George Henry Sanders 3 July — 25 April was a British actor and singer whose career spanned over 40 years. His heavy, upper-class English accent and smooth bass voice often led him to be cast as sophisticated but villainous characters. He also starred as Simon Templar , in 5 of the 8 films in The Saint series — , [ 1 ] and as a suave Saint -like crimefighter in the first 4 of the 16 The Falcon films — Sanders wrote of his mother's descent from "the Thomas Clayhills of Dundee , who went to Estonia in to establish a business there".
Sanders referred to his parents as "well-off" and noted his mother's "forebears of solid social position and impeccable respectability", stating that "to the best of his knowledge, his father came in the mail". A biography published in alleged that family members' "recent disclosures Sanders travelled to South America, where he managed a tobacco plantation. The Depression sent him back to Britain. He worked at an advertising agency, where the company secretary, aspiring actress Greer Garson , suggested that he take up a career in acting.
Sanders learned how to sing and got a role on stage in Ballyhoo , which had only a short run, but helped establish him as an actor.
He began to work regularly on the British stage, appearing several times with Edna Best. Sanders was duly cast as Lord Everett Stacy, opposite Tyrone Power , in one of his first leads, as the hero; Sanders' smooth, upper-class English accent, his sleek manner, and his suave, superior, and somewhat threatening air made him in demand for American films for years to come. The Saint in New York had already been made starring Louis Hayward in the title role, but when he decided not to return to the role, Sanders took over for The Saint Strikes Back Somerset Maugham.
George Sanders was assigned the leading role of Gay Laurence, debonair man about town always involved in murder cases. Saint author Leslie Charteris thought the resemblance between the Falcon and the Saint was obvious, and sued the studio for unfair competition.
