LIONEL ATWILL BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Lionel Atwill was born on March 1st, 1885 in Croydon, London, England in the United Kingdom with the birth name Lionel Alfred William Atwill.  His family was quite wealthy and he was educated at London's prestigious Mercer School.  His intention was to earn a degree to become an architect, however as he continued his education, he began to show an interest in theater.
 
At the age of twenty he debuted in his first stage production at the Garrick Theatre in London.  He continued to work on the stage gaining more experience and exposure until in 1915, he relocated to the United States of American in pursuit of stage work there. 

Between 1917 and 1931 he added to his resume about 25 productions on Broadway and at the same time was also beginning to pursue working in the silent film industry.  Lionel had a very strong British accent that was great for his stage work and when sound film came about, he had his first talking role in "Silent Witness" (1932).
 
He was known to portray a variety of characters from cops, to military men and even crazy doctors.  Some of his better known film work was "Captain Blood" (1935), "Son of Frankenstein" (1939) and "To Be or Not to Be" (1942).
 
In 1943, Atwill made a huge mistake in his personal life that ultimately played a major affect on his professional life.  He was implicated of having a 'orgy' at his residence Christmas party, which included nudity, pornographic films and even a rape took place at the event.  He was convicted of perjury and sentenced to five years probation for the incident.
 
It was difficult for him to re-enter the acting industry after this.  For the most part, Hollywood shunned him and he was never even given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  Universal would use him for small bit parts here and there, however, he had lost his wife and lost his once successful career for a life on poverty row.
 
However, he will always be known for his Frankenstein films.  Atwill was the only actor to appear in five out of eight Frankenstein films released by Universal from 1931-1948. of which were, "Son of Frankenstein" (1939), "The Ghost of Frankenstein" (1942), "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" (1943), "House of Frankenstein" (1944) and "House of Dracula" (1945).
 
In 1946, Atwill was working on the film, "Lost City of the Jungle" when before it was completed he passed away from Lung cancer and Pneumonia on April 22nd, 1946 in Pacific Palisades, California.   The film was still completed and released by using a double to fill in for the scenes that he had not yet shot.
 
He was married four times throughout his lifetime.  First to Phyllis Relph in 1913 to 1919 in which they had one child together, John Anthony.  His second marriage was to Poppy Wyndham in 1920 and eight years later this marriage too ended in divorce.  His third wife was Henrietta Louise Cromwell Brook MacArthur from 1930 to 1943.  Atwill's final marriage was to Mary Paula Pruter on July 7th, 1944 until he passed away and they had one child together, Lionel Anthony Guille Atwill. 
 
 
Filmography

1946   Genius at Work 
1946   Lost City of the Jungle 
1945   House of Dracula 
1945   Crime, Inc. 
1945   Fog Island  
1944   House of Frankenstein
1944   Secrets of Scotland Yard 
1944   Raiders of Ghost City 
1944   Lady in the Death House 
1944   Captain America 
1943   Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man 
1943   Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon
1942   Night Monster 
1942   Cairo 
1942   Pardon My Sarong 
1942   Junior G-Men of the Air 
1942   The Strange Case of Doctor Rx 
1942   The Ghost of Frankenstein
1942   The Mad Doctor of Market Street  
1942   To Be or Not to Be 
1941   Man Made Monster 
1940   Boom Town
1940   The Great Profile
1940   Girl in 313
1940   Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise 
1940   Johnny Apollo
1940   Charlie Chan in Panama 
1939   The Mad Empress
1939   Balalaika 
1939   The Secret of Dr. Kildare 
1939   Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation
1939   The Sun Never Sets 
1939   The Gorilla
1939   The Hound of the Baskervilles  
1939   Son of Frankenstein
1938   The Great Waltz
1938   The High Command
1938   Three Comrades 
1937   The Great Garrick 
1937   The Wrong Road
1937   Lancer Spy
1937   The Last Train from Madrid
1937   The Road Back
1936   Absolute Quiet
1936   Till We Meet Again  
1936   Lady of Secrets
1935   Captain Blood 
1935   Rendezvous 
1935   The Murder Man
1935   The Devil Is a Woman
1935   Mark of the Vampire 
1934   The Man Who Reclaimed His Head 
1934   The Firebird 
1934   The Age of Innocence
1934   One More River
1934   Stamboul Quest
1934   Beggars in Ermine 
1934   Nana 
1933   The Solitaire Man
1933   Secret of the Blue Room 
1933   The Song of Songs
1933   The Sphinx 
1933   Murders in the Zoo 
1933   Mystery of the Wax Museum
1933   The Secret of Madame Blanche 
1933   The Vampire Bat 
1932   Doctor X  
1932   Silent Witness  
1929   The Knife 
1921   The Highest Bidder 
1920   The Eternal Mother 
1919   The Marriage Price 
1918   For Sale
1918   Eve's Daughter