Clive Brook

Shop by the Stars aisle featuring Clive Brook (1887-1974) vintage movie cards, still photos, ephemera, and other collectibles. London-born actor became big at home in the 1920s before making the jump to Paramount in the US, where he was a major silent film star and effective star of early talkies. He's at his best in two for director Josef von Sternberg, one silent, and one talkie, Underworld (1927) and Shanghai Express (1932). Brook was also the leading actor in Academy Award winning Best Picture Cavalcade (1933). He played the title role in both The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1929) and Sherlock Holmes (1932). Brook appeared in popular pre-Code titles such as 24 Hours (1931), East Lynne (1931), Scandal Sheet (1931), The Night of June 13 (1932), and Midnight Club (1933), though his crowning achievement came after he returned home to England, where he adapted, produced, directed, and starred in the hilarious comedy of manners On Approval (1944). Brook's final film appearance came for director John Huston in The List of Adrian Messenger (1963).

Birthday: June 1

• Clive Brook reviews and articles