Donald Esme Clayton Calthrop (11 April 1888 – 15 July 1940) was an English stage and film actor.
Born in London, Calthrop was educated at St Paul's School and made his first stage appearance at eighteen years of age at the Comedy Theatre, London. His first film was The Gay Lord Quex released in 1917. He starred as the title character in the successful musical The Boy in the same year. He then appeared in more than 60 films between 1916 and 1940, including five films directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
He died in Eton, Berkshire from a heart attack while he was filming Major Barbara (released in 1941). According to Ronald Neame in his autobiography, some shots in the final film had a stand-in playing Calthrop's role (from the back) and a piece of dialogue was recorded using an unnamed person who impersonated Calthrop's voice.
Calthrop is buried at St Patrick's Roman Catholic Cemetery, located in Waltham Forest, London.
He was the nephew of dramatist Dion Boucicault.
Selected filmography
Altar Chains (1916) Masks and Faces (1917) - Lovell The Gay Lord Quex (1917) - Valma Goodbye (1918) - Capt. Richard Adair Nelson (1918) - Horatio Nelson Shooting Stars (1928) - Andy Wilkes The Flying Squad (1929) - Sederman The Clue of the New Pin (1929) - Yeh Ling Blackmail (1929) - Tracy Atlantic (1929) - Pointer Spanish Eyes (1930) - Mascoso The Night Porter (1930) - The Porter Song of Soho (1930) - Nobby Loose Ends (1930) - Winton Penner Juno and the Paycock (1930) - Needle Nugent (uncredited) Two Worlds (1930) - Mendel (British Version) Murder! (1930) - Ion Stewart Almost a Honeymoon (1930) - Charles, the butler Elstree Calling (1930) - Himself / Petruchio in Taming of the Shrew Cape Forlorn (1931) - Parsons Uneasy Virtue (1931) - Burglar The Ghost Train (1931) - Saul Hodgkin Many Waters (1931) - Compton Hardcastle The Bells (1931) - Mathias Potiphar's Wife (1931) - Counsel for Defence Money for Nothing (1932) - Manager Number Seventeen (1932) - Brant - Nora's Escort Fires of Fate (1932) - Sir William Royden Rome Express (1932) - Mr. Poole F.P.1 (1933) - Sunshine, the Photographer I Was a Spy (1933) - Cnockhaert Early to Bed (1933) - Peschke Friday the Thirteenth (1933) - Hugh Nicholls This Acting Business (1933) - Milton Stafford Sorrell and Son (1933) - Dr. Richard Orange It's a Cop (1934) - Charles Murray Nine Forty-Five (1934) - Dr. Venables Orders Is Orders (1934) - Pavey Red Ensign (1934) - Macleod The Clairvoyant (1935) - Derelict (uncredited) The Divine Spark (1935) - Judge Fumaroli Me and Marlborough (1935) - Drunken Yokel The Phantom Light (1935) - David Owen Man of the Moment (1935) - Godfrey Scrooge (1935) - Bob Cratchit Broken Blossoms (1936) - Old Chinaman The Man Behind the Mask (1936) - Dr. Harold E. Walpole The Man Who Changed His Mind (1936) - Clayton / Lord Haslewood Fire Over England (1937) - Don Escobal Thunder in the City (1937) - Dr. Plumet Cafe Colette (1937) - Nick Love from a Stranger (1937) - Hobson Dreaming Lips (1937) - Philosopher Band Waggon (1940) - Hobday Let George Do It! (1940) - Frederick Strickland Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt (1940) - Guide (uncredited) Major Barbara (1941) - Peter Shirley
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