Entering the world on December 27, 1879, in Sandwich, Kent, England, Sydney Greenstreet was one of eight children born to a leather merchant. Little is known of his mother and other siblings, but he left home at age 18 to make his fortune as a tea planter in Ceylon. Drought forced him out of what might have been a lucrative business opportunity, and Sydney returned to England to start anew. He managed a brewery for a short time and, just as a lark, began to take acting lessons. He was cast as a villain even in his first appearance, which he made in a 1902 production of “Sherlock Holmes.”
He began to appear in many plays, both in England and in the United States. Throughout the 1930s, he was affiliated with the Theater Guild of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontaine. At this time, his parts were varied, ranging from Shakespeare to musical comedy. They were numbered, however, for soon he became the cinema’s very favorite villain.
He was 62 years of age and weighed nearly 300 pounds in 1941 when he appeared in his first film. He was perfect as white-suited, sinister Kasper Gutman in the classic production of “The Maltese Falcon,” which co-starred Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre. He worked with Lorre in eight more movies. It is truly amazing to note that his entire film career only lasted eight years, and that he suffered with diabetes and Bright’s Disease all the way through it. Still, he left a legacy of 24 films! His career ended almost six decades ago and yet he is still very well remembered and recognized.
In 1949, he retired from the world of film, but had a minor career in radio, starring as the title character on NBC’s “The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe” from 1950-1951. He died at the age of 75 on January 18, 1954, leaving one son, John Odgen Greenstreet who died at the age of 84 in March of 2004.
What are some of YOUR favorite Sydney Greenstreet roles? Please share.