Bruce Lester

Bruce Lester

Birth : 1912-06-06, Johannesburg, South Africa

Death : 2008-06-13

History

Bruce Lester appeared in films from the 1930s into the 1950s, mainly in supporting roles. He was born Bruce Lister in Johannesburg, South Africa and later resided in England. After studying at Brighton College, he began his career on the London Stage and made his big screen debut in 1934. Lester's co-stars included Ronald Colman, Boris Karloff, James Cagney, Ray Milland and Joan Crawford. His film credits include, "To Be a Lady" (1934), "The Third Clue" (1934), "Boy Meets Girl" (1938), "The Witness Vanishes" (1939), "British Intelligence" (1940), "Pride and Prejudice" (1940), "The Letter" (1940, "Above Suspicion" (1943), "Golden Earrings" (1947), "The Fool and the Princess" (1948) and "Tarzan and the Trappers" (1958).

Profile

Bruce Lester

Movies

Tarzan and the Trappers
Commissioner Brandini
Tarzan goes up against a baddie by the name of Schroeder, who is trapping animals and selling them illegally to zoos. A twist is thrown into the plot when Schroeder's brother, with the help of money-hungry trader Lapin, hunts a different kind of quarry, human game. Now Tarzan must not only fight to save the animals of the jungle, but he must also save himself. Three episodes of a failed TV series edited for theater release.
King Richard and the Crusaders
Castelaine
Based on Sir Walter Scott's The Talisman, this is the story of the romantic adventures of Christians and Muslims during the battle for the Holy Land in the time of King Richard the Lionheart.
Charade
Writer
This is an anthology film with three stories. In "Portrait of a Murderer", a female artist draws sketches of a mysterious neighbor. She is unaware that the man is a murderer. "Duel at Dawn" is set in 1880s Austria. Two military officers fight a duel, with the survivor free to claim the heart of their shared love interest. "The Midas Touch" is a romance story of sorts. Jonah Watson is a successful American businessman, but is disgruntled with his life. He emigrates to England to start a new life, and works as a common servant. But he falls in love with a cockney maid who dreams of marrying into wealth.
Charade
Capt. van Buren
This is an anthology film with three stories. In "Portrait of a Murderer", a female artist draws sketches of a mysterious neighbor. She is unaware that the man is a murderer. "Duel at Dawn" is set in 1880s Austria. Two military officers fight a duel, with the survivor free to claim the heart of their shared love interest. "The Midas Touch" is a romance story of sorts. Jonah Watson is a successful American businessman, but is disgruntled with his life. He emigrates to England to start a new life, and works as a common servant. But he falls in love with a cockney maid who dreams of marrying into wealth.
The Pathfinder
Capt. Clint Bradford
Pathfinder, a white man raised by the Mohican Indians, joins forces with the British army to avenge himself on the Mingo warriors and the French, who have brought death and pillage to his people. He takes on a mission to retrieve secret plans from within the French fort at St. Vicente.
Tales of Robin Hood
Allan-a-Dale
The story of Robin Hood, how he met his Merry Men and Maid Marian, and saved England from Sir Guy de Clairmont and his henchman. Compiled from the few filmed episodes of an unsold TV series.
The Son of Dr. Jekyll
Daniels' Reporter (Uncredited)
The son of the notorious Dr. Henry Jekyll is determined to prove that his father's reputation has been unjustly deserved. He sets out to develop his father's formula in order to prove that he was a brilliant scientist rather than a murderous monster.
Celia: The Sinister Affair of Poor Aunt Nora
Larry Peters
A private detective (Bruce Lester) and an aspiring actress (Hy Hazell) join forces to thwart a man's scheme to murder his wealthy--and much older--wife. British thriller, directed by Francis Searle.
I Walk Alone
Charles (uncredited)
Bootleggers on the lamb Frankie and Noll split up to evade capture by the police. Frankie is caught and jailed, but Noll manages to escape and open a posh New York City nightclub. 14 years later, Frankie is released from the clink and visits Noll with the intention of collecting his half of the nightclub's profits. But Noll, who has no intention of being so equitable, uses his ex-girlfriend Kay to divert Frankie from his intended goal.
Golden Earrings
Richard Byrd
A British colonel escapes from the Gestapo to the Black Forest and poses as a Gypsy's mate.
Strange Journey
Roger Blythe
Reformed racketeer "Lucky" Leeds flees from the police when he thinks they are about to arrest him for a murder he didn't commit. He and his wife Patti fly to his privately-owned remote island and have to crash land. Also on the island is a group of shipwrecked people, including a German professor, his daughter, an English journalist, a wealthy widow, a sailor and a Nazi Agent.
Without Reservations
Army Lieutenant (uncredited)
Kit Madden is traveling to Hollywood, where her best-selling novel is to be filmed. Aboard the train, she encounters Marines Rusty and Dink, who don't know she is the author of the famous book, and who don't think much of the ideas it proposes. She and Rusty are greatly attracted, but she doesn't know how to deal with his disdain for the book's author.
Above Suspicion
Thornley
Two newlyweds spy on the Nazis for the British Secret Service during their honeymoon in Europe.
The Mysterious Doctor
Lt. Christopher 'Kit' Hilton
The citizens of a tiny Cornish village are tormented during World War II by a headless ghost which is haunting the local tin mine.
Eagle Squadron
King
An American joins the British Royal Air Force just before Pearl Harbor is attacked, and falls in love with a beautiful English girl.
A Yank in the R.A.F.
Flight Lt. Sterling Richardson
An American pilot impulsively joins His Majesty's Royal Air Force in Britain in an attempt to impress his ex-girlfriend.
Man Hunt
British hunter Thorndike vacationing in Bavaria has Hitler in his gun sight. He is captured, beaten, left for dead, and escapes back to London where he is hounded by German agents and aided by a young woman.
Shining Victory
Dr. Bentley
In a Scottish sanitarium, a brilliant research psychiatrist works on a treatment for dementia praecox. He falls for his altruistic female lab assistant and they begin a passionate, tragic relationship.
Singapore Woman
Clyde
A fallen woman seeks redemption at a Singapore rubber plantation. Melodrama.
Shadows on the Stairs
Hugh Bromilow
Occupants of a London boarding house become suspects as a string of murders are discovered.
The Letter
John Withers
After a woman shoots a man to death, a damning letter she wrote raises suspicions.
Pride and Prejudice
Mr. Bingley
Mr. and Mrs. Bennet have five unmarried daughters, and Mrs. Bennet is especially eager to find suitable husbands for them. When the rich single gentlemen Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy come to live nearby, the Bennets have high hopes. But pride, prejudice and misunderstandings all combine to complicate their relationships and to make happiness difficult.
My Son, My Son!
Rory O'Riorden
A self-made success is determined to give his son the lavish upbringing he himself was denied. Not surprisingly, the son grows up to be spoiled rotten, causing grief and pain to everyone who loves him.
British Intelligence
Frank Bennett
During WWI pretty German master spy Helene von Lorbeer is sent undercover to London to live with the family of a high-placed British official where she is to rendezvous with the butler Valdar, also a spy, and help him transmit secret war plans back to Germany.
The Invisible Man Returns
Chaplain (uncredited)
The owner of a coal mining operation, falsely imprisoned for fratricide, takes a drug to make him invisible, despite its side effect: gradual madness.
The Witness Vanishes
Lord Noel Stratton
In this mystery, a newspaper executive and three of his colleagues conspire to have the owner of the highly-respected London Sun committed to an insane asylum. The hapless publisher manages to escape. Soon after, the four collaborators begin dying one-by-one. Oddly their obituaries appear in a rival publication before they are actually killed.
If I Were King
Noel de Jolys
King Louis XI masquerades as a commoner in Paris, seeking out the treachery he is sure lurks in his kingdom. At a local tavern, he overhears the brash poet François Villon extolling why he would be a better king. Annoyed yet intrigued, the King bestows on Villon the title of Grand Constable. Soon Villon begins work and falls for a lovely lady-in-waiting, but then must flee execution when the King turns on him.
Boy Meets Girl
Rodney Bowman
Two lazy screenwriters need a story for the studio's cowboy star. A studio waitress turns out to be pregnant. This gives them the idea for a movie about a cowboy and a baby. The waitress's baby becomes the star. The cowboy and his agent run off with the waitress and her valuable asset. The writers retaliate by hiring an unemployed extra to impersonate the baby's father. But the extra already knows the waitress...
Crime Over London
Ronald Martin
With the police on their tail, a gang of New York criminals decided to relocate to London where they plan a major robbery on a department store.
The Tenth Man
Edward O'Donnell
George Winter, a self-made businessman and MP, lets nothing get in the way of his climb to the top. Certain in his belief in the corruptible and foolish nature of others, whenever Winter meets a competitor who can't be bought, he destroys the man through methods both legal and underhanded. Then, he meets his 'tenth man': a victim who refuses to be silenced by threat or bribery, with the power to bring Winter's house of cards crashing down around him.
A Star Fell from Heaven
Winkler
In this comedy, a talented singer is hired to dub the voice of a star who has lost his own. During the film's premiere, news that he sang the songs slips out and suddenly he finds that he himself has become a star. Unfortunately he soon encounters unanticipated problems. He is especially concerned about his girl friend who dumped him in favor of the voiceless star.
Ourselves Alone
2nd Lieut. Lingard
One of the most significant films ever made about the Troubles in Ireland, a powerful story of love and conflicting loyalties set against the battle for Ireland's independence.
Death At Broadcasting House
Peter Ridgwell
An actor is murdered live on air whilst a play is being broadcast. Everyone in the play and broadcasting house fall under suspicion.
All That Is England
Austin promotional short, showing a tour around the country by many Austin models, from the Seven to the Ascot.