Guy Standing (actor)

Standing was born on 1 September 1873 in London.^[3] He was the son of Herbert Standing (1846–1923), a noted actor from the stage and in silent films,^{[citation needed]} and a nephew of the operatic baritone William T. Carleton.^[4] In the 1891 census, he was registered as a stage actor in London.^{[5][better source needed]} In 1892, he came to New York, where he had his first notable stage appearance in November 1892 at Koster & Bial's Music Hall, alongside Mrs. Bernard Beere.^[4] He joined Loie Fuller's theatre company. In 1893, Standing was hired by Charles Frohman with whom he went on tour, starring in Sowing the Wind. In 1897, he appeared in The Little Minister.^[4] He worked on Broadway from 1897 to 1899, where he became a favourite with audiences.^[6] In 1907, he was joint star alongside Theodore Roberts in The Right of Way at Wallack's Theatre on Broadway.^[4] By 1910, Standing had become a well-known stage actor.^[7]

In 1911, Standing lived in Chelsea, London.^{[8][better source needed]} Throughout the First World War, he served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, reaching the rank of commander. He was seconded to MI6, but transferred to the Ministry of Information in December 1917.^[9] In 1918, he was part of the British War Mission to the United States. For this service, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1918 and raised to Knight Commander (KBE) in the 1919 New Year Honours.^[10]

After becoming a noted actor in American and British theatre, he moved to Hollywood in the early 1930s appearing in Paramount films.^{[citation needed]} His best-known role is probably that of Colonel Stone, autocratic father of Lieutenant Stone (played by Richard Cromwell), in Henry Hathaway's Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935).^{[citation needed]}

Guy Standing's brothers Jack Standing, Herbert Standing Jr., Percy Standing and Wyndham Standing^[11] were also actors, as was his first wife Isabelle Urquhart, and his third wife and mother of his three children, Dorothy Hammond (née Plaskitt), his son Guy Standing Jr.^[11] and his daughter, Kay Hammond^[11] (née Dorothy Katherine Standing) and grandson John Standing.^{[citation needed]} His son, Michael Standing (died 1 December 1984), was a cricket commentator for BBC and live radio commentator, known particularly for his "Standing on the Corner" slot in In Town Tonight.^{[citation needed]}

Though legend holds that Standing died of a rattlesnake or spider bite, he died of a heart attack on 24 February 1937.^[12][13] Reportedly, right after he made the claim "I never felt better", he collapsed to the floor in pain, dying shortly after.^[3] He was interred at Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.^[14]