Leslie Fenton

Leslie Fenton
File:Leslie Fenton1.jpg Photo of Fenton from Film Star Who's Who on the Screen (1938)
Born	(1902-03-12)12 March 1902 Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Died	Montecito, California, United States
Occupation	Actor, film director
Years active	1923-1951
Spouse(s)	Ann Dvorak (1932-1945; divorced) Marcella Zabala Howard (1952-1978; his death)

Leslie Fenton (12 March 1902 – 25 March 1978) was an English-born American actor and film director. He appeared in 62 films between 1923 and 1945.

Early life

Fenton was born on 12 March 1902 in Liverpool, England. He moved to America with his mother, Elizabeth Carter, and his brothers when he was six years old. They sailed as steerage passengers on board the R.M.S. Celtic, which departed from Liverpool, 11 September 1909, and arrived at New York, where they were ferried over to Ellis Island for "U.S. Immigrant Inspection" on 19 September; they were quickly admitted and continued their journey by rail to join his father, shoe manufacturer's representative Richard Fenton, in Mifflin, Ohio.

Career

As a teenager, Leslie worked as an office clerk. He moved to New York and began a career on the stage. His film career began later with Fox Studios. He also directed 19 films between 1938 and 1951.

Military service

Fenton saw active service during the Second World War. In spring 1941, he was commissioned into the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve. In 1942, as commander of a motor launch vessel, he took part in the St Nazaire Raid. He was injured in the raid and spent months convalescing in Devon. Unable to return to sea, he took a desk job at the War Office.

Personal life

He married American actress Ann Dvorak in 1932. Dvorak (Anna May McKim) moved to England with Fenton while he served in the British military during World War II. The union was childless and ended in divorce in 1945. Fenton died 25 March 1978 in Montecito, California, aged 76. Some sources, including IMDB, incorrectly cite Frank Fenton, the noted screenwriter and novelist, as his younger brother. Frank Fenton's parents were John Fenton and Eveline Edgington (married Liverpool, 1900), as evidenced by the ship's manifest for the SS Caronia (page 0817, line 0008), aboard which Frank Fenton arrived in the US on Apr 21 1906.

Selected filmography

As actor:

• Gentle Julia (1923)
• East Lynne (1925)
• The Ancient Mariner (1925)
• What Price Glory? (1926)
• The Shamrock Handicap (1926)
• The Last Performance (1927)
• The Showdown (1928)
• The Drag Net (1928)
• The First Kiss (1928)
• Girls Gone Wild (1929)
• Paris Bound (1929)
• Broadway (1929)
• Woman Trap (1929)
• The Man I Love (1929)
• Dynamite (1929)
• The Guilty Generation (1931)
• Murder at Midnight (1931)
• The Public Enemy (1931)
• The Pagan Lady (1931)
• The Hatchet Man (1932)
• The Strange Love of Molly Louvain (1932)
• Air Mail (1932)
• Thunder Below (1932)
• Lady Killer (1933)
• White Lies (1935)
• House of Secrets (1936)
• Two in the Dark (1936)
• China Passage (1937)
• Boys Town (1938)

As director:

• Tell No Tells (1939)
• The Man from Dakota (1940)
• The Saint's Vacation (1941)
• Whispering Smith (1948)
• Streets of Laredo (1949)
• The Redhead and the Cowboy (1951)

External links

• Leslie Fenton at the Internet Movie Database
• Leslie Fenton at Find a Grave
• Leslie Fenton at Virtual History