Murray Kinnell

Murray Kinnell (24 July 1889 – 11 August 1954) was a British-born American actor, recognized for playing smooth, gentlemanly, although rather shady characters. He began acting on the English stage in 1907, toured in the United States from 1912 through 1914, then returned to England where he served in the British Army during World War I. After the war, he emigrated to the US. He appeared in 71 films between the pre-code era of 1930 and 1937. He later served the Screen Actors Guild in several positions for 16 years. Early Years Kinnell was born in Sydenham, London when it was still part of Kent. He was the second of three sons to John Kinnell, a Scottish-born engineer, and Rose Taylor from Surrey. He was educated first at Seaford College in Sussex, then at Mill Hill School in London. Early stage career According to a later interview, Kinnell began his stage career in the troupe of Florence Glossop-Harris in 1907. His first known stage credits are from 1909 with the company of Allan Wilkie. By 1911 he had joined the company of Frank Cellier, the husband of Florence Glossop-Harris. Kinnell played in both Hamlet and The Merchant of Venice on English stages, and undoubtedly many other plays as well for which verification is lacking. Kinnell next appears in 1912 with a touring company playing Pomander Walk in the US and Canada. The following year he joined the Annie Russell Old English Comedy Company, playing throughout the eastern US in She Stoops to Conquer, The Rivals, and The School for Scandal. The tour wound up its run in Philadelphia during April 1914. Kinnell used the time off to marry the tour's ingenue, Henrietta Goodwin.