Percy Marmont

Gaunt British actor Percy Marmont was the George Brent of the silent era; though not a particularly commanding screen presence in himself, Marmont was the much-in-demand leading man of such dynamic 1920s actresses as Ethel Barrymore, Geraldine Farrar, Clara Bow and Nita Naldi. Marmont launched his theatrical career in London at age 17, then worked with touring companies in Liverpool and South Africa. While in the latter country he made his first film appearance in 1913's The Voertrekkers; his second movie was the Australian The Monk and the Woman (1916). Then it was on to New York, where he made his American film bow opposite popular leading-lady Elsie Ferguson in Rose of the World (1917). Resettling in Hollywood, Marmont starred in his favorite film, a 1922 adaptation of the stage hit If Winter Comes. All told, he appeared in over 50 silent films then enjoyed a thriving career as a character actor in British talkies. He also starred in the London stage versions of such American long-runners as Witness for the Prosecution, The Philadelphia Story and The Little Foxes. Percy Marmont retired at the age of 85; he died 9 years later.