Prominent British stage actor of the 20th century, specializing in Shakespeare roles. His began his working life as a bank accountant, but made time for amateur theatricals. He soon found his way to the professional stage in Frank Benson's company, debuting as a messenger in "Macbeth". His London stage debut was as Shakespeare's "Henry V" in 1900. His first great success was in "Paolo and Francesca" in 1902. He later joined Herbert Beerbohm Tree's company. He was one of the first stage actors to cross over into the world of moviemaking. His title role in James Elroy Flecker's "Hassan" was an immense success on the London stage, and he played it 222 times during its eight-month run in 1923-24. It received an abridged broadcast over the BBC in 1925 and a complete one in 1933.
He was a close friend of Roland Pertwee and the godfather of his son Jon Pertwee. Coincidentally, many years after his death, both the younger Pertwee and his son Anthony Ainley became well known for their roles in Doctor Who (1963), appearing together in The Five Doctors (1983). They played the Third Doctor and the Master respectively.
