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Ernest Torrence‌

Gender

Male

Birthday

calendar1878-06-24

Popularity

star1.4

Ernest Torrence

Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Ernest Torrence

Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Gender

Male

Birthday

calendar1878-06-24

Popularity

star1.4

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.

Movie Credits

Steamboat Bill, Jr.

Steamboat Bill, Jr.‌
star7.6
calendar 1928

A Dangerous Affair

A Dangerous Affair‌
star0.0
calendar 1919

I Cover the Waterfront

I Cover the Waterfront‌
star5.0
calendar 1933

The Blind Goddess

The Blind Goddess‌
star0.0
calendar 1926

The Trail of the Lonesome Pine

The Trail of the Lonesome Pine‌
star0.0
calendar 1923

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hunchback of Notre Dame‌
star6.5
calendar 1923

Mantrap

Mantrap‌
star5.9
calendar 1926

The Lady of the Harem

The Lady of the Harem‌
star0.0
calendar 1926

The Cuban Love Song

The Cuban Love Song‌
star4.3
calendar 1931

Across to Singapore

Across to Singapore‌
star6.8
calendar 1928

Fighting Caravans

Fighting Caravans‌
star5.2
calendar 1931

Speedway

Speedway‌
star5.4
calendar 1929

Ruggles of Red Gap

Ruggles of Red Gap‌
star0.0
calendar 1923

Desert Nights

Desert Nights‌
star5.4
calendar 1929

The Prodigal Judge

The Prodigal Judge‌
star0.0
calendar 1922

The Unholy Night

The Unholy Night‌
star5.4
calendar 1929

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes‌
star5.1
calendar 1932

The Great Lover

The Great Lover‌
star5.3
calendar 1931

Untamed

Untamed‌
star5.8
calendar 1929

Shipmates

Shipmates‌
star4.7
calendar 1931

The Bridge of San Luis Rey

The Bridge of San Luis Rey‌
star8.0
calendar 1929

The Cossacks

The Cossacks‌
star7.3
calendar 1928

Clara Bow: Discovering the It Girl

Clara Bow: Discovering the It Girl‌
star7.7
calendar 1999

Sporting Blood

Sporting Blood‌
star5.5
calendar 1931

Call of the Flesh

Call of the Flesh‌
star4.5
calendar 1930

Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)

Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)‌
star0.0
calendar 1942

Captain Salvation

Captain Salvation‌
star6.8
calendar 1927

New Adventures of Get Rich Quick Wallingford

New Adventures of Get Rich Quick Wallingford‌
star5.0
calendar 1931

Sweet Kitty Bellairs

Sweet Kitty Bellairs‌
star5.0
calendar 1930

The Covered Wagon

The Covered Wagon‌
star6.1
calendar 1923

Officer O'Brien

Officer O'Brien‌
star4.0
calendar 1930

Strictly Unconventional

Strictly Unconventional‌
star3.5
calendar 1930

Hypnotized

Hypnotized‌
star0.0
calendar 1932

North of 36

North of 36‌
star0.0
calendar 1926

The King of Kings

The King of Kings‌
star6.4
calendar 1927

Peter Pan

Peter Pan‌
star7.0
calendar 1924

Night Life of New York

Night Life of New York‌
star0.0
calendar 1925

Broken Chains

Broken Chains‌
star0.0
calendar 1922

Twelve Miles Out

Twelve Miles Out‌
star6.0
calendar 1927

The Pony Express

The Pony Express‌
star5.9
calendar 1925

Tol'able David

Tol'able David‌
star7.0
calendar 1921

The Kingdom Within

The Kingdom Within‌
star0.0
calendar 1922

The Tingler

The Tingler‌
star6.3
calendar 1959

The American Venus

The American Venus‌
star0.0
calendar 1926

The Brass Bottle

The Brass Bottle‌
star0.0
calendar 1923

The Wanderer

The Wanderer‌
star1.0
calendar 1925

Singed Wings

Singed Wings‌
star0.0
calendar 1922

The Fighting Coward

The Fighting Coward‌
star4.8
calendar 1924

The Heritage of the Desert

The Heritage of the Desert‌
star0.0
calendar 1924

The Dressmaker from Paris

The Dressmaker from Paris‌
star0.0
calendar 1925

The Side Show of Life

The Side Show of Life‌
star0.0
calendar 1924

The Rainmaker

The Rainmaker‌
star0.0
calendar 1926

Tv Credits