Lewis Sealy

William Armiger Sealy Lewis (1851 – March 19, 1931), known professionally as Lewis Sealy,^[1] was an Irish actor and a film exhibitor.

Career

Sealy was a character actor.^[2] A native of Ireland, he worked on the London stage for years. He co-wrote and performed in the play A Heathen Goddess at the West London Theatre in 1894.^[3]

In the 1890s, he was a film exhibitor, known for the "Royal Cinematoscope", which was the name under which he exhibited Birt Acres' Kineopticon.^[4][5][6]

He first came to New York in 1908, working as a stage manager and occasional actor as he had in London. His first play in New York was Captain Brassbound's Conversion. He had been a stage director for Lily Langtry and Olga Nethersole.^[7]

Having left family in Ireland and England, he apparently returned to work as a stage actor in London, before travelling once more to New York around 1915 to begin a career in film.

His film career included appearances in a number of silent features, in The Witching Hour (1916). A Variety review noted that Sealy "brought a dignity commensurate with the role".^[8]

Death

He died on March 19, 1931. He was survived by a daughter and two sons. He was buried at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York.^[9][7]

In popular culture

Sealy was portrayed by Sean O'Bryan in Chaplin (1992).

Stage work

London

As a stage manager:

• As You Like It (St James' Theatre; February 24, 1890 - April 30, 1890)
• Esther Sandraz (St James' Theatre; May 3, 1890 - June 7, 1890)
• Your Wife (St James' Theatre; June 26, 1890 - July 7, 1890)
• Miss Hoyden's Husband (Shaftesbury Theatre; July 4, 1890)

As an actor:

• A Heathen Goddess (also co-writer; West London Theatre; October 12, 1894)
• The Man in the Iron Mask (The Adelphi, March 11, 1899 - May 20, 1899) as Officer ^[10]
• The Chetwynd Affair (Royalty Theatre; August 29, 1904 - September 24, 1904)
• The Merchant of Venice (Terry's Theatre; March 9, 1905 - March 11, 1905) ^[11]
• Fanny's First Play (Little Theatre April April 19, 1911 - December 29, 1911; Kingsway Theatre December 30, 1911 December 20, 1912) as Cecil Savoyard
• John Bull's Other Island (Kingsway Theatre, December 26, 1912 - March 1, 1913) as Corney Doyle ^[12]

Broadway

• Margaret Schiller (January 31, 1916 – Closing date unknown)
• The Fountain of Youth (April 1, 1918 – April 1918)
• A Marriage of Convenience (May 1, 1918 – June 1918)
• King Richard III (March 6, 1920 – March 1920) as Lord Hastings
• The Awful Truth (September 18, 1922 – January 20, 1923) as Jayson
• Merry Wives of Gotham (January 16, 1924 – April 1924) as Pomeroy
• Lass O'Laughter (January 8, 1925 – February 1925) as Richards
• The Merchant of Venice (January 16, 1928 – March 1928) as Balthasar
• Dishonored Lady (February 4, 1930 – May 1930) as Sims

Filmography

• Barbara Frietchie (1915) as Judge Frietchie
• The Unborn (1916) as Mr. Worthy
• The Witching Hour (1916) as Justice George Prentice
• The Primitive Call (1917) as John Malcolm
• Draft 258 (1917) (credited as Lewis Sealey)
• His House in Order (1920)
• The Fatal Hour (1920) as Felix (credited as Louis Sealey)
• A Virgin Paradise (1921) as Peter Latham (credited as Lewis Seeley)

References

1. Room, Adrian (2014-01-10). Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins, 5th ed. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-5763-2.
2. Morrison, Michael A. (1997-09-28). John Barrymore, Shakespearean Actor. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-62028-4.
3. "A Heathen Goddess". The Era. 1894-10-20. p. 12. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
4. "Collins's". The Era. 1896-11-14. p. 18. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
5. "Hammersmith Varieties". The Era. 1897-04-03. p. 18. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
6. Barnes, John (1976). The beginnings of the cinema in England. New York: Harper & Row. pp. 74–76. ISBN 0-06-490317-6. OCLC 2686691.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
7. "Lewis A. Sealy, Actor, Dies". New York Times. 21 Mar 1931. p. 14 – via Proques..
8. "Film Reviews: The Witching Hour". Variety. Vol. 44, no. 13. Los Angeles. Nov 24, 1916. p. 30 – via Proquest.
9. "Obituary". Variety. March 25, 1931. p. 69 – via Proquest.
10. Wearing, J. P. (2013-11-21). The London Stage 1890–1899: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-9282-8.
11. Wearing, J. P. (2013-12-05). The London Stage 1900-1909: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-9294-1.
12. Wearing, J. P. (2013-12-19). The London Stage 1910-1919: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-9300-9.

External links

• Lewis Sealy at IMDb
• Lewis Sealy at the Internet Broadway Database
• Lewis Sealy at Find a Grave
• Lewis Sealy at Who's Who of Victorian Cinema