Arthur Shirley
| Arthur Shirley | |
|---|---|
c. 1915
|
|
| Born |
Henry Raymond Shirley August 31, 1886 Hobart, Tasmania |
| Died | November 24, 1967 (aged 81) Rose Bay, New South Wales |
| Nationality | Australian |
Arthur Shirley (31 August 1886 – 24 November 1967) was an Australian actor, writer, producer and director of theatre and film. He was one of the first Australians to enjoy success as a film actor in Hollywood.
Born Henry Raymond Shirley in Hobart to civil servant Henry Shirley and Sarah Ann, née Morton, he was baptised Arthur and attended Catholic schools. He then worked for Tattersall's Lottery and as a junior solicitor's clerk, when at age sixteen he decided to join a semi-professional troupe of entertainers which toured Tasmania in a two horse caravan.
In 1904 Shirley moved to Melbourne. For a time he worked as door-to-door salesman for a wholesale grocery firm, then he became a novice in a Sydney seminary, but left it in 1905 to try and break into theatre. His first role was a three-line part in Sweet Nell of Old Drury (1905), starring Nellie Stewart at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne. He spent the next two years touring Victoria and New South Wales with the John Cosgrove Company, after which he worked for other theatre entrepreneurs, including William Anderson, George Marlow, Beaumont Smith and George Willoughby. In 1909 he announced he was going to star in a play especially written for him, an early indication of Shirley's later flair for self-promotion.
Shirley owed money to a Miss Tindall, a debt which saw him be declared bankrupt at his own petition in December 1913. He struggled with financial difficulties before winning the leads in two films, The Silence of Dean Maitland and The Shepherd of the Southern Cross, both opening in 1914; the first was a success.
On 22 December 1913 Shirley married New Zealand singer Ellen Newcomb Hall at St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney; they would separate in 1920 and divorce in 1940.
In Christmas 1913 Shirley was working for George Willoughby, who issued a notice to his company that their engagements would terminate at a certain date. Willougby offered Shirley another contract at £4 10 a week but Shirley insisted on £6. Shirley then contacted J.C. Williamson Ltd and said he obtained a position there. A day or two later, Williamsons withdrew their offer to Shirley on the basis that Willoughby had told them he was still under contact to the latter. According to Shirley, Willoughby told him that if he didn't work for the producer, he would make sure Shirley was blacklisted in the industry. Shirley responded by suing Willoughby for £1,000 in damages.
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