James Bromley-Challenor

James Bromley-Challenor (1884–1935)[1] was British actor-manager.

Also known as Bromley Challenor

Biography

Born on September 3, 1884 in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England, UK, he was educated at Hanley, Oxford and Liverpool. He intended to become a doctor, but then tried journalism before entering the theatre. He made his first appearance on stage in The Hand of Justice in 1906 at Coatbridge, and from there went on to a relatively successful career as actor and company manager on tour and in London. Among the plays he appeared in were When Knights were Bold (Marlowe), Are you a Mason, The Punchbowl,

He was married to the actress Marjorie Bellairs and the two of them are said to have appeared in the farce When Knights were Bold over 6000 times over the course of his lifetime. He first played the leading role of "Sir Guy de Vere" (with his wife in the role of "Lady Rowena Eggington") in the premiere production in Nottingham and London during 1906-1907, and many times thereafter. In 1915 he actually purchased the rights to the play, which did well for them.

In 1915 or 1916 he and his wife toured South Africa with his company (which included ) and in 1933 they visited Australia to produce A Bit of a Test, which apparently failed to appeal to the Melbourne public.

Challenor died on 17 December, 1935, while rehearsing When Knights were Bold once more at The Fortune theatre in London.

Contribution to South African theatre, film, media and performance

In 1915 or 1916 he took the James Bromley-Challenor's theatrical company on a tour of South Africa, the cast including his wife, Marjorie Bellairs, and Norah Sturdee.

Sources

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0149977/

E-mail correspondence with Nick Jackson about Norah Sturdee and the South African tour (1 May 2020).

http://www.robertbuchanan.co.uk/html/knightsrev2.html

Obituary, The Argus, Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, 19 Dec 1935: p.12

J.P. Wearing. 2014. The London Stage 1920-1929: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel, Rowman & Littlefield: p.5 [2]

D.C. Boonzaier, 1923. "My playgoing days – 30 years in the history of the Cape Town stage", in SA Review, 9 March and 24 August 1932. (Reprinted in Bosman 1980: pp. 374-439.)

F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1916. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp.

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