Trivia of Edmund Gwenn

 Trivia of Edmund Gwenn (26 September 1877 - 6 September 1959)

*Gwenn was born in Wandsworth, London to John and Catherine (née Oliver) Kellaway. His brother was the actor Arthur Chesney, and his cousin was the actor Cecil Kellaway.He began his acting career in the theatre in 1895 playing brash comic roles.

*His first appearance in a Hollywood film, as Katharine Hepburn's father in Sylvia Scarlett (1935).

*He appeared in four films directed by Alfred Hitchcock: The Skin Game (1931), Waltzes from Vienna (1934), Foreign Correspondent (1940) and The Trouble with Harry (1955).

*He appeared in Lassie movies with different roles: Rowlie in Lassie Come Home (1943) , Dr William MacLure in Hills of Home (1948) , John Traill in Challenge to Lassie (1949).

*In 1945, he played villain "Albert Richard Kingby" in Dangerous Partners (1945). There is a peculiar scene in this film, which makes one wonder what director Edward L. Cahn was thinking. James Craig and Signe Hasso, the hero and heroine, are being held by the villainous Gwenn in a room, when Gwenn comes in to interrogate them. In the midst of this, the 33-year-old, 6'2" Craig punches the 68-year-old, 5'5" Gwenn in the belly and then forces the doubled-over Gwenn to release them. Admittedly, Craig and Hasso must escape, and Gwenn's character is pretty evil, but knocking the wind out of the old man makes Craig seem like a bully and far less sympathetic.

*He was offered the role of Kris Kringle for Christmas movie 'Miracle on 34th Street (1947)' after his cousin, Cecil Kellaway, turned it down.His perform as Santa Kris Kringle won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and Golden Globe Award.When Edmund Gwenn accepted his Best Supporting Actor Oscar, he said, "Now I know there's a Santa Claus."

*According to his co-star in Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Maureen O'Hara, they always got along beautiful moment throughout the production. "Each evening, when we were not working," recalled O'Hara, "Edmund Gwenn, John Payne, and I went for a walk up Fifth Avenue. Natalie Wood had to go to bed, but we didn't. We stopped and window shopped at all the stores, which were beautifully decorated for the holidays. Edmund especially loved those nights and acted more like the kid who might be getting the presents instead of the Santa who would be giving them. I got such a big kick out of seeing the expressions of window dressers when they saw Edmund peering in at them - I knew then that he was going to make a big splash as Santa Claus."