The
Cast
The
Actors & Actresses who are listed in the film credits:
JAMES
ELLISON
Born
James Ellison Smith on May
4, 1910 in Guthrie Center, Iowa. Died Dec.23,1993.
The
role of Wesley Rand has James Ellison portraying a tortured,
alcoholic and ultimately doomed brother to Tom Conway's
Paul Rand. James Ellison received top billing in advertising
for Zombie. Ellison's most popular role was probably
Buffalo Bill in the Gary Cooper-Jean Arthur film The
Plainsman (1937). He made over 63 films in his career,
the majority in the Western genre. (back
to top)
FRANCES
DEE
Born
November 26, 1907 in Los Angeles. Was married to Joel
McCrea until his death in 1990. They had three
sons.
The
actress Anna Lee was originally
slated for Zombie (she later appeared in Lewton's
Bedlam), However, Frances Dee instead took the
role of the sympathetic nurse Betsy Connel. She is perhaps
best known for her role as Sally in Of Human Bondage
(1934).
A
short biography is at this Tripod site here.
Dee is often mentioned as being a particularly intelligent
actress, an inference about actors and actresses in general?
(back to top)
(Below)
Frances Dee from If I were King, a 1938 film with
Ronald Coleman, Basil Rathbone, with a script by Preston
Sturges.)
TOM
CONWAY
Born
September 15, 1904 in St. Petersburg, Russia. Died April
22,1967 in Culver City, California. Sometimes credited
as Thomas Charles Sanders II - he is the brother of
actor George Sanders. He
became "Tom Conway" after losing a coin toss
with brother George - they had decided one of them should
change their last name in order to prevent confusion on
the part of the public. He eventually went on to take
over brother George's role as "The Falcon" in
the film series of the same name (in the film "The
Falcon's Brother" the Falcon character is killed,
turning his role over to his brother in the film, also
named Tom!)
In
two Lewton films (The Cat People and Seventh Victim)
Conway played Dr. Judd. In Zombie he portrayed
the stoic Paul Rand, who may or may not have (depending
on your point of view) driven his wife Jessica Rand into
her catatonic state. (back to
top)
CHRISTINE
GORDAN
This European
actress appears throughout this film, but has no speaking
parts at all. She also appeared in the film Mission
To Moscow (1943) Directed by Michael
Curtiz.
EDITH
BARRETT
Born
1907, Roxbury, MA. Died February 22, 1977. Besides playing
the mother of the Rand brothers in Zombie, Edith
Barrett went on to also play Ms. Fairfax in 1944's Jane
Eyre - the book Zombie is basically adapted
from. Edith Barrett also appeared in Lewton's The Ghost
Ship (1943.) She was married to Vincent
Price. (back to top)
THERESA
HARRIS
Theresa
Harris
also appeared in Tourneur's Out Of The Past (1947).
She also appeared in Lewton's Cat People (1942)
as Minnie. (back to top)
JAMES
BELL
Born
December 1, 1891. Died Oct. 26, 1973. Bell also appeared
in Lewton's The Leopard Man as Doctor Galbraith.
Bell made a large number of Westerns and also appeared
in numerous television programs. Other films he worked
on include the Irving Berlin-Fred Astaire-Bing Crosby Holiday
Inn (1942) and the Paul Muni
crime film I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang (1932).
(back to top)
DARBY
JONES
Darby
Jones
first appeared in film with Tarzan The Fearless (1933).
His last film was White Goddess (1953). He also
appeared in the Lewtonesque parody film Zombies on
Broadway (1945), reprising his role as the zombie
Carrefour.(back to top)
SIR
LANCELOT
(Above)
Lancelot appears next to the violinist in this cover to
a collection of his 1940s-50s calypso music put out by
Flyright (FLY CD 942)
Sir
Lancelot, born Lancelot Victor Edward
Pinard in 1903 on the island of Trinidad. Sent
to New Tork City to study medicine after completing parochial
school training on Trinidad, Lancelot took up calypso
music there, having a classical music trained background
- but a love for calypso, which was looked down upon by
the social strata he come from on Trinidad. Touring in
California, Lancelot so enjoyed the area he stayed, and
became involved in films, eventually appearing in To
Have and Have Not (1944) and at least 8 others, including
Lewton's Zombie and Ghost Ship. (back
to top)
JENI
Le GON
Born
1916 in Chicago. Jeni Le Gon
trained at the Mary Bruce
dance school and worked in chorus lines and vaudville
until taking up a career in film with the 1935 Hooray
for Love. She also appeared in the Cab Calloway production
Hi-de-ho. Her film Double Deal is mentioned
and can be purchased at this site here.
(back to top)
