Sidney Bracey

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia Sidney Bracey 18 December 1877 5 August 1942 was an Australianborn American actor After a stage career in Australia on Broadway and in Britain he appeared in 321 films between 1909 and 1942 Bracey was born in Melbourne Victoria with the name Sidney Bracy later changing the spelling of his last name He was the son of Welsh tenor Henry Bracy and English actress Clara T Bracy His aunt was actress and dancer Lydia Thompson He began his stage career in Australia in the 1890s with J C Williamsons comic opera companies On Broadway in 1900 he appeared as the tenor lead Yussuf in the first American production of The Rose of Persia at Dalys Theatre in New York He then moved to England appearing as Moreno in the Edwardian musical comedy hit The Toreador at the Gaiety Theatre London in June 1901 He next joined the DOyly Carte Opera Company on tour in Britain playing Terence OBrian in The Emerald Isle from September 1901 to May 1902 He then left the DOyly Carte continuing his stage career in Britain He appeared in Amorelle at Londons Comedy Theatre in 1904 The Winters Tale in 190405 and A Persian Princess at Queens Theatre in 1909 Back on Broadway in 1912 he played as Sir Guy of Gisborne in a revival of Reginald de Kovens Robin Hood at the New Amsterdam Theatre followed by Rob Roy at the Liberty Theatre in 1913 He then moved into film acting making first silent films and then talkies until his death in 1942 Early in his film career he wrote and directed a silent movie called Sid Nees Finish Thanhouser Company 1914 in which he played the title character In 1916 he changed the spelling of his last name to Bracey Silent film authority Diane MacIntyre gave this description of him Bracey a stately looking character man was in big demand for authority like roles such as movie directors bosses and most of the time the most respectable and poised butler in all of Hollywood He was thin dark haired and had an earnest yet sober face that could break into a look of wideeyed exasperation Bracy died in Hollywood California on 5 August 1942 aged 64