Reginald Gardiner

2025-09-02T05:58:37Z

2A06:C701:4EDD:8900:780B:1A1C:DD69:C511: /* Stage and radio */

{{Short description|British actor (1903–1980)}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2012}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Reginald Gardiner
| image = Reginald Gardiner in Sweethearts trailer.jpg
| caption = [[Trailer (promotion)|Trailer]] for ''[[Sweethearts (1938 film)|Sweethearts]]'' (1938)
| birth_name = William Reginald Gardiner
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1903|02|27|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[London]], England, UK
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1980|07|07|1903|02|27|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Westwood, Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
| resting_place = [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]], [[Hollywood Hills]]
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 1927–1968
| spouse = Wyn Richmond<br>({{abbr|m.|married}} 19??; {{abbr|div.|divorced}} 19??)<br>{{marriage|Nadia Petrova<br>|1942}}
| children = 2
}}

'''William Reginald Gardiner''' (27 February 1903 – 7 July 1980)<ref name=ig>{{cite news|title=Gardiner, Character Actor, Dies|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4525340/indiana_gazette/|newspaper=Indiana Gazette|date=8 July 1980|location=Pennsylvania, Indiana|page=12|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|access-date = 5 March 2016}} {{Open access}}</ref> was an English actor on the stage, in films and on television.

==Early years==
Gardiner was born in Wimbledon, England, and he was a graduate of the [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]].<ref name=fe>Katz, Ephraim (1979). ''The Film Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume''. Perigee Books. {{ISBN|0-399-50601-2}}. pp. 465–466.</ref> His parents wanted him to be an architect, but he insisted on a career as an actor.{{Citation needed |date=August 2024}}

==Stage and radio==
Gardiner started as a [[supernumerary actor|''super'']] on stage and eventually became well known on the [[West End theatre|West End]] stage. "He appeared in British revues, plays and films before delighting [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] audiences in 1935 with a wallpaper imitation act in ''At Home Abroad''."<ref name=fe/> His other Broadway credits include ''Little Glass Clock'' and ''An Evening with Beatrice Lillie''.<ref>{{cite web|title=We found 35 results for "Reginald Gardiner"|url=http://www.playbill.com/searchpage/search?q=Reginald+Gardiner&sort=Relevance&shows=on&qasset=00000150-ac83-d16d-a550-ecbffd450003|website=Playbill|access-date=5 March 2016}}</ref>

He was also well known to [[radio]] listeners, and was known on the air for his amusing train and car noises.

==Film==
Gardiner worked in almost 100 movies.<ref name=ig/> He started film work in crowd scenes, making his big film break in [[1927 in film|1927]] the [[silent film]] ''[[The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog|The Lodger]]'', by [[Alfred Hitchcock]].

[[File:Dictator charlie-10.jpg|thumb|Gardiner and [[Charlie Chaplin]] in ''[[The Great Dictator]]'' (1940)]]

His Hollywood film debut came in 1936.<ref name=fe/> During his career he was cast in numerous roles, often as a British butler. One of his most famous roles was that of Schultz in [[Charlie Chaplin]]'s ''[[The Great Dictator]]''. He also performed memorable turns as Beverly Carlton (a parody of Noël Coward) in ''[[The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942 film)|The Man Who Came to Dinner]]'', the spurned "almost-husband" in ''[[The Doctor Takes a Wife]]'', ''[[Christmas in Connecticut]]'' and – one of his most memorable roles – in the Laurel and Hardy epic ''[[The Flying Deuces]]''.

==Television==

Gardiner made numerous guest appearances on television in the 1950s and 1960s, including an episode of ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' ("Banquo's Chair"), [[Fess Parker]]'s [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] series, ''[[Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (TV series)|Mr. Smith Goes to Washington]]'', and [[Stanley Holloway]]'s ''[[Our Man Higgins]]''. In 1964, he guest-starred in the ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]'' episode "The Case of the Ugly Duckling", as business owner Albert Charity, and in the role of Mr. Maudlin in the season 6, episode 19, "Dead as a Dude" of ''[[77 Sunset Strip]]''. In 1966, Gardiner was featured on ''[[Green Acres]]'' as orchestra conductor Sir Geoffrey in the first-season episode "Culture". In 1967, he made a guest appearance on ''[[Petticoat Junction]]'', in the episode "Uncle Joe and the Master Plan", as Gaylord Martindale and, in 1968, he appeared as a butler in an episode of “The Monkees” titled “The Monkees Mind Their Manor”. Gardiner's last major role was alongside [[Phyllis Diller]] in her 1966–1967 ABC series ''[[The Pruitts of Southampton]]''.

==Recordings==
Gardiner recorded a curious and eccentric classic called "Trains", which was regularly played on the 1950s British radio programme ''[[Children's Favourites]]''. This record consisted of a tipsy-sounding Gardiner reciting a monologue, which he first introduced in the 1935 Broadway revue ''At Home Abroad'', about steam railway engines (which he claimed were 'livid beasts') and impersonating both the engines themselves and the sound of trains running on the track. This latter he famously characterised as 'diddly-dee, diddly-dum' to mimic the sound pattern as the four pairs of bogie wheels ran over joins between the lengths of track – a sound no longer heard since welded rail joins were introduced. "Trains" was released as a 78 and a 45 by English [[Decca Records]] (F 5278) which remained on catalogue into the 1970s. At the end of the record Gardiner signs off with "Well folks, that's all: back to the asylum." He was summoned to [[Buckingham Palace]] to give a performance in person.{{Citation needed |date=August 2024}}

==Personal life==
Gardiner was married twice. He first married Wyn Richmond, a British actress, but they divorced. Later he married model Nadia Petrova.<ref name=ig/> Gardiner and Nadia Petrova had a son Peter Robert Gardiner, born on April 25, 1949.{{Citation needed |date=August 2024}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Peter Robert Gardiner Obituary |url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/latimes/name/peter-gardiner-obituary?id=20853407}}</ref>

Gardiner had a son out of wedlock with Jane Bagnato in Toronto, Canada: Reginald James "Jamie" Gardiner was born January 1, 1939. He left Jane and his son after three years to marry Nadia. Jamie's last name was changed to Williams at age 8, after his mother married Reginald Williams in 1947.{{Citation needed |date=August 2024}}

==Death==
Gardiner died of a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] at his home in Westwood, California, on 7 July 1980. He was survived by his wife Nadia.<ref name=ig/>

==Filmography==
{{div col}}
* ''[[The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog|The Lodger]]'' (1927) - Dancer at Ball (uncredited)
* ''[[The Perfect Lady]]'' (1931) - Lord Tony Carderay
* ''[[Josser on the River]]'' (1932) - Donald
* ''[[Leave It to Smith]]'' (1933) - Lord Redwood
* ''[[Radio Parade]]'' (1933) - Himself
* ''[[The Diplomatic Lover]]'' (1934) - Dersingham
* ''[[Virginia's Husband (1934 film)|Virginia's Husband]]'' (1934) - John Craddock
* ''[[Borrow a Million]]'' (1934) - Alastair Cartwright
* ''[[A Little Bit of Bluff]]'' (1935) - Hugh Rigby
* ''[[Royal Cavalcade]]'' (1935) - Bus Conductor
* ''Opening Night'' (1935)
* ''[[Born to Dance]]'' (1936) - Policeman
* ''[[A Damsel in Distress (1937 film)|A Damsel in Distress]]'' (1937) - Keggs
* ''[[Everybody Sing (film)|Everybody Sing]]'' (1938) - Jerrold Hope
* ''[[Marie Antoinette (1938 film)|Marie Antoinette]]'' (1938) - Comte d'Artois
* ''[[Sweethearts (1938 film)|Sweethearts]]'' (1938) - Norman Trumpett
* ''[[The Girl Downstairs (film)|The Girl Downstairs]]'' (1938) - Willie
* ''[[The Flying Deuces]]'' (1939) - François
* ''[[The Night of Nights]]'' (1939) - J. Neville Prime
* ''[[The Doctor Takes a Wife]]'' (1940) - John Pierce
* ''[[Dulcy (1940 film)|Dulcy]]'' (1940) - Schuyler Van Dyke
* ''[[The Great Dictator]]'' (1940) - Commander Schultz
* ''[[My Life with Caroline]]'' (1941) - Paul
* ''[[A yank in the RAF|A Yank in the R.A.F.]]'' (1941) - Roger Pillby
* ''[[Sundown (1941 film)|Sundown]]'' (1941) - Lieutenant Rodney 'Roddy' Turner
* ''[[The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942 film)|The Man Who Came to Dinner]]'' (1942) - Beverly Carlton
* ''[[Captains of the Clouds]]'' (1942) - Scrounger Harris
* ''[[Immortal Sergeant]]'' (1943) - Tom Benedict
* ''[[Forever and a Day (1943 film)|Forever and a Day]]'' (1943) - Assistant Hotel Manager
* ''[[Claudia (1943 film)|Claudia]]'' (1943) - Jerry Seymour
* ''[[Sweet Rosie O'Grady]]'' (1943) - Charles, Duke of Trippingham
* ''[[The Horn Blows at Midnight]]'' (1945) - Composer / Archibald 'Archie' Dexter
* ''[[Molly and Me]]'' (1945) - Harry Phillips / Peabody, the Butler
* ''[[Christmas in Connecticut]]'' (1945) - John Sloan
* ''[[The Dolly Sisters (film)|The Dolly Sisters]]'' (1945) - Tony, Duke of Breck
* ''[[Do You Love Me (film)|Do You Love Me]]'' (1946) - Herbert Benham
* ''[[One More Tomorrow (film)|One More Tomorrow]]'' (1946) - James 'Jim' Aloysius Fisk
* ''[[Cluny Brown]]'' (1946) - Hilary Ames
* ''[[I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now (film)|I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now]]'' (1947) - Will Hough
* ''[[Fury at Furnace Creek]]'' (1948) - Captain Grover A. Walsh
* ''[[That Lady in Ermine]]'' (1948) - Alberto
* ''[[That Wonderful Urge]]'' (1948) - Count André de Guyon
* ''[[Wabash Avenue (film)|Wabash Avenue]]'' (1950) - English Eddie
* ''[[I'll Get By (film)|I'll Get By]]'' (1950) - Himself (uncredited)
* ''[[Halls of Montezuma (film)|Halls of Montezuma]]'' (1951) - Sergeant Johnson
* ''[[Elopement (film)|Elopement]]'' (1951) - Roger Evans
* ''[[Androcles and the Lion (1952 film)|Androcles and the Lion]]'' (1952) - Lentulus
* ''[[Black Widow (1954 film)|Black Widow]]'' (1954) - Brian Mullen
* ''[[Ain't Misbehavin' (film)|Ain't Misbehavin']]'' (1955) - Anatole Piermont Rogers
* ''[[The Birds and the Bees (film)|The Birds and the Bees]]'' (1956) - Gerald
* ''[[The Story of Mankind (1957 film)|The Story of Mankind]]'' (1957) - William Shakespeare
* ''[[Rock-A-Bye Baby (film)|Rock-A-Bye Baby]]'' (1958) - Harold Hermann
* ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' (1959) (Season 4 Episode 29: "Banquo's Chair") - Major Cook-Finch
* ''[[Back Street (1961 film)|Back Street]]'' (1961) - Dalian
* ''[[Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation]]'' (1962) - Reggie McHugh
* ''[[What a Way to Go!]]'' (1964) - Painter
* ''[[Sergeant Deadhead]]'' (1965) - Lieutenant Commander Talbott
* ''[[Do Not Disturb (1965 film)|Do Not Disturb]]'' (1965) - Simmons
{{div col end}}

==Selected stage credits==
* ''[[Chance Acquaintance]]'' by [[John Van Druten]] (1927)
* ''[[A Present from Margate]]'' by [[Ian Hay]] (1933)

==Radio appearances==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Program !! Episode/source
|-
| 1944|| ''[[Suspense (radio drama)|Suspense]]'' ||''Voyage Through Darkness''<ref name=twtd5>{{cite journal|title=Those Were the Days|journal=Nostalgia Digest|date=Spring 2016|volume=42|issue=2|page=37}}</ref>
''The Merry Widower''
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Biography|England|Los Angeles|California|Radio|Theatre|Film|Television}}
{{Commons}}
*{{IMDb name|id=0306786}}
*{{IBDB name}}
*{{Find a Grave|2044}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardiner, Reginald}}
[[Category:1903 births]]
[[Category:1980 deaths]]
[[Category:English male stage actors]]
[[Category:English male radio actors]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]]
[[Category:English expatriate male actors in the United States]]
[[Category:People from Westwood, Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Male actors from London]]
[[Category:Actors from the London Borough of Merton]]
[[Category:People from Wimbledon, London]]

Vero - Wikipedia - User contributions [en]

Reginald Gardiner