Sydney Greenstreet was born on December 27, 1879, in Sandwich, Kent, England, the son of Ann (née Snell) and John Jarvis Greenstreet, a tanner. His siblings were Richard (born 1876), Ellen (born 1878), and John (born 1881). Greenstreet was educated at Queen’s College, Taunton, from 1890 to 1898. He began his acting career while still a student, appearing in various London productions.
Greenstreet made his film debut in 1915, appearing in The Man Who Was Thursday. He went on to appear in over 50 films, including Casablanca (1942), The Maltese Falcon (1941), and The African Queen (1951).
Greenstreet’s career was cut short by his death from cancer on January 18, 1954, at the age of 74. He was survived by his wife, actress Katherine Emery.
Greenstreet was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor for Casablanca and Best Actor for The African Queen. His net worth at the time of his death was estimated at $5 million.
General Info
Full Name
Sydney Greenstreet
Died
January 18, 1954, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States
Height
1.75 m
Profession
Actor
Nationality
English
Family
Spouse
Dorothy Marie Ogden
Children
John Ogden Greenstreet
Parents
John Jack Greenstreet, Ann Greenstreet
Accomplishments
Nominations
Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Movies
Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, Christmas in Connecticut, The Mask of Dimitrios, Passage to Marseille, Across the Pacific, Three Strangers, Background to Danger, The Verdict, Flamingo Road, The Conspirators, They Died with Their Boots On, The Hucksters, Malaya, Conflict, Ruthless, The Woman in White...
The lens is the actor's best critic... showing his mind more clearly than on the stage. You can get wonderful cooperation out of the lens if you are true, but God help you if you are not. Pictures are much harder to do than the theater... You're at the mercy of the camera angles and the piecemeal technique.
Facts
#
Fact
1
Karen Burroughs Hannsberry has a short biography of him in her book "Bad Boys: The Actors of Film Noir".
2
His characters in ''The Maltese Falcon'' and ''Casablanca'' were the inspiration for the Star Wars character Jabba The Hutt.
3
While appearing at Bryn Mawr College in '"As You Like it," his girth caused him to crash through the floor. after he emerged in sight of the audience, he delivered his next line without breaking stride.
4
Greenstreet had a great theatrical career before making his film debut in "The Maltese Falcon." He is reported to have acted in every major Shakespearean play and committed 12,000 lines of Shakepearean verse to memory.
5
Partially inspired the appearance of Jabba the Hut in the "Star Wars" series. When asked what the intergalactic gangster should look like by the designer, George Lucas replied, "A big blob, a huge mass of matter." The designer immediately thought of Greenstreet in Casablanca (1942). At one point during the production, a fez was placed on the final Jabba's head, to make him look like Greenstreet.
6
His little-known Cyrus Redblock role was recycled into another same-name character for the series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), episode "The Big Good-Bye". Played fittingly by the late Lawrence Tierney.
7
Of the only 23 movies he appeared in, nine were with co-star Peter Lorre.
8
Author Tennessee Williams wrote his one-act play "The Last of My Solid Gold Watches" with Sydney Greenstreet in mind, and dedicated it to him.
9
His film career lasted a mere eight years and ended more than fifty-five years ago, yet he is one of the best remembered and most recognizable of all film actors.
10
Son, John Ogden Greenstreet died March 4, 2004 at age 84.
11
Starred as the title character on NBC Radio's "The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe" (1950-1951).
12
Interred at Forest Lawn, Glendale, California, USA, in the Utility Columbarium area of the Great Mausoleum (not accessible for public viewing).
Pictures
Movies
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Malaya
1949
The Dutchman
It's a Great Feeling
1949
Sydney Greenstreet (uncredited)
Flamingo Road
1949
Sheriff Titus Semple
The Velvet Touch
1948
Captain Danbury
The Woman in White
1948
Count Fosco
Ruthless
1948
Buck Mansfield
The Hucksters
1947
Evan Llewellyn Evans
That Way with Women
1947
James P. Alden
The Verdict
1946
Supt. George Edward Grodman
Devotion
1946
William Makepeace Thackeray
Three Strangers
1946
Jerome K. Arbutny
Christmas in Connecticut
1945
Alexander Yardley
Conflict
1945
Dr. Mark Hamilton
Pillow to Post
1945
Colonel Michael Otley
Hollywood Canteen
1944
Sydney Greenstreet
The Conspirators
1944
Ricardo Quintanilla
The Mask of Dimitrios
1944
Mr. Peters
Between Two Worlds
1944
Reverend Tim Thompson
Passage to Marseille
1944
Maj. Duval
Background to Danger
1943
Colonel Robinson
Casablanca
1942
Signor Ferrari
Across the Pacific
1942
Dr. H.F.G. Lorenz
They Died with Their Boots On
1941
Lt. General Winfield Scott
The Maltese Falcon
1941
Kasper Gutman
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Hucksters
1947
performer: "Over There" - uncredited
That Way with Women
1947
performer: "Who Threw the Overalls in Mrs. Murphy's Chowder?" - uncredited
