Leonard Ceeley
Leonard Ceeley, real name Leon Otis Dickerson Seeley, was a British actor, born August 14, 1892 in Gravesend, Kent (United Kingdom). and dead May 7, 1977 in Los Angeles, California (United States).[1]
He began as a choirboy at Rochester Cathedral before traveling to Italy to refine his vocal skills.[2]
His theatrical career unfolded almost exclusively in the United States, where he was one of the most prolific actors in musicals and operettas during the late 1920s and early 1930s,[3] particularly on the Broadway theatre and around the country.[4]
From 1930 to 1935, he held many leading roles in productions at the St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre,[5] commonly known as The Muny, earning his own paper doll.[6]
He later had a modest film career, with his most notable role being Whitmore, the villain in the the Marx Brothers movie A Day at the Races
In 1943 Leonard Ceeley married Lorraine Bridges an American actress and singer, they remained married until his death.[7] They were principal players in the Marx brothers revue A Day at the Races.[8][9] and appeared in an adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac titled Gardenia Lady, which was written, composed, produced and costarred by Leonard Ceeley (under the name of Lyn Ceeley),[10] in Leeds in 1947.[11][12]
Theatre
- 1924 : Lollipop as Don Carlos
- 1927 : My princess ; as Guiseppe Ciccolini
- 1928 : Countess Maritza as Count Tassilo Endrody
- 1929 : Café de Danse as Ramon
- 1930: Alone at Last as Baron Franz Von Hansen
- 1930: Blossom Time as Baron Von Schober
- 1930: Nina Rosa as Pablo
- 1930: The New Moon as Phillippe
- 1930: The Desert Song as Pierre Birabeau
- 1930: The Student Prince as Prince Karl Franz
- 1930: Madame Pompadour as Rene Comte d'Estrades
- 1930: Maytime as Rudolpho/Signor Zizalle
- 1930: Show Boat as Steve
- 1931: Countess Maritza as Count Tassilo Endrody
- 1931: The Three Musketeers as D'Artagnan
- 1931: Rose-Marie as Edward Hawley
- 1931: Rio Rita as General Enrique Joselito Esteban
- 1932: The Rose of Stamboul as Achmed Bey
- 1932: The Riviera Girl as Charles Lorenz
- 1932: The New Moon as Phillippe
- 1932: The Desert Song as Pierre Birabeau
- 1932: The Last Waltz as Prince Paul
- 1933: Beau Brummell as Beau Brummell
- 1933: My Maryland as Capt. Trumbull
- 1933: Bitter Sweet as Captain August Lutte
- 1933: Florodora as Cyrus Gilfain
- 1933: Rip Van Winkle (Planquette) as Derrick von Beekman
- 1933: The Desert Song as Pierre Birabeau
- 1933: White Lilacs as Pierre Luselle
- 1933: The Nightingale as Stephen Rutherford
- 1934: Music in the Air as Bruno Mahler
- 1934: Cyrano de Bergerac as Cyrano de Bergerac
- 1934: Sweethearts as Franz
- 1934: Sweet Adeline as James Day
- 1934: The New Moon as Phillippe
- 1934: The Last Waltz as Prince Paul
- 1934: East Wind as Rene Beauvais
- 1934: Show Boat as Steve
- 1937: Music in the Air as Bruno Mahler
- 1940: Unfaithfully yours (du Barry) as Louis XV
- 1943: Balalaika as Colonel Balakirev
- 1950: The New Moon as Phillippe
- 1951: Song of Norway as Franz Liszt
- 1953: Three Wishes for Jamie as Power O'Malley
- 1953: Blossom Time as Count Frederic Scharntoff
- 1953: Call Me Madam as Supreme Court Justice
- 1953: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as Mr. Esmond
- 1953: The Great Waltz as Hartkopf
- 1953: Music in the Air as Herr Direktor Kirschner
- 1953: The Mikado as Go-To
- 1953: Naughty Marietta as Lieut. Governor Grandet
- 1953: The Boy Friend ; as Percival Browne (understudy)
Filmography
- 1936 : Moonlight Murder : Ivan Bosloff
- 1937 : A Day at the Races : Whitmore
- 1937 : The Soldier and the Lady : Tsar's aide (uncredited)
Television
- 1950 : first Believe It or Not TV series (TV series).[13]
References
- ↑ "Obituary for Leonard Ceeley". The Los Angeles Times. 1977-05-10. p. 40. Retrieved 2020-09-14 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Leonard Ceeley Mention in St. Louis Post-Dispatch". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. May 30, 1943. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
- ↑ Roger D. Kinkle (1976). The Complete Encyclopedia of Popular Music and Jazz, 1900-1950. 1. Arlington House. ISBN 978-0-87000-229-8. Search this book on
- ↑ "The Frisco Employes' Magazine". The Frisco Employes' Magazine. June 1931.
- ↑ "The Muny Actor List: Leonard Ceeley". The Muny Archives. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
- ↑ "Leonard Ceeley - Muny Opera Dressographs Paper Doll". Pinterest. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
- ↑ "Leonard Ceeley Weds Lorraine Bridges". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 1943-05-22. p. 12. Retrieved 2020-08-24 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Rees, Les (22 July 1936). "Pictures: Marx Bros.' Presentation Break-In of 'Day at Races' Evidences OK Comedy". Variety. Vol. 123 no. 6. p. 2.
- ↑ "Marxes "Comic Caravan" Hits the Road Next Week". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 1936-07-04. p. 10. Retrieved 2020-09-14 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Accidents at Leeds Heritage Theatres". Leeds Heritage Theatres. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ↑ "New Show to Open in Leeds." Accordion Times and Musical Express. Iss. 45, (Aug 15, 1947): 1.
- ↑ Gänzl, Kurt (1994). The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre. Schirmer Books. ISBN 978-0-02-871445-5 – via Google Books. Search this book on
- ↑ Terrace, Vincent (January 10, 2014). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 273. ISBN 978-0-7864-8641-0. Retrieved December 31, 2024. Search this book on
External souces
- Template:Playbill name
- Leonard Ceeley at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Leonard Ceeley at the Internet Broadway DatabaseLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 23: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Leonard Ceeley in The Muny Archive
- Leonard Ceeley sur About The Artists
Further reading
- Mary Kimbrough (1977). The Muny: St. Louis' Outdoor Theater. Bethany Press. ISBN 978-0827223158. Search this book on
- Richard C. Norton (2002). A Chronology of American Musical Theater. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195088885. Search this book on
- Ruth Benjamin (2005). Who Sang What on Broadway, 1866-1996. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. ISBN 978-0786415069. Search this book on
- Samuel L. Leiter (1985). The Encyclopedia of the New York Stage, 1920-1930. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-23615-0. Search this book on
This article "Leonard Ceeley" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Leonard Ceeley. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
