Cyril Raymond

Cyril William North Raymond MBE (13 February 1899 in Rowley Regis, Staffordshire – 20 March 1973 in Ripe, near Lewes, Sussex) was a British character actor.^[1]

Of dozens of film and television appearances, probably his best-remembered role was as Fred Jesson, the husband of Celia Johnson's Laura Jesson in Brief Encounter (1945).

Royal Air Force career

During the Second World War he served as a RAF fighter controller during the Battle of Britain and was awarded the MBE in the 1945 King's Birthday Honours. He reached the rank of Wing Commander.

Personal life

1911 Census shows that he was 12-year-old, a schoolboy living at the Grand Hotel, Broad Street, Bristol. His mother Rose Raymond, 44 years old, was managing the hotel.^[2] His father Herbert Linton Raymond had died in 1906 at the hotel, Herbert and Rose are buried at Arnos Vale Cemetery, Bristol.

He was married twice. First to Iris Hoey and then to Gillian Lind, both of whom were actresses.

Cutting from The Times 18 September 1922 - Miss Iris Hoey, the actress, was married yesterday at a Bristol Register Office to Mr Cyril Raymond, of Bristol, an actor. Mr Raymond's mother, Rose L. Raymond, is the manageress of the Grand Hotel, Bristol.

Witnesses were Rose L. Raymond, Florence M. Hingley, Alice Baines and A. S. Baines. Florence is a cousin of Cyril. Bridesmaid was Miss Shelley Carlton.

On 4 December 1923 with Iris Hoey he had a son John North Blagrave Raymond, who was born in Bristol.

• 1936 Divorced by Iris Hoey.
• 1937 Married Gillian Pratt (Lind) in, Hailsham, who was related to Boris Karloff. Her nephew is production designer, Anthony D. G. Pratt.
• 1973 Cyril died on 20 March at Ripe, Sussex, England, UK.

Theatre career^[3]

• 1915 - Cyril is at Tree’s Academy of Dramatic Art which went on to become RADA.
• 1920 - Harry Armytage in Mumsee, Little London.
• 1921 - Lt the Hon Cecil Plumley RN in Sweet William, Shaftesbury, London.
• 1921 - Arthur Chesney in Seen Through A Veil, Lyceum, London.
• 1930 - Played on Broadway in New York in the play Josef Suss. (Jud Süß)
• 1945 - Mike Kenderdine in Under the Counter, Phoenix Theatre, London.
• 1955 - Willie in Mrs Willie, Globe Theatre, London.
• 1962 - Dr Alan Forrest in Signpost to Murder, Cambridge Theatre, London.
• 1965 - Hudson in Inadmissible Evidence, Wyndham's Theatre, London.

Selected filmography

References

External link

• Cyril Raymond at the Internet Movie Database