David Torrence

Though various sources list his birth date as anywhere between 1865 and 1870, Scottish actor David Torrence was "officially" born in 1880, which would make him two years younger than his more famous brother, character star Ernest Torrence. Like his brother, David went from stage to screen in the early part of the 20th century. Unlike Ernest, David abandoned acting for the life of a Mexican rancher, but a series of reverses compelled him to return before the cameras. While Ernest specialized in villains and rogues, David conveyed a more respectable landed-gentry image, and as such was principally cast as bankers, merchants and attorneys. In his first talkie, Disraeli (1929), David played a sternfaced anti-Semitic head of the Bank of England, whose refusal to finance the Suez canal results in drastic action from Prime Minister Disraeli (George Arliss). Most of David's film roles were of shorter duration, as witness his fleeting appearances in such productions as Lost Horizon (1937) and Rulers of the Sea (1939). Comedy fans are most familiar with David Torrence for his performance as Scots attorney Mr. Miggs, executor to the estate of Angus Ian MacLaurel in the 1935 Laurel and Hardy comedy Bonnie Scotland. - Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide