Ralph Forbes was born in London on September 30, 1896. (Some sources cite September 2, 1902 as his date of birth.) His parents were E.J. Taylor and the actress Mary Forbes. His sister, Brenda Forbes, also became an actress. Following in his mother's footsteps, he appeared in stage productions as a juvenile and in films from the age of 19. Forbes first attracted attention on the stage in �The Flame�, performed at Wyndham�s Theatre in London in 1924, and his most successful British starring film was the 1922 version of that old chestnut "Comin' Thro' the Rye". He came to Hollywood in 1926 to co-star in the Paramount big-budgeter "Beau Geste", and thereafter appeared in a variety of silent films, opposite such actresses as Norma Shearer and Lillian Gish.
When sound came in, Forbes' upper-crust British accent meant he was usually cast as aristocrats, officers and "other men". His films of the period include "Smilin Through","The Barretts of Wimpole Street", "Christopher Strong", "Twentieth Century", "Piccadilly Jim" and "Romeo & Juliet". He also appeared the New York stage in such plays as "The Little Minister", "The Doctor's Dilemma" and "You Never Can Tell".
Mr Forbes was married to his stage co-star, Ruth Chatterton, from 1924 until their divorce in 1932. They remained close friends afterwards- Miss Chatterton's next husband, George Brent, claimed at their own divorce hearing that the relationship was strained by having Ralph Forbes constantly around the house, "even at breakfast". In 1943 Miss Chatterton and Mr Forbes toured on stage in Noel Coward's "Private Lives".
In 1934 Mr Forbes married British actress Heather Angel, best known for John Ford's "The Informer" (1935). The fan magazines dubbed them "the hitchhiking elopers", as their car had broken down on the way to Yuma. They were divorced in 1937. Forbes was wed to his third wife, stage actress Dora Sayers, from 1946 until his death.
After an illness of several weeks, Ralph Forbes died in Montefiore Hospital in New York, on March 31st, 1951. |
