Actor, stage director, and playwright He was born Matthew Boulton Crabtree and was the son of Margaret Ager and John Charles Crabtree. At the age of 23, he made his stage debut and earned a dozen credits in the British theatre from 1906-1936. His first play was "At Duty Call" (1906–1907), followed by "The Soldier's Wedding" (1909–1910). Both plays were at the Grand Theatre, in Southampton; his next two plays were "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Duke of Exeter," which were both at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre; "The Story of the Rosary," (1917) in Cardiff; "Macbeth," (1920–1921) at the Aldwych Theatre, London; and "The Skin Game," in which his character was Chloe's father. The play was written by John Galsworthy and originally played at the St. Martin's Theatre in London in 1920, and then at the Bijou Theatre on Broadway the same year. It made Burns and Mantle's The Best Plays of (1920–1921). "Back to Methuselah" was played at the Royal Court Theatre (1928). He played Boanerges in "The Apple Cart," written by George Shaw and performed at London's Sondheim Theatre (1929–1930). In Walter Hackett's comedy "The Gay Adventure," which ran in Bristol from 1931 to 1932, he played Ebisch, the gardener, in "Before Sunset" (1933). Due to his Nazi sympathies, Werner Krauss, the German actor who played the lead role on opening night at the Shaftesbury Theatre, was not well received by the audience due to his Nazi sympathies.The performance was halted by anti-Nazi protesters just as the curtain rose. The demonstrators yelled Hitler slurs and threw leaflets into the audience, encouraging them to boycott German actors and denounce Nazi Germany. In his last two plays, he was Lord Jeffreys in "Sweet Nell of Old Drury" (1934) at the Princes Theatre and Inspector Belsize in "Night Must Fall" (1935-1936) at the Duchess Theatre. Throughout the 1910s, he performed in London and wrote seven plays. "His Rest Day," the first play, opened at the Empire Theatre in London in 1914. George Cooper directed a one-reel silent film based on the play in 1927, and De Forest Phonofilm produced it. In addition, he wrote "The Burglar and the Girl," which was made into a one-reel silent picture in 1928. Other credits include: "Sword or Surplice, Or A Man of Peace" (1916); "Aunt Sally" (1916); "The Brass Door-Knob" (1916), which opened at the Alexandra Theatre and again at the Halsteal Village Hall (1936); "Too Much Sympson" (1917); and his last, "A Gold Stripe" (1918). He appeared in ten British films between 1929 and 1936 as inspectors, police officials, and constables. His first feature film was "To What Red Hell" (1929). It was a crime film in which he played an inspector. His other British film credits included "The Man from Chicago," a crime film directed by Walter Summers (1930), and "Bed and Breakfast," in which he played the Police Sergeant in the 1930 comedy film about a newlywed couple fighting. In 1931, he appeared in five films, including "Third Time Lucky," in which he played an inspector based on Arnold Ridley's play. "The Flying Fool," a comedy thriller directed by Walter Summers, was based on a 1929 play of the same name. In "Creeping Shadows," he was Inspector Potter. "Potiphar's Wife" was a romance film directed by Maurice Elvey, and "Keepers of Youth" was a drama film based on the 1929 Arnold Ridley play of the same name. In Alfred Hitchcock's (1935) British thriller film "The 39 Steps," he played the Fake Policeman. "Bulldog Jack" (1935) was a film produced by Gaumont British and directed by Walter Forde. Later in the same year, the film was released in America and renamed "Alias Bulldog Drummond." "Sabotage" (1936) was his last British film in which he played Superintendent Talbot. The thriller film was directed by Alfred Hitchcock and was based on Joseph Conrad's 1907 novel "The Secret Agent," about a woman who discovers that her husband, a shopkeeper, was a terrorist agent. The film was released in America as "The Woman Alone" the same year. In 2017, the film was rated the 44th best British film ever by 150 actors, directors, writers, producers, and critics for "Time Out" magazine. It was also voted third in "The Daily Telegraph's" list of "The 100 Best British Films of All Time" in 2021. He moved to America in 1937, leaving behind his ex-wife, Ruth Docknay Boulton, and his daughters, Phyllis, 24, and Sheilah, 18. He began his Hollywood acting career in 1937, when he was hired by MGM to play his old character, Inspector Belsize, in the film version of the play "Night Must Fall." Kathleen Harrison and Merle Tottenham also appeared in both the play and the film with him. The film received four National Board of Review awards, for "Best Film," "Top Ten Films," "Best Actor," Robert Montgomery, and "Best Actress," May Whitty. They were also nominated for best actor and best actress at the Oscars. Between 1937 and 1953, he appeared in 65 Hollywood films. He was well-known for his portrayals of policemen, inspectors, wardens, and military officers. Among the most popular films he appeared in were "Shall We Dance," a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musical in which he played a ship officer; "A Christmas Carol," (1938) in which he was the second charity solicitor; "Random Harvest," (1942) in which he played a policeman; "Journey for Margaret," (1942) in which he was the warden; "Holy Matrimony," (1943) he was the sergeant; He played the Judge in "Love Letters," (1945), Tom Lumford in "Ivy," (1947), played another warden in "Enchantment," (1948), Mr. Bromley in "The Secret Garden," (1949), and Ames in his final film, "Loose in London," (1953). In 1951, he returned to the stage one last time at the Palmas Theatre in Los Angeles, playing a Scotland Yard detective in the play "The Beaustone Affair."