{{Short description|Canadian-born British actor (1917–1990)}} {{for|the poet, barrister, and scholar in Ancient Greek|John Herman Merivale}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2016}} {{Use British English|date=August 2016}} {{Infobox person | name = John Merivale | image = John_Merivale_and_Vivien_Leigh_in_1961.jpg | caption = Merivale (left) and Vivien Leigh in 1961 | birth_name = John Herman Merivale | birth_date = {{Birth date|1917|12|1|df=y}} | birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada | death_date = {{Death date and age|1990|2|6|1917|12|1|df=y}} | death_place = London, England | spouse = {{ubl|{{marriage|Jan Sterling|1941|1948|end=divorced}}|{{marriage|Dinah Sheridan<br>|1986}}}} | parents = {{ubl|Philip Merivale|Viva Birkett}} | partner = Vivien Leigh (1960–1967) | occupation = Actor }} '''John Herman Merivale''' (1 December 1917 – 6 February 1990) was a Canadian-born British theatre actor, and occasional supporting player in British films.<ref name=ibdb>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/john-merivale-52809|title=John Merivale – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB|website=www.ibdb.com}}</ref><ref name=bfi>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9f828a91|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811185927/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9f828a91|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 August 2019|title=John Merivale|website=BFI}}</ref>
==Early life== Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, John Merivale was the son of English actors Philip Merivale and Viva Birkett.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/philip-merivale-23489|title=Philip Merivale – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB|website=www.ibdb.com}}</ref> His stepmother was the English actress Gladys Cooper.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/gladys-cooper-36243|title=Gladys Cooper – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB|website=www.ibdb.com}}</ref> Merivale was educated in England, at Rugby and New College, Oxford.<ref name=allmovie/>
==Career== Merivale made his acting debut at age 15, playing the small role of a newsboy in James Whale's ''The Invisible Man'' (1933).<ref name=bfi/> His stage career started when he was 21, as an understudy in a production of ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', where he first met Vivien Leigh.<ref name=allmovie>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/artist/john-merivale-p48554|title=John Merivale | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos|website=AllMovie}}</ref> He later worked in the production of ''Romeo and Juliet'' by Leigh and her husband, Laurence Olivier.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/romeo-and-juliet-13257|title=Romeo and Juliet – Broadway Play – 1940 Revival | IBDB|website=www.ibdb.com}}</ref>
Merivale's career was put on hold while he served as a pilot with both the British and Canadian air forces during World War II.<ref name=allmovie/> He resumed his career in 1946, with a starring role in a successful U.S. production of Oscar Wilde's ''Lady Windermere's Fan''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/lady-windermeres-fan-1465|title=Lady Windermere's Fan – Broadway Play – 1946 Revival | IBDB|website=www.ibdb.com}}</ref>
In 1956 Merivale made his second film appearance, in ''The Battle of the River Plate''. He went on to have supporting roles in films such as ''A Night to Remember'' (1958), ''Circus of Horrors'' (1960), ''House of Mystery'' (1961), ''The List of Adrian Messenger'' (1963), (where he played the title character, who is killed thirteen minutes into the film), ''King Rat'' (1965), and ''Arabesque'' (1966).<ref name=bfi/>
Although Merivale had the leading role in the Italian horror film ''Caltiki - il mostro immortale'' (1959), he tended to concentrate on theatre work, in such productions as ''Venus Observed'', ''Anne of the Thousand Days'', ''The Reluctant Debutante'' and ''The Last of Mrs. Cheyney''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/caltiki-the-immortal-monster-v86507/cast-crew|title=Caltiki, the Immortal Monster (1959) - Mario Bava, Riccardo Freda | Cast and Crew|website=AllMovie}}</ref><ref name=ibdb/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theatricalia.com/person/y2r/john-merivale|title=John Merivale | Theatricalia|website=theatricalia.com}}</ref>
==Personal life and death== He was married to the US actress Jan Sterling from 1941 until 1948, and lived with Vivien Leigh from 1960 until her death in 1967, becoming her dedicated caretaker<ref>Capua, Michelangelo (2003). Vivien Leigh: a biography. Jefferson, NC, USA: McFarland. p 157. {{ISBN|0-7864-1497-9}}, {{ISBN|978-0-7864-1497-0}}</ref> in her final years. He began a relationship with actress Dinah Sheridan in 1968; they married in 1986.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/nov/25/dinah-sheridan|title=Dinah Sheridan obituary|first=Dennis|last=Barker|newspaper=The Guardian |date=25 November 2012|via=www.theguardian.com}}</ref>
Merivale died on 6 February 1990 from kidney failure.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-20486180|title=Actress Dinah Sheridan dies at 92|work=BBC News |date=25 November 2012}}</ref>
==Filmography== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- |1933|| ''The Invisible Man'' || Newsboy || Uncredited |- |1956|| ''The Battle of the River Plate'' || Cowburn - HMS Achilles || Uncredited |- |1958|| ''A Night to Remember'' || Robbie Lucas || |- |1958|| ''Caltiki – The Immortal Monster'' || Prof. John Fielding || |- |1960|| ''Circus of Horrors'' || Edward Finsbury || |- |1961|| ''House of Mystery'' || Clive || |- |1963|| ''The List of Adrian Messenger'' || Adrian Messenger || |- |1963|| ''80,000 Suspects'' || Mr. Bradley || Uncredited |- |1965|| ''King Rat'' || Foster || |- |1966|| ''Arabesque'' || Maj. Sylvester Pennington Sloane || (final film role) |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|0580881}} * {{IBDB name|52809}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20160303230339/http://www.vivien-leigh.com/jack.html John Merivale] at Vivien-Leigh.com
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Merivale, John Herman}} Category:English male film actors Category:English male stage actors Category:1917 births Category:1990 deaths Category:Male actors from Toronto Category:People educated at Rugby School Category:Alumni of New College, Oxford Category:Canadian emigrants to the United Kingdom Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Category:Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of World War II Category:20th-century English male actors Category:Canadian people of English descent Category:Military personnel from Toronto Category:Royal Air Force airmen Category:Royal Canadian Air Force airmen