Leslie Banks was born on the 9th of June 1890 in West Derby, Liverpool to George Banks, an affluent 'general merchant' and Emily (née Dalby) Banks. At the time of his baptism the family were living at 38 Russian Drive L13. They moved shortly after his birth to Holly Bank, Bankfield Road L13 (now the site of a school) and by 1901 had moved to Hoylake. He attended school at Glenalmond College in Scotland, and later studied at Keble College, Oxford with the intention of becoming a parson, but he soon gave up the idea and got a job in a shipping office. Again not for long as this job lasted exactly one day! Leslie then became interested in painting, and at the same time played a lot in amateur theatricals. Joining Frank Benson's company he made his acting debut in October 1911 at the town hall in Brechin, playing Old Gobbo in 'The Merchant of Venice'. He then toured the United States and Canada with Henry V. Esmond and Eva Moore in 1912 and 1913. His American debut theatre role was 'Eliza Comes to Stay' (1914). Returning to London, he appeared for the first time on the West End stage at the Vaudeville Theatre on the 5th of May, 1914, as Lord Murdon in 'The Dangerous Age'. He married Gwendoline Haldane Unwin in 1915 and they had three daughters, Daphne, Virginia, and Evangeline.
During the First World War he served with the Essex Regiment and received injuries that left his face partially scarred and paralysed. In his acting career he would use this injury to good effect, by showing the unblemished side of his face when playing comedy or romance and the scarred, paralysed side of his face when playing drama or tragedy. After the war, he joined the Birmingham Repertory Theatre before returning to London in 1921 establishing himself as a leading dramatic actor and West End star known for his powerful yet restrained performances. Working in both London and New York City, he gained prominence on both sides of the Atlantic, and it was when he was in New York that Kenneth Macgowan persuaded him to go to Hollywood and make his first credited movie debut there in 'The Most Dangerous Game' in 1932. His formidable bulk and intimidating aspect served him well in this first important film role, as a diabolical Russian hunter of human prey. For the rest of his career, he divided his time between Britain and the United States and between film and theatre. Leslie then played in innumerable films, gaining a very fine reputation for himself and was considered one of Britain's leading character actors. |
| With Nova Pilbeam in 'The Man Who Knew Too Much' |
He starred for Alfred Hitchcock in 'The Man Who Knew Too Much' (1934), 'Fire Over England' (1937), 'Jamaica Inn' (1939), 'The Fire Raisers' (1933), 'Red Ensign' and 'The Night of the Party' (1934), as Zoltan Korda in 'Sanders of the River' (1935), bearing the white man's burden in Africa, and Thorold Dickinson in 'The Arsenal Stadium Mystery' (1939) as the eccentric Inspector Anthony Slade. His civilised, rugged persona was cleverly exploited in 'Went the Day Well?' (1942) as the treacherous squire; he was a memorably inviting Chorus in Olivier's 'Henry V' (1944); and in his last film, Madeleine (directed by David Lean, 1949), he was Ann Todd's oppressive Victorian father.
His further theatre roles included Captain Hook in Peter Pan, his New York debut, in 1924, the title role in 'Clive of India' (1934), Petruchio in 'The Taming of the Shrew' (1937), the schoolmaster in 'Goodbye Mr Chips' (1938), and James Jarvis in the Kurt Weill musical 'Lost in the Stars' (1950).
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| With Annabelle in 'Wings of the Morning' in 1937 |
Leslie Banks was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to theatre in 1950, the year of his last appearances on stage and screen. He died in 1952, aged 61, from a stroke he suffered while walking, and is buried in St Nicholas Churchyard in the village of Worth Matravers, Dorset.
see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2023/03/a-history-of-liverpool-thespians-john-e.html
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