Ivan F. Simpson

Born: 1875-02-04

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ivan F. Simpson (8 February 1875 – 12 October 1951) was a Scottish film and stage actor. Ivan Simpson was born in Scotland and went as a young man to New York City, where he worked for four decades on Broadway from 1906 until his death. In 1915 he started his film silent career and starred in notable silent films like The Green Goddess from 1923, where he played the role of Mister Watkins. He also replied in this role seven years later in the sound film version of The Green Goddess. In 1929 he portrayed Hugh Myers in Disraeli, where he played along his close friend George Arliss. Arliss and Simpson appeared together in a total of nine films. Especially in the 1930s, Simpson was a successful character actor in supporting and bit parts and appeared in many classics. He often played servants, like in MGM's literature adaption David Copperfield as Littimer and the horror movie Mark of the Vampire. He also portrayed priests like in Little Lord Fauntleroy and Random Harvest, judges like in This Land Is Mine or doctors like in They All Kissed the Bride. Simpson was also a frequent actor in the Errol Flynn movies, he appeared in The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Prince and the Pauper and Captain Blood. Ivan F. Simpson starred in over 100 Hollywood films, his last was My Girl Tisa from 1948. He died three years later at the age of 76 years and was buried in Kensico Cemetery. His daughter was actress Pamela Simpson (1905-2002).


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Captain Blood

as Prosecutor
Released: 1935-12-26

Dr. Peter Blood, unjustly convicted of treason and exiled from England, becomes a notorious pirate.

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The Adventures of Robin Hood

as Proprietor of Kent Road Tavern (uncredited)
Released: 1938-05-13

Robin Hood fights nobly for justice against the evil Sir Guy of Gisbourne while striving to win...

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Mutiny on the Bounty

as Morgan
Released: 1935-11-22

Fletcher Christian successfully leads a revolt against the ruthless Captain Bligh on the HMS...

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The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

as Gates - Trial Prosecutor (uncredited)
Released: 1939-09-01

Having once again avoided criminal conviction, Professor Moriarity develops a murderous plan to...

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This Land Is Mine

as Judge
Released: 1943-05-07

Somewhere in Europe, in a city occupied by the Nazis, a gentle school teacher finds himself torn...

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The Invisible Man Returns

as Mr. Cotton (uncredited)
Released: 1940-01-12

The owner of a coal mining operation, falsely imprisoned for fratricide, takes a drug to make...

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Above Suspicion

as Porter in Oxford (Uncredited)
Released: 1943-05-31

Two newlyweds spy on the Nazis for the British Secret Service during their honeymoon in Europe.

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David Copperfield

as Littimer
Released: 1935-01-18

Charles Dickens' timeless tale of an ordinary young man who lives an extraordinary life, filled...

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The World Moves On

as Clumber
Released: 1934-06-27

Two families, cotton merchants in England and America, with branches in France and Prussia swear...

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The Little Minister

as Sanders Webster
Released: 1934-12-28

The stoic, proper Rev. Gavin Dishart, newly assigned to a church in the small Scottish village...

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Jane Eyre

as Mr. Woods - the Minister
Released: 1943-12-24

After a harsh childhood, orphan Jane Eyre is hired by Edward Rochester, the brooding lord of a...

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Random Harvest

as The Vicar
Released: 1942-12-17

An amnesiac World War I vet falls in love with a music hall star, only to suffer an accident...

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Lloyd's of London

as Old Man
Released: 1936-11-25

Norfolk, England, 1770. The nephew of an innkeeper and the son of a reverend maintain a very...

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The Phantom of Crestwood

as Mr. Vayne
Released: 1932-10-14

Five men have to prove their innocence when a blackmailer is murdered.

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Mark of the Vampire

as Jan
Released: 1935-04-26

Sir Borotyn, a prominent Prague resident, is discovered murdered in his home, with all...

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The Prince and the Pauper

as Clemens
Released: 1937-04-30

Two boys – the prince Edward and the pauper Tom – are born on the same day. Years later, when...

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Safe in Hell

as Crunch
Released: 1931-12-12

To avoid the rigors of the law, Gilda flees New Orleans and hides on a Caribbean island where...

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Kidnapped

as Old Man
Released: 1938-05-27

Robert Louis Stevenson's hero David Balfour joins rebel Alan Breck Stewart in 18th-century...

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Little Lord Fauntleroy

as Reverend Mordaunt
Released: 1936-03-06

An American boy turns out to be the heir of a wealthy British earl. He is sent to live with the...

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Tower of London

as Anne's Protector
Released: 1939-11-17

In the 15th century Richard Duke of Gloucester, aided by his club-footed executioner Mord,...

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The Body Disappears

as Dean Claxton
Released: 1941-11-22

Wealthy scion Peter DeHaven, about to marry socialite Christine Lunceford, wakes up after...

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The Male Animal

as Dean Frederick Damon
Released: 1942-03-12

The trustees of Midwestern University have forced three teachers out of their jobs for being...

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Made for Each Other

as Simon (uncredited)
Released: 1939-02-10

A couple struggle to find happiness after a whirlwind courtship.

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The Earl of Chicago

as Hargraves (uncredited)
Released: 1940-01-05

A behind the times Chicago bootlegger goes to England with his lawyer to claim his estate as the...

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British Agent

as 'Poohbah' Evans
Released: 1934-09-15

In the days leading up to the Russian Revolution, Stephen Locke, a minor British diplomat in St...

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Marie Antoinette

as Sauce (uncredited)
Released: 1938-08-26

The young Austrian princess Marie Antoinette is arranged to marry Louis XVI, future king of...

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The Man Who Played God

as Battle
Released: 1922-10-01

En eminent pianist is made deaf by an anarchist's bomb during a command performance.

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Stingaree

as Man with Beard (uncredited)
Released: 1934-05-24

A young lady named Hilda who works as a servant for the wealthy Clarksons, sheep farmers, and...

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The Secret of Madame Blanche

as Aubrey's Lawyer (Uncredited)
Released: 1933-02-03

A murder trial reunites a former chorus girl and her son, a grandson of an English aristocrat.

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Among the Missing

as Smeed
Released: 1934-09-25

Seeking to avoid arrest while fleeing through a city park at night, two jewel thieves, Gordon...

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Forever and a Day

as Dexter
Released: 1943-01-21

In World War II, American Gates Trimble Pomfret is in London during the Blitz to sell the...

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Nazi Agent

as Professor Sterling (as Ivan Simpson)
Released: 1942-03-01

Humble stamp dealer Otto Becker has little to do with international politics, so when he...

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Midnight Mary

as Mr. Tindle
Released: 1933-06-30

A young woman is on trial for murder. In flashback, we learn of her struggles to overcome...

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The Lady Who Dared

as Butler
Released: 1931-05-29

A blackmailer falls in love with his female victim.

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Never Say Die

as Kretsky
Released: 1939-03-08

Bob Hope is being stalked by a predatory widow who is a widow of wealthy husbands many times...

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Maid of Salem

as Rev. Parris
Released: 1937-02-12

When a young woman named Barbara Clarke has an affair with adventurer Roger Coverman, it causes...

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Two Weeks to Live

as Professor Albert Frisby (as Ivan Simpson)
Released: 1943-02-26

When Abner is mistakenly diagnosed as having only two weeks to live, his partner gets the idea...

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The Monkey's Paw

as Mr. White
Released: 1933-01-13

A mother wishes for the return of her dead son, a wish that is granted by the severed paw of a...

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My Kingdom for a Cook

as Professor Harlow
Released: 1943-10-27

While visiting Massachusetts, a famous English author (Charles Coburn) faces the wrath of a...

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Man of Two Worlds

as Dr. Lott
Released: 1934-01-13

A British explorer brings an Eskimo hunter to London, where he misreads a woman.

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The Sun Never Sets

as A Doctor
Released: 1939-05-31

The Randolph family have a tradition of working in the British colonial service. Clive comes...

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Night of Mystery

as uncredited
Released: 1937-05-21

One of a series of movies based on the character Philo Vance

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The Great Impersonation

as Dr. Harrison
Released: 1935-12-08

The second of the three film versions of the E. Phillips Oppenheim espionage thriller set...

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New Moon

as Guizot
Released: 1940-06-28

A revolutionary leader romances a French aristocrat in Louisiana.

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Trouble for Two

as Collins (as Ivan Simpson)
Released: 1936-05-29

A decadent prince unhappy over an impending arranged marriage, looking for a good time in London...

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Disraeli

as Sir Hugh Myers
Released: 1929-11-01

Prime Minister of Great Britain Benjamin Disraeli outwits the subterfuge of the Russians and...

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Inside the Lines

as Capper
Released: 1930-07-05

During World War I, German spies will stop at nothing to spy on the allied war plans stored at...

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The Green Goddess

as Watkins
Released: 1930-02-13

An airplane carrying three Brits crash lands in the kingdom of Rukh. The Rajah holds them...

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The Way of All Men

as Higgins
Released: 1930-09-03

A variety of broad-painted and unlikely characters are trapped in an underground café when a...

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Eagle Squadron

as Simms
Released: 1942-06-16

An American joins the British Royal Air Force just before Pearl Harbor is attacked, and falls in...

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My Girl Tisa

as uncredited
Released: 1948-02-07

1905 was a period of heavy immigration from Europe to America before laws were passed...

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The Man Who Played God

as Battle
Released: 1932-02-09

While giving a private performance for a visiting monarch, concert pianist Montgomery Royale is...

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Youth on Parole

as Henchman (uncredited)
Released: 1937-10-04

Two strangers, a man and a woman, are framed for a jewel robbery and thrown in jail. After they...

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The Sea God

as Pearly Nick
Released: 1930-09-13

The Sea God is an early sound melodrama about two men vying for Fay Wray and wealth in the South...

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A Passport to Hell

as Simms
Released: 1932-08-25

Just prior to the outbreak of World War I, in the British West African town of Akkra, English...

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They All Kissed the Bride

as Dr. Cassell
Released: 1942-06-11

Margaret Drew runs her trucking company single-mindedly, if not ruthlessly. The only thorn in...

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Charlie Chan's Greatest Case

as Brade
Released: 1933-09-14

When a good-for-nothing man named Dan is stabbed to death and his arm broken, Charlie Chan is on...

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The Mystery of Mr. X

as Hutchinson
Released: 1934-02-23

A sophisticated jewel thief tries to prove himself innocent of a string of cop murders.

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The Green Goddess

as Watkins
Released: 1923-08-13

The Green Goddess is a 1923 American silent adventure film based on the play The Green Goddess...

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The Millionaire

as Davis
Released: 1931-05-01

A millionaire automaker retires upon the advice of his doctor, but becomes so bored he buys half...

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Nightmare

as Money Changer
Released: 1942-11-10

An ex-gambler helps a beautiful widow, and becomes involved with a murder, secret agents, and...

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Old English

as Joe Pillin
Released: 1930-08-12

An old man unethically provides an income for his two grandchildren.

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The Silk Express

as Johnson, Kilgore's Secretary
Released: 1933-06-01

As the demand for raw silk goes sky high, crooked businessman Wallace Myton corners the market...

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The Past of Mary Holmes

as Jacob Riggs
Released: 1933-01-20

Mary Holmes (MacKellar), once a famous opera star known as Maria di Nardi, now lives in a...

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Isle of Escape

as Judge
Released: 1930-03-01

On a South Sea island, Stella operates a hotel for her mother, who is constantly drunk on liquor...

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Shadow of Doubt

as Morse
Released: 1935-02-15

When a Hollywood producer is murdered, the most likely suspect is a man who is smitten with the...

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Rulers of the Sea

as Secretary (Uncredited)
Released: 1939-11-08

The struggle of a man to build a steam ship to take him across the Atlantic in spite of all...

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Invisible Enemy

as Michael (as Ivan Simpson)
Released: 1938-04-03

Jeffrey Clavering is hired in London by The Great Eastern Oil Corporation to go to Paris to...

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London by Night

as Burroughs
Released: 1937-07-30

A newspaperman, his canine companion, and an adventurous socialite investigate an...

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The Crash

as Hodge
Released: 1932-10-09

Linda Gault is a luxury loving wife who casually seduces other men while getting investment tips...

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Splendor

as Fletcher
Released: 1935-11-22

When Brighton Lorrimore returns home with his new bride, Phyllis, his family makes their...

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Her Secret

as Lathrop
Released: 1933-12-18

In "Her Secret" (aka "The Girl from Georgia" in the UK in 1934 when shown there)Johnny, the son...

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The Baroness and the Butler

as Count Dormo
Released: 1938-02-18

A Butler gets elected to the Hungarian parliament where he opposes his master's government.

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A Kiss for Cinderella

as Mr. Cutaway
Released: 1925-12-22

An adaption of a novel by Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie.

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Sherlock Holmes

as Faulkner
Released: 1932-11-05

Moriarty is sentenced to death, and Sherlock Holmes prepares to retire to the country and marry...

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The Reckless Hour

as Stevens - Adams' Butler (uncredited)
Released: 1931-08-15

Seduced and abandoned, with child, by a charming cad, a former New York fashion model learns to...

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The Dictator

as Simpson
Released: 1915-06-21

On the lam from the New York Police because of a false murder charge, playboy Brooke Travers...

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Manslaughter

as Morson
Released: 1930-07-22

A spoiled young rich girl is sent to prison for accidentally running down a pedestrian. There...

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Lovers in Quarantine

as The Silent Passenger
Released: 1925-10-11

Lovers in Quarantine is an extant 1925 silent film comedy starring Bebe Daniels and directed by...

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East of Java

as Resident
Released: 1935-12-01

Survivors of a shipwreck find refuge on a tropical island--but so do the ship's cargo of lions...

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The Bishop Misbehaves

as Mr. Grantham
Released: 1935-09-13

On a walking tour of English cathedrals, Donald Meadows meets Hester Granthem in church. Hearing...

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Womanhandled

as Butler
Released: 1925-12-27

Bill Dana, a New York City playboy, can't resist the flaming flappers and red-hot mamas along...

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Miss Bluebeard

as Bounds
Released: 1925-01-26

Director Frank Tuttle's 1925 silent mistaken-identity comedy, adapted from the 1923 play "Little...

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The Philco Television Playhouse

as uncredited
First aired: 1948-10-03

The Philco Television Playhouse is an American anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC...

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