Dirk Bogarde) finds himself going from post to post, filling in for other physicians. At one distant country post, he is taken aback when he works with a patient whose husband died after Simon treated the man years before. In another hospital, Simon examines a surprisingly mature teen and also tries courting devoted nurse Nan McPherson (Shirley Eaton).
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Three Men in a Boat
Title: Three Men in a Boat
Character: 3rd Old Gentleman
Released: December 23, 1956
Type: Movie
Three London gentlemen take a vacation rowing down the Thames, encountering various mishaps and misadventures along the way.
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Who Done It?
Title: Who Done It?
Character: Sir Walter
Released: March 20, 1956
Type: Movie
This movie debut for saucy British TV comic Benny Hill has Benny leaving his job as a sweeper after winning some money. He becomes a private detective and investigates a plot to assassinate British scientists.
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An Alligator Named Daisy
Title: An Alligator Named Daisy
Character: Notcher (uncredited)
Released: December 13, 1955
Type: Movie
Returning from a cricket match in Ireland, Peter Weston gains a pet alligator from another passenger who abandons it with him. He is horrified and while his first instinct is to get rid of it he develops a relationship with a young Irishwoman who appears to be entwined with the reptile. He soon discovers that Daisy is tame and seems to be the way to Moira's heart.
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Quentin Durward
Title: Quentin Durward
Character: Lord Crawford
Released: September 9, 1955
Type: Movie
During the 15th century reign of France's King Louis XI, a young Scottish man is sent by his English Lord to woo a French lady on his behalf. The plan goes awry when the young man falls in love with her. Based on the classic novel by Sir Walter Scott.
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Value for Money
Title: Value for Money
Character: Lord Dewsbury
Released: August 9, 1955
Type: Movie
A wealthy young man from Yorkshire visits a London nightclub and meets a performer. She decides to take him for every penny he is worth, and he decides to let her.
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Make Me an Offer!
Title: Make Me an Offer!
Character: Sir John Nightingale
Released: December 8, 1954
Type: Movie
A struggling antiques dealer (Peter Finch) thinks he has found the answer to his problems when he stumbles across a precious vase amid a range of other less desirable items. The trouble is, the owners of the vase are pretty shrewd themselves and are not keen on letting it go for a song - meaning that our hapless chap has to pull out every trick in the book in order to win his prize.
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Father Brown
Title: Father Brown
Character: The Vicomte
Released: June 8, 1954
Type: Movie
Works of art are disappearing, stolen by a master thief, a master of disguise. Father Brown has two goals: to catch the thief and to save his soul.
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The Million Pound Note
Title: The Million Pound Note
Character: Mr. Garrett, Bank Director
Released: January 7, 1954
Type: Movie
An impoverished American sailor is fortunate enough to be passing the house of two rich gentlemen who have conceived the crazy idea of distributing a note worth one million pounds. The sailor finds that whenever he tries to use the note to buy something, people treat him like a king and let him have whatever he likes for free. Ultimately, the money proves to be more troublesome than it is worth when it almost costs him his dignity and the woman he loves.
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Meet Mr. Lucifer
Title: Meet Mr. Lucifer
Character: Mr. Macdonald
Released: November 30, 1953
Type: Movie
A TV set given as a retirement present is sold on to different households causing misery each time.
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The Robe
Title: The Robe
Character: Emperor Tiberius
Released: September 16, 1953
Type: Movie
Marcellus is a tribune in the time of Christ. He is in charge of the group that is assigned to crucify Jesus. Drunk, he wins Jesus' homespun robe after the crucifixion. He is tormented by nightmares and delusions after the event. Hoping to find a way to live with what he has done, and still not believing in Jesus, he returns to Palestine to try and learn what he can of the man he killed.
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The Woman's Angle
Title: The Woman's Angle
Character: Judge
Released: February 12, 1952
Type: Movie
The organising force of a family of musical prodigies, Robert Mansell is a frustrated composer in seach of one thing personal happiness. This search, however, has landed him in the divorce courts and the judge's summary does not paint him in a favourable light.
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The Magic Box
Title: The Magic Box
Character: Earl
Released: January 1, 1952
Type: Movie
Now old, ill, poor, and largely forgotten, William Freise-Greene was once very different. As young and handsome William Green he changed his name to include his first wife's so that it sounded more impressive for the photographic portrait work he was so good at. But he was also an inventor and his search for a way to project moving pictures became an obsession that ultimately changed the life of all those he loved.
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Scrooge
Title: Scrooge
Character: The Undertaker
Released: November 28, 1951
Type: Movie
Ebenezer Scrooge malcontentedly shuffles through life as a cruel, miserly businessman; until he is visited by three spirits on Christmas Eve who show him how his unhappy childhood and adult behavior has left him a selfish, lonely old man.
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The Man in the White Suit
Title: The Man in the White Suit
Character: Sir John Kierlaw
Released: August 7, 1951
Type: Movie
The unassuming, nebbishy inventor Sidney Stratton creates a miraculous fabric that will never be dirty or worn out. Clearly he can make a fortune selling clothes made of the material, but may cause a crisis in the process. After all, once someone buys one of his suits they won't ever have to fix them or buy another one, and the clothing industry will collapse overnight. Nevertheless, Sidney is determined to put his invention on the market, forcing the clothing factory bigwigs to resort to more desperate measures...
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Laughter in Paradise
Title: Laughter in Paradise
Character: Executor Endicott
Released: June 1, 1951
Type: Movie
When an eccentric practical joker dies, he divides his fortune among four heirs. But before they can collect the cash they must each do something which goes completely against their nature. NB: This is the film which introduced Audrey Hepburn.
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Last Holiday
Title: Last Holiday
Character: Sir Trevor Lampington
Released: May 15, 1950
Type: Movie
George Bird is a salesman of agricultural machinery who finds out that he hasn't long to live. On his doctor's advice, he goes to an exclusive seaside resort to spend his savings on one last holiday.
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The Bad Lord Byron
Title: The Bad Lord Byron
Character: Count Guiccioli
Released: April 18, 1949
Type: Movie
Injured and on his deathbed in Greece, Lord Byron imagines a celestial trial with witnesses to determine the worth of his character.
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Brass Monkey
Title: Brass Monkey
Character: Ryder-Harris
Released: December 1, 1948
Type: Movie
Carroll Levis, a radio variety host, gets involved in murder and theft.
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Quartet
Title: Quartet
Character: Henry Dashwood
Released: October 26, 1948
Type: Movie
Somerset Maugham introduces four of his tales in this anthology film: "The Facts of Life," "The Alien Corn," "The Kite," and "The Colonel's Lady."
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The Ghosts of Berkeley Square
Title: The Ghosts of Berkeley Square
Character: Dr Cruickshank
Released: October 30, 1947
Type: Movie
The ghosts of two stupid 18th-century officers are doomed to haunt a Berkeley Square mansion until the unlikely event of a reigning monarch paying the house a visit. It will take more than 200 years... Based on the novel "No Nightingales" by Caryl Brahms and S.J. Simon.
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Jassy
Title: Jassy
Character: Sir Edward Follesmark
Released: August 13, 1947
Type: Movie
In 19th century England, Jassy is a young Gypsy girl blessed with the gift of second sight. Pursued by superstitious villagers, she is rescued by the son of the owner of Mordelaine, a vast stately home. Unfortunately, his father's drinking and gambling threaten the very ownership of the house. Despite her humble origins as a servant girl, Jassy must try to use her talents to climb the social ladder and save Mordelaine for the man whom she loves.
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The Man Within
Title: The Man Within
Character: Farne
Released: May 19, 1947
Type: Movie
A man goes on the run from hardened smugglers.
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Beware of Pity
Title: Beware of Pity
Character: Baron Emil de Kekesfalva
Released: July 22, 1946
Type: Movie
A paraplegic baroness mistakes a man's pity for love - and tragedy ensues.
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Caesar and Cleopatra
Title: Caesar and Cleopatra
Character: Theodotus
Released: December 11, 1945
Type: Movie
The aging Caesar finds himself intrigued by the young Egyptian queen. Adapted by George Bernard Shaw from his own play.
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A Place of One's Own
Title: A Place of One's Own
Character: Dr. Richard Marsham
Released: March 20, 1945
Type: Movie
An elderly couple move into an old, supposedly haunted abandoned house. A young girl comes to live with the pair as a companion for the wife. However, soon the girl is possessed by the spirit of another girl, a wealthy woman who had once lived in the house but who had been murdered there.
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Henry V
Title: Henry V
Character: Duke of Berri - French Ambassador
Released: November 24, 1944
Type: Movie
In the midst of the Hundred Years' War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.
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Don't Take It to Heart
Title: Don't Take It to Heart
Character: Justices' Clerk
Released: November 13, 1944
Type: Movie
A stray World War Two bomb releases the ghost of the 3rd Earl of Chaunduyt after 400 years. A visiting professor, while wooing the beautiful Lady Mary, daughter of the present Earl, finds him an ally in his fight on behalf of the villagers to protect their ancient rights against a meddling newcomer.
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The Lamp Still Burns
Title: The Lamp Still Burns
Character: Chairman
Released: November 29, 1943
Type: Movie
A tribute to the important work of female nurses during World War II.
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My Learned Friend
Title: My Learned Friend
Character: Ferris
Released: October 25, 1943
Type: Movie
An insane murderer is on the loose, and gunning for the men who put him away. Will Hay is on the list, and co-opts Claude Hulbert to try and stop him from meeting a grisly end.
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The Ware Case
Title: The Ware Case
Character: Carter
Released: December 2, 1938
Type: Movie
An aristocrat won't economize, then his rich brother in law is found murdered in the grounds of the aristocrat's house
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They Drive by Night
Title: They Drive by Night
Character: Walter Hoover
Released: December 1, 1938
Type: Movie
“Shorty” Matthews having recently been released from prison visits his girlfriend in London only to discover her murdered. Fearing he will be wrongly accused of being the culprit he disappears amongst the long-distance lorry driving community. Meanwhile, the real killer, unassuming ex-schoolteacher Walter Hoover, continues to prey on London women. As Shorty had feared he has become the main suspect. He returns to London with old flame Molly to prove his innocence.
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The Man Who Could Work Miracles
Title: The Man Who Could Work Miracles
Character: Maydig
Released: July 23, 1936
Type: Movie
An ordinary man, while vigorously asserting the impossibility of miracles, suddenly discovers that he can perform them.
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Bride of Frankenstein
Title: Bride of Frankenstein
Character: Doctor Pretorius
Released: April 20, 1935
Type: Movie
Dr. Frankenstein and his monster both turn out to be alive, not killed as previously believed. Dr. Frankenstein wants to get out of the evil experiment business, but when a mad scientist, Dr. Pretorius, kidnaps his wife, Dr. Frankenstein agrees to help him create a new creature.
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My Heart Is Calling
Title: My Heart Is Calling
Character: Fevrier
Released: January 1, 1935
Type: Movie
Musical comedy. An opera singer falls for a stowaway on the way to Monte Carlo
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The Night of the Party
Title: The Night of the Party
Character: Adrian Chiddiatt
Released: July 16, 1934
Type: Movie
A major newspaper publisher dies in suspicious circumstances during a parlour game at a dinner party. The publishers secretary is the obvious suspect, but the inspector isn't so sure ...
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The Ghoul
Title: The Ghoul
Character: Laing
Released: August 1, 1933
Type: Movie
Professor Morlant, a British Egyptologist, seeks immortality through the power of a jewel buried in the tomb of an Oriental idol. Upon his death, Morlant returns to earth to seek vengeance upon those who removed the jewel from his grave.
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The Only Girl
Title: The Only Girl
Character: The Chamberlain
Released: June 17, 1933
Type: Movie
English-language version of Ich und die Kaiserin. 'Germany, 1890. Duke falls in love with voice which is not that of empress, but of hairdresser.' (British Film Catalogue)
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The Old Dark House
Title: The Old Dark House
Character: Horace Femm
Released: October 20, 1932
Type: Movie
In a remote region of Wales, five travelers beset by a relentless storm find shelter in an old mansion.
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Ashes
Title: Ashes
Released: December 31, 1930
Type: Movie
Futuristic story about a slow moving cricket match that begins in 1940 (ten years beyond the year when the film was produced) and finally finishes in 2000.
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Week-End Wives
Title: Week-End Wives
Character: Bertram
Released: May 14, 1929
Type: Movie
A lawyer spends the weekend with a married actress at the same hotel as his wife and her lover. This British silent film exists in an abridged 2-reel (32-min) format.
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The Vagabond Queen
Title: The Vagabond Queen
Character: Lidoff
Released: May 11, 1929
Type: Movie
The Vagabond Queen is a 1929 British comedy film directed by Géza von Bolváry and starring Betty Balfour, Glen Byam Shaw and Ernest Thesiger. It was the final film directed in Britain by Bolváry before he returned to Germany. A young woman takes the place of a Princess who is a target for an assassination. This film was released in May 1929 as a silent film and re-released with synchronized music and sound effects in August 1930.
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Number 13
Title: Number 13
Character: Mr. Peabody
Released: January 10, 1922
Type: Movie
This unfinished, never-released 1922 Alfred Hitchcock-directed film was about low-income residents of a tenement building.
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The Adventures of Mr. Pickwick
Title: The Adventures of Mr. Pickwick
Character: Mr. Jingle
Released: November 1, 1921
Type: Movie
A club man's country jaunt with friends leads to a breach of promise suit by a landlady.
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The Bachelor's Club
Title: The Bachelor's Club
Character: Israfel Mondego
Released: June 1, 1921
Type: Movie
A henpeck man inherits a fortune and starts a club for women-haters.
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Nelson
Title: Nelson
Character: Wiliam Pitt
Released: January 2, 1918
Type: Movie
Lord Nelson's life, loves and death.
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The Life Story of David Lloyd George
Title: The Life Story of David Lloyd George
Character: Joseph Chamberlain
Released: January 1, 1918
Type: Movie
A biopic of Britain's Great War Prime Minister.
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The Real Thing at Last
Title: The Real Thing at Last
Character: Witch
Released: March 8, 1916
Type: Movie
Shakespeare parody