Sydney Greenstreet Overview:

Legendary character actor, Sydney Greenstreet, was born Sydney Hughes Greenstreet on Dec 27, 1879 in Sandwich, Kent. Greenstreet died at the age of 74 on Jan 18, 1954 in Hollywood, CA and was laid to rest in Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Cemetery in Glendale, CA.

MINI BIO:

Huge English actor with impeccable diction and tiny, hostile features above a bulky body that at one time reached 325 pounds. A massive hit in more ways than one as the fat man in The Maltese Falcon - his first film at 61 - and a regular in Warner Brothers films after that throughout the forties. Ill-health forced him to retire earlier than the studio would have wished. Most popular of all in films that teamed him with Peter Lorre - a kind of Laurel and Hardy in Hell. He was once a tea planter in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon). Died from Bright's Disease complicated by diabetes. Oscar-nominated for The Maltese Falcon.

(Source: available at Amazon Quinlan's Film Stars).

HONORS and AWARDS:

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Although Greenstreet was nominated for one Oscar, he never won a competitive Academy Award.

Academy Awards

YearAwardFilm nameRoleResult
1941Best Supporting ActorThe Maltese Falcon (1941)Kaspar GutmanNominated
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Sydney Greenstreet BlogHub Articles:

Sydney Greenstreet

By Amanda Garrett on Dec 17, 2016 From Old Hollywood Films

Today, I'm looking at the life and career of character actor Sydney Greenstreet. This article is part of the Fifth Annual What a Character! Blogathon hosted by Paula's Cinema Club, Once Upon a Screen, and Outspoken and Freckled. The wonderful character actor Sydney Greenstreet didn't make his ... Read full article


Flamingo Road (1949) with Joan Crawford and Sydney Greenstreet

By Orson De Welles on Jun 9, 2016 From Classic Film Freak

Share This! A wrong girl for the right side of the tracks. Director Michael Curtiz reunited with Mildred Pierce star Joan Crawford for 1949?s Flamingo Road, a Southern story with noir leanings full of politics and intrigue.? Thankfully the politics never take center stage and stay in the near backgr... Read full article


How many Films did Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre Star in Together?

By Annmarie Gatti on Dec 27, 2015 From Classic Movie Hub Blog

An Iconic Pair: Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre Sydney Greenstreet made his Feature Film Debut in 1941 at the age of 62 as “Fat Man” Kasper Gutman in The Maltese Falcon.?The film also featured Peter Lorre, as the shady Joel Cairo, and of course Humphrey Bogart as private eye Sam Spade... Read full article


Seven Things to Know About Sydney Greenstreet

By Rick29 on Nov 19, 2015 From Classic Film & TV Cafe

1. Sydney Greenstreet did not appear in a movie until he was 62. His film debut was pretty memorable, though—he played Kasper Gutman in The Maltese Falcon. 2. Despite a number of popular supporting performances (e.g., Casablanca, Christmas in Connecticut, Devotion), etc., he received only one... Read full article


Sydney Greenstreet

By Bogart Fan on Aug 10, 2014 From The Bogie Film Blog

Birth Name: Sydney Hughes Greenstreet Birthdate: December 27, 1879 Date of Death: January 18, 1954 Number of Films Sydney Greenstreet made with Humphrey Bogart: 5 The Actor The son of a leather merchant, Sydney Greenstreet spent some time working in both the tea industry and a brewery before finall... Read full article


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Sydney Greenstreet Quotes:

Kasper Gutman: The best goodbyes are short. Adieu.


Richard Mason: Doctor, you've had a lot of experience with mental cases assuming I am a mental case. Ever run across anything like this before?
Dr. Mark Hamilton: Only once, years ago when I was a student in Vienna.
Richard Mason: What was it?
Dr. Mark Hamilton: Man who murdered his wife.


Alexander Yardley: Good morning; Merry Christmas. I hope I'm in time to see you flip the flapjacks.


read more quotes from Sydney Greenstreet...



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Best Supporting Actor Oscar 1941






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Sydney Greenstreet Facts
Author Tennessee Williams wrote his one-act play "The Last of My Solid Gold Watches" with Sydney Greenstreet in mind, and dedicated it to him.

His film career lasted a mere eight years and ended more than fifty-five years ago, yet he is one of the best remembered and most recognizable of all film actors.

His little-known Cyrus Redblock role was recycled into another same-name character for the series "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987), episode "The Big Good-Bye". Played fittingly by the late Lawrence Tierney.

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