Miles Mander | |
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Mander in The Little Princess (1939)
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Born |
Lionel Henry Mander 14 May 1888 Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England |
Died | 8 February 1946 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
(aged 57)
Cause of death | heart attack |
Resting place | Ocean View Burial Park, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada |
Years active | 1920–46 |
Spouse(s) | Princess Prativa Devi, dau. of Maharajah Nripendra Narayan of Cooch Behar Kathleen ('Bunty') French (1923-1946) (his death) (1 child) |
Miles Mander (14 May 1888 – 8 February 1946), born Lionel Henry Mander (and sometimes credited as Luther Miles), was a well-known and versatile English character actor of the early Hollywood cinema, also a film director and producer, and a playwright and novelist.
Miles Mander was the second son of Theodore Mander, builder of Wightwick Manor, of the prominent Mander family, industrialists and public servants of Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England. He was the younger brother of Geoffrey Mander, the Liberal member of parliament. He was educated at Harrow School, Middlesex (The Grove House 1901- Easter 1903); Loretto School, Musselburgh and McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. But he soon broke away from the predictable mould of business and philanthropy. He was an early aviator, a captain in the Royal Army Service Corps in the First World War. He spent his twenties in New Zealand farming sheep, with his uncle, Martin Mander.
Miles Mander entered the British film industry as a writer, producer, and actor, often working with Adrian Brunel. In 1925 he appeared in two Gainsborough productions: The Prude's Fall (1925) and The Pleasure Garden (1926). The former was Alfred Hitchcock's last film as an assistant director to Graham Cutts. The latter was Hitchcock's directorial debut. In 1926–7 he made a series of pioneering sound films. Later he collaborated with Alma Reville, Hitchcock's wife, on the script of The First Born (1928), his feature debut as director, in which he co-starred with Madeleine Carroll. Carroll reappeared in his third film, Fascination (1931).