Guy Standing (actor)
British actor (1873–1937)
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Sir Guy Standing (1 September 1873 – 24 February 1937) was an English-American actor. After fighting in the British Navy in World War I, he became a noted actor in theater and then subsequently in pre-code Hollywood. He is known mainly for his roles playing authority figures, such as Colonel Stone in Lives of a Bengal Lancer. He was the son of Herbert Standing, and a member of the Standing family of actors.
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- Isabelle Urquhart (m. 1893; div. 1899)
- Blanche Burton (m. 19??; div. 19??)
- Dorothy Hammond (m. 1907)
Guy Standing | |
|---|---|
Standing in 1906 | |
| Born | 1 September 1873 London, England |
| Died | 24 February 1937 (aged 63) |
| Years active | 1895–1937[citation needed] |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 3, including Kay Hammond |
| Parent | Herbert Standing (father) |
| Relatives |
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Biography
Standing was born on 1 September 1873 in London.[1] Standing served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve throughout the First World War, reaching the rank of commander. He was seconded to MI6, but transferred to the Ministry of Information in December 1917.[2] 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.[3]
After becoming a noted actor in British and American theatre, he moved to Hollywood in the early 1930s appearing in Paramount films. 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]
He was the son of Herbert Standing (1846–1923), a noted actor from the stage and in silent films. His brothers Jack Standing, Herbert Standing Jr., Percy Standing and Wyndham Standing[4] 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.[4] and his daughter, Kay Hammond[4] (née Dorothy Katherine Standing) and grandson John Standing.[citation needed]
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His son, Michael Standing (died 1 December 1984), was the first live cricket commentator for BBC and first 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.[5][6] Reportedly, right after he made the claim "I never felt better", he collapsed to the floor in pain, dying shortly after.[1] He was interred at Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.[7]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | The Eagle and the Hawk | Major Dunham | |
| The Story of Temple Drake | Grandfather Judge Drake | Film is sometimes credited for the increased enforcement of the Hays Code after 1934 | |
| Midnight Club | Commissioner Hope | ||
| Cradle Song | Don Jose - the Doctor | ||
| Hell and High Water | Rear Admiral | ||
| 1934 | Death Takes a Holiday | Duke Lambert | |
| The Witching Hour | Judge Martin Prentice | ||
| Double Door | Mortimer Neff | ||
| Now and Forever | Felix Evans | ||
| 1935 | The Lives of a Bengal Lancer | Colonel Tom Stone | Film was nominated for 7 Academy Awards and won one for best assistant director |
| Car 99 | Professor Anthony | ||
| Annapolis Farewell | Cmdr. Fitzhugh | ||
| The Big Broadcast of 1936 | Doctor | ||
| 1936 | Palm Springs | Captain Smyth | |
| The Return of Sophie Lang | Max Bernard | ||
| I'd Give My Life | Governor John Bancroft | ||
| Lloyd's of London | John Julius Angerstein | ||
| 1937 | Bulldog Drummond Escapes | Col. Reginald Nielson | Standing's final film role |
