Powys-Lybbe Forbears - Person Sheet
Powys-Lybbe Forbears - Person Sheet
NameErnest Frederic Graham Thesiger 
[3, Birth, Q1 of 1879, Chelsea dist, vol 1A, p. 362], [4, 1939 ref: RG101/0307F/002/39], [3, Death, Q1 of 1961, Kensington dist, vol 5C, p. 1278], [62, 107th edn of 2003, Chelmsford article, vol 1, p. 759]
[3, Birth, Q1 of 1879, Chelsea dist, vol 1A, p. 362], [4, 1939 ref: RG101/0307F/002/39], [3, Death, Q1 of 1961, Kensington dist, vol 5C, p. 1278], [62, 107th edn of 2003, Chelmsford article, vol 1, p. 759]Birth15 Jan 1879, Chelsea district, London
Death14 Jan 1961, 8 St Georges Court Gloucester Road Kensington London S.W.7
Burial20 Jan 1961, Brompton Cemetery, London
General3rd s. Actor, both stage and films. dsp.
FatherSir Edward Peirson Thesiger K.C.B. (1842-1928)
MotherGeorgina Mary Stopford Sackville (1842-1906)
Spouses
Marriageca May 1917, Chelsea district, London [3, Marriage, Q2 of 1917, Chelsea dist, vol 1A, p. 791]
No Children
Notes for Ernest Frederic Graham Thesiger
His birth index:
Name: Mother's Maiden Surname:
THESIGER, ERNEST FREDERIC GRAHAM STOPFORD
GRO Reference: 1879 M Quarter in CHELSEA Volume 01A Page 362
____________________
He was baptised at St Peter’s, Eaton Sq, London on 27 Feb 1878 and his birth date was given as 13 Jan 1879, 2 days earlier than that given in 1939.
____________________
In 1939 and his wife were at 8 St George's Court, North Kensington, London:
First name(s) Last name(s) DOB Sex Occupation Marital status Schedule Schedule Sub Number
Ernest Thesiger 15 Jan 1879 M Actor Married 21 1
Janette M F Thesiger 16 Dec 1871 F Private Means Married 21 2
Gerda Rosen 11 May 1913 F Domestic Service Married 21 3
1939 ref: RG101/0307F/002/39
___________________
His death index:
First name(s) Ernest F G
Last name Thesiger
Gender Male
Birth year 1880
Age 81
Death quarter 1
Death year 1961
District Kensington
County London
Volume 5C
Page 1278
Country England
Record set England & Wales Deaths 1837-2007
__________________
His burial:
First name(s) Ernest Frederick Graham
Last name Thesiger
Birth year 1880
Burial year 1961
Burial date 20 Jan 1961
Year 1961
Place Brompton
Age 81
Residence 8 St Georges Court, Gloucester Road, S W 7
County Middlesex
Country England
Document type Burials
Burial number(s) 202879, 201595
Print number 201595
Burial register number 202879
Piece description Brompton Cemetery burial book no. 680, references 201401-201700
________________________
Name: Mother's Maiden Surname:
THESIGER, ERNEST FREDERIC GRAHAM STOPFORD
GRO Reference: 1879 M Quarter in CHELSEA Volume 01A Page 362
____________________
He was baptised at St Peter’s, Eaton Sq, London on 27 Feb 1878 and his birth date was given as 13 Jan 1879, 2 days earlier than that given in 1939.
____________________
In 1939 and his wife were at 8 St George's Court, North Kensington, London:
First name(s) Last name(s) DOB Sex Occupation Marital status Schedule Schedule Sub Number
Ernest Thesiger 15 Jan 1879 M Actor Married 21 1
Janette M F Thesiger 16 Dec 1871 F Private Means Married 21 2
Gerda Rosen 11 May 1913 F Domestic Service Married 21 3
1939 ref: RG101/0307F/002/39
___________________
His death index:
First name(s) Ernest F G
Last name Thesiger
Gender Male
Birth year 1880
Age 81
Death quarter 1
Death year 1961
District Kensington
County London
Volume 5C
Page 1278
Country England
Record set England & Wales Deaths 1837-2007
__________________
His burial:
First name(s) Ernest Frederick Graham
Last name Thesiger
Birth year 1880
Burial year 1961
Burial date 20 Jan 1961
Year 1961
Place Brompton
Age 81
Residence 8 St Georges Court, Gloucester Road, S W 7
County Middlesex
Country England
Document type Burials
Burial number(s) 202879, 201595
Print number 201595
Burial register number 202879
Piece description Brompton Cemetery burial book no. 680, references 201401-201700
________________________
Will notes for Ernest Frederic Graham Thesiger
His probate index:
1961
THESIGER Ernest Frederick Graham of 8 St Georges Court Gloucester Road Kensington London S.W.7. died 14 January 1961 Probate London 10 April to Richard Edward Knight Thesiger civil servant.
Effects £46525 1s.
_______________________
1961
THESIGER Ernest Frederick Graham of 8 St Georges Court Gloucester Road Kensington London S.W.7. died 14 January 1961 Probate London 10 April to Richard Edward Knight Thesiger civil servant.
Effects £46525 1s.
_______________________
DNB Main notes for Ernest Frederic Graham Thesiger
A bio from IMDB:
Born
January 15, 1879 in Chelsea, London, England, UK
Died
January 14, 1961 in Kensington, London, England, UK (natural causes)
Birth Name
Ernest Frederic Graham Thesiger
Height
6' (1.83 m)
Mini Bio (1)
Although he made nearly 60 films in a 50-year acting career, it is for the two he made with director James Whale that Ernest Thesiger will be best remembered. Born Ernest Frederic Graham Thesiger in London on January 15, 1879, he was the grandson of the first Baron of Chelmsford. Educated at Marlbrough college and the Slade, he originally hoped to become a great painter. Greatness proved elusive, however (though he remained an accomplished watercolour artist), and he quickly turned to the theatre, making his first appearance on stage in a production of "Colonel Smith" in 1909. He put his career on hold when, in 1914, he enlisted as a private in the British army when World War I broke out (he originally hoped to join a Scottish regiment because he wanted to wear a kilt). He did see some action in the trenches but had to be sent home after being wounded (he was quoted afterwards as saying of these experiences, "My dear, the noise! And the people!"). He made his first film appearance in 1916 with The Real Thing at Last (1916) and then returned to the theatre with "A Little Bit of Fluff",' which ran for over 1200 performances and led to him appearing in a film adaptation (A Little Bit of Fluff (1919)).
In 1925 he appeared in Noël Coward's production of "On With the Dance", in which he got to show off his knack for camp performances by playing one of two elderly women sharing a boarding house. In the early 1930s his old friend, actor-turned-director James Whale (who had moved to Hollywood and was enjoying huge success with Frankenstein (1931)), requested that his friend join him there to play the role of Horace Femm in Whale's upcoming production of The Old Dark House (1932). Thesiger agreed and, along with co-star Eva Moore, stole the film, which became a huge success. He returned to Britain to make The Ghoul (1933) with Boris Karloff. Whale requested Thesiger's services in Hollywood again, this time to appear in his sequel to Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Thesiger was given the role of the sinister Dr. Pretorious, after Whale had refused the studio's suggestion of Claude Rains for the role. With help from Whale's direction, some classic dialogue ("Have some gin. It's my only weakness . . .", "To a new world of gods and monsters") and expert camera work (which helped accentuate his skeletal frame), Thesiger stole the show once more. He returned to Britain and, unfortunately, never worked with Whale again. He appeared in the Alexander Korda-produced The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1936) and had a memorable role in the tongue-in-cheek horror film They Drive by Night (1938).
He appeared with Will Hay in My Learned Friend (1943) and Don't Take It to Heart! (1944). His other notable films of the 1940s include Henry V (1944) and The Winslow Boy (1948). He returned briefly to America to appear in "As You Like It" on Broadway and afterwards divided his time between theatre and film. Notable later films include Last Holiday (1950) (as Sir Trevor Lampington, discoverer and eponym of Lampington's disease), Laughter in Paradise (1951), Scrooge (1951) and The Man in the White Suit (1951) (as an elderly industry magnate). He made his last film appearance in The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961) and his last stage performance, opposite Sirs Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, in a production of "The Last Joke". He passed away shortly afterwards, on the eve of his 82nd birthday, at his home on Gloucester Road in Kensington, London.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Crisso (jaycag@hotmail.com)
Family (1)
Spouse
Janette Mary Fernie Ranken (29 May 1917 - 14 January 1961) (his death)
Trade Mark (2)
Chiseled elfin nose
Strong British accent
Trivia (19)
Thesiger originally played the role of Theotocopolous, the anti-technology rabble-rouser, in Things to Come (1936), but he was replaced by Sir Cedric Hardwicke because the latter was considered more marketable.
He was an accomplished watercolor artist and embroiderer (and even published a book entitled 'Adventures in Embroidery').
He was a great friend (and crochet partner) of Queen Mary and is even said to have based his later appearance on her.
He used to lay lilies at the feet of the handsome doorman at the Savoy Hotel in London.
Alec Guinness recounted in his journal "A Positively Final Appearance" a story about Thesiger, saying he was once stopped by a woman while walking through Picadilly, who asked him, "Didn't you used to be Ernest Thesiger?" To which he replied bluntly, "Still am!" and hurried on.
He was portrayed by actor Arthur Dignam in the 1998 film Gods and Monsters (1998), which is based on the life of his friend James Whale.
He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1960 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to drama.
He is interred at Brompton Cemetery in London alongside his father, mother and sister.
His famous role of mad scientist Dr. Pretorius in Bride of Frankenstein (1935) was initially turned down by Bela Lugosi. Universal wanted Claude Rains then to do the part but director James Whale insisted on Thesiger.
He was mentioned in dispatches for his service in World War I.
More than three decades after his death, he appeared in archive footage taken from Bride of Frankenstein (1935) in the opening credits of Weird Science (1994). The same was true of Boris Karloff.
His widow Janette passed away in 1970, aged 92.
His first cousin Frederic Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford served as the 38th Viceroy of India from April 4, 1916 to April 2, 1921. He was played by John Mills in Gandhi (1982).
First cousin once removed of the explorer and author Wilfred Thesiger.
Lived in what is generally regarded as a lavender marriage with Janette Ranken (16 December 1877 - 21 May 1970), the sister of his close friend and fellow Slade graduate William Bruce Ellis Ranken (11 April 1881 - 31 March 1941), who painted Thesiger's portrait in 1918. Janette was said to be herself in love with the poet Margaret Jourdain.
Was a lifelong member of the Holy Trinity Church in London and created the Disabled Soldiers' Embroidery Industry.
Believed in the power of amulets, and wore jewelry for luck: a pearl necklace, various rings and a jade pendant.
He practiced palmistry and regularly consulted a palmist. Also believed that he could read someone's past and sometimes their future by staring at them intently.
Wrote an unpublished memoir, "I Was"; but in 1927, published another: "Practically True".
Personal Quotes (4)
Anyone with a modicum of intelligence and the right kind of physique ought to make a film actor, if they are lucky enough to be told exactly what to do, and I cannot see that the actor for the screen deserves any more credit than a schoolboy who is good at dictation should have for writing admirable prose.
Often I am laughed at when I first am given a part, because I say at once: 'What rings shall I wear?' Luckily I have some hundred and fifty to choose from, and I can generally find one that suits the character.
There is no occupation in the world so absorbing as trying to paint. Everything, every worry, is for the moment forgotten in the effort, however unsuccessful, of creating a masterpiece. To the surprise of many and the horror of some, I have also found great pleasure in needlework, which, after all, is only another way of making pictures.
I have a shelf all round my dining room about a foot from the ceiling and there my luster lives, out of reach of possible breakages, or so I thought. During the war I took every piece down and stored them in safety. When the bombing stopped they went back to form a glittering frieze which brightens the room. But, alas, I didn't realize that the foundations of the shelves on which my treasures stood had been weakened by the vibration of the guns, and one day I heard a terrifying crash as one third of the shelf came away from the wall and with it about twenty pieces of glass which lay in smithereens on the floor, among them some of my much valued 'Varnish London' pieces, which though heavier and more solid than the fairings, were too badly damaged to be repaired. In order to console myself I told myself that the fewer pieces there were in existence of this particular make the more valuable the survivors would be.
Salary (1)
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
$1,000 per week
See also
Other Works | Publicity Listings | Official Sites
Born
January 15, 1879 in Chelsea, London, England, UK
Died
January 14, 1961 in Kensington, London, England, UK (natural causes)
Birth Name
Ernest Frederic Graham Thesiger
Height
6' (1.83 m)
Mini Bio (1)
Although he made nearly 60 films in a 50-year acting career, it is for the two he made with director James Whale that Ernest Thesiger will be best remembered. Born Ernest Frederic Graham Thesiger in London on January 15, 1879, he was the grandson of the first Baron of Chelmsford. Educated at Marlbrough college and the Slade, he originally hoped to become a great painter. Greatness proved elusive, however (though he remained an accomplished watercolour artist), and he quickly turned to the theatre, making his first appearance on stage in a production of "Colonel Smith" in 1909. He put his career on hold when, in 1914, he enlisted as a private in the British army when World War I broke out (he originally hoped to join a Scottish regiment because he wanted to wear a kilt). He did see some action in the trenches but had to be sent home after being wounded (he was quoted afterwards as saying of these experiences, "My dear, the noise! And the people!"). He made his first film appearance in 1916 with The Real Thing at Last (1916) and then returned to the theatre with "A Little Bit of Fluff",' which ran for over 1200 performances and led to him appearing in a film adaptation (A Little Bit of Fluff (1919)).
In 1925 he appeared in Noël Coward's production of "On With the Dance", in which he got to show off his knack for camp performances by playing one of two elderly women sharing a boarding house. In the early 1930s his old friend, actor-turned-director James Whale (who had moved to Hollywood and was enjoying huge success with Frankenstein (1931)), requested that his friend join him there to play the role of Horace Femm in Whale's upcoming production of The Old Dark House (1932). Thesiger agreed and, along with co-star Eva Moore, stole the film, which became a huge success. He returned to Britain to make The Ghoul (1933) with Boris Karloff. Whale requested Thesiger's services in Hollywood again, this time to appear in his sequel to Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Thesiger was given the role of the sinister Dr. Pretorious, after Whale had refused the studio's suggestion of Claude Rains for the role. With help from Whale's direction, some classic dialogue ("Have some gin. It's my only weakness . . .", "To a new world of gods and monsters") and expert camera work (which helped accentuate his skeletal frame), Thesiger stole the show once more. He returned to Britain and, unfortunately, never worked with Whale again. He appeared in the Alexander Korda-produced The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1936) and had a memorable role in the tongue-in-cheek horror film They Drive by Night (1938).
He appeared with Will Hay in My Learned Friend (1943) and Don't Take It to Heart! (1944). His other notable films of the 1940s include Henry V (1944) and The Winslow Boy (1948). He returned briefly to America to appear in "As You Like It" on Broadway and afterwards divided his time between theatre and film. Notable later films include Last Holiday (1950) (as Sir Trevor Lampington, discoverer and eponym of Lampington's disease), Laughter in Paradise (1951), Scrooge (1951) and The Man in the White Suit (1951) (as an elderly industry magnate). He made his last film appearance in The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961) and his last stage performance, opposite Sirs Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, in a production of "The Last Joke". He passed away shortly afterwards, on the eve of his 82nd birthday, at his home on Gloucester Road in Kensington, London.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Crisso (jaycag@hotmail.com)
Family (1)
Spouse
Janette Mary Fernie Ranken (29 May 1917 - 14 January 1961) (his death)
Trade Mark (2)
Chiseled elfin nose
Strong British accent
Trivia (19)
Thesiger originally played the role of Theotocopolous, the anti-technology rabble-rouser, in Things to Come (1936), but he was replaced by Sir Cedric Hardwicke because the latter was considered more marketable.
He was an accomplished watercolor artist and embroiderer (and even published a book entitled 'Adventures in Embroidery').
He was a great friend (and crochet partner) of Queen Mary and is even said to have based his later appearance on her.
He used to lay lilies at the feet of the handsome doorman at the Savoy Hotel in London.
Alec Guinness recounted in his journal "A Positively Final Appearance" a story about Thesiger, saying he was once stopped by a woman while walking through Picadilly, who asked him, "Didn't you used to be Ernest Thesiger?" To which he replied bluntly, "Still am!" and hurried on.
He was portrayed by actor Arthur Dignam in the 1998 film Gods and Monsters (1998), which is based on the life of his friend James Whale.
He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1960 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to drama.
He is interred at Brompton Cemetery in London alongside his father, mother and sister.
His famous role of mad scientist Dr. Pretorius in Bride of Frankenstein (1935) was initially turned down by Bela Lugosi. Universal wanted Claude Rains then to do the part but director James Whale insisted on Thesiger.
He was mentioned in dispatches for his service in World War I.
More than three decades after his death, he appeared in archive footage taken from Bride of Frankenstein (1935) in the opening credits of Weird Science (1994). The same was true of Boris Karloff.
His widow Janette passed away in 1970, aged 92.
His first cousin Frederic Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford served as the 38th Viceroy of India from April 4, 1916 to April 2, 1921. He was played by John Mills in Gandhi (1982).
First cousin once removed of the explorer and author Wilfred Thesiger.
Lived in what is generally regarded as a lavender marriage with Janette Ranken (16 December 1877 - 21 May 1970), the sister of his close friend and fellow Slade graduate William Bruce Ellis Ranken (11 April 1881 - 31 March 1941), who painted Thesiger's portrait in 1918. Janette was said to be herself in love with the poet Margaret Jourdain.
Was a lifelong member of the Holy Trinity Church in London and created the Disabled Soldiers' Embroidery Industry.
Believed in the power of amulets, and wore jewelry for luck: a pearl necklace, various rings and a jade pendant.
He practiced palmistry and regularly consulted a palmist. Also believed that he could read someone's past and sometimes their future by staring at them intently.
Wrote an unpublished memoir, "I Was"; but in 1927, published another: "Practically True".
Personal Quotes (4)
Anyone with a modicum of intelligence and the right kind of physique ought to make a film actor, if they are lucky enough to be told exactly what to do, and I cannot see that the actor for the screen deserves any more credit than a schoolboy who is good at dictation should have for writing admirable prose.
Often I am laughed at when I first am given a part, because I say at once: 'What rings shall I wear?' Luckily I have some hundred and fifty to choose from, and I can generally find one that suits the character.
There is no occupation in the world so absorbing as trying to paint. Everything, every worry, is for the moment forgotten in the effort, however unsuccessful, of creating a masterpiece. To the surprise of many and the horror of some, I have also found great pleasure in needlework, which, after all, is only another way of making pictures.
I have a shelf all round my dining room about a foot from the ceiling and there my luster lives, out of reach of possible breakages, or so I thought. During the war I took every piece down and stored them in safety. When the bombing stopped they went back to form a glittering frieze which brightens the room. But, alas, I didn't realize that the foundations of the shelves on which my treasures stood had been weakened by the vibration of the guns, and one day I heard a terrifying crash as one third of the shelf came away from the wall and with it about twenty pieces of glass which lay in smithereens on the floor, among them some of my much valued 'Varnish London' pieces, which though heavier and more solid than the fairings, were too badly damaged to be repaired. In order to console myself I told myself that the fewer pieces there were in existence of this particular make the more valuable the survivors would be.
Salary (1)
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
$1,000 per week
See also
Other Works | Publicity Listings | Official Sites
Notes for Ernest Frederic Graham & Janette M F (Family)
Their marriage index:
First name(s) Ernest F G
Last name Thesiger
Marriage quarter 2
Marriage year 1917
Marriage Finder Ernest F G Thesiger married one of these people
Janette M F Ranken
Spouse's last name Ranken
District Chelsea
County London
Country England
Volume 1A
Page number 791
Record set England & Wales Marriages 1837-2005
___________________
First name(s) Ernest F G
Last name Thesiger
Marriage quarter 2
Marriage year 1917
Marriage Finder Ernest F G Thesiger married one of these people
Janette M F Ranken
Spouse's last name Ranken
District Chelsea
County London
Country England
Volume 1A
Page number 791
Record set England & Wales Marriages 1837-2005
___________________