David Manners
| David Manners | |
|---|---|
as John Harker in Dracula (1931).
|
|
| Born |
Rauff de Ryther Duan Acklom April 30, 1900 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Died | December 23, 1998 (aged 98) Santa Barbara, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1924–1953 |
| Spouse(s) | Suzanne Bushnell (m. 1929; div. 1931) |
| Partner(s) | Bill Mercer (1948-1978; Mercer's death) |
David Joseph Manners (April 30, 1900 – December 23, 1998) was a Canadian-American actor who played Jonathan Harker in Todd Browning's 1931 film, Dracula, which starred Bela Lugosi in the title role.
Manners was born Rauff de Ryther Duan Acklom in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the son of British parents, Lilian Manners and writer George Moreby Acklom, and the nephew of military figure Cecil Ryther Acklom. Manners originally studied forestry at the University of Toronto, but he found it boring. Over his father's objections, he pursued a stage career and appeared in both Broadway and out-of-town productions. He came to Hollywood at the beginning of the talking films revolution after studying acting with Eva Le Gallienne, even though she had remarked that he was "a very bad actor" after seeing one of his stage performances. He once appeared on stage with Helen Hayes. His family moved to Manhattan, New York City in 1907, and to Hastings-on-Hudson, New York in 1922.
Manners was serendipitously "discovered" by the film director James Whale at a Hollywood party, and within a few years, he was a popular leading man, playing opposite such actresses as Katharine Hepburn, Barbara Stanwyck, Gloria Stuart, Myrna Loy, Loretta Young, and Ann Dvorak. He was paired several times with Helen Chandler. His first film, directed by Whale, was destroyed before having been released, but with his second movie, Journey's End (1930), The New York Times and Variety officially bestowed their imprimatur upon the fledgling film actor. His subsequent film appearances in movies made at RKO Radio Pictures and Warner Brothers were critically praised (again including The New York Times, an early and prescient adherent of his acting abilities), and he was contracted by the latter studio.
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