Edmund Gwenn Movies and Career Information

Edmund Gwenn (26 September 1877 – 6 September 1959) was an English theatre and film actor. Born Edmund Kellaway in Wandsworth, London, (some references suggest he was born in the Vale of Glamorgan, but this is incorrect; however, recent research suggests that both of his parents were Welsh), and educated at St. Olave's School and later at King's College London, Gwenn began his acting career in theatre in 1895. Playwright George Bernard Shaw was impressed with his acting, and cast him in the first production of Man and Superman, and subsequently in five more of his plays. Gwenn's career was interrupted by his military service during World War I; however, after the war ended, he started appearing in films in London. (Cecil Kellaway was his cousin and Arthur Chesney was his brother.) Gwenn appeared in more than eighty films during his career, including the 1940 version of Pride and Prejudice, Cheers for Miss Bishop, Of Human Bondage, and The Keys of the Kingdom. He is perhaps best remembered for his role as Kris Kringle in Miracle on 34th Street, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Upon receiving his Oscar, he said "Now I know there is a Santa Claus!" He