Francis L. Sullivan

Often unfairly dismissed as a "second-string Sydney Greenstreet," immense British character actor Francis L. Sullivan was in fact a prominent stage and movie actor long before Greenstreet's years of film stardom. A Shakespeare buff from childhood, Sullivan made his Old Vic debut at age 18 in Richard III. His film career began in 1932 and ended in 1955, the year before his death; he is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Mr. Jaggers in both the 1934 and 1946 versions of Great Expectations. Some of Francis L. Sullivan's latter-day fame rests on a story that may well be apochryphal: while portraying an airplane passenger in a live television drama, Sullivan forgot his lines, ad-libbed "Excuse me, this is my stop," stepped off the "plane," and disappeared from the proceedings. - Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide