Philip Tonge
| Philip Tonge | |
|---|---|
 Philip Tonge (ca. 1930) | |
| Born |
Philip Ashton Tonge April 26, 1897 London, United Kingdom |
| Died |
January 28, 1959 (aged 61) Los Angeles, United States |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1914-1959 |
Philip Ashton Tonge (26 April 1897 – 28 January 1959) was a stage, film, and television actor.
Born in London, England, Tonge became an actor at a young age. Fellow child actor Noël Coward stated he had his first sexual experience at age 13 with the slightly older Tonge.[1][2]
Tonge made his film debut in 1913 in the short The Still Voice, and on Broadway in The Highway of Life in 1914. He worked steadily on stage, with several dozen Broadway plays to his credit. He was in the original cast of Coward's Design for Living (1932) and in 1943 joined the cast during the long run of Blithe Spirit. Possibly his best known film role was Julian Shellhammer in the Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street (1947). He also appeared in Hans Christian Andersen (1952) and Witness for the Prosecution (1957).
On television, he played District Attorney Cortland in the fourth Perry Mason episode, "The Case of the Drowning Duck" (1957). He also played Dr. Robert Means in Dr. Hudson's Secret Journal (1955-1957) and General Amherst in Northwest Passage (1958–1959).
He died in Hollywood, California. He was survived by his wife, Lyda (1902-1984).
Partial filmography
- His Double Life (1933)
- Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
- Love from a Stranger (1947)
- Hans Christian Andersen (1952)
- Scandal at Scourie (1953)
- Track of the Cat (1954)
- Les Girls (1957)
- Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
- This Earth Is Mine (1959) (uncredited)
References
- ↑ Sir Noël Coward. Out magazine. March 2003. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ↑ John Kenrick. "Noel Coward: Biographical Sketch". musicals101.com. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
External links
- Philip Tonge at the Internet Movie Database
- Philip Tonge at the Internet Broadway Database
- Philip Tonge at Find a Grave