biography
Born in London, England, on March 1, 1885, actor Lionel Atwill was born into a family of wealth and privilege. Although his family pushed
him to study architecture, Atwill was drawn to the stage and began his acting career in London soon after his 18th birthday. Handsome
and charismatic in his youth, he found a great deal of success as an actor, touring Europe and Australia extensively. At age 28, Atwill
married his first wife, stage actress Phyllis Relph, in 1913. The couple had a son, John, in 1915. Atwill left his wife and son behind
when he went to New York in 1916, where he found great success on Broadway in numerous plays. In 1918, he acted in his first film,
Eve's Daughter, which was a filmed version of a Broadway play starring Atwill in 1917. He married again in 1920, this time to
stage actress Elsie Mackay, but this marriage ended in 1925 when she left Atwill for Max Montesole, another stage actor. Their acrimonious
split made headlines in late 1925, with accusations of infidelity and abuse. But this scandal would be considered minor considering another
that rocked Atwill's career fifteen years later.He remained a stage actor and producer until 1932, when, at the age of 47, he went to Hollywood to stay. His first film in Hollywood was the Fox mystery Silent Witness (1932; with Helen Mack), but his big breakthrough role was in Warner Bros./First National horror film Doctor X (1932; with Fay Wray and Lee Tracy), shot in early Technicolor. He starred again with Fay Wray in the Warner Bros. Technicolor horror release Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) and in Majestic's The Vampire Bat (1933). With all the horror films Atwill appeared in, it is surprising that he wasn't at this time typecast in horror films, as Atwill acted in such dramas as Paramount's The Song of Songs (1933; with Marlene Dietrich and Brian Aherne) and Nana (1934; with Anna Sten). However, as Atwill edged closer to his twilight years, horror films established him as a cult favorite for modern audiences. |
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the films of lionel atwillMystery of the Wax Museum (1933)
With Allen Vincent in the Warner Bros. horror flick Mystery of the Wax Museum. This film was originally released in two-strip Technicolor and today can be seen in its original color release. This film was remade in 1953 as House of Wax in 3-DThe Sphinx (1933)
From the Monogram mystery The Sphinx with Sheila TerryThe Vampire Bat (1933) 
From Majestic's low-budget horror flick The Vampire Bat. LEFT: With Fay Wray and Melvyn Douglas. RIGHT: Atwill menaces Fay WrayThe Firebird (1934)
With Verree Teasdale and C. Aubrey Smith in the Warner Bros. drama The FirebirdNana (1934)
With Anna Sten in the drama NanaMark of the Vampire (1935)
With Lionel Barrymore and Jean Hersholt in the MGM horror release Mark of the VampireThe Murder Man (1935)
From the MGM crime drama The Murder Man with Spencer Tracy, Virginia Bruce, and William CollierThe Great Waltz (1938)
Atwill as Count Anton Hohenfried in the MGM drama The Great WaltzThe High Command (1938)
From the British drama The High CommandSon of Frankenstein (1939)
As the one-armed police inspector Krogh, Lionel Atwill steals scenes in Universal's stylish horror film Son of FrankensteinThe Great Profile (1940)
From the 20th Century-Fox comedy The Great Profile with John Barrymore and Mary Beth HughesMan Made Monster (1941)Cairo (1942)
From the MGM comedy/drama Cairo with Mona Barrie and Eduardo CiannelliThe Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)
With Lon Chaney Jr. as the monster in Universal's underrated The Ghost of FrankensteinFog Island (1945)
From the PRC horror thriller Fog Island with Sharon Douglas, Veda Ann Borg, Jerome Cowan, and Ian Keithlater yearsAtwill's career nearly came to a halt in 1941, following a Christmas party he hosted in late 1940 that allegedly involved an orgy, a minor, naked guests, and pornographic films. Accused of lying to a jury in 1941 about the alleged orgy he had hosted at his Pacific Palisades home, he was indicted for perjury in October 1942. Trying to protect the identity of his guests, Atwill originally pleaded guilty to the charge and was put on a probation period of five years. However, in April 1943 the actor was allowed to change his plea to not guilty and was exonerated. While some film historians posit that the scandal made Atwill unemployable, in truth his career weathered the scandal amazingly well for the period and he was out of work for only a few months. Losing his connections with 20th Century Fox and MGM, Atwill kept working at Universal, Republic, RKO, and PRC, starring in numerous horror films such as The Strange Case of Doctor Rx (1942; with Anne Gwynne), Night Monster (1942; with Bela Lugosi), and Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943; with Lon Chaney Jr. and Bela Lugosi). The scandal did cost him his marriage to his wealthy third wife, socialite Louise Brooks Cromwell, who divorced Atwill in 1943. He married his fourth wife, singer Mary Shilston, in July 1944, and she gave birth to a son in late 1945. By this time, however, Atwill was suffering from bronchial cancer. He began shooting scenes for the Universal serial Lost City of the Jungle in January 1946, but he was too ill to complete filming the 13-chapter serial. His scenes were completed with the use of a double. Sadly, six months after the birth of his son, Tony, Lionel Atwill passed away from cancer on April 22. 1946, at the age of 61. He was survived by his wife, Mary, and his son, Tony. He was predeceased by his son from his first marriage, John, who was killed as an RAF pilot in 1941. |
filmographyFILM
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