Reginald Sheffield

Reginald Sheffield (February 18, 1901 - December 8, 1957) was an English-born actor.

He was born Matthew Reginald Sheffield Cassan in the St. George Hanover Square District of Surrey near London, a son of Matthew Sheffield Cassan (September 14, 1852-April 20, 1910) and Alice Mary Field (born 1868). Reginald had a brother named Edward Sheffield Cassan (born 1893) and a sister named Flora Kathleen Sheffield Cassan (July 12, 1898-December 26, 1968) (actress Flora Sheffield).

His father was born in Ireland and his mother in England. They were married in London in 1892. Matthew died when Reginald was nine. In 1914, Alice Sheffield and her children immigrated to the United States where they lived in Queens, New York. Reginald acted on the stage and in motion pictures. While his sister, Flora, was an actress, brother Edward worked as an accountant in a bank and later became a theatrical agent.

Sheffield's Broadway performances credited as Reggie Sheffield include "Evidence" (1914), in which his mother, Alice Sheffield, also appeared, "The Merry Wives of Windsor" (1916), "If" (1917), "The Betrothal" (1918) and "Helena's Boys" (1924); his performances credited as Reginald Sheffield include "Youth" (1920), "The Way Things Happen" (1924), "Hay Fever" (1925), playing Sandy Tyrell, "Slaves All" (1926), "Soldiers and Women" (1929), playing Lieutenant Mason, and "Dear Old England" (1930).

Reginald Sheffield was married in 1927 to Louise Van Loon (January 21, 1905-April 14, 1987), a New York born Vassar College graduate with a liberal arts education who loved books and lectured widely.

He and Louise had three children, Mary Alice Sheffield Cassan (born 1928), Jon Matthew Sheffield Cassan (born April 11, 1931) (actor Johnny Sheffield) and William Hart Sheffield Cassan (born 1936) (actor Billy Sheffield).

As motion picture production became more and more located in Southern California, Sheffield and his wife traveled back and forth between New York and Los Angeles. After several years they moved permanently to the West Coast.

Being a trained stage actor, Sheffield easily made the transition from silent movies to talkies. He was a working actor who became memorable in numerous character and supporting roles and appeared with some of the greatest movie stars of the day, including Constance Bennett, William Powell, George Arliss, Loretta Young, Gary Cooper, Errol Flynn, Rosalind Russell, Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine. Anyone who has seen the Hitchcock movie Suspicion (1941) will remember Sheffield as Reggie Wetherby, who Joan Fontaine dances with at the Hunt Ball while she is waiting for Cary Grant to arrive.

In 1954, he began starring as Professor Mayberry in the television series "Rocky Jones, Space Ranger". And after his son, Johnny Sheffield, appeared in his last jungle movie in 1955, Reginald created, produced and directed a pilot for a TV series, "Bantu, the Zebra Boy". Although the production values were extremely high compared to other TV jungle shows of the day, a sponsor was not found and the show was never produced as a weekly series.

Sheffield acted in both versions of Cecil B. DeMille's "The Buccaneer" in (1938) and (1958), the latter being his last screen appearance.

Reginald Sheffield died in Pacific Palisades, California.

Filmography

*"The Country Cousin" (1919) (Selznick Pictures) ... Sammy Wilson
*"Piccadilly Jim" (1920) (Selznick Pictures) ... Ogden Pett
*"Classmates" (1924) (First National) ... Bert Stafford
*"The Pinch Hitter" (1925) (Associated Exhibitors) ... Alexis Thompson
*"White Mice" (1926) (Associated Exhibitors) ... Peter de Peyster
*"The College Widow" (1927) (Warner Bros.) ...
*"The Nest" (1927) (Excellent Pictures) ... Martin Hamilton
*"The Adorable Cheat" (1928) (Chesterfield Motion Picture Corp.) ... Will Dorsey
*"Sweet Sixteen" (1928) (Rayart Pictures) ... Tommy Lowell
*"The Green Goddess" (1930) (Warner Bros.) ... Lt. Cardew
*"Old English" (1930) (Warner Bros.) ... Bob Phillin
*"Partners of the Trail" (1931) (Monogram) ... John Durant
*"Lost in Limehouse" (1933) (RKO) ... Dr. Jackson ... aka "Lady Esmeralda's Predicament" (1933)*"The House of Rothschild" (1934) (20th Century Fox, United Artists) ... Stock Trader
*"All Men Are Enemies" (1934) (20th Century Fox) ... Officer (uncredited)
*"Of Human Bondage" (1934) (RKO) ... Cyril Dunsford
*"One More River" (1934) (Universal Studios) ... Tommy ... aka "Over the River" (1934)
*"Charlie Chan in London" (1934) (20th Century Fox) ... Flight Cmdr. King
*"The Lives of a Bengal Lancer" (1935) (Paramount) ... Novice Clerk (uncredited)
*"Cardinal Richelieu" (1935) (20th Century Fox) ... Richelieu's Outrider
*"Black Sheep" (1935) (20th Century Fox) ... One of Oscar's friends (uncredited)
*"Society Fever" (1935) (Chesterfield, Invincible) ... Lord Michael (uncredited)
*"Dante's Inferno" (1935) (20th Century Fox) ... Bidder (uncredited)
*"Without Regret" (1935) (Paramount) ... Reporter
*"Splendor" (1935) (United Artists) ... Billy Grimes (uncredited)
*"The White Angel" (1936) (Warner Bros., First National) ... Patient (uncredited)
*"The Charge of the Light Brigade" (1936) (Warner Bros.) ... Bentham (uncredited)
*"It Happened Out West" (1937) (20th Century Fox) ... Middleton ... aka "The Man from the Big City" (1937) (UK)
*"Another Dawn" (1937) (Warner Bros.) ... Wireless Operator (uncredited)
*"Sergeant Murphy" (1938) (Warner Bros.) ... English radio commentator (uncredited)
*"The Buccaneer" (1938) (Paramount) ... Ship's Surgeon (uncredited)
*"Female Fugitive" (1938) (Monogram) ... Dr. Richardson
*"The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938) (First National, Warner Bros.) ... Herald at archery tournament (uncredited)
*"Gunga Din" (1939) (RKO) ... Rudyard Kipling (uncredited)
*"Earthbound" (1940) (20th Century Fox) ... Defense Attorney
*"Arise, My Love" (1940) (Paramount) ... Steward (uncredited)
*"Hudson's Bay" (1941) (20th Century Fox) ... Clerk (uncredited)
*"The Lady Eve" (1941) (Paramount) ... Prof. Jones (uncredited)
*"Suspicion" (1941) (RKO) ... Reggie Wetherby
*"Scotland Yard" (1941) (20th Century Fox) ... Hat Clerk (uncredited)
*"Bedtime Story" (1942) (Columbia) ... Broadcaster (uncredited)
*"Take a Letter, Darling" (1942) (Paramount) ... (uncredited)
*"Eyes in the Night" (1942) (MGM) ... Victor
*"Random Harvest" (1942) (MGM) ... Judge (uncredited)
*"Gorilla Man" (1942) (Warner Bros.) ... Staff Officer (uncredited)
*"The Crystal Ball" (1943) (United Artists) ... Dad in Shooting Gallery (uncredited)
*"Tonight We Raid Calais" (1943) (20th Century Fox) ... Commander
*"Bomber's Moon" (1943) (20th Century Fox) ... (appearance unconfirmed)
*"The Man from Down Under" (1943) (MGM) ... (uncredited)
*"Appointment in Berlin" (1943) (Columbia) ... (uncredited)
*"My Kingdom for a Cook" (1943) (Columbia) ... English Reporter (uncredited)
*"Passport to Destiny" (1944) (RKO) ... (uncredited)
*"Wilson" (1944) (20th Century Fox) ... Secretary of War Newton D. Baker (uncredited)
*"The Great Moment" (1944) (Paramount) ... Young Father
*"Our Hearts Were Young and Gay" (1944) (Paramount) ... Purser (uncredited)
*"The Man in Half Moon Street" (1945) (Paramount) ... Mr. Taper (uncredited)
*"My Name Is Julia Ross" (1945) (Columbia) ... McQuarrie (uncredited)
*"Captain Kidd" (1945) (United Artists) ... (uncredited)
*"Three Strangers" (1946) (Warner Bros., First National) ... Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
*"To Each His Own" (1946) (Paramount) ... Headwaiter (uncredited)
*"Devotion" (1946) (Warner Bros.) ... Charles Dickens (uncredited)
*"Centennial Summer" (1946) (20th Century Fox) ... President Ulysses S. Grant (uncredited)
*"The Searching Wind" (1946) (Paramount) ... Prissy Man (uncredited)
*"Temptation" (1946) (Universal, International) ... Wickersham (uncredited)
*"Singapore" (1947) (Universal) ... Travel agent
*"The Exile" (1947) (Universal) ... Commanding Officer (uncredited)
*"If Winter Comes" (1947) (MGM) ... (uncredited)
*"The Three Musketeers" (1948) (MGM) ... Subaltern (uncredited)
*"Kiss the Blood Off My Hands" (1948) (Universal) ... Superintendent
*"A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" (1949) (Paramount) ... Auctioneer (uncredited)
*"Mr. Belvedere Goes to College" (1949) (20th Century Fox) ... Prof. Ives (uncredited)
*"Prison Warden" (1949) (Columbia) ... English Charlie Watkins
*"That Forsyte Woman" (1949) (MGM) ... Mr. McLean (uncredited)
*"Rogues of Sherwood Forest" (1950) (Columbia) ... Farmer (uncredited)
*"At Sword's Point" (1951) (RKO) ... Cardinal (uncredited)
*"The Story of Three Loves" (1953) (MGM) ... Production Manager (uncredited)
*"Young Bess" (1953) (MGM) ... Court Recorder (uncredited)
*"Second Chance" (1953) (RKO) ... Mr. Woburn, English tourist
*"Forbidden" (1953) (Universal) ... Englishman (uncredited)
*"23 Paces to Baker Street" (1956) (20th Century Fox) ... Bespectacled Man (uncredited)
*"Secret of Treasure Mountain" (1956) (Columbia) ... Edward Lancaster
*"The Story of Mankind" (1957) (Warner Bros.) ... Julius Caesar
*"Marjorie Morningstar" (1958) (Warner Bros.) ... Hotel Desk Clerk (uncredited)
*"The Buccaneer" (1958) (Paramount) ... Tripes

TV series starring roles

*"Rocky Jones, Space Ranger" (1954) ... Professor Mayberry
*"The Robot of Regalio" (1956) ... Professor Mayberry
*"Renegade Satellite" (1956) ... Professor Mayberry ... aka "The Trial of Rocky Jones" (1980) (USA video title)
*"The Magnetic Moon" (1956) ... Professor Mayberry
*"The Cold Sun" (1956) ... Professor Mayberry

TV guest starring roles

*"Four Star Playhouse" (1952) ... Gordon Richards ... episode 9: "Man on a Train" aired January 15, 1953
*"Studio 57" (1954) episode 78: "The Brown Leather Case" aired June 10, 1956
*"The Adventures of Jim Bowie" (1956) episode: "The Bounty Hunter" aired May 17, 1857