Cecil Beresford Ramage
Encyclopedia
Cecil Beresford Ramage, MC
(17 January 1895 — 22 February 1988) was a British
barrister
, actor and Liberal
politician.
Following education at the Edinburgh Academy
, Ramage was commissioned as an officer in the Royal Scots at the outbreak of World War I
. He served in Gallipoli
, Palestine
, and Egypt
and was awarded the Military Cross
.
Following the war, he went up to Pembroke College, Oxford
, where he became President of the Oxford Union. At Oxford he first took to the stage, appearing in Antony and Cleopatra
with Cathleen Nesbitt
, whom he married in 1920. They had two children. Instead of taking up acting as a profession after university, Ramage read law. He was called to the bar at the Middle Temple
, and practised on the Oxford Circuit.
At the 1922 general election
he was the Liberal candidate for the constituency of Newcastle West
, but was defeated by David Adams
of the Labour Party
. Another election was held in 1923
and Ramage stood again and was elected as Member of Parliament
(MP). He was only to be in the Commons for a short period, as he was defeated at the subsequent general election in 1924
. He was the Liberal candidate at Southport
at the 1929 general election
, but failed to be elected.
By this time Ramage was a professional actor, appearing in New York
, the West End of London
and toured with the Old Vic
Company in the Mediterranean. He had a number of minor roles in films, including Secret of Stamboul
(1936), Nicholas Nickleby
(1947) and Kind Hearts and Coronets
(1949). His career eventually declined, and he retired from the stage and was separated from his wife, Nesbitt, who died in 1982, aged 92. He played the Crown Counsel in Kind Hearts and Coronets
, whose devastating cross-examination of Louis Mazzini does much to discredit him.
Cecil Beresford Ramage died in 1988, aged 93.
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(17 January 1895 — 22 February 1988) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
, actor and Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician.
Following education at the Edinburgh Academy
Edinburgh Academy
The Edinburgh Academy is an independent school which was opened in 1824. The original building, in Henderson Row on the northern fringe of the New Town of Edinburgh, Scotland, is now part of the Senior School...
, Ramage was commissioned as an officer in the Royal Scots at the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He served in Gallipoli
Battle of Gallipoli
The Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli, took place at the peninsula of Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916, during the First World War...
, Palestine
Sinai and Palestine Campaign
The Sinai and Palestine Campaigns took place in the Middle Eastern Theatre of World War I. A series of battles were fought between British Empire, German Empire and Ottoman Empire forces from 26 January 1915 to 31 October 1918, when the Armistice of Mudros was signed between the Ottoman Empire and...
, and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and was awarded the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
.
Following the war, he went up to Pembroke College, Oxford
Pembroke College, Oxford
Pembroke College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located in Pembroke Square. As of 2009, Pembroke had an estimated financial endowment of £44.9 million.-History:...
, where he became President of the Oxford Union. At Oxford he first took to the stage, appearing in Antony and Cleopatra
Antony and Cleopatra
Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...
with Cathleen Nesbitt
Cathleen Nesbitt
Cathleen Mary Nesbitt, CBE was an English stage and film actress.-Biography:Born in Cheshire, England in 1888, of Welsh and Irish descent, Nesbitt was educated in Lisieux, France, and at the Queen's University of Belfast and the Sorbonne...
, whom he married in 1920. They had two children. Instead of taking up acting as a profession after university, Ramage read law. He was called to the bar at the Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
, and practised on the Oxford Circuit.
At the 1922 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
he was the Liberal candidate for the constituency of Newcastle West
Newcastle upon Tyne West (UK Parliament constituency)
Newcastle upon Tyne West was a parliamentary constituency in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
, but was defeated by David Adams
David Adams (Labour politician)
David Adams was a British Labour politician who served as a Member of Parliament David Adams (27 June 1871 – 16 August 1943) was a British Labour politician who served as a Member of Parliament David Adams (27 June 1871 – 16 August 1943) was a British Labour politician who served as a...
of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
. Another election was held in 1923
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
and Ramage stood again and was elected as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP). He was only to be in the Commons for a short period, as he was defeated at the subsequent general election in 1924
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
. He was the Liberal candidate at Southport
Southport (UK Parliament constituency)
Southport is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
at the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, but failed to be elected.
By this time Ramage was a professional actor, appearing in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the West End of London
West End of London
The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
and toured with the Old Vic
Old Vic
The Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, it was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 when it was known formally as the Royal Victoria Hall. In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian...
Company in the Mediterranean. He had a number of minor roles in films, including Secret of Stamboul
Secret of Stamboul
Secret of Stamboul is a 1936 British thriller film, taken from the novel The Eunuch of Stamboul by Dennis Wheatley, directed by Andrew Marton and starring Valerie Hobson, James Mason and Frank Vosper...
(1936), Nicholas Nickleby
Nicholas Nickleby (1947 film)
Nicholas Nickleby is a 1947 British drama film directed by Cavalcanti. The screenplay by John Dighton is based on the 1839 novel The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens...
(1947) and Kind Hearts and Coronets
Kind Hearts and Coronets
Kind Hearts and Coronets is a 1949 British black comedy feature film. The plot is loosely based on the 1907 novel Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal by Roy Horniman, with the screenplay written by Robert Hamer and John Dighton and the film directed by Hamer...
(1949). His career eventually declined, and he retired from the stage and was separated from his wife, Nesbitt, who died in 1982, aged 92. He played the Crown Counsel in Kind Hearts and Coronets
Kind Hearts and Coronets
Kind Hearts and Coronets is a 1949 British black comedy feature film. The plot is loosely based on the 1907 novel Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal by Roy Horniman, with the screenplay written by Robert Hamer and John Dighton and the film directed by Hamer...
, whose devastating cross-examination of Louis Mazzini does much to discredit him.
Cecil Beresford Ramage died in 1988, aged 93.
Selected filmography
- C.O.D.C.O.D. (film)C.O.D. is a 1932 British crime film directed by Michael Powell and starring Garry Marsh, Arthur Stratton and Sybil Grove. A man assists a woman to dispose of the body of her stepfather....
(1932) - King of the DamnedKing of the DamnedKing of the Damned is a 1935 British action film directed by Walter Forde and starring Conrad Veidt, Helen Vinson, Noah Beery and Cecil Ramage. Convict 83 is a prisoner on an island, where the harsh regime of the Governor pushes him to lead a revolt...
(1935) - The Lonely RoadThe Lonely RoadThe Lonely Road is a 1936 British drama film directed by James Flood and starring Clive Brook, Victoria Hopper, Nora Swinburne and Malcolm Keen...
(1936) - Secret of StamboulSecret of StamboulSecret of Stamboul is a 1936 British thriller film, taken from the novel The Eunuch of Stamboul by Dennis Wheatley, directed by Andrew Marton and starring Valerie Hobson, James Mason and Frank Vosper...
(1936) - Return of a StrangerReturn of a Stranger (1937 film)Return of a Stranger is a 1937 British drama film directed by Victor Hanbury and starring Griffith Jones, Rosalyn Boulter, Ellis Jeffries and Athole Stewart.-Cast:* Griffith Jones - James Martin* Rosalyn Boulter - Carol Wall* Ellis Jeffries - Lady Wall...
(1937) - I Live in Grosvenor SquareI Live in Grosvenor SquareI Live in Grosvenor Square is a British war film, directed and produced by Herbert Wilcox—a forerunner of his "London films" collaboration with his wife, actress Anna Neagle. The film deploys a tragi-comic plot in a context of US-British wartime co-operation, and displays icons of popular music...
(1945) - Kind Hearts and CoronetsKind Hearts and CoronetsKind Hearts and Coronets is a 1949 British black comedy feature film. The plot is loosely based on the 1907 novel Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal by Roy Horniman, with the screenplay written by Robert Hamer and John Dighton and the film directed by Hamer...
(1949)