Laird Cregar: A Poignant Villain

by Marjorie Dorfman | More from this Blogger

10 Feb 2006 06:57 AM

On July 28, 1913, Laird Cregar was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the youngest of six sons born to wealthy cricket player Edward Mathews Cregar and Elizabeth Smith Cregar. His father was a member of an internationally known team called "The Gentleman of Philadelphia" who toured the world in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Although from a rich family, Laird worked as a bouncer early in his career and sometimes had to sleep in his car before he became an established actor.

He was a formally trained actor and an alumnus of the Pasadena Playhouse. He broke into the world of cinema in 1940 with a bit part in "Granny, Get Your Gun." His bulk, heavy-lidded gaze and coldly sinister voice made him an ideal villain for the film noir of the 1940s. Standing 6 foot, 3 inches, he was a formidable "bad guy," no better evidenced than in his memorable and chilling portrayal of Jack the Ripper in the 1944 film, "The Lodger." In this film he appeared opposite the beautiful Merle Oberon, George Saunders and Sir Cedric Hardwicke. This atmospheric thriller sends shudders even up the spines of the most sophisticated movie viewers of today.

In total, he appeared in 16 films, including "Hangover Square" opposite Linda Darnell and "I Wake Up Screaming" with Betty Grable and Victor Mature. Despite his talent and success, he yearned to be a leading man type and went on crash diets to achieve this goal. In the film, "Hangover Square," there are scenes where his clothes are both too small and too large for him. But his crash campaign to lose weight, (he dropped 200 pounds) proved to be more than his system could endure. He died of a heart attack on December 9, 1944, at the age of thirty.

What are some of your favorite Laird Cregar performances? Please share.

Learn more about Marjorie Dorfman

Marjorie Dorfman is a freelance writer and former teacher originally from Brooklyn, New York.

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