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IMDbPro

Leo Genn(1905-1978)

  • Actor
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Leo Genn
Who is Anton Haliakov, who has just been abducted by the M.I.5 in London? A Soviet scientist apparently. But sixteen years before the man had another identity, Clément Tibère, and another nationality, French. So what led him to become Russian and to change identity? And why are the British secret services interested in him?
Play trailer2:12
Escape to Nowhere (1973)
11 Videos
41 Photos
Leo Genn was the son of a successful jewelry merchant Woolfe (William) Genn and his wife Rachel Asserson. He attended the City of London School as a youth and went on to study law at Cambridge. He received his law degree as a qualified barrister (which in English law tradition is a lawyer who is a specialist in law and who appears in court as representative of a client, whereas a solicitor is also a lawyer but further defined as an attorney who deals directly with the client, writing all case-related briefs and hiring a barrister for court appearance - there is no such division in the USA). He began practice in 1928, however law was not his only interest. Acting caught his eye, and about 1930 he made the acquaintance of actor/manager Leon M. Lion, who needed an actor and a legal advisor. Genn fitted both and was hired and later that year made his stage debut. It was certainly of practical value that he continued offering legal counsel into the 1930s to augment the small income of a budding stage performer learning his craft. In 1933 he met and married Marguerite van Praag, a casting director at Ealing Studios.

His first screen role was as Shakespeare's Shylock in the UK production The Immortal Gentleman (1935). It mortised nicely between his two year (1934-36) period of Shakespearean apprenticeship as a member of the Old Vic Company where he appeared in many productions of Shakespeare. Genn had a very pleasant neutral British accent that could fit anywhere. And his voice was wonderfully smooth and yet authoritative, likened to "black velvet", that fit like a glove to his refined manner. Douglas Fairbanks Jr.., in London for one of his many UK starring vehicles, hired Genn as a technical advisor on the law for Accused (1936) and received a bit role - not for his legal advice - but for a "splendid voice and presence". But the legal side of his character stuck to him as he was in the process of dropping the law for acting full time. He spent 1937 playing film prosecutors and defending attorneys - not something he expected. Things picked up the next year - though still wading through some crime dramas - when he nabbed a small Indian character role in The Drum (1938), the ambitious adventure yarn by producer Alexander Korda. And he was the prince dance partner to Wendy Hiller in Pygmalion (1938) - uncredited - as was a young Anthony Quayle. Obviously, small featured extra roles allowed time for more ambitious outings. He starred in the stage hit "The Flashing Stream" also in 1938. It received the nod from Broadway, and Genn made his American debut in early 1939 in the play's successful run in New York.

Though still tagged for law officialdom in several films, Genn moved on to more hearty supporting roles in 1940 with war looming. He joined the Royal Artillery and received a rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 1943. In that year he was already wanted for film's war effort agenda as movie narrator. In 1944 he was given leave for two flag-waver movies - the second a most unusual and significant cinematic event. For Genn, it was a small part, but it was part of a glorious celebration of England and English history during the crisis of World War II - the Henry V of Laurence Olivier. Genn was the Constable of France, and though the lines were few, Shakespeare infused them with a sardonic wink that Genn delivered perfectly in an understated style that became one of his hallmarks. This part brought him to notice as a film actor, but he did not entertain its fruits until later 1946, for with the end of the war Genn, who had been awarded the French Croix de Guerre in 1945, went back to law counseling. He volunteered his legal knowledge to the British army unit involved in the investigation and prosecution of Nazi war crimes perpetrated at the Belsen concentration camp near Luneburg, Germany. And in the subsequent tribunals, Genn served as assistant prosecutor.

He was back in film in 1946, but more so he was being courted by Broadway to return - which he did in that crowded year with one of his best stage roles in the Lillian Hellman classic "Another Part of the Forest". Hollywood waited in the wings to grab him for the Eugene O'Neill update Mourning Becomes Electra (1947) of the ancient Greek tragedy triangle "Orestaia". It was not Genn's American film debut, for he had appeared in the UK/US crime drama The Girl in the News (1940) - as - what else - a prosecuting counsel - a barrister. He was competing with the American debut of Michael Redgrave in the O'Neill adaptation (3 hours, pared to about 2 hours for general release). The film was a great piece of dialog display but a disaster at the box office. But the chemistry of Genn with Rosalind Russell was such that they were marketed together again the next year in another American film, The Velvet Touch (1948), more whodunit but with snappy lines. Subsequently Genn was about equally in demand for film and stage on both sides of the Atlantic.

His film roles on into the 1950s were somewhat uneven, but Genn was always to form - the calm, understated but in control male lead or supporting character, whether war adventure or the inevitable crime drama - many a steady military officer and understanding professional - with a bit of comedy and a few shady characters thrown in.

Perhaps his best known American film role was as the sardonic Gaius Petronius Arbiter in Quo Vadis (1951). Genn's generous part as the ancient Roman satirist was filled with double meaning quips and understated sarcasm that Genn delivered with his poker face charm and subtle sidelong glances. He is so good that the audience hangs on his next sub-level dig with anticipation that partially eclipses the first rate histrionics of Peter Ustinov as a tongue-in-cheek deranged Nero. The level of Genn's performance was recognized with a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. The next year he was more than just a straight-laced William Bradford of American colonial history fame in Plymouth Adventure (1952), a much maligned American film that was, in fact, a realistic portrayal of the trials and tribulations of the Pilgrims (they were not all religious dissenters, not the dour, black and white Puritans who were later arrivals). Having to compete with a cantankerous, perhaps too hammy Spencer Tracy as the ship's captain, Genn's understated intensity brings off a compassionate portrayal.

Genn helped grace some of the most ambitious films of the later 1950s and into the 1960s: Moby Dick (1956), The Longest Day (1962), and 55 Days at Peking (1963). He embraced TV playhouse, both American and British programs, and US/UK episodic series through the period, as well as more outings on Broadway. He made six appearances on the Great White Way - the last in a short run of "The Only Game in Town" in mid 1968. All along Genn's voice had found welcoming slots in narration. Beside films, he was the voice of the royal coronation programs of 1937 and 1953. And he always kept a foot in his first love, British theater; he was a governor of London's The Mermaid Theatre.
BornAugust 9, 1905
DiedJanuary 26, 1978(72)
BornAugust 9, 1905
DiedJanuary 26, 1978(72)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Nominated for 1 Oscar
    • 1 nomination total

Photos41

Marina Berti and Leo Genn in Quo Vadis (1951)
Marina Berti and Leo Genn in Quo Vadis (1951)
Marina Berti and Leo Genn in Quo Vadis (1951)
Leo Genn in Quo Vadis (1951)
Marina Berti and Leo Genn in Quo Vadis (1951)
Marina Berti and Leo Genn in Quo Vadis (1951)
Robert Taylor, Marina Berti, and Leo Genn in Quo Vadis (1951)
Leo Genn in Quo Vadis (1951)
Robert Taylor and Leo Genn in Quo Vadis (1951)
Leo Genn in Connecting Rooms (1970)
Leo Genn and Michael Redgrave in Connecting Rooms (1970)
Robert Brown and Leo Genn in The Steel Bayonet (1957)

Known for

Quo Vadis (1951)
Quo Vadis
7.1
  • Petronius
  • 1951
Gregory Peck in Moby Dick (1956)
Moby Dick
7.3
  • Starbuck
  • 1956
Ten Little Indians (1965)
Ten Little Indians
6.6
  • General Mandrake
  • 1965
Olivia de Havilland in The Snake Pit (1948)
The Snake Pit
7.6
  • Dr. Mark Kik
  • 1948

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • Frightmare (1974)
    Frightmare
    • Dr. Lytell
    • 1974
  • Sie sind frei, Doktor Korczak (1974)
    Sie sind frei, Doktor Korczak
    • Henryk Goldszmit vel Janusz Korczak
    • 1974
  • Brian Keith, John Mills, Barry Morse, and Lilli Palmer in The Zoo Gang (1974)
    The Zoo Gang
    • François Dupont
    • TV Series
    • 1974
  • The MacKintosh Man (1973)
    The MacKintosh Man
    • Rollins (uncredited)
    • 1973
  • Escape to Nowhere (1973)
    Escape to Nowhere
    • Chief of M.I.5
    • 1973
  • Britt Ekland, Hayley Mills, George Sanders, Hywel Bennett, and Patience Collier in Endless Night (1972)
    Endless Night
    • Psychiatrist (uncredited)
    • 1972
  • Tony Curtis and Roger Moore in The Persuaders! (1971)
    The Persuaders!
    • Sir Hugo Chalmers
    • TV Series
    • 1971
  • Die Screaming Marianne (1971)
    Die Screaming Marianne
    • The Judge
    • 1971
  • Leslie McRay in A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (1971)
    A Lizard in a Woman's Skin
    • Edmond Brighton
    • 1971
  • Bette Davis and Michael Redgrave in Connecting Rooms (1970)
    Connecting Rooms
    • Dr. Norman
    • 1970
  • BBC Play of the Month (1965)
    BBC Play of the Month
    • Henry Wilcox
    • TV Series
    • 1970
  • The Bloody Judge (1970)
    The Bloody Judge
    • Lord Wessex
    • 1970
  • Kaz Garas, Anthony Quayle, and Anneke Wills in Strange Report (1969)
    Strange Report
    • George Halliday
    • TV Series
    • 1969
  • The Expert (1968)
    The Expert
    • Dr. Bellman
    • TV Series
    • 1969
  • Jack Palance in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1968)
    The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
    • Dr. Lanyon
    • TV Movie
    • 1968

Videos11

Trailer
Trailer 2:12
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 0:54
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 0:52
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 4:14
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 3:11
Official Trailer
Trailer [OV]
Trailer 2:09
Trailer [OV]
The Miniver Story
Trailer 2:31
The Miniver Story
Ten Little Indians
Trailer 2:08
Ten Little Indians
The Snake Pit
Trailer 2:23
The Snake Pit
Quo Vadis
Trailer 1:47
Quo Vadis
Quo Vadis
Trailer 1:46
Quo Vadis

Personal details

Edit
  • Height
    • 5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
  • Born
    • August 9, 1905
    • London, England, UK
  • Died
    • January 26, 1978
    • London, England, UK(heart attack)
  • Spouse
    • Marguerite van PraagMay 14, 1933 - January 26, 1978 (his death)
  • Other works
    Stage: Appeared (as "Benjamin Hubbard") in the original production of "Another art of the Forest" on Broadway. Book by Lillian Hellman.
  • Publicity listings
    • 6 Articles
    • 2 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    While a Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army, he was one of the Prosecuting Officers at the British-mounted 1945 Belsen War Crimes trial.
  • Trademark
      Deep black velvet voice
  • Nickname
    • The man with the black velvet voice.

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