Skelton Knaggs

Skelton Barnaby Knaggs (27 June 1911 – 30 April 1955) was an English stage actor who also appeared in films, especially in horror films.[1][2][3]

Skelton Knaggs
Knaggs in Dick Tracy vs. Cueball (1946)
Born	Skelton Barnaby Knaggs 27 June 1911 Hillsborough, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, UK
Died	30 April 1955 (aged 43) Los Angeles, California, US
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1936–1955
Spouse(s)	Thelma Crawshaw (1949–?)

Biography

Knaggs was born in the Hillsborough district of Sheffield, England. Knaggs moved to London where he trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and subsequently became a Shakespearean actor. In addition to appearing on stage in Shakespeare's Cymbeline, Knaggs appeared in a few British films, including an uncredited role as a German orderly in Michael Powell's The Spy in Black.

At some point he moved to Los Angeles, California and found work as a character actor in Hollywood. Diminutive and distinctive-looking, with a strongly featured pock-marked face and charismatically voiced with an English Midlands provincial accent, he was cast in sinister roles, often in horror films. These ranged from uncredited bit parts to prominent roles in the Sherlock Holmes thriller Terror by Night, the all-star monster rally House of Dracula and three Val Lewton productions including The Ghost Ship. In the latter, a voice-over narrative by Knaggs is heard, representing the thoughts of his character, a mute seaman.

Back in London, he married Thelma Crawshaw in 1949, then returned to Hollywood. The last film in which he appeared was Fritz Lang's period adventure based on J. Meade Falkner's novel Moonfleet.

Death

An alcoholic, Knaggs died of cirrhosis of the liver in Los Angeles in 1955 at the age of 43. His body was buried in the 'Hollywood Forever Cemetery' in Los Angeles.[4]

Filmography

As Finn the Mute in The Ghost Ship (1943)

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1936	Everything Is Thunder	Young Man with Lantern	Film debut, Uncredited
	Rembrandt	Minor Role	Uncredited
1937	The High Command	Fazerack
1938	South Riding	Reg. Aythorne
1939	The Spy in Black	German Sailor Looking for Capt. Hardt	Uncredited
	Torture Ship	Jesse Bixel
1940	Diamond Frontier	Morgan
1943	Thumbs Up	Shooting Gallery Concessionaire	Uncredited
	Headin' for God's Country	Jeff
	Thank Your Lucky Stars	Villager in Pub	Uncredited
	The Ghost Ship	Finn - the Mute	Uncredited
1944	The Lodger	Man with Cart	Uncredited
	The Scarlet Claw	Villager in Pub	Uncredited
	The Invisible Man's Revenge	Alf Perry - a Cabman	Uncredited
	None But the Lonely Heart	Lou 'Slush' Atley	Uncredited
1945	The Picture of Dorian Gray	Blue Gate Fields Waiter	Uncredited
	Isle of the Dead	Andrew Robbins	Uncredited
	House of Dracula	Steinmuhl
1946	Terror by Night	Sands
	Just Before Dawn	Louie	Uncredited
	Bedlam	Varney	Uncredited
	Night and Day	Newspaper Vendor	Uncredited
	A Scandal in Paris	Cousin Pierre
	Dick Tracy vs. Cueball	Rudolph
1947	Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome	X-Ray
	Forever Amber	Blueskin	Uncredited
1948	The Paleface	Pete
1949	Master Minds	Hugo
1951	Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere	Retner
1952	Million Dollar Mermaid	Cheering Man on Tower Bridge	Uncredited
	Blackbeard the Pirate	Gilly
1953	Botany Bay	Newgate Prisoner Drawing on Cell Wall	Uncredited
	Rogue's March	Fish
1954	Casanova's Big Night	Little Man	Uncredited
	General Electric Theater	Man on Crutches	1 episode
1955	Son of Sinbad	Sidewalk Spectator	Uncredited
	TV Reader's Digest	Gibson	1 episode
	Moonfleet	Jacob	Final film

References

1. Crowther, Bosley (25 December 1943). "THE SCREEN; A Chilly Christmas". The New York Times.
2. "THE SCREEN". The New York Times. 9 February 1946.
3. Crowther, Bosley (22 December 1945). "THE SCREEN; 'It Happened at Inn,' French Picture of Humor and Violence, Has Splendid Cast--Horror Film Opens". The New York Times.
4. Entry for Knaggs in Findagrave website (2018). https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8966431

External links

• Skelton Knaggs at IMDb
• Skelton Knaggs at Find a Grave