Ernest Torrence, Acting - KorPlix:Korean Person Archives

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Ernest Torrence
Acting

Ernest Torrence
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1878-06-24,Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Gender
Male
Biography
He was the man you loved to hiss. This towering (6' 4"), highly imposing character star with cold, hollow, beady eyes and a huge, protruding snout would go on to become one of the silent screen's finest arch villains. Born Ernest Thayson Torrence-Thompson on June 26, 1878, in Edinburgh, Scotland, he was, unlikely enough, an exceptional pianist and operatic baritone. A graduate of the Stuttgart Conservatory, Edinburgh Academy before earning a scholarship at London's Royal Academy of Music, he toured with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in such productions as "The Emerald Isle" (1901) and "The Talk of the Town" (1905) before serious vocal problems set in. Both Ernest and his actor brother David Torrence came to America directly from Scotland prior to WWI. Focusing instead on a purely acting career, both brothers developed into seasoned players on the New York stage. Ernest made his Broadway bow with "Modest Suzanne" in 1912 and a standout role in "The Night Boat" in 1920 brought him to the attention of Hollywood filmmakers. He earned superb marks playing the despicable adversary Luke Hatburn in Tol'able David (1921) opposite Richard Barthelmess, and immediately settled into films for the rest of his career. Adept at both comedy and drama, Ernest avoided what could have been a damaging stereotype with his sympathetic portrayal of a grizzled old codger in the classic western The Covered Wagon (1923). He further bolstered his celebrity with plum, lip-smacking roles alongside Lon Chaney in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) as Clopin, king of the beggars, and Betty Bronson in Peter Pan (1924) as the dastardly Captain Hook. In an offbeat bit of casting he paired up with Clara Bow in Mantrap (1926) as a gentle, bear-like backwoodsman in search of a wife, and participated in other silent classics such as The King of Kings (1927) (as Peter) and Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928) as Buster Keaton's steamboat captain Dad. Despite his celluloid villainy, Ernest was known as a courtly and cultivated gentleman in private. He made the transition into talking films intact and was able to play a marvelous nemesis, Dr. Moriarty, to Clive Brooks ' Sherlock Holmes (1932) before his untimely death. Ernest died following his filming as a smuggler in I Cover the Waterfront (1933) starring Claudette Colbert in New York on May 15,1933, at the relatively young age of 54. It seems that while en route to Europe by ship, Torrence suffered an acute attack of gall stones and was rushed back to a New York hospital. He died of complications following surgery. Looking and usually playing much older than he was, Hollywood lost a marvelously talented and robust character player who had dozens of films ahead of him.

Filmography

Steamboat Bill, Jr.

7.596

Steamboat Bill, Jr.
1928-05-09

A Dangerous Affair

8

A Dangerous Affair
1919-06-15

I Cover the Waterfront

5.067

I Cover the Waterfront
1933-05-19

The Blind Goddess

8

The Blind Goddess
1926-04-04

The Trail of the Lonesome Pine

8

The Trail of the Lonesome Pine
1923-04-15

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

6.544

The Hunchback of Notre Dame
1923-09-06

6.154

Mantrap
1926-07-24

The Lady of the Harem

7

The Lady of the Harem
1926-11-01

The Cuban Love Song

4.75

The Cuban Love Song
1931-11-18

Across to Singapore

7.042

Across to Singapore
1928-04-07

Fighting Caravans

4.947

Fighting Caravans
1931-02-01

6.143

Speedway
1929-10-07

Ruggles of Red Gap

7

Ruggles of Red Gap
1923-10-07

5.4

Desert Nights
1929-03-09

The Prodigal Judge

9

The Prodigal Judge
1922-02-19

The Unholy Night

5.6

The Unholy Night
1929-09-13

Sherlock Holmes

5.9

Sherlock Holmes
1932-11-05

The Great Lover

6.5

The Great Lover
1931-07-18

6.2

Untamed
1929-11-23

5.8

Shipmates
1931-04-25

The Bridge of San Luis Rey

8

The Bridge of San Luis Rey
1929-03-30

7.4

The Cossacks
1928-06-23

Clara Bow: Discovering the

8.25

Clara Bow: Discovering the "It" Girl
1999-06-14

Call of the Flesh

5.667

Call of the Flesh
1930-08-16

5.4

Sporting Blood
1931-08-08

Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)

0

Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)
1942-01-01

Captain Salvation

6

Captain Salvation
1927-05-14

New Adventures of Get Rich Quick Wallingford

6

New Adventures of Get Rich Quick Wallingford
1931-10-03

Sweet Kitty Bellairs

6.5

Sweet Kitty Bellairs
1930-09-05

The Covered Wagon

6.353

The Covered Wagon
1923-03-15

Officer O'Brien

5.25

Officer O'Brien
1930-02-15

Strictly Unconventional

4.25

Strictly Unconventional
1930-05-03

7

Hypnotized
1932-12-25

8

North of 36
1926-03-20

The King of Kings

6.385

The King of Kings
1927-04-19

6.9

Peter Pan
1924-12-29

Night Life of New York

9

Night Life of New York
1925-08-02

9

Broken Chains
1922-12-10

Twelve Miles Out

6.5

Twelve Miles Out
1927-07-08

The Pony Express

6.438

The Pony Express
1925-09-03

7.023

Tol'able David
1921-12-31

The Kingdom Within

10

The Kingdom Within
1922-12-24

6.371

The Tingler
1959-07-29

The American Venus

8

The American Venus
1926-01-31

The Brass Bottle

10

The Brass Bottle
1923-07-22

3

The Wanderer
1925-08-19

9

Singed Wings
1922-11-26

The Fighting Coward

5.5

The Fighting Coward
1924-03-14

The Heritage of the Desert

9

The Heritage of the Desert
1924-01-23

The Dressmaker from Paris

8

The Dressmaker from Paris
1925-03-30

The Side Show of Life

8

The Side Show of Life
1924-07-21

9

The Rainmaker
1926-05-10

West of the Water Tower

10

West of the Water Tower
1924-01-06