H. Lane Bayliff

(b. Kensington, London, 06/04/1872 – d. Katoomba, New South Wales, 21/09/1937). British-born actor/producer/manager, later in Australia. Though he started his working life in a position with the Bank of England, Henry William Lane Bayliff (usually credited as H. Lane Bayliff), soon turned to the stage and is known to have played a servant in A Life of Pleasure at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in September 1893. Between 1895 and 1914 he appeared in the provinces as well as in London’s West End in a wide range of plays, from Lady Windermere’s Fan to Milestones, frequently acting with George Arliss. He first came to South Africa as early as 1901 with the Sass-Nelson Company and later joined the Wheeler-Edwardes Gaiety Company. Between 1911 and 1918 he was also very active as a producer, notably for 2½ years at the Liverpool Playhouse. He appeared in at least one film in England (The Shadow Between/1920), before he came out to South Africa for the second time in July 1920 as the producer of the New London Dramatic Company.

Here he joined Gertrude Elliott (Lady Forbes Robertson), becoming manager of her touring company and producing The Man Who Came Back, Paddy the Next Best Thing and The Dawn of a Tomorrow (all 1921) at His Majesty’s Theatre in Johannesburg. During this time he also took the role of Captain John Lant in The Reef of Stars (1923), the Joseph Albrecht film version of the novel by H. De Vere Stacpoole, which was released in South Africa long after he had left for Australia with Lady Forbes Robertson. He appeared in numerous plays across the country and in New Zealand and in 1925 he married Betsy Scott. He became the business manager of the Allan Wilkie Shakespearean Company, which toured Australia for eight years. He also did radio work for the Australian Broadcasting Company/Commission. In 1934 he was the adjudicator of the Australian Women’s Weekly Screen Personality contest and between 1933 and 1937 he appeared in five films, three of them directed by Ken G. Hall, including the popular The Squatter’s Daughter (1933) and The Silence of Dean Maitland (1934). (FO)

Sources

S.A. Pictorial, 7 August 1920

Auckland Star, 3 June 1933

The Katoomba Daily, 21 September 1937

International Motion Picture Almanac 1937-38

Pike, Andrew & Cooper, Ross - Australian film 1900-1977: a guide to feature film production

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