Star Archive


Miles Malleson (1888 - 1969)

Miles Malleson was one of the most ubiquitous character actors in British cinema. His lack of a chin lead to him being typecast as bumbling vicars or pompous fools. Yet he was far from being the idiot he portrayed and his career as a screenwriter is at least as distinguished as his career as an actor. 

He was born in Croydon and studied history at Cambridge before attending the Academy of Dramatic Art. By the twenties he was appearing on stage in classical roles. He also had a flourishing career as a dramatist. It was this skill that got him involved with the movies once talkies were established. He almost seemed to have slipped into screen acting, first taking small roles in his own scripts and then appearing in the work of others.

He became the first chairman of the Screen Writers' Association in 1937 and though his screenwriting career petered out by the end of the war he still continued to write for the stage. His stage plays included a series of Moliere adaptations, notably a version of The Miser in which he played the title role at the Old Vic.

He was married three times.

Filmography (As actor unless otherwise noted)

1921 The Headmaster
1930 Two Worlds (writer only)
1930 The Yellow Mask (writer only)
1930 Children of Chance (writer only)
1931 Sally in Our Alley (writer only)
1931 Night in Montmartre (original author)
1931 Money Means Nothing (+ writer)
1931 City of Song (+ writer)
1931 Frail Women
1931 The W Plan (writer only)
1932 Love on Wheels
1932 The Love Contract
1932 The Mayor's Nest
1932 The Sign of Four
1932 The Water Gypsies (writer only)
1932 The Blue Danube (writer only)
1933 Summer Lightning (+ writer)
1933 Strange Evidence (+ writer)
1933 Perfect Understanding (+ writer)
1933 Bitter Sweet
1934 Nell Gwyn (+ writer)
1934 The Queen's Affair (+ writer)
1935 Vintage Wine
1935 Lazybones
1935 The 39 Steps
1935 Lorna Doone (writer only)
1935 Falling in Love (writer only)
1935 Peg of Old Drury (writer only)
1936 Rhodes of Africa (writer only)
1936 Tudor Rose (+ writer)
1937 Knight Without Armour
1937 Action for Slander (writer only)
1937 Victoria the Great (+ writer)
1937 The Rat (writer only)
1938 A Royal Divorce (writer only)
1938 Sixty Glorious Years (writer only)
1939 The Lion Has Wings
1940 The Thief of Bagdad (+ writer)
1940 For Freedom (writer only)
1941 Major Barbara
1941 Spellbound (writer only)
1942 This Was Paris
1942 They Flew Alone (+ writer)
1942 Unpublished Story
1942 The First of the Few (+ writer)
1943 Thunder Rock
1943 The Gentle Sex
1943 The Demi-Paradise
1943 Squadron Leader X (writer only)
1943 Sabotage Agent (writer only)
1943 Yellow Canary (writer only)
1943 They Met in the Dark (writer only)
1945 Dead of Night
1946 Journey Together
1946 Land of Promise
1947 The Mark of Cain
1947 While the Sun Shines
1948 Idol of Paris
1948 One Night with You
1948 Saraband for Dead Lovers
1949 The History of Mr Polly
1949 Cardboard Cavalier
1949 The Queen of Spades
1949 The Perfect Woman
1949 Kind Hearts and Coronets
1949 Train of Events
1949 Woman Hater
1950 Stage Fright
1950 Golden Salamander
1951 The Magic Box
1951 The Man in the White Suit
1951 Scrooge
1952 Treasure Hunt
1952 The Woman's Angle
1952 The Happy Family
1952 The Importance of Being Earnest
1952 Trent's Last Case
1952 Venetian Bird
1953 Folly to Be Wise
1953 The Captain's Paradise
1955 Geordie
1955 King's Rhapsody
1956 Dry Rot
1956 Three Men in a Boat
1956 Private's Progress
1956 The Silken Affair
1957 Happy is the Bride
1957 The Naked Truth
1957 Brothers in Law
1957 The Admirable Crichton
1957 Barnacle Bill
1958 Behind the Mask
1958 Gideon's Day
1958 Dracula
1958 Bachelor of Hearts
1959 Carlton-Brown of the FO
1959 I'm All Right Jack
1959 The Hound of the Baskervilles
1959 The Captain's Table
1960 And the Same to You
1960 Kidnapped
1960 Peeping Tom
1960 The Brides of Dracula
1960 The Day They Robbed the Bank of England
1961 Fury at Smugglers' Bay
1961 The Hellfire Club
1961 Double Bunk
1962 Go to Blazes
1962 Postman's Knock
1962 The Phantom of the Opera
1962 Vengence
1963 Heavens Above!
1964 A Jolly Bad Fellow
1964 Circus World
1964 Murder Ahoy!
1964 First Men in the Moon
1965 You Must Be Joking!
 

 Miles Malleson at Amazon UK

 Miles Malleson at Amazon US