Roger Livesey

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Roger Livesey as Clive Candy, in the duel scene from Colonel Blimp.

Roger Livesey (June 25, 1906 - February 4, 1976) was a Welsh stage and film actor, married to actress Ursula Jeans from 1936 until her death in 1973.

The son of Sam Livesey and Mary Catherine (nee Edwards), Livesey was born in Barry, South Wales and educated at Westminster City School, London. His first stage appearance was the office boy in Loyalties at St. James's theatre in 1917. He then played in everything from Shakespeare to modern comedies. He played various roles in the West End from 1920 to 1926, toured the West Indies and South Africa, and then returned to join the Old Vic/Sadler's Wells company from September 1932 until May 1934. In 1936, he appeared in New York in the old English comedy The Country Wife and also married Ursula Jeans, whom he had known previously in England.

At the outbreak of World War II, Livesey and Jeans were among the first volunteers to entertain the troops before he volunteered for flying duties in the R.A.F. He was turned down as too old, so he went to work in an aircraft factory at Desford aerodrome near Leicester to "do his bit for the war effort". He was chosen by Michael Powell to play the lead in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943). This was shown in New York and established his international reputation as a talented character actor.

He continued playing many theatrical roles during his film career until 1969. Livesey died from colorectal cancer at the age of 69.

Tall and broad with a mop of chestnut hair, Livesey had a husky voice, a gentle manner and an athletic physique. His favourite hobby is listed as "tinkering". He is most often remembered for the three Powell & Pressburger films in which he starred: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, I Know Where I'm Going! and A Matter of Life and Death.