Editing Colin Clive

{{short description|English actor}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2012}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Colin Clive
| image         = Colin Clive in Mad Love (1935) trailer.jpg
| caption       = [[Trailer (promotion)|Trailer]] for ''[[Mad Love (1935 film)|Mad Love]]'' (1935) 
| birth_name    = Colin Glenn Clive-Greig
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1900|01|20|df=yes}}
| birth_place   = [[Saint-Malo]], [[Brittany]], France
| death_date    = {{death date and age|1937|06|25|1900|01|20|df=yes}}
| death_place   = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S.
| resting_place = Ashes scattered at sea
| education     = [[Stonyhurst College]] <br> [[Royal Military Academy Sandhurst]]
| occupation    = Actor
| years_active  = 1925–1937
| spouse        = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Evelyn Taylor|1922|1929|end=her death}}
* {{marriage|[[Jeanne de Casalis]]|1929}}
}}
}}

'''Colin Glenn Clive''' (born '''Clive-Greig'''; 20 January 1900 – 25 June 1937) was a British theatre and film actor. Known for portraying individualistic, tumultuous characters which often mirrored his personal life,<ref>{{Cite web |title=AFI’s 100 YEARS…100 MOVIE QUOTES |url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-movie-quotes/ |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=American Film Institute |language=en}}</ref> he is most famous for his role as [[Victor Frankenstein|Dr. Henry Frankenstein]] in the 1931 film ''[[Frankenstein (1931 film)|Frankenstein]]'' and its 1935 sequel, ''[[Bride of Frankenstein]]''. Clive’s maniacal delivery of the words, "It's alive, it's alive!" when Dr. Frankstein confirms his creature is moving, was listed by [[American Film Institute|AFI]] as one of the [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes|100 greatest movie quotes of all time]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=AFI’s 100 YEARS…100 MOVIE QUOTES |url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-movie-quotes/ |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=American Film Institute |language=en}}</ref>

==Early life==
Clive was born in [[Saint-Malo]], France, to an English [[colonel]], Colin Philip Greig, and his wife, Caroline Margaret Lugard Clive, a member of the aristocratic [[Earl of Powis|Clive family]]. In a 1935 interview, Clive stated his mother had moved to France to escape the tumult of the ongoing [[Second Boer War]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Colin Clive — Clive of England (1935) 🇺🇸 |url=https://vintoz.com/blogs/vintage-movie-resources/colin-clive-clive-of-england |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=Vintoz |language=en}}</ref> His family had intended for Clive to embark on a military career, and he attended [[Stonyhurst College]] and subsequently the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]], where he broke both knees after being thrown from and crushed by a horse. Recuperating from his injuries, Clive decided to become an actor.<ref name=stageobit>"Colin Clive," ''The Stage'' (1 July 1937), p. 7. [obituary]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Colin Clive — Clive of England (1935) 🇺🇸 |url=https://vintoz.com/blogs/vintage-movie-resources/colin-clive-clive-of-england |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=Vintoz |language=en}}</ref> He was a member of the [[Hull Repertory Theatre Company]] for three years.<ref name=stageobit/>

Clive created the role of Steve Baker, the white husband of racially mixed Julie LaVerne, in the first London production of ''[[Show Boat]]''; the production featured [[Cedric Hardwicke]] and [[Paul Robeson]]. Clive first worked with [[James Whale]] in the [[Savoy Theatre]] production of ''[[Journey's End]]'' and subsequently joined the British community in [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]], repeating his stage role in the film version.<ref name=":0" />{{sfn|Wearing|1984|p=1087}}

==Hollywood==
Clive's first screen role, in ''[[Journey's End (1930 film)|Journey's End]]'' (1930), was also directed by [[James Whale]]. Clive played the tormented alcoholic Captain Stanhope, a character that (much like Clive's other roles) mirrored his personal life.
He was an in-demand leading man for several major film actresses of the era, including [[Katharine Hepburn]], [[Bette Davis]], [[Corinne Griffith]], and [[Jean Arthur]]. He starred as [[Edward Rochester]] in the [[Jane Eyre (1934 film)|1934 adaptation]] of ''[[Jane Eyre]]'' opposite [[Virginia Bruce]]. He was a descendant of [[Robert Clive]] and appeared in a starring role in ''[[Clive of India (film)|Clive of India]]'' (1935), a [[biopic]] of his ancestor. Clive remarked that he was disappointed he did not get to portray his own ancestor in the film.<ref name=obit/><ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Colin Clive — Clive of England (1935) 🇺🇸 |url=https://vintoz.com/blogs/vintage-movie-resources/colin-clive-clive-of-england |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=Vintoz |language=en}}</ref>

Colin Clive, together with [[Leo G. Carroll]], starred in a radio play titled ''The Other Place.'' It was written by [[John L. Balderston]] for the radio program ''[[The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour]]'' hosted by [[Rudy Vallee]]''.'' It was aired on 14 November 1935.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Jp|date=2012-04-09|title=The Twilight Zone Vortex: "A Nice Place to Visit"|url=http://twilightzonevortex.blogspot.com/2012/04/nice-place-to-visit.html|access-date=2021-05-03|website=The Twilight Zone Vortex}}</ref>

In a 1935 interview with [[Film Weekly]], Clive stated that he hated horror films and preferred more serious dramatic roles, only appearing in horror for financial reasons and because his performances were popular with audiences.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-02-04 |title=The Classic Horror Film Board-Colin Clive: &quot;I hate horror films!&quot; |url=https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/monsterkidclassichorrorforum/colin-clive-i-hate-horror-films-t80584.html |access-date=2025-02-13 |website=The Classic Horror Film Board |language=en-us}}</ref>

When his agent discovered that Clive was only accruing 30% of his actual income due to paying taxes in both the United States and the United Kingdom, Clive refused to obtain American citizenship, which would have removed British taxes, fearing that it would prevent him from serving in the British army if a war broke out.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Colin Clive — Clive of England (1935) 🇺🇸 |url=https://vintoz.com/blogs/vintage-movie-resources/colin-clive-clive-of-england |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=Vintoz |language=en}}</ref>

Author [[Ayn Rand]] wrote Clive a fan letter in 1934 after seeing a stage performance of ''Journey’s End'', praising Clive’s performance and character. Clive responded that he was very touched by the letter and would always keep it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arrival in America to We the Living |url=https://aynrand.org/archives/chapters/chapter-1/#item-5816 |access-date=2025-02-13 |website=AynRand.org |language=en}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Clive was married to [[Jeanne de Casalis]]<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Colin Clive - Family & Companions |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/35732%7C33584/Colin-Clive#family-companions |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402105908/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/35732%7C33584/Colin-Clive#family-companions |archive-date=2023-04-02 |access-date=2023-07-20 |website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> in June 1929. By 1935, Clive and Casalis had been living separately, with Clive in [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles County]] and Casalis in [[London]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Colin Clive — Clive of England (1935) 🇺🇸 |url=https://vintoz.com/blogs/vintage-movie-resources/colin-clive-clive-of-england |access-date=2025-03-02 |website=Vintoz |language=en}}</ref>

==Death==
Colin Clive suffered from severe chronic [[alcoholism]] and he died from complications of [[tuberculosis]] on 25 June 1937 at age 37.<ref name="obit">{{cite news|title=Colin Clive, Actor, Dies in Hollywood|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/06/26/archives/colin-clive-actor-dies-in-hollywood-star-of-screen-and-stage-37.html|accessdate=26 September 2017|work=The New York Times|date=26 June 1937}}</ref>

Clive's alcoholism was apparent to his co-stars.  He was often seen napping on set and sometimes was so intoxicated that he had to be held upright for over-the-shoulder shots. Clive was tormented by the medical threat of amputation of his long-damaged leg.<ref name="mank">{{cite book|title=Hollywood Cauldron: Thirteen Horror Films From the Genre's Golden Age|last=Mank|first=Gregory William|year=2001|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn=978-0-7864-1112-2|page=150}}</ref>

[[Forrest J Ackerman]] recalled visiting Clive's body: "I actually saw him in death, lying in a bed at a mortuary where it was possible for the public to view his body. He looked remarkably as he had when lying in bed in ''The Bride of Frankenstein''."<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Bride of Frankenstein|magazine=[[Famous Monsters of Filmland]]|publisher=[[Warren Publishing]]|location=Santa Rosa, California|volume=4|issue=6|date=February 1963|page=71}}</ref> Over 300 mourners turned out. One of the pallbearers was [[Peter Lorre]].<ref name="mank"/> His [[cenotaph]] is located at [[Chapel of the Pines Crematory]].

==Roles==
[[File:Colin Clive 14.jpg|thumb|Flyer for Colin Clive's appearance in the 1935 play ''Libel!'']]

===Stage===
*''Peter and Paul'' (September 1925)<ref name=Rowell>{{cite book|last1=Rowell|first1=George|last2=Jackson|first2=Anthony|last3=Jackson|first3=Tony|title=The Repertory Movement: A History of Regional Theatre in Britain|date=1984|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521319195|page=71|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jXymVyaXRkQC&q=o%27niel}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Hull Little Theatre - Performers Who Will Be Seen in Next Week's Play|issue=12462|newspaper=Daily Mail|date=12 September 1925|location=Hull, England|page=2}}</ref>
*''Advertising April'' (November 1925)<ref>{{cite news|title=Little Theatre Anti-Climax - Unworthy Finish to Highly Successful Season|issue=12512|newspaper=Daily Mail|date=10 November 1925|location=Hull, England|page=8}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="width:80%;"
|-
! style="width:5%; text-align:center;"  |Date of 1st performance
! style="width:12%; text-align:center;"  |Title
! style="width:15%; text-align:center;" |Author(s)
! style="width:5%; text-align:center;"  |City
! style="width:5%; text-align:center;"  |Theatre
! style="width:10%; text-align:center;" |Role
|-
|1925 March 20 ||''Rose-Marie'' ||[[Otto Harbach]], [[Rudolf Friml]], [[Herbert Stothart]] ||London ||[[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane|Drury Lane]]|| Edward Hawley{{sfn|Wearing|1984|p=589}}<ref>Shared role with Brian Gilmour.</ref>
|-
|1926 May 30||''Getting Mother Married''||Neil Grant|| London|| Apollo ||Capt. Eric Wilbraham{{sfn|Wearing|1984|p=740}}
|-
|1927 June 30||''Fire''||[[Arthur Rose]] ||London||[[Everyman Cinema, Hampstead|Everyman Theatre]]|| St. John Sevening{{sfn|Wearing|1984|p=886}}
|-
|1928 May 3 ||''[[Show Boat]]''||[[Oscar Hammerstein II]], [[Jerome Kern]] ||London||Drury Lane||Steve{{sfn|Wearing|1984|p=992}}<ref>Shared part with Jack Livesey.</ref>
|-
|1928 November 4||''The Dark Path''||[[Evan John]] ||London||[[Savoy Theatre]]|| James Havilland{{sfn|Wearing|1984|p=1057}}
|-
|1929 January 21 ||''[[Journey's End]]''||[[R. C. Sherriff]] ||London||Savoy Theatre|| Cpt. Stanhope{{sfn|Wearing|1984|p=1087}}
|-
|1929 April 14||''Let's Leave It At That''||[[Jeanne de Casalis]], Colin Clive ||London||[[Prince of Wales's Theatre]]|| Michael Stern{{sfn|Wearing|1984|p=1119-20}}<ref>Revived at the Queen's Theatre on 10 June 1929.</ref>
|-
|1929 April 23||''Shall We Join the Ladies?''||[[J. M. Barrie]] ||London||[[Palace Theatre, London|PalaceTheatre]]|| Mr. Vaile{{sfn|Wearing|1984|p=1124}}
|-
|1930 February 2||''Forty-Seven''||[[Sydney Loch]] ||London|| Prince of Wales's Theatre|| Forty-Seven{{sfn|Wearing|1990|p=10}}
|-
|1930 April 22 ||''[[Hamlet]]''||[[William Shakespeare]] ||London||[[Haymarket Theatre]]|| Laertes{{sfn|Wearing|1990|p=38}}
|-
|1930 June 30||''The Swan'' || [[Ferenc Molnár]] ||London||[[St. James's Theatre]]|| Dr. Nicholas Agi{{sfn|Wearing|1990|p=67}}<ref>Replaced by Basil Langton and Glen Byam Shaw.</ref>
|-
|1930 December 5||''Overture'' || [[William Bolitho Ryall|William Bolitho]] || New York ||[[Longacre Theatre]]|| Karl Ritter<ref>[https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/overture-11280#OpeningNightCast "Overture", Internet Broadway Database.]</ref>
|-
|1931 May 21||''The Crime at Blossoms''||[[Mordaunt Shairp]] ||London||[[Playhouse Theatre]]|| Christopher Merryman{{sfn|Wearing|1990|p=191}}
|-
|1932 July 19 ||''[[Escape (play)|Escape]]''||[[John Galsworthy]] ||London||[[Garrick Theatre]]|| Matt Denant{{sfn|Wearing|1990|p=359}}
|-
|1932 August 22||''[[Loyalties (play)|Loyalties]]''||John Galsworthy ||London|| Garrick Theatre || Ronald Dancy{{sfn|Wearing|1990|p=364}}
|-
|1932 September 29||''[[Justice (play)|Justice]]''|| John Galsworthy ||London|| Garrick Theatre || William Falder{{sfn|Wearing|1990|p=375}}
|-
|1933 October 28||''Eight Bells''|| Percy G. Mandley || New York || [[Hudson Theatre]] || Dale<ref>[https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/eight-bells-11782#OpeningNightCast "Eight Bells", Internet Broadway Database.]</ref>
|-
|1933 December 26||''The Lake''|| [[Dorothy Massingham]] and Murray MacDonald || New York || [[Martin Beck Theatre]] || John Clayne<ref>[https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-lake-11807#OpeningNightCast "The Lake", Internet Broadway Database.]</ref>
|-
|1935 December 20||''Libel''|| [[Edward Wooll]]|| New York || [[Henry Miller's Theatre]] || Sir Mark Loddon, Bart. M.P.<ref>[https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/libel-12045#OpeningNightCast "Libe", Internet Broadway Database.]</ref>
|}

===Film===
*''[[Journey's End (1930 film)|Journey's End]]'' (1930) as Capt. Dennis Stanhope (film debut)<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date= |title=Colin Clive - Filmography |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/35732%7C33584/Colin-Clive#filmography |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402105908/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/35732%7C33584/Colin-Clive#filmography |archive-date=2023-04-02 |access-date=2023-07-20 |website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref>
*''[[Frankenstein (1931 film)|Frankenstein]]'' (1931) as [[Victor Frankenstein|Dr. Henry Frankenstein]]<ref name=":0" />
*''[[The Stronger Sex]]'' (1931)<ref name=":0" /> as Warren Barrington
*''[[Lily Christine]]'' (1932) as Rupert Harvey<ref name=":0" />
*''[[Christopher Strong]]'' (1933) as Sir Christopher Strong<ref name=":0" />
*''[[Looking Forward (1933 film)|Looking Forward]]'' (1933) as Geoffrey Fielding<ref name=":0" />
*''[[The Key (1934 film)|The Key]]'' (1934) as Capt. Andrew 'Andy' Kerr<ref name=":0" />
*''[[One More River]]'' (1934) as Sir Gerald Corven<ref name=":0" />
*''[[Jane Eyre (1934 film)|Jane Eyre]]'' (1934) as Edward Rochester<ref name=":0" />
*''[[Clive of India (film)|Clive of India]]'' (1935) as Capt. Johnstone<ref name=":0" />
*''[[The Right to Live (1935 film)|The Right to Live]]'' (1935) as Maurice<ref name=":0" />
*''[[Bride of Frankenstein]]'' (1935) as Dr. Henry Frankenstein<ref name=":0" />
*''[[The Girl from 10th Avenue]]'' (1935) as John Marland<ref name=":0" />
*''[[Mad Love (1935 film)|Mad Love]]'' (1935) as Stephen Orlac<ref name=":0" />
*''[[The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo (film)|The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo]]'' (1935) as Bertrand Berkeley
*''[[The Widow from Monte Carlo]]'' (1936) as Lord Eric Reynolds<ref name=":0" />
*''[[History Is Made at Night (1937 film)|History Is Made at Night]]'' (1937) as Bruce Vail<ref name=":0" />
*''[[The Woman I Love (1937 film)|The Woman I Love]]'' (1937) as Capt. Thelis<ref name=":0" /> (final role)

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
*{{cite book|last=Curtis|first=James|title=James Whale: A New World of Gods and Monsters|location=Boston|publisher=Faber and Faber|date=1998|isbn=9780571192854}}
*{{cite book|last=Wearing|first=J. P.|title=The London Stage: 1920-1929: A calendar of Plays and Players|location=Metuchen, NJ|publisher=Scarecrow Press|date=1984|isbn=9780810817159}}
*{{cite book|last=Wearing|first=J. P.|title=The London Stage: 1930-1939: A calendar of Plays and Players|location=Metuchen, NJ|publisher=Scarecrow Press|date=1990|isbn=9780810823495}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Biography}}
{{commons category}}
*{{IMDb name|0166972}}
*{{IBDB name}}
*{{Find a Grave|21365}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clive, Colin}}
[[Category:1900 births]]
[[Category:1937 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Saint-Malo]]
[[Category:Actors from Brittany]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male stage actors]]
[[Category:20th-century deaths from tuberculosis]]
[[Category:Burials at Chapel of the Pines Crematory]]
[[Category:People educated at Stonyhurst College]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:English expatriate male actors in the United States]]
[[Category:British expatriates in France]]
[[Category:Tuberculosis deaths in California]]
[[Category:Alcohol-related deaths in California]]