Sydney Deane

Sydney Leslie Deane (1 March 1863 – 20 March 1934[1]) was a first-class cricketer and entertainer, and the first Australian to appear in a Hollywood movie.[2]

Sydney Deane

Sydney Deane (center) in The Last of the Mohicans (1920)
Personal information
Full name	Sydney Leslie Deane
Born	1 March 1863 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died	20 March 1934 (aged 71) New York, US
Batting	Right-handed
Role	Wicket-keeper
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1890	New South Wales
First-class debut	25 January 1890 New South Wales v Victoria
Last First-class	14 February 1890 New South Wales v South Australia
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 2 Runs scored 26 Batting average 26.00 100s/50s 0/0 Top score 23* Balls bowled 0 Wickets – Bowling average – 5 wickets in innings – 10 wickets in match – Best bowling – Catches/stumpings 7/0
Source: CricketArchive, 21 September 2008

Biography

Born in Balmain, Sydney, to Edward and Sophia, Deane was a promising junior Rugby Union player and represented New South Wales against Queensland.[3] Along with his cousins, Australian Test captain Billy Murdoch and Norman Deane, who played first-class cricket for New South Wales,[4] Deane also excelled in cricket, and made his first-class debut for New South Wales, against Victoria, at the Association Ground, Sydney on 25 January 1890. A wicket-keeper, Deane held six catches, at that time an Australian first-class record[3] and caught the attention of the selectors for the Australian squad for the upcoming Ashes tour of Britain.[3] In the next match, against South Australia, Deane also performed well, and starred in a non-first-class match against a Queensland XV.

On 19 February 1890, Deane was selected in the Australian cricket squad.[5] However, the Victorian members of the squad protested against Deane's inclusion, arguing that it was favouritism towards New South Wales. Victorian wicket keeper Jack Blackham, a key member of the Australian side, went as far as to threaten to boycott the tour if Deane was selected ahead of fellow Victorian Jack Harry.[3] Eventually a compromise wicket keeper, Tasmanian Kenneth Burn was selected,[6] although Burn had never kept wicket in his life.[3]

Following the Test selection drama, Deane moved to Melbourne after accepting an offer to appear with J.C. Williamson's theatrical troupe.[3] Deane "possessed a magnificant tenor voice"[3] and quickly became a leading performer around Australia and New Zealand, appearing in Gilbert and Sullivan operettas such as The Gondoliers.[7] Deane also moved into theatre production management, co-founding and managing the Elite Vaudeville Company, which ran a number of productions starring Deane, including a farce based on Trilby entitled Trill-B!, in which Deane played the character of Sven-Garlic.[8]

He also continued to play cricket, and although unable to break into the Victorian side, due to the presence of Blackham, Deane represented East Melbourne against an English touring side in 1892.

Deane left Australia for the United States of America in the late 1890s, where he soon became a leading Vaudeville entertainer,[9] appearing on Broadway musicals,[10] including the original cast of Florodora, which ran for 553 performances, The Woggle-Bug, (based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz),[3] The Knickerbocker Girl and My Lady Molly.[11]

Impressed by his acting ability, Jesse L. Lasky recruited Deane to join the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company, which relocated to Hollywood to produce films.[12] Deane made his film debut in 1914 in the original version of Brewster's Millions, which was Cecil B. DeMille's second film. Deane appeared in a number of DeMille's early films before signing a contract with Universal Pictures, where he appeared in movies alongside Lon Chaney Sr..

While acting, Deane continued to play cricket, firstly in New York for the "New York Veterans"[13] and later in California, where he played into his late fifties.[14]

Deane's final film appearance was in the 1924 film America, directed by D.W. Griffith, after which he retired to New York, where he died, aged 71.[15] Unusually for an actor and cricketer of his significance, neither Variety or Wisden ran his obituary.

Filmography

Title	Year	Role	Notes
Brewster's Millions	1914	Jonas Sedgwick
The Call of the North	1914	McTavish
The Virginian	1914	Uncle Hughey
The Making of Bobby Burnit	1914	Silas Trimmer	aka Bobby Burnit
What's His Name	1914	Uncle Peter
Ready Money	1914	Owner of the Skyrocket
Rose of the Rancho	1914	Ranch Owner
The Girl of the Golden West	1915	Sidney Duck
The Goose Girl	1915	Prince Regent of Jugendheit
The Warrens of Virginia	1915	General Harding
A Gentleman of Leisure	1915	Sir Thomas Blunt
Stolen Goods	1915	Mr. North
The Arab	1915	Dr. Hilbert
The Secret Orchard	1915	Nanette's father
The Scarlet Chastity	1916
Playthings of the Gods	1916
The Evil Women Do	1916	Malgat/Papa Ravinet	Billed as "Sydney Dean". The film was also known as The Clique of Gold.
Melting Millions	1917	Uncle Peter
The Grip of Love	1917
The Field of Honor	1917	Poole	Billed as "Sidney Deane".
A Doll's House	1917	Dr. Rank
The Gray Ghost	1917
The Reed Case	1917	John Reed	Billed as "Sydney Dean".
Sirens of the Sea	1917	Wellington Stanhope	Released as Darlings of the Gods in the United Kingdom.
Beloved Jim	1917	Lawrence Darcy
The Wife He Bought	1918	James Brierson
The Midnight Trail	1918	Reverend Robert Moreland
Breakers Ahead	1918	Hiram Hawley
No Man's Land	1918
Lure of the Circus	1918	Reynolds	Billed as "Sidney Deane".
A Man and His Money	1919	John Sturgeon
The Crimson Gardenia	1919	Papa la Forge	Billed as "Sidney Deane".
Male and Female	1919	Thomas
The Midlanders	1920	Judge Van Hart
Treasure Island	1920	Squire Trelawney
The Strange Boarder	1920	Dawson
Once a Plumber	1920	Fenelon	Billed as "Sidney Deane".
The Last of the Mohicans	1920	General Webb
Find the Woman	1922	Sofford
Missing Millions	1922	Donald Gordon
Her Own Story	1922
The Broken Violin	1923	Dr. Mason
America	1924	Sir Ashley Montague	Released as Love and Sacrifice in the UK.

See also

• List of New South Wales representative cricketers

References

1. Varying dates have been given for Deane's birth and death. Bonnell gives a birth year of 1866 and death as 1934, CricketArchive provides 1 March 1863 and 20 March 1934, Cricinfo lists 1 March 1866 and 20 March 1934 and the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) gives 1869 and 1 March 1939 (IMDB also gives "Austria" as Deane's place of birth). The New South Wales Births, Deaths and Marriages states 1 March 1863 as his date of birth and the New York City Births, Deaths and Marriages lists Sidney (sic) Deane's date of death as 20 March 1934.
2. Bonnell, M. (2004) "Men of Many Talents", The Journal of the Cricket Society, vol. 21, no. 4., The Cricket Society
3. Bonnell, M. (2004) "Men of Many Talents", The Journal of the Cricket Society, vol. 21, no. 4., The Cricket Society.
4. "Norman Deane", Cricket Archive, http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/5/5817/5817.html Accessed 13 September 2008.
5. Evening Post, "The Australian Team For England", 20 February 1890
6. Grey River Argus, "The Australian Eleven", 12 March 1890.
7. New Zealand Herald, "Review of the New Zealand Premiere of The Gondoliers", 16 September 1892. http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~melbear/downunder/gondoliersreview2.htm Accessed 20 September 2008.
8. Djubal, C. (2008) "Trill-B! ; Or, Svengalee the Great Hypnotiser", AustLit. Accessed 21 September 2008.
9. New York Times, "Treasurer's Club Benefit", 26 February 1900.
10. New York Times, "Another Musical Show for Broadway's Summer Season", 14 June 1903.
11. Cullen, F. (2007), Vaudeville, old & new: an encyclopedia of variety performers in America, Volume 1, Routledge. ISBN 0-415-93853-8.
12. Birchard, R. & Thomas, K. (2004) Cecil B. DeMille's Hollywood, University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-2324-0.
13. New York Times, "Close Scores in Cricket Matches", 31 May 1912.
14. New York Times, "Narrowly Escapes Defeat; Manor Field Lucky to Get Draw With Brooklyn", 6 August 1921
15. "New York City Death Index Results" http://www.italiangen.org/NYCDeathresults.asp?kind=exact&Esurname=Deane&Efirst=S&StartYear=&EndYear=&B1=Submit Accessed 21 September 2008.

External links

• Sydney Deane at IMDb