Matheson Lang
Encyclopedia
Biography
Lang was born in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the son of Rev.Gavin Lang of Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He was educated at Inverness College
Inverness College
Inverness College is a college based in Inverness, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is the hub campus of the University of the Highlands and Islands and its executive offices are located on the banks of the River Ness in the centre of town. The main campus is in the Longman, there is...
and the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
.
He made his stage debut in 1897. He became known for his Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
an roles in such plays as Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
, Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
, and Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
. He also appeared in plays by Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
and George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
. He performed in the theatrical companies of Sir Frank Benson
Francis Robert Benson
Sir Francis Robert Benson , commonly known as Frank Benson or F. R. Benson, was a British actor-manager...
, Lillie Langtry
Lillie Langtry
Lillie Langtry , usually spelled Lily Langtry when she was in the U.S., born Emilie Charlotte Le Breton, was a British actress born on the island of Jersey...
, and Ellen Terry
Ellen Terry
Dame Ellen Terry, GBE was an English stage actress who became the leading Shakespearean actress in Britain. Among the members of her famous family is her great nephew, John Gielgud....
.
In 1903 he married actress Nellie Hutin Britton
Hutin Britton
Nelly Hutin Britton , usually credited as Hutin Britton was an English actress. She was best known for her performances in Shakespeare roles early in the 20th century. She also appeared in leading roles in two silent British films.-Biography:Nelly, the daughter of Thomas Britton, was born in...
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...
. In 1906 he played Tristram in Joseph Comyns Carr's play Tristram and Iseult at the Adelphi Theatre
Adelphi Theatre
The Adelphi Theatre is a 1500-seat West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiving house for a variety of productions, including many musicals...
, with Lily Brayton
Lily Brayton
Elizabeth "Lily" Brayton was an English actress, known for her performances in Shakespeare plays and for her nearly 2,000 performances in the World War I hit musical Chu Chin Chow.-Early years:...
as Iseult and Oscar Asche
Oscar Asche
John Stange Heiss Oscar Asche , better known as Oscar Asche, was an Australian actor, director and writer, best known for having written, directed, and acted in the record-breaking musical Chu Chin Chow, both on stage and film, and for acting in, directing, or producing many Shakespeare plays and...
as King Mark; Lang's wife played Arganthael. Asche afterwards usually referred to Lang as "Tristram".
Lang and his wife subsequently formed their own company, which toured India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
from 1910-13 performing Shakespeare. In 1913, Lang returned to England and created one of his most memorable roles, the title character in Mr. Wu. He reprised this part in a 1919 silent film, and became so identified with the role that he titled his 1940 memoirs Mr. Wu Looks Back. In 1914, he and Britton successfully produced The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself...
, The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...
, and Hamlet at the Old Vic
Old Vic
The Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, it was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 when it was known formally as the Royal Victoria Hall. In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian...
.
In 1916, Lang became one of the first major theatre stars to act in a silent film, as Shylock
Shylock
Shylock is a fictional character in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.-In the play:In The Merchant of Venice, Shylock is a Jewish moneylender who lends money to his Christian rival, Antonio, setting the security at a pound of Antonio's flesh...
in The Merchant of Venice, with his wife as Portia
Portia (Merchant of Venice)
Portia is the heroine of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. A rich, beautiful, and intelligent heiress, she is bound by the lottery set forth in her father's will, which gives potential suitors the chance to choose between three caskets composed of gold, silver and lead...
. He went on to appear in over 30 films and was one of Britain's leading movie stars of the 1920s. Among his memorable roles were Guy Fawkes
Guy Fawkes
Guy Fawkes , also known as Guido Fawkes, the name he adopted while fighting for the Spanish in the Low Countries, belonged to a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.Fawkes was born and educated in York...
(1923), Matthias in The Wandering Jew
Wandering Jew
The Wandering Jew is a figure from medieval Christian folklore whose legend began to spread in Europe in the 13th century. The original legend concerns a Jew who taunted Jesus on the way to the Crucifixion and was then cursed to walk the earth until the Second Coming...
(1923) (which also featured his wife as Judith), Henry IV
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
in Henry, King of Navarre (1924), and Henry V
Henry V of England
Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....
in Royal Cavalcade (1935).
Lang also wrote the plays Carnival (1919) and The Purple Mask (1920), both of which were produced on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and made into films.
In 1940 the Langs were staying with their old friend Dornford Yates
Dornford Yates
Dornford Yates was the pseudonym of the British novelist, Cecil William Mercer , whose novels and short stories, some humorous , some thrillers , were best-sellers in the 21-year interwar period between the First and Second world wars.The pen name, Dornford Yates, first in print in 1910, resulted...
and his wife at their house near Pau in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
when France surrendered and had to escape from the advancing Germans through Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
to Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
Matheson Lang died in Bridgetown
Bridgetown
The city of Bridgetown , metropolitan pop 96,578 , is the capital and largest city of the nation of Barbados. Formerly, the Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael...
, Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
, at age 68.
Selection of Lang's stage performances
- Tristram and Iseult as Tristram (Adelphi TheatreAdelphi TheatreThe Adelphi Theatre is a 1500-seat West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiving house for a variety of productions, including many musicals...
, 1906) - Pete as Pete Quilliam (1908)
Filmography
- The Merchant of VeniceThe Merchant of Venice (1916 film)The Merchant of Venice is a 1916 British silent drama film directed by Walter West and starring Matheson Lang, Hutin Britton, Ernest Caselli. It is an adaptation of William Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice.-Production:...
(1916) - The Ware CaseThe Ware Case (1917 film)The Ware Case is a 1917 British silent drama film directed by Walter West and starring Matheson Lang, Violet Hopson and Ivy Close. It is an adaptation of the play The Ware Case by George Pleydell Bancroft.-Cast:* Matheson Lang - Sir Hubert Ware...
(1917) - The House OppositeThe House Opposite (1917 film)The House Opposite is a 1917 British silent drama film directed by Walter West and Frank Wilson and starring Matheson Lang, Violet Hopson and Ivy Close. It was based on a play by Perceval Landon.-Cast:* Matheson Lang as Henry Rivers MP...
(1917) - Masks and Faces (1917)
- Everybody's Business (1917)
- Victory and Peace (1918)
- Mr. WuMr. Wu (1919 film)Mr. Wu is a 1919 British drama film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Matheson Lang, Lillah McCarthy and Meggie Albanesi. A Chinese Mandarin murders his daughter after she falls in love with an Englishman. It was based on a 1913 play Mr. Wu by Maurice Vernon and Harold Owen. Durin the filming...
(1919) - CarnivalCarnival (1921 film)Carnival is a 1921 British drama film directed by Harley Knoles and starring Matheson Lang, Ivor Novello and Hilda Bayley. During a production of Shakespeare's Othello in Venice an Italian actor suspects his wife of having an affair and plans to murder her on stage. It was based on a stage play of...
(1921) - Dick Turpin's Ride to YorkDick Turpin's Ride to YorkDick Turpin's Ride to York is a 1922 British historical silent film drama directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Matheson Lang, Isobel Elsom and Cecil Humphreys...
(1922) - A Romance of Old BaghdadA Romance of Old BaghdadA Romance of Old Baghdad is a 1922 British silent drama film directed by Kenelm Foss and starring Matheson Lang, Manora Thew and Roy Travers. It is an adaptation of the novel Miss Haroun al Rashid by Jessie Douglas Kerruish. In nineteenth century Mesopotamia a series of romantic enganglements ensue...
(1922) - The Wandering JewThe Wandering Jew (1923 film)The Wandering Jew is a 1923 British silent fantasy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Matheson Lang, Hutin Britton and Malvina Longfellow. It was based on a play by E. Temple Thurston. A Jewish man is condemned to wander aimlessly through the ages...
(1923) - Guy FawkesGuy Fawkes (film)Guy Fawkes is a 1923 British historical film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Matheson Lang, Nina Vanna and Hugh Buckler. The film depicts the Gunpowder plot of 1605 in which a group of plotter planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament.-Cast:...
(1923) - Jealousy (1923)
- White Slippers (1924)
- Slaves of DestinySlaves of DestinySlaves of Destiny is a 1924 British silent drama film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Matheson Lang, Valia and Henry Victor. It is based on the novel Miranda of the Balcony by A.E.W. Mason.-Cast:* Matheson Lang as Luke Charnock...
(1924) - Port of Lost Souls (1924)
- Henry, King of NavarreHenry, King of NavarreHenry, King of Navarre is a 1924 British silent historical film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Matheson Lang, Gladys Jennings and Henry Victor. It was based on a novel by Alexandre Dumas.-Cast:* Matheson Lang as Henry...
(1924) - The Secret Kingdom (1925)
- The Qualified AdventurerThe Qualified AdventurerThe Qualified Adventurer is a 1925 British silent adventure film directed by Sinclair Hill and starring Matheson Lang, Genevieve Townsend and Fred Raynham...
(1925) - The Island of DespairThe Island of DespairThe Island of Despair is a 1926 British drama film directed by Henry Edwards and starring Matheson Lang, Marjorie Hume and Gordon Hopkirk. It was based on a novel by Margot Neville.-Cast:* Matheson Lang - Stephen Rhodes...
(1926) - The Chinese BungalowThe Chinese Bungalow (1926 film)The Chinese Bungalow is a 1926 British silent drama film directed by Sinclair Hill and starring Matheson Lang, Genevieve Townsend and Juliette Compton. It was based on the play The Chinese Bungalow which was adapted for further films in 1930 and 1940....
(1926) - The King's HighwayThe King's HighwayThe King's Highway is a 1927 British romantic adventure film directed by Sinclair Hill and starring James Carew, Gerald Ames, Matheson Lang and Joan Lockton...
(1927) - The Blue Peter (1928)
- The Triumph of the Scarlet PimpernelThe Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel (film)The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel is a 1928 British historical drama film directed by T. Hayes Hunter and starring Matheson Lang, Juliette Compton and Nelson Keys...
(1928) - The Chinese BungalowThe Chinese Bungalow (1930 film)The Chinese Bungalow is a 1930 British drama film directed by Arthur Barnes and J.B. Williams and starring Matheson Lang, Jill Esmond and Anna Neagle. It was based on the play The Chinese Bungalow. While working on the film J.B...
(1930) - Carnival (1931)
- Channel CrossingChannel CrossingChannel Crossing is a 1933 British crime film and starring Milton Rosmer and starring Matheson Lang, Constance Cummings, Anthony Bushell and Nigel Bruce.-Cast:* Matheson Lang - Jacob Van Eeden* Constance Cummings - Marion Slade...
(1933) - Little FriendLittle Friend (film)Little Friend is a 1934 British drama film directed by Berthold Viertel and starring Matheson Lang, Nova Pilbeam and Lydia Sherwood. A young girl slowly becomes aware that her parent's marriage is disintegrating. It was based on a novel by Ernst Lothar and adapted for the screen by Margaret Kennedy...
(1934) - The Great DefenderThe Great DefenderThe Great Defender is a 1934 British mystery film directed by Thomas Bentley and starring Matheson Lang, Margaret Bannerman and Arthur Margetson...
(1934) - Drake of EnglandDrake of EnglandDrake 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) - Royal CavalcadeRoyal CavalcadeRoyal Cavalcade is a 1935 British, black-and-white, drama film directed by six separate directors: Thomas Bentley , Herbert Brenon, Norman Lee, Walter Summers, Will Kellino and Marcel Varnel. The film features Marie Lohr, Hermione Baddeley, Owen Nares, Robert Hale, Austin Trevor, James Carew,...
(1935) - The CardinalThe Cardinal (1936 film)The Cardinal is a 1936 British historical drama film directed by Sinclair Hill and starring Matheson Lang, Eric Portman and Robert Atkins. The film depicts a power battle in Rome in 1570 between Giuliano de Medici and one of his rivals.-Cast:...
(1936)