Frederick Kerr

 Frederick Kerr was born in London, England on October 11, 1858 and entered fims at age 58 in 1916. He made three silent films and then focused on stage roles only to return to films when sound came in. He began by working with director Sidney Franklin on "Lady of Scandal" starring Ruth Chatterton, Basil Rathbone, Ralph Forbes and Nance O'Neill as Lady Trench to his Lord Trench 1930. He followed this with "Raffles" 1930, a mystery, directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Ronald Colman, Kay Francis, David Torrence, Bramwell Fletcherm and Alison Skipworth as Lady Kitty Melrose to answer to his Lord Harry Melrose. "The Devil to Pay" 1930 was filmed at Samuel Goldwyn Studios and Kerr was again working with Fitzmaurice and Ronald Colman and Loretta Young. This time he was portraying Lord Leland and he was typecast os a forceful, authoritative, somewhat blithering ccharacter actor. He was Lord Ponsonby in "Born to Love"1931 with Constance Bennett and Joel McCrea, and Sir George Boomer in "Always Goodbye" 1931 and next as Major Wetherby to Enid Bennett's Mrs. Wetherby, the parents to Douglass Montgomery's 'Roy Cronin, in James Whale's "Waterloo Bridge" starring Mae Clarke as Myra, Doris Lloyd as Kitty with Bette Davis as Janet Cronin. This film is a masterpiece and a true classic adaptation of Robert E. Sherwood's successful play. Next, Kerr was General Thomas Armstrong in "Friends and Lovers" and Paul Barony in "Honor of the Family" which is presumed to be a Lost Film. His next work has proven to be an iconic classic and his performance as Baron Frankenstein is seen widely today. James Whale directed and the actors included Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles, Edward Van Sloan, and Dwight Frye. He went on and made "Lovers Courageous" with Robert Montgomery and Madge Evans in 1932, "Beauty and the Boss" 1932 with Warren William and Marian Marsh in which his Count Von Tolheim stnds out as a most amiable and respectable man,1 "But the Flesh is Weak" with Robert Montgomery, Nora Gregor, and Heather Thatcher 1932. Kerr and his wife (Lucy Houghton Dowson whom he wed in 1894) returned to London where he made "Midshipmaid Gob" for Gainsborogh playing Sir Percy Newbiggin, father to Jessie Matthew's Celia Newbiggin. Another Jessie Matthews film followed with Ian Hunter, "The Man From Toronto" with his final film being "Lord of the Manor with Betty Stockfield, Henry Wilcoxon with Kerr as Sir Henry Bovey and Kate Cutler as Lady Bovey. It was a Herbert Wilcox Production.

Frederick was obese and a very heavy smoker and he contracted lung cancer and he died at home in London on May 2, 1933 aged 74.

He was the father of writer and actor Geoffrey Kerr and actress Joyce Kerr. He was grandfather to actor John Kerr.