Gerald Ames (1880-1933) was a British actor, film director, and Olympic fencer. In the post-First World War cinema, he was a popular leading man in the silent British cinema. Between 1914 and 1928, Ames appeared in more than seventy films.
British postcard in the Pictures Portrait Gallery by Pictures Ltd., London, no. 18.
Percy Gerald Ames was born in Blackheath, London in 1880. He was educated at Freiburg University in Germany.
He first took up acting in 1905. Athletic, tall (183 cm), mustached, dark-eyed, and dark-haired, he was a heartbreaker. Ames was also a fencing champion. He competed in the individual épée event at the 1912 Summer Olympics.
His film debut was a supporting part in the Gaumont British production She Stoops to Conquer (George Loane Tucker, 1914), starring Henry Ainley.
Ames became a popular leading man in the post-First World War cinema with his role as gentleman thief Arsene Lupin in the crime drama Arsene Lupin (George Loane Tucker, 1916).
Guy Bellinger at IMDb: "Ames had all it took to get top billing and he did grace about seventy films (many of which directed by pioneers George Loane Tucker and Cecil M. Hepworth) with his manly presence. He very successfully portrayed three archetypal fiction characters, Rupert Von Hetzau, Arsène Lupin, and Raffles. And he most often found himself in the shoes of figures of imposing bearing such as aristocrats (knights, counts, marquises, princes...), officers (lieutenants, captains...), judges, ambassadors, the like..."
British postcard. Photo: Claude Harris / London Film.
British postcard in the Hepworth Picture Player series.
Gerald Ames starred in such dramas as A Fortune at Stake (Walter West, 1918), also starring Violet Hopson, Comradeship (Maurice Elvey, 1919) with Lily Elsie, and Anna the Adventuress (Cecil M. Hepworth, 1920) starring Alma Taylor.
During the 1920s Gerald Ames appeared in such British films as the crime film Mr. Justice Raffles (Gaston Quiribet, 1921), and The Woman Who Obeyed (Sidney Morgan, 1923) with Hilda Bayley and Stewart Rome.
He also appeared in the historical drama A Royal Divorce (Alexander Butler, 1926) starring Gwylim Evans as Napoleon, Gertrude McCoy as his wife Josephine, and Lillian Hall-Davis.
He also directed himself in a number of films. In France, he appeared credited as Gérald Amès in the French-Austrian production La maison dans la forêt/The House in the Forest (Jean Legrand, 1922) with Constance Worth and Jean Angelo.
He retired from the screen in 1928 after 72 silent films. He was also a regular stage actor who took on many leading roles in the theatre.
Gerald Ames died in 1933 after falling down the steps of Knightsbridge tube station and suffering a heart attack. He was married to the actress Mary Dibley. He was only 51.
British postcard in the Famous Cinema Stars Series by Beagles postcards, no. 169a. Photo: Elliott & Fry.
British postcard in the Pictures Portrait Gallery by Pictures Ltd., London, no. 18.
Sources: Guy Bellinger (IMDb), Wikipedia, and IMDb.
British postcard in the Pictures Portrait Gallery by Pictures Ltd., London, no. 18.
Ames had all it took to get top billing
Percy Gerald Ames was born in Blackheath, London in 1880. He was educated at Freiburg University in Germany.
He first took up acting in 1905. Athletic, tall (183 cm), mustached, dark-eyed, and dark-haired, he was a heartbreaker. Ames was also a fencing champion. He competed in the individual épée event at the 1912 Summer Olympics.
His film debut was a supporting part in the Gaumont British production She Stoops to Conquer (George Loane Tucker, 1914), starring Henry Ainley.
Ames became a popular leading man in the post-First World War cinema with his role as gentleman thief Arsene Lupin in the crime drama Arsene Lupin (George Loane Tucker, 1916).
Guy Bellinger at IMDb: "Ames had all it took to get top billing and he did grace about seventy films (many of which directed by pioneers George Loane Tucker and Cecil M. Hepworth) with his manly presence. He very successfully portrayed three archetypal fiction characters, Rupert Von Hetzau, Arsène Lupin, and Raffles. And he most often found himself in the shoes of figures of imposing bearing such as aristocrats (knights, counts, marquises, princes...), officers (lieutenants, captains...), judges, ambassadors, the like..."
British postcard. Photo: Claude Harris / London Film.
British postcard in the Hepworth Picture Player series.
Dead after falling down the steps of Knightsbridge tube station
Gerald Ames starred in such dramas as A Fortune at Stake (Walter West, 1918), also starring Violet Hopson, Comradeship (Maurice Elvey, 1919) with Lily Elsie, and Anna the Adventuress (Cecil M. Hepworth, 1920) starring Alma Taylor.
During the 1920s Gerald Ames appeared in such British films as the crime film Mr. Justice Raffles (Gaston Quiribet, 1921), and The Woman Who Obeyed (Sidney Morgan, 1923) with Hilda Bayley and Stewart Rome.
He also appeared in the historical drama A Royal Divorce (Alexander Butler, 1926) starring Gwylim Evans as Napoleon, Gertrude McCoy as his wife Josephine, and Lillian Hall-Davis.
He also directed himself in a number of films. In France, he appeared credited as Gérald Amès in the French-Austrian production La maison dans la forêt/The House in the Forest (Jean Legrand, 1922) with Constance Worth and Jean Angelo.
He retired from the screen in 1928 after 72 silent films. He was also a regular stage actor who took on many leading roles in the theatre.
Gerald Ames died in 1933 after falling down the steps of Knightsbridge tube station and suffering a heart attack. He was married to the actress Mary Dibley. He was only 51.
British postcard in the Famous Cinema Stars Series by Beagles postcards, no. 169a. Photo: Elliott & Fry.
British postcard in the Pictures Portrait Gallery by Pictures Ltd., London, no. 18.
Sources: Guy Bellinger (IMDb), Wikipedia, and IMDb.
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