Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Monday 26 June 1933, page 4


JOHN LONGDEN I

To Act for Australian Film.

Mr. John Longden, who is at present ap-pearing with Mr. Nicholas Hannen and Miss Athene Seyler at the Criterion Theatre, has been engaged to play the central part in "The Silence of Dean Maitland," This film will go into production at the Cinesound studios, Bondi, in August.

In making this announcement Mr. Stuart F. Doyle (managing director of Cinesound Productions, Ltd ) referred to the long search which his company had had to find a suitable actor for the role. The fact that Mr. Longden was well known in Eng-land, both on stage and screen, he added, would greatly enhance the prospects of the film winning a success in the English market.

Mr. Longden is 30 years of age. The son of a Wesleyan missionary, he was born in the West Indies, and educated at Kingswood School, Bath, which John Wesley founded. He began work as a mining student in York-shire, and spent two years underground. Then he Joined an amateur theatrical group, and in 1921 a friend gave him an Introduction to Mr. Seymour Hicks. With a walking-on part in "Old Bill, M P," his professional career began. After playing (for 30 shillings a week) in "My Old Dutch" with Albert Chevalier, he spent some time with the Liverpool and Bir-mingham Repertory Theatres In Sir Bairy Jackson's famous production of "The Farmer's Wife" at the Court Theatre, Mr Longden played the part of Richard during two of the three years the play ran About this time he began to appear in silent films Since the coming of talking pictures, Sydney audi-ences have seen him In "£.ackmail," "Atlan-tic," "The Skin Game," "Murder on the Second Floor," "The Ringer," and other pro-

ductions.

Before "The Silence of Dean Maitland" Is begun, Mr. Ken Hall will complete "The Squatter's Daughter" at the Bondi Studios