Stringer Davis

Stringer Davis
Born	James Buckley Stringer Davis 4 June 1899(1899-06-04) Birkenhead, Cheshire, England, UK
Died	29 August 1973(1973-08-29) (aged 74) Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
Spouse	Margaret Rutherford (1945–1972; her death)

James Buckley Stringer Davis, generally known as Stringer Davis (4 June 1899 – 29 August 1973), was an English character actor. He was married to actress Dame Margaret Rutherford.

Background and marriage

Davis was born in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England.

He was reportedly bisexual^[1] and married fellow performer Margaret Rutherford in 1945 when he was still struggling professionally.^[2] The marriage was happy and they stayed together until her death in 1972.

Career

Stringer was best known for his supporting roles in various films and television series, where he often played a gentle old Englishman character. He appeared alongside his wife in a number of films, including as "Mr. Stringer" in four adaptations of Agatha Christie novels featuring Rutherford as Miss Marple. He was both supportive of Rutherford, whose earlier life had been somewhat troubled, and very protective of her: for example, after an alligator had attacked its keeper while she was filming An Alligator Named Daisy in 1955, he stood next to the cameraman wearing a long raincoat under which he concealed a claw hammer.^[3]

Death

Davis died in Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, in 1973, one year after Rutherford's passing. Rutherford and Davis are interred alongside each other in the graveyard of St. James's Church, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire.

Partial filmography

• Miranda (1948)
• The Happiest Days of Your Life (1950)
• Curtain Up (1952)
• Miss Robin Hood (1952)
• Innocents in Paris (1953)
• The Runaway Bus (1954)
• Reach For The Sky(1956)
• The Smallest Show on Earth (1957)
• I'm All Right Jack (1959)
• Murder She Said (1961)
• The Mouse on the Moon (1963) (uncredited)
• Murder at the Gallop (1963)
• Murder Most Foul (1964)
• Murder Ahoy (1964)
• The Alphabet Murders (1965) (uncredited)

References

1. ^ Andy Merriman, Margaret Rutherford: Dreadnought with Good Manners (London: Aurum Press,; ISBN 9781845134457), 2009. See also Merriman in Radio Times, 4–10 June 2011, referring to a suggestion that he was "not resolutely heterosexual".
2. ^ Radio Times, loc.cit.
3. ^ Radio Times, loc.cit.

External links

• Stringer Davis at the Internet Movie Database
• Performances listed in Theatre Archive

Persondata
Name	Davis, Stringer
Alternative names	Davis, James Buckley Stringer
Short description	Actor
Date of birth	4 June 1899
Place of birth	Birkenhead, Cheshire, England, UK
Date of death	29 August 1973
Place of death	Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, England, UK