Ernest Thesiger

Gaunt, sharp-featured British character actor whose film appearances were too few but almost invariably delightful. A veteran of the stage, Thesiger brought his rich, fruity delivery and polished timing to a series of eccentric, sometimes menacing, but usually comically haughty character roles. He was perhaps most brilliant in two classic horror films directed by his friend James Whale, "The Old Dark House" (1932) and "The Bride of Frankenstein" (1935). He also graced the unjustly neglected thriller "They Drive By Night" (1938) as a crazed killer, and stole scenes in such satirical films as "The Man in the White Suit" (1951) and "Value for Money" (1955).