Ernest Torrence

Ernest Torrence

Known for: Acting
Biography: 1878-06-26
Deathday: 1933-05-13 (54 years old)

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Biography

He was the man you loved to hiss. This towering (6' 4"), highly imposing character star with cold, hollow, beady eyes and a huge, protruding snout would go on to become one of the silent screen's finest arch villains. Born Ernest Thayson Torrence-Thompson on June 26, 1878, in Edinburgh, Scotland, he was, unlikely enough, an exceptional pianist and operatic baritone. A graduate of the Stuttgart Conservatory, Edinburgh Academy before earning a scholarship at London's Royal Academy of Music, he toured with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in such productions as "The Emerald Isle" (1901) and "The Talk of the Town" (1905) before serious vocal problems set in. Both Ernest and his actor brother David Torrence came to America directly from Scotland prior to WWI. Focusing instead on a purely acting career, both brothers developed into seasoned players on the New York stage. Ernest made his Broadway bow with "Modest Suzanne" in 1912 and a standout role in "The Night Boat" in 1920 brought him to the attention of Hollywood filmmakers.


He earned superb marks playing the despicable adversary Luke Hatburn in Tol'able David (1921) opposite Richard Barthelmess, and immediately settled into films for the rest of his career. Adept at both comedy and drama, Ernest avoided what could have been a damaging stereotype with his sympathetic portrayal of a grizzled old codger in the classic western The Covered Wagon (1923). He further bolstered his celebrity with plum, lip-smacking roles alongside Lon Chaney in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) as Clopin, king of the beggars, and Betty Bronson in Peter Pan (1924) as the dastardly Captain Hook. In an offbeat bit of casting he paired up with Clara Bow in Mantrap (1926) as a gentle, bear-like backwoodsman in search of a wife, and participated in other silent classics such as The King of Kings (1927) (as Peter) and Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928) as Buster Keaton's steamboat captain Dad.


Despite his celluloid villainy, Ernest was known as a courtly and cultivated gentleman in private. He made the transition into talking films intact and was able to play a marvelous nemesis, Dr. Moriarty, to Clive Brooks ' Sherlock Holmes (1932) before his untimely death. Ernest died following his filming as a smuggler in I Cover the Waterfront (1933) starring Claudette Colbert in New York on May 15,1933, at the relatively young age of 54. It seems that while en route to Europe by ship, Torrence suffered an acute attack of gall stones and was rushed back to a New York hospital. He died of complications following surgery. Looking and usually playing much older than he was, Hollywood lost a marvelously talented and robust character player who had dozens of films ahead of him.

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Filmography

all 52

Movies 52

self 2

Self (from Mantrap [1926]) (archive footage)
Clara Bow: Discovering the It Girl

Clara Bow: Discovering the It Girl (1999)

Movie
Self (archive footage)
Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)

Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10) (1942)

Movie
ArchiveFootage
Movie Memories #2

Movie Memories #2 (1934)

Movie
Eli Kirk
I Cover the Waterfront

I Cover the Waterfront (1933)

Movie
Prof. Horace S. Limberly - Hypnotist
Hypnotized

Hypnotized (1932)

Movie
Professor James Moriarty
Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes (1932)

Movie
Romance
The Cuban Love Song

The Cuban Love Song (1931)

Movie
Blackie Daw
New Adventures of Get Rich Quick Wallingford

New Adventures of Get Rich Quick Wallingford (1931)

Movie
Mr. Jim Rellence
Sporting Blood

Sporting Blood (1931)

Movie
Potter
The Great Lover

The Great Lover (1931)

Movie
Scotty
Shipmates

Shipmates (1931)

Movie
Bill Jackson
Fighting Caravans

Fighting Caravans (1931)

Movie
Sir Jasper Standish
Sweet Kitty Bellairs

Sweet Kitty Bellairs (1930)

Movie
Esteban
Call of the Flesh

Call of the Flesh (1930)

Movie
Lord Porteous
Strictly Unconventional

Strictly Unconventional (1930)

Movie
John P. O'Brien
Officer O'Brien

Officer O'Brien (1930)

Movie
Ben Murchison
Untamed

Untamed (1929)

Movie
Jim MacDonald
Speedway

Speedway (1929)

Movie
Dr. Ballou
The Unholy Night

The Unholy Night (1929)

Movie
Uncle Pio
The Bridge of San Luis Rey

The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1929)

Movie
Lord Stonehill
Desert Nights

Desert Nights (1929)

Movie
Ivan
The Cossacks

The Cossacks (1928)

Movie
William 'Steamboat Bill' Canfield
Steamboat Bill, Jr.

Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)

Movie
4.87
Capt. Mark Shore
Across to Singapore

Across to Singapore (1928)

Movie
7
Red McCue
Twelve Miles Out

Twelve Miles Out (1927)

Movie
Captain
Captain Salvation

Captain Salvation (1927)

Movie
Peter
The King of Kings

The King of Kings (1927)

Movie
Hassan
The Lady of the Harem

The Lady of the Harem (1926)

Movie
Joe Easter
Mantrap

Mantrap (1926)

Movie
Mike
The Rainmaker

The Rainmaker (1926)

Movie
Mr. Clayton
The Blind Goddess

The Blind Goddess (1926)

Movie
Jim Nabours
North of 36

North of 36 (1926)

Movie
King Neptune
The American Venus

The American Venus (1926)

Movie
'Ascension' Jones
The Pony Express

The Pony Express (1925)

Movie
Tola
The Wanderer

The Wanderer (1925)

Movie
John Bentley
Night Life of New York

Night Life of New York (1925)

Movie
Angus McGregor
The Dressmaker from Paris

The Dressmaker from Paris (1925)

Movie
Captain James Hook
Peter Pan

Peter Pan (1924)

Movie
Andrew Lackaday
The Side Show of Life

The Side Show of Life (1924)

Movie
Gen. Orlando Jackson
The Fighting Coward

The Fighting Coward (1924)

Movie
August Naab
The Heritage of the Desert

The Heritage of the Desert (1924)

Movie
Cousin Egbert Floud
Ruggles of Red Gap

Ruggles of Red Gap (1923)

Movie
Clopin
The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)

Movie
4.58
Fakresh-el-Aamash
The Brass Bottle

The Brass Bottle (1923)

Movie
'Devil' Jud Tolliver
The Trail of the Lonesome Pine

The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1923)

Movie
William Jackson
The Covered Wagon

The Covered Wagon (1923)

Movie
2
Krieg
The Kingdom Within

The Kingdom Within (1922)

Movie
Boyan Boone
Broken Chains

Broken Chains (1922)

Movie
Emilio
Singed Wings

Singed Wings (1922)

Movie
Solomon Mahaffy
The Prodigal Judge

The Prodigal Judge (1922)

Movie
Luke Hatburn
Tol'able David

Tol'able David (1921)

Movie
Abner (as Ernest Torrance)
A Dangerous Affair

A Dangerous Affair (1919)

Movie

Ratings

Average 4.57
Based on 40.1 Thousand movie and tv ratings over time
1919
1924
1927
1926
1999
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Ernest TorrenceErnest Torrence

Information

Known For
Acting

Gender
Male

Birthday
1878-06-26

Deathday
1933-05-13 (54 years old)

Birth Place
Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Siblings
David Torrence

Citizenships
United Kingdom

Also Known As
Ernest Torrance-Thomson

Awards
star on Hollywood Walk of Fame


This article uses material from Wikipedia.
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