Ben Webster was a British-born actor, and the husband of actress Dame May Whitty

May Whitty

Dame May Whitty, DBE , born Mary Louise Whitty, was an English stage actress who appeared in numerous films in later life, achieving recognition in several character roles.-Background:...

, and father of the British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

-American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 stage actress, Margaret Webster

Margaret Webster

Margaret Webster was an American-born theater actress, producer and director. Through her parents, she held dual US/UK citizenship.-Career:...

. His father, W. S. Webster, was the son of the famous actor Benjamin Nottingham Webster

Benjamin Nottingham Webster

Benjamin Nottingham Webster was an English actor-manager and dramatist.-Career:First appearing as Harlequin, and then in small parts at Drury Lane, he went to the Haymarket Theatre in 1829, and was given leading comedy character business.Webster was the lessee of the Haymarket from 1837 to 1853;...

.

Ben Webster was born on June 2, 1864 in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 and married May Whitty in 1892 there. He acted in films for 30 years from 1913 to 1943. He and Whitty migrated to California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, where they remained until their deaths.

He died in Hollywood, California during surgery on February 26, 1947, aged 82.

Selected filmography

• Enoch Arden
  Enoch Arden (film)
  Enoch Arden is a 1914 British silent drama film directed by Percy Nash and starring Gerald Lawrence, Fay Davis and Ben Webster. It was based on a poem Enoch Arden by Alfred Lord Tennyson.-Cast:* Gerald Lawrence - Enoch Arden* Fay Davis - Annie Lee...
  
  (1914)
• The Vicar of Wakefield
  The Vicar of Wakefield (film)
  The Vicar of Wakefield is a 1916 British silent comedy film directed by Fred Paul and starring Laura Cowie, A.E. George and John Hare. It is based on the 1766 novel The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith.-Cast:* Laura Cowie - Olivia Primrose...
  
  (1916)
• The Gay Lord Quex
  The Gay Lord Quex (film)
  The Gay Lord Quex is a 1917 British silent comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Ben Webster, Irene Vanbrugh and Lilian Braithwaite...
  
  (1917)
• The Lyons Mail
  The Lyons Mail
  The Lyons Mail is a 1931 British mystery film directed by Arthur Maude and starring John Martin Harvey, Norah Baring and Ben Webster. It was based on a play by Charles Reade and was also released under the title Courrier de Lyon...
  
  (1931)
• Drake of England
  Drake of England
  Drake of England is a 1935 British drama film directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Matheson Lang, Athene Seyler and Jane Baxter. It depicts the life of Francis Drake and the events leading up to the defeat of the Armada in 1588.-Cast:...
  
  (1935)
• Forever and a Day (1943)

External links