---
name: "Leslie Howard"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/leslie-howard"
fi1m_id: "leslie-howard"
imdb_id: "nm0001366"
tmdb_id: 11493
wikidata_id: "Q156178"
roles: ["Actor","Director"]
born: "3 April 1893"
died: "1 June 1943"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 6
average_fi1m_score: 71
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 4
updated: "2026-09-20T00:56:39.627158+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Leslie Howard

## Identity

Leslie Howard

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/leslie-howard
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** leslie-howard
- **IMDb ID:** nm0001366
- **TMDB ID:** 11493
- **Wikidata ID:** Q156178
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Howard, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q156178, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001366/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/11493

Actor and director. Born 3 April 1893 in Forest Hill, London, England, UK. Died 1 June 1943.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor, Director
- **Born:** 3 April 1893, Forest Hill, London, England, UK
- **Died:** 1 June 1943
- **Active:** 1932–1941
- **Also known as:** Leslie Howard Steiner
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 6: 4 acting, 1 directing, 1 other
- **Frequently works with:** [Irving Thalberg](https://film.one/person/irving-thalberg.md), [Norma Shearer](https://film.one/person/norma-shearer.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 2 Oscar nominations
- **Average Fi1m score:** 71, as actor, over 4 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1930s 72 (4), 1940s 76 (2)
- **Score spread:** 0 at 80+, 4 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 2 of 4 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 3, Romance 3, War 2, Thriller 1
- **Screen time:** 10 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $408m across 2 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Howard, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q156178, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001366/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/11493

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*Pygmalion*](https://film.one/film/pygmalion.md) (84), [*49th Parallel*](https://film.one/film/49th-parallel.md) (79), [*Gone with the Wind*](https://film.one/film/gone-with-the-wind.md) (74)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Leslie Howard

> Leslie Howard played Englishmen who seemed to be thinking about something else, and made that look like strength. Give him a secret to keep and he was quietly remarkable; give him only good manners, as in *Gone with the Wind*, and there was not much left.

In *Smilin' Through* (1932) Sir John Carteret walks out to a grave every evening and talks to it, and Leslie Howard plays it as the most reasonable thing a man could do with his evenings. He drops his voice to the level of someone speaking to a person in the next room, and the film around him, which is old-fashioned and knows exactly where your tear ducts are, does not need to push. We came braced to be patient and left moved, and it was that voice that did it. Howard underplayed so far that you leaned in to meet him.

He came to films late, after a bank clerk's desk, the First World War and Broadway success in the 1920s; his sound debut in *Outward Bound* (1930) made him a Hollywood leading man. The Thirties parts run together as one long civilised Englishman: Philip Carey opposite Bette Davis in *Of Human Bondage* (1934), Sir Percy Blakeney in *The Scarlet Pimpernel* (1934), Alan Squier in *The Petrified Forest* (1936). Then Henry Higgins in *Pygmalion* (1938), which he also co-directed with Anthony Asquith; then *Gone with the Wind* (1939) for David O. Selznick; then home to Britain when the war began, where he directed and played R.J. Mitchell in *The First of the Few* (1942), one of his last films.

The persona worked when there was something behind it. *The Scarlet Pimpernel* is built on a fop who is secretly a hero, and Howard makes the fop convincing before the hero arrives. Sir John in *Smilin' Through* is a man of leisure whose leisure is grief. In both the manners are a cover, and Howard could suggest what was under them with almost nothing, a pause, a look held half a second past comfort. Lee Garmes, shooting *Smilin' Through*, lit the garden from behind the roses, so that Howard's face is half in dusk and you watch it to find out what he is not saying.

Ashley Wilkes is the counter-example. Sidney Howard's screenplay gives Scarlett everything and leaves the people around her waiting for her next bout of unhappiness, and Ashley has no secret to keep, only decency. Beside Gable, who is comfortable with the film's extravagance, Howard looks like a man who has wandered in from a quieter picture and is too polite to ask where he is. "I hate the damn part. I’m not nearly beautiful or young enough for Ashley, and it makes me sick being fixed up to look attractive," he wrote, and for once an actor's complaint about his most famous role is also a fair review of it.

The pity is that the part everyone remembers is the one that shows him least. Start instead with *Smilin' Through*, which asks little beyond forty minutes of patience, and listen to what he does with his voice. Then try *Pygmalion*, where the civilised Englishman is finally allowed to be rude to everyone he meets.

## Biography

Leslie Howard, born Leslie Howard Steiner, was an English actor, director and producer. He was born on 3 April 1893 in Forest Hill, London, and died on 1 June 1943. After working as a bank clerk, he served in the First World War and began his stage career in 1917, later appearing on Broadway.

Howard became one of the leading film actors of the 1930s, often portraying the quintessential Englishman. His notable roles include Philip Carey in *Of Human Bondage* (1934), Sir Percy Blakeney in *The Scarlet Pimpernel* (1934), Alan Squier in *The Petrified Forest* (1936), Henry Higgins in *Pygmalion* (1938, which he also co-directed), Holger Brandt in *Intermezzo: A Love Story* (1939) and Ashley Wilkes in *Gone with the Wind* (1939). He received Academy Award nominations for Best Actor for *Berkeley Square* (1933) and *Pygmalion*.

During the Second World War, Howard returned to Britain and appeared in propaganda films including *49th Parallel* (1941) and *The First of the Few* (1942, which he also directed). He was killed when the aircraft on which he was a passenger was shot down by the Luftwaffe over the Atlantic.

*Sources: themoviedb.org, en.wikipedia.org, britannica.com.*

## On Fi1m (6)

### Performed in (4) — the average rests on these

- *49th Parallel* (1941), Fi1m 79, as Philip Armstrong Scott — [page](https://film.one/film/49th-parallel.md)
- *Gone with the Wind* (1939), Fi1m 74, as Ashley Wilkes — [page](https://film.one/film/gone-with-the-wind.md)
- *Romeo and Juliet* (1936), Fi1m 63, as Romeo — [page](https://film.one/film/romeo-and-juliet.md)
- *Smilin' Through* (1932), Fi1m 67, as Sir John Carteret — [page](https://film.one/film/smilin-through.md)

### Directed (1)

- *Pygmalion* (1938), Fi1m 84, as Henry Higgins — [page](https://film.one/film/pygmalion.md)

### Also credited (1) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited

- *In Which We Serve* (1942), Fi1m 74, as Narrator (voice) (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/in-which-we-serve.md)

## Complete filmography (36)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *South of Reno* (1988), Actor
- *Going Hollywood: The '30s* (1984), as (archive footage)
- *MGM Parade* (1955), series, Actor
- *The Lamp Still Burns* (1943), Producer
- *The Gentle Sex* (1943), as Narrator (voice) · Director, Producer
- *In Which We Serve* (1942), as Narrator (voice) (uncredited) — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/in-which-we-serve.md)
- *The First of the Few* (1942), as R.J. Mitchell · Director, Producer
- *The White Eagle* (1942), as Narrator (voice)
- *49th Parallel* (1941), as Philip Armstrong Scott — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/49th-parallel.md)
- *From the Four Corners* (1941), Writer
- *"Pimpernel" Smith* (1941), as Professor Horatio Smith · Director, Producer
- *Gone with the Wind* (1939), as Ashley Wilkes — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/gone-with-the-wind.md)
- *Intermezzo: A Love Story* (1939), as Holger Brandt · Associate Producer
- *Pygmalion* (1938), as Henry Higgins · Director — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/pygmalion.md)
- *Stand-In* (1937), as Atterbury Dodd
- *It's Love I'm After* (1937), as Basil Underwood
- *Romeo and Juliet* (1936), as Romeo — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/film/romeo-and-juliet.md)
- *Master Will Shakespeare* (1936), as Romeo (uncredited)
- *The Petrified Forest* (1936), as Alan Squier
- *The Scarlet Pimpernel* (1934), as Sir Percy Blakeney / The Scarlet Pimpernel
- *British Agent* (1934), as Stephen 'Steve' Locke
- *The Lady Is Willing* (1934), as Albert Latour
- *Of Human Bondage* (1934), as Philip Carey
- *Berkeley Square* (1933), as Peter Standish
- *Captured!* (1933), as Captain Fred Allison
- *Secrets* (1933), as John Carlton
- *The Animal Kingdom* (1932), as Tom
- *Smilin' Through* (1932), as Sir John Carteret — Fi1m 67, [page](https://film.one/film/smilin-through.md)
- *Service for Ladies* (1932), as Max Tracey
- *Devotion* (1931), as David Trent
- *Five and Ten* (1931), as Berry Rhodes
- *A Free Soul* (1931), as Dwight Winthrop
- *Never the Twain Shall Meet* (1931), as Dan
- *Outward Bound* (1930), as Tom Prior
- *The Bump* (1920), Producer
- *Bookworms* (1920), as Richard

## Gallery

- ![Leslie Howard](https://film.one/media/person/103500/gallery-c041edeb1d43.jpg) Leslie Howard — Selznick International Pictures; Fred Parrish, photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Leslie_Howard_GWTW.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Leslie Howard](https://film.one/media/person/103500/gallery-d15e47fabe6e.jpg) Leslie Howard — New York, Wid's Films and Film Folks, Inc., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/%22The_Animal_Kingdom%22_ad_from%2C_The_Film_Daily%2C_Jul-Dec_1932_%28page_1082_crop%29.jpg/1280px-%22The_Animal_Kingdom%22_ad_from%2C_The_Film_Daily%2C_Jul-Dec_1932_%28page_1082_crop%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Act I for the pre-Broadway US production of 'The Green Hat' (1925), showing A. P. Kaye as Dr. Masters, Paul Guilfoyle as Gerald March, Gordon Ash as Hilary Town](https://film.one/media/person/103500/gallery-cdda50adfd92.jpg) Act I for the pre-Broadway US production of 'The Green Hat' (1925), showing A. P. Kaye as Dr. Masters, Paul Guilfoyle as Gerald March, Gordon Ash as Hilary Town — Luther S. White (1857-1936), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/%27The_Green_Hat%27_%281925%29_Act_I.jpg/1280px-%27The_Green_Hat%27_%281925%29_Act_I.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Act III of the pre-Broadway US production for 'The Green Hat' (1925) showing Leslie Howard as Napier Harpenden, Adi Orane as Sister Virginia, Ann Harding as Ven](https://film.one/media/person/103500/gallery-1934566d8537.jpg) Act III of the pre-Broadway US production for 'The Green Hat' (1925) showing Leslie Howard as Napier Harpenden, Adi Orane as Sister Virginia, Ann Harding as Ven — Luther S. White (1857-1936), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/%27The_Green_Hat%27_%281925%29_Act_III.jpg/1280px-%27The_Green_Hat%27_%281925%29_Act_III.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Leslie Howard](https://film.one/media/person/103500/gallery-a978ee1276fe.jpg) Leslie Howard — Image via TMDB
- ![Scene from Act I of "The Wren" (1921): Helen Hayes (Seeby), John Flood (Mr. Frazee), Pauline Armitage (Mrs. Frazee), Leslie Howard (Roddy)](https://film.one/media/person/103500/gallery-46a5ed36528f.jpg) Scene from Act I of "The Wren" (1921): Helen Hayes (Seeby), John Flood (Mr. Frazee), Pauline Armitage (Mrs. Frazee), Leslie Howard (Roddy) — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/%27The_Wren%27_%281921%29_Act_I.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 2 nominated

- 1939: Best Actor (nominated), for *Pygmalion*
- 1934: Best Actor (nominated), for *Berkeley Square*

### Other awards — 1 won

- Volpi Cup for Best Actor 1938: Volpi Cup for Best Actor (won), for *Pygmalion*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/leslie-howard