Death Of Tom Walls, Noted British Actor

Chronicle (Levin), 30 November 1949, Page 5

Death Of Tom Walls, Noted British Actor

LONDON, Nov. 29. Mr Tom Walls, the actor, whuse death was reported from London yesterday, had been ill for some moxvths. 1 He was a London policeman in 1903, but soon after beeame a pierrot entertaining hoiidaymakers on the Brighton j seafront. He ioved the stage from i the first, although he was born | among horses and lived with theni all his life. At the age of 12 he wrote and aeted in "Red River Riot. " l He rode in pony raCes from the age I of 10 and rode as an amateur in both England and Australia. Mr Walls made his first stage appearance in Glasgow in 1905, and in London in 1907. .He toured Australia land New Zealand in 1910-11, playing . in Palmerston N orth. He will be remembered by local theatre patrons of that time for his sterling perform ance as Peter Doody, the joekey, in "The Arcadians. " On his return to London, he was regularly starred at Daly's, the Adelphi, the Empire, the Gaiety, and London Hippodrome. lii 1922 Mr Walls, in management with Mr Leslie Henson at the Shaftesbury Theatre, produced ' ' Tons of Money, ' ' which ran for two years. He produced and played in "Cuckoo in the Nest," in 1925, "Rookery Nook" in 1926, "Thark" in 1927, "Plunder" 1928, and many other suceessful musical eomedies. In 1929 Mr Walls entered films and directed and appeared in, among others, ".Just Smith," "SeCOnd Best Bed," " Crackerjack," "Dishonour Bright" and "Love Story. " Combined with his theatrical activi t.ies, Mr Walls was a weil-known owner-trainer, and won the Derbv in 1932 with April the Fifth. He traine.d tlie winners of the Victory Steeple chase, Grand Military Gold Oup. Brighton Cup, Livdrpool Oup, and Epsom Derbv.