Aug. 6, 1964 - Sir Cedric Hardwicke, 71, whose acting career of more than half a century kept him shuttling from New York to Hollywood, died today in New York.
He was admitted to University Hospital there three weeks ago with emphysema.
In addition to his respiratory ailment — possibly complicated by the fact that he had been gassed as a British officer in World War I — Sir Cedric (pictured in 1960) suffered from a heart condition. When he was found dead today on the floor of his hospital room, there was a deep cut, which necessitated an autopsy.
“He died of natural causes,” Assistant Medical Examiner John Devlin said later. “His heart and lungs were very badly diseased. The cut on the head was received when he collapsed and died, falling on the floor.”
Son of a Worcestershire doctor who objected to his son’s going on the stage, Sir Cedric nonetheless made his professional debut at the age of 18 after attending London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. In World War I, he rose to captain in the British army, served seven years, and was the last British officer to leave France.
Altogether, he acted in nearly 60 plays and 50 films. He began making films in England in 1931 and in Hollywood in 1935, where his first endeavors were “Becky Sharp” and “Les Misérables.” Some of his outstanding movies were “Suspicion” (1941), “The Ghost of Frankenstein” (1942), “The Keys of the Kingdom” (1944), “Nicholas Nickleby” (1947), “I Remember Mama” (1948), “Rope” 1948), “The Desert Fox” (1951), and “The Ten Commandments” (1956).
Probably his finest film was “Richard III,” in which he played Edward IV with three other knights — Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir John Gielgud, and Sir Ralph Richardson. His last film was a cameo role in “The Pumpkin Eater.”
In private, Sir Cedric was a dry wit and a raconteur. He married and was divorced twice. Both wives were actresses — Helena Pickard, 1928 to 1950, and Mary Scott, 1950 to 1961. He had sons by both wives, Edward, now 32 and an actor, and Michael.
Although Sir Cedric made a considerable amount of money during his career, he was not well off financially in his later years, according to his friends. One friend said today that Sir Cedric liked to spend money as fast as he earned it and being “flat broke” did not really disturb him.
Three years ago, he summed up his private life: “The more I see of life, the more I prefer the world of the theater to the real world.”
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