1853-1931
British stage and film character actor Lawrence D'Orsay was born Dorset William Lawrance on this day in Peterborough, England (located in Cambridgeshire). He started acting on the stage in 1877 and was by the 1880's quite popular; he was reportedly very good in comedic roles. His most famous stage role however came in the early 20th century and in the US; in 1903 he starred off Broadway in the comedic role of "Earl of Pawtucket" at the Manhattan Theater. D'Orsay also acted on Broadway in New York and was well regarded by American audiences and considered a specialist in playing "upper crust" types. He acted well into old age and his stage career lasted one year longer than his film career, which was short in comparison. His eight appearances in film came between the years 1913 and 1926. The first film in which he appeared was the independent western The Border Detective in 1912. His second film role was a reprise of his famous Earl role from the stage; The Earl of Pawtucket (1915) was filmed entirely at the new Universal Studios in Hollywood. His last film appearance came in D. W. Griffith's The Sorrows of Satan in 1926. Though his entire film career was in the U.S., when D'Orsay retired, he returned to the U.K. He died there at the age of 78 on the 13th September in 1931 in London. I can find no information as to his burial.
Still from The Earl of Pawtucket
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