---
name: "Roger Livesey"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/roger-livesey"
fi1m_id: "roger-livesey"
imdb_id: "nm0515193"
tmdb_id: 83907
wikidata_id: "Q490072"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "25 June 1906"
died: "4 February 1976"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 90
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-09-25T03:46:10.398990+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."
---

# Roger Livesey

## Identity

Roger Livesey

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/roger-livesey
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** roger-livesey
- **IMDb ID:** nm0515193
- **TMDB ID:** 83907
- **Wikidata ID:** Q490072
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Livesey, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q490072, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0515193/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/83907

Actor. Born 25 June 1906 in Barry, Wales, UK. Died 4 February 1976.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 25 June 1906, Barry, Wales, UK
- **Died:** 4 February 1976
- **Active:** 1943–1946
- **Frequently works with:** [Emeric Pressburger](https://film.one/person/emeric-pressburger.md), [Michael Powell](https://film.one/person/michael-powell.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 90, as actor, over 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 0 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 2 of 3 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Comedy 3, Drama 3, Romance 3, Fantasy 1, War 1
- **Screen time:** 6 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $2m across 2 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Livesey, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q490072, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0515193/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/83907

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp*](https://film.one/film/the-life-and-death-of-colonel-blimp.md) (91)
- **Tubi:** [*I Know Where I'm Going!*](https://film.one/film/i-know-where-im-going.md) (88)

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

## Fi1m on Roger Livesey

> Roger Livesey’s husky voice can make authority sound kindly without making it feeble. We value the emotional directness beneath his theatrical manner; his work with Powell and Pressburger is the place to begin.

In *A Matter of Life and Death* (1946), Roger Livesey’s Doctor Reeves offers reassurance without fussing over it. That husky, resonant voice sounds capable of taking charge, but there is humour and kindness in it too. We were moved by his warmth: Reeves makes the film’s concern with being alive feel personal. Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger allow the performances to be openly theatrical without making their feelings difficult to believe. Livesey is one reason we recommend the film so readily.

The parts that established him came in quick succession, and each made a different use of that reassuring presence. In *The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp* (1943), Clive Wynne-Candy ages from a young officer to an elderly general, giving Livesey decades of a man to account for. *I Know Where I'm Going* (1945) pairs him with Wendy Hiller as the romantic lead Torquil MacNeil, with bluff charm and emotional directness doing the work. As Reeves, he makes it easy to understand why someone would want this doctor nearby. These three Powell and Pressburger films remain the natural starting point.

We would not mistake his warmth for unobtrusive acting. Alongside David Niven’s courteous Peter Carter and Kim Hunter’s direct June, his theatrical manner suits a film that is frank about its emotions. The speeches occasionally labour the point, and we would welcome less insistence there. But the performances keep us interested in the people; asking Livesey to underplay would be an odd way to correct the writing.

After that mid-1940s run, the screen offered him supporting parts more often than leads. *The League of Gentlemen* (1960) casts him as Mycroft, a disgraced clergyman, while *The Entertainer* (1960) makes him Billy Rice, the father of Laurence Olivier’s character. He continued working on stage alongside film and television. Start with Doctor Reeves, then try *The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp* for a longer acquaintance.

## Biography

Roger Livesey (1906–1976) was a British stage and film actor. He made his stage debut in 1917 and appeared in West End productions and with the Old Vic company before transitioning to film in the 1930s.

He is known for his roles in three films directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger: *The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp* (1943) as Clive Wynne-Candy, *I Know Where I'm Going!* (1945) as Torquil MacNeil, and *A Matter of Life and Death* (1946) as Doctor Reeves. Other film credits include Mycroft in *The League of Gentlemen* (1960) and Billy Rice in *The Entertainer* (1960).

Livesey was married to actress Ursula Jeans from 1937 until her death in 1973. He continued working in theatre, film and television into the 1970s.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, screenonline.org.uk.*

## On Fi1m (3)

- *A Matter of Life and Death* (1946), Fi1m 92, as Doctor Reeves — [page](https://film.one/film/a-matter-of-life-and-death.md)
- *I Know Where I'm Going!* (1945), Fi1m 88, as Torquil MacNeil — [page](https://film.one/film/i-know-where-im-going.md)
- *The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp* (1943), Fi1m 91, as Major General Clive Wynne-Candy — [page](https://film.one/film/the-life-and-death-of-colonel-blimp.md)

## Complete filmography (44)

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

- *Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger* (2024), as (archive footage)
- *The Pallisers* (1974), series, as Duke of St Bungay
- *New Scotland Yard* (1972), series, as Sir Giles Wentworth
- *Justice* (1971), series, as George Mallow
- *Futtocks End* (1970), as The Artist
- *Hamlet* (1969), as First Player / Gravedigger
- *ITV Saturday Night Theatre* (1969), series, as Gen. Sir Benedict Sankey
- *The Man in the Iron Mask* (1968), series, as Porthos
- *Oedipus the King* (1968), as Shepherd
- *Of Human Bondage* (1964), as Thorpe Athelny
- *Theatre 625* (1964), series, as PM Collard, 'Einstein'
- *Espionage* (1963), series, as Dr Samuel Johnson
- *The Human Jungle* (1963), series, as Sir William Bridley
- *No, My Darling Daughter* (1961), as General Henry Barclay
- *The Entertainer* (1960), as Billy Rice
- *On Trial* (1960), series, as Joseph Wall
- *Toff and Fingers* (1960), as Toff  Mulligan Hayes
- *Armchair Mystery Theatre* (1960), series, as Toff Mulligan Hayes
- *The League of Gentlemen* (1960), as Mycroft
- *The Stowaway* (1958), as Major Owens
- *The Intimate Stranger* (1956), as Ben Case
- *Quay South* (1955), as Captain Daniel Thwaite
- *The Master of Ballantrae* (1953), as Col. Francis Burke
- *Green Grow the Rushes* (1951), as Capt. Cedric Biddle
- *That Dangerous Age* (1949), as Sir Brian Brooke
- *Vice Versa* (1948), as Paul Bultitude
- *A Matter of Life and Death* (1946), as Doctor Reeves — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/a-matter-of-life-and-death.md)
- *I Know Where I'm Going!* (1945), as Torquil MacNeil — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/i-know-where-im-going.md)
- *The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp* (1943), as Major General Clive Wynne-Candy — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/film/the-life-and-death-of-colonel-blimp.md)
- *Girl in the News* (1940), as Bill Maher
- *Spies of the Air* (1939), as Charles Houghton
- *The Drum* (1938), as Capt. Carruthers
- *The Rebel Son* (1938), as Peter Bulba
- *Keep Smiling* (1938), as Bert Wattle
- *Rembrandt* (1936), as Beggar Saul
- *Midshipman Easy* (1935), as Captain Wilson
- *The Price of Wisdom* (1935), as Peter North
- *Blind Justice* (1935), as Gilbert Jackson
- *Lorna Doone* (1934), as Tom Faggus
- *A Cuckoo in the Nest* (1933), as Alfred
- *The Veteran of Waterloo* (1933), as Sergeant MacDonald
- *East Lynne on the Western Front* (1931), as Sandy
- *Married Love* (1923), as Henry
- *The Four Feathers* (1921), as Harry as a child

## Gallery

- ![Marius Goring, David Niven, Roger Livesey, Kim Hunter and Robert Coote in a production still for the British film A Matter of Life and Death.](https://film.one/media/person/59106/gallery-2d6d3d71dcac.jpg) Marius Goring, David Niven, Roger Livesey, Kim Hunter and Robert Coote in a production still for the British film A Matter of Life and Death. — Eric Gray, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/57/A_Matter_of_Life_and_Death_-_Production_still.jpg/1280px-A_Matter_of_Life_and_Death_-_Production_still.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Photograph of actor Roger Livesey, star of the Theatre Guild production of Storm Over Patsy Caption:From the gaudy bawdries of The Country Wife Roger Livesey co (1937)](https://film.one/media/person/59106/gallery-6476eaeda964.jpg) Photograph of actor Roger Livesey, star of the Theatre Guild production of Storm Over Patsy Caption:From the gaudy bawdries of The Country Wife Roger Livesey co (1937) — Stage Publishing Company, Inc., photograph by Alfredo Valente, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/15/Roger-Livesey-Storm-Over-Patsy-Stage-1937.jpg/1280px-Roger-Livesey-Storm-Over-Patsy-Stage-1937.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Memorial plaque to the actors Roger Livesey and Ursula Jeans in St Paul's church in Covent Garden. (2016)](https://film.one/media/person/59106/gallery-8e51a3cb6679.jpg) Memorial plaque to the actors Roger Livesey and Ursula Jeans in St Paul's church in Covent Garden. (2016) — Jack1956, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Roger_Livesey_St_Pauls_Covent_Garden.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Roger Livesey](https://film.one/media/person/59106/gallery-e20373d65be8.jpg) Roger Livesey — Image via TMDB
- ![Roger Livesey](https://film.one/media/person/59106/gallery-f40534224ab2.jpg) Roger Livesey — Image via TMDB

---
© 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/roger-livesey