Biography
Laurence Hanray (16 May 1874 – 28 November 1947), sometimes credited as Lawrence Hanray, was a British film and theatre actor born in London, England. He is also credited as the author of several plays and music hall songs. Laurence Hanray was born Lawrence Henry Jacobs in St John's Wood on 16 May 1874, the son of Angelo Jacobs (c. 1851-1910), a glass manufacturer, and Leah (née Nathan; 1850/1851 - 1946). His father changed his name to Angelo Jacobs Hanray, and with it the family name, after b...
Known For
Complete Filmography
Mine Own Executioner
1947
as Dr. Lefage
Fearing her husband could become a killer, a woman seeks a psychiatrist's help.
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby
1947
as Mr. Gride
A fatherless boy tries to make his fortune despite interference from his rich uncle.
Read All About It
1945
as Bostock
An account of the technique of reading the tabloid press in an intelligent manor via differing editorial techniques that leads to three styles of news...
Waterloo Road
1945
During WW2 a former railway employee who had been drafted, goes AWOL to hunt down the spiv and draft dodger who is having an affair with his wife.
Love Story
1944
as Angus Rossiter
After discovering that she has only a short time left to live, concert pianist Lissa travels to Cornwall for the final fling of her life. While there,...
Hotel Reserve
1944
as Police Commissioner
A hunt for a spy, in a hotel in the South of France just before World War Two.
On Approval
1944
as Parkes
Two wealthy Victorian widows are courted tentatively by two impoverished British aristocrats. When one of the dowagers suggests that her beau go away ...
My Learned Friend
1943
as Sir Norman
An insane murderer is on the loose, and gunning for the men who put him away. Will Hay is on the list, and co-opts Claude Hulbert to try and stop him ...
Let the People Sing
1942
An out-of-work comedian persuades a drunken nobleman to join a protest against the closing of a village hall.
Hatter's Castle
1942
as Dr. Lawrie
The year is 1880. On the outskirts of the fictional small Scottish town of Levenford there stands a strange building, half cottage, half castle, embra...
Old Mother Riley's Circus
1941
as Cheddar, KC
Mother Riley takes over a circus on the point of closing down, and makes it a success.
Quiet Wedding
1941
as Mr. Williamson
A young couple become engaged, but enjoy a number of comedic aventures before their wedding day.
The Ghost of St. Michael's
1941
as Clerk of Court
Will Hay, back in his role as a hapless teacher, is hired by a grim school in remotest Scotland. The school soon starts to be haunted by a legendary g...
21 Days Together
1940
as Solicitor
After Larry Darrent accidentally kills his lover's blackmailing husband, someone else is arrested for the crime. When he is found guilty, Larry and Wa...
Julius Caesar
1938
as Casca
The growing ambition of Julius Caesar is a source of major concern to his close friend Brutus. Cassius persuades him to participate in his plot to ass...
Many Waters
1938
A Royal Divorce
1938
as Klemens von Metternich
The love affair between the French Emperor Napoleon and the lady Josephine leads through Napoleon's rise to power and their eventual divorce.
The Last Chance
1937
as Mr. Perrin
Alan Burmister leaves Devon on a secret gun-running expedition immediately after his engagement to Mary Perrin is announced; he returns at Christmas t...
Smash and Grab
1937
as Praskins (as Laurence Hanray)
John Forrest, an insurance investigator with a weakness for model railways, is on the trail of a gang of smash-and-grab thieves targeting Europe's mos...
The Girl in the Taxi
1937
as Charencey
In this British musical, set in Paris, an apparently upstanding husband and father spends his nights fooling around with wild women. His son, wanting ...
Knight Without Armour
1937
as Forrester
British agent working in Russia is forced to remain longer than planned once the revolution begins. After being released from prison in Siberia he pos...
Action for Slander
1937
as Clerk of Court (as Lawrence Hanray)
A bankrupt officer, accused of cheating at cards, defends his honour with a writ.
Dark Journey
1937
as Cottin
Madeline Goddard, is a British double agent who meets and falls in love with a German spy Baron Karl Von Marwitz during World War I. This tale of espi...
Midnight Menace
1937
as Sir George, Lead Conspirator
When a reporter is killed under mysterious circumstances, the political cartoonist on his paper begins to investigate on his own. He finds that a veng...
Fire Over England
1937
as French Ambassador
The film is a historical drama set during the reign of Elizabeth I (Flora Robson), focusing on the English defeat of the Spanish Armada, whence the ti...
It's Never Too Late to Mend
1937
as Lawyer Crawley
An evil prison administrator cruelly abuses the inmates at his prison, until one day the tables are turned.
Moonlight Sonata
1937
as Mr. Bishop
In this romantic tale Paderewski, the famed pianist, and two other plane crash survivors are guests of a Swedish baroness. Interwoven throughout this ...
Rembrandt
1936
as Heertsbeeke
A character study depicting the life of Rembrandt Van Rijn at the height of his fame in the mid 1600s. Beginning with the death of his wife, Rembrandt...
Someone at the Door
1936
as Poole
When Sally inherits a country house, her young brother Ronald, an aspiring journalist, hits on a sensational way to make his first big scoop: Sally wi...
Lonely Road
1936
as Jenkinson
Commander Stevenson, suffering from unrequited love drives to the coast while very drunk and interrupts some smugglers and informs Scotland Yard.
The Man Who Could Work Miracles
1936
as Mr. Bamfylde
An ordinary man, while vigorously asserting the impossibility of miracles, suddenly discovers that he can perform them.
Beloved Impostor
1936
as Arthur
A British musical film directed by Victor Hanbury
Whom the Gods Love: The Original Story of Mozart and His Wife
1936
as Archbishop of Salzburg
Mozart biopic.
The Three Maxims
1936
as Thomas
The Three Maxims are trapeze artists Pat (Anna Neagle), Toni (Tuilio Carminati) and Mac (Leslie Banks). After spending most of their careers in the sm...
Street Song
1935
as Tuttle
Lucy and her brother are struggling to make a go of their Soho pet shop, until Lucy meets Tom, a street singer.
Drake of England
1935
as Minor role
Imposing Canadian-born stage actor and playwright Matherson Lang was one of the twentieth century's great Shakespearean players, and became Britain's ...
Adventure Ltd.
1935
as Simon Ledbury
A British adventure film directed by George King
Mimi
1935
as Barbemouche
A struggling playwright in 1850s Paris and his mate finds love that furnishes him with the inspiration he has long sought.
Murder at Monte Carlo
1935
as Collum
A professor comes up with a system to win at roulette, and goes to the famous casino at Monte Carlo to try it out. When he turns up murdered and his "...
Brewster's Millions
1935
as Grant
Jack Brewster is a pennyless English lad who learns that he has inherited 6 million pounds sterling from a recently deceased relative. But soon learns...
Lorna Doone
1934
as Parson Bowden
High drama, set in the English moorland of the 1600s. John Ridd wants revenge on the criminal Doone family, but falls in love with the daughter of the...
The Great Defender
1934
as Parker
Sir Douglas Rolls is a highly respected defence lawyer of many years experience. Now in rapidly failing health, he is advised to retreat from the cour...
What Happened Then?
1934
as Dr. Bristol
Young Raymond Rudford,sculptor, is on trial for slitting the throat of his uncle, who had adopted and raised him after Raymond's parent's died when he...
Chu Chin Chow
1934
as Kasim Baba
Musical retelling of the "Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves" Arabian Nights tale.
Those Were the Days
1934
as Wormington
A farce based on Arthur Wing Pinero's play 'The Magistrate' in which the son (John Mills) of a stern magistrate (Will Hay) visits a music hall against...
The Rise of Catherine the Great
1934
as Goudovitch
The woman who will become Catherine the Great marries into the Russian royal family when she weds Grand Duke Peter, the nephew of Empress Elizabeth. A...
The Private Life of Henry VIII
1933
as Archbishop Cranmer
Renowned for his excess, King Henry VIII goes through a series of wives during his rule. With Anne Boleyn, his second wife, executed on charges of tre...
His Grace Gives Notice
1933
as Mr Greyling
'Butler inherits title but keeps it secret to woo employer's daughter.' (British Film Catalogue)
Loyalties
1933
as Jacob Twisden
A houseguest at an upper-class gathering, wealthy Jew Ferdinand de Levis, is robbed of £1,000 with evidence pointing towards the guilt of another gues...
This Week of Grace
1933
as Lawyer Cowlber
Grace Milroy loses her job working at a factory. However, through a strange set of circumstances, she is taken on as housekeeper at the nearby Swinfor...
The Good Companions
1933
as Mr. James Tarvin
Film musical taken from JB Priestley's novel about three musicians joining together to save a failing concert party, the Dinky Doos.
The Man from Toronto
1933
as Duncan
According to the terms of a will two strangers must marry. Leila (Jessie Matthews) is an English widow, and Fergus (Ian Hunter) is a Canadian bachelo...
There Goes the Bride
1932
as Police Chief (uncredited)
A businessman's daughter runs away from an arranged marriage, only to find herself penniless and suspected of theft after she becomes the victim of a ...
Leap Year
1932
as Hope
'Affianced Foreign Office agent searches for mystery woman he loves.' (British Film Catalogue)
Wedding Rehearsal
1932
as News editor
The grandmother of a British nobleman, reluctant to marry, plays matchmaker. He outmaneuvers her by getting all of the matches married off .
That Night in London
1932
as Ribbles
A young bank clerk steals £500 and plans to go on a spree before shooting himself but a bad girl turned good tries to convince him to return the money...
Love on Wheels
1932
as Gallop's Commissionaire
A department store assistant becomes publicity conscious.
The Faithful Heart
1932
as Major Ango
Herbert Marshall and Edna Best, husband and wife in 1933, star in the British drama Faithful Hearts. Best plays the daughter of Marshall, who years ea...
Her Reputation
1931
as Mr. Montgomery
A woman plans to boost her public profile by getting a divorce. She enlists the help of a male friend to act as co-respondent leading to a series of m...
Beyond the Cities
1930
as Gregory Hayes
"A wealthy young man, through losing the bulk of his fortune, goes to Canada, where he encounters and loves the daughter of the scoundrel lawyer who h...