Roger Maxwell (actor)

{{Short description|English film actor (1900–1971)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Roger Maxwell

| image = Actor_Roger_Maxwell.jpg

| caption =

| birth_name = Roger Done Latham

| birth_date = {{birth date|1900|01|01|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Chelsea, London, England

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1971|11|24|1900|01|01}}

| death_place = Onchan, Isle of Man

| restingplace =

| restingplacecoordinates =

| othername =

| occupation = Actor

| yearsactive = 1927–1971

| spouse =

| partner =

| children =

| module =

{{Infobox cricketer |child=yes

|embed=yes

| batting = Unknown

| bowling =

| club1 = Marylebone Cricket Club

| year1 = {{nowrap|1920}}

| columns = 1

| column1 = First-class

| matches1= 1

| runs1 = 16

| bat avg1= –

| 100s/50s1 = –/–

| top score1 = 16*

| hidedeliveries = true

| catches/stumpings1 = –/–

| source = {{Cricinfo |id=16469 |name=Roger Latham}} }}

}}

Roger Maxwell real name Roger Done Latham (1 January 1900 – 24 November 1971) was an English actor and first-class cricketer.{{cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2baa040100|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190516233942/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2baa040100|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 May 2019|title=Roger Maxwell|website=BFI}}{{cite web|url=https://theatricalia.com/person/kan/roger-maxwell|title=Roger Maxwell – Theatricalia|website=theatricalia.com}}

The son of Alexander Mere Latham, he was born at Chelsea on New Year's Day in 1900. He was educated at Wellington College, completing his education there in 1917.{{cite book |title=British Film and Television Year Book |first=Peter |last=Noble |date=1959 |publisher=Cinema TV Today |page=183 |volume=9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aOlkAAAAMAAJ |language=en}} With the First World War ongoing, Maxwell attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst from which he graduated into the Middlesex Regiment as a second lieutenant in August 1918.{{London Gazette|issue=30893|date=10 September 1918|page=10721|supp=y}} Following the war, he was promoted to lieutenant in September 1921, which was antedated to February 1920.{{London Gazette|issue=32469|date=27 September 1921|page=7622|supp=y}} Maxwell played first-class cricket for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) against the British Army cricket team at Lord's in June 1920.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/30/30887/First-Class_Matches.html|title=First-Class Matches played by Roger Latham|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=25 October 2021|url-access=subscription}} Batting once in the match, he ended the MCC's first innings unbeaten on 16, sharing in a 58 runs stand for the final wicket with Richard Busk.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/9/9799.html|title=Marylebone Cricket Club v Army, 1920|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=25 October 2021|url-access=subscription}}

Progressing into a career in acting, Maxwell's first role was in the 1927 docudrama The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands.

On stage he appeared in the West End in Ian Hay's Leave It to Psmith and Off the Record, Terence Rattigan's Who Is Sylvia? and Peter Jones's The Party Spirit.

In 1959, he was a member of the jury at the Venice Film Festival.{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0561811/|title=Roger Maxwell|website=IMDb}}

Maxwell died on the Isle of Man at Onchan in November 1971.Wills. Kent & Sussex Courier. 7 July 1972. p. 44