- Born
- Died
- Height6′ (1.83 m)
- The son of Joseph Livesey and Mary Catherine (nee Edwards), Roger was educated at Westminster City School, London. His first stage appearance was the office boy in Loyalties at St. James' theatre in 1917. Subsequently, he played in everything from William Shakespeare to modern comedies. He played various roles in the West End from 1920 to 1926. He toured the West Indies and South Africa the returned to join the Old Vic/Sadler's Wells company from September 1932 until May 1934. In 1936, he appeared in New York in the old English comedy "The Country Wife" and also married Ursula Jeans whom he had known previously in England. At the outbreak of war Roger and Ursula were among the first volunteers to entertain the troops before he volunteered for flying duties in the R.A.F. He was turned down as too old to fly so went to work in an aircraft factory at Desford aerodrome near Leicester to do his bit for the war effort. He was chosen by Michael Powell to play the lead in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943). This was shown in New York and established his international reputation as a brilliant character actor. He continued playing many theatrical roles during his film career from 1935 until 1969. Tall and broad with a luxurious mop of chestnut hair, Roger has (had) a deep voice, a gentle manner and the physique of an athlete. His favourite hobby is listed as "tinkering."- IMDb mini biography by: Steve Crook <steve@brainstorm.co.uk>
- SpouseUrsula Jeans(January 29, 1937 - April 21, 1973) (her death)
- Rich voice with an appealing touch of hoarseness in it
- Step-brother and double cousin of Barry Livesey and Jack Livesey. The Livesey family has a complicated structure.
Brothers Joseph and Sam Livesey married the Edwards sisters. Sam married Margaret Ann in 1900 and Joseph married Mary Catherine in 1905. Sam and Margaret Ann had two sons, Jack (1901) and Barrie Livesey (1905). Joseph and Mary Catherine had two children, Roger (1906) and Maggie (1911).
After Joseph died in 1911 and Margaret Ann died in 1913, Sam married Mary Catherine in 1913. They then brought up the children as one large family, having another child of their own, Stella in 1915.
The family tree was further complicated when Roger Livesey married Ursula Jeans whose brother Desmond Jeans was already married to Roger's sister Maggie. - Although he played Laurence Olivier's father in The Entertainer (1960), he was less than eleven months his senior in real life. In the same film, he played Joan Plowright, Alan Bates and Albert Finney's grandfather even though he was only 23, 28 and 30 years their senior respectively.
- The British Ministry of Information would not let Laurence Olivier be cast in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), as it didn't want to bolster the production with an actor and star of Olivier's calibre as it felt the movie was critical of a type of British patriot and the war was on. Livesey was cast instead.
- He got the role in I Know Where I'm Going after James Mason turned it down because it meant that he'd have to live rough in Scotland.
- Got his role in I Know Where I'm Going when James Mason turned it down,.
- The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1944) - £3,000
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