Biographie

In the late 1880s, while he was mining for gold in South Africa, he developed pneumonia and was wrongly pronounced dead by doctors.

Was the inspiration for the character Commander McBragg on the animated series Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales (1963).

Around Hollywood, Sir Aubrey was perhaps best known as team captain of the Hollywood Cricket Club. In fact, the club's home field and clubhouse in Los Angeles' Griffith Park was named for Sir Aubrey in 1933. Although the Hollywood Cricket club was not particularly successful on the field, it did feature numerous British emigre actors of the era.

His only (cricket) Test Match appearance was the 1st Test against South Africa at Crusaders Ground, St George's Park, Port Elizabeth on 12-13 March 1889. It was actually a 3 day match but finished early. He was the best of the England bowlers picking up 5-19 off 13.2 overs in the first innings and 2-42 off 25 in the second (a total of 154 balls as these were 4-ball overs). He scored 3 runs in the first innings, batting at no. 8, and was not required to bat in the second as England won the match for the loss of only 2 wickets. He captained the England side. This was England's first tour to South Africa and, during it, he took 134 wickets at an average of 7.61. He stayed in South Africa after the tour and captained Transvaal.

He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1938 King's Birthday Honours List and was knighted in the 1944 King's Birthday Honours List for his services to Anglo-American amity.

[on Greta Garbo] She's a ripping gel.

The first thing the British actor learns is clear enunciation and correct speech. Pure speech has been one of the traditions of the stage since the days of Shakespeare. It is a good thing because it fosters the love of pure speech in the public at large. I hope the talkies will do the same thing from the screen.

American baseball has some of the thrills of cricket - it's an interesting game and I like it - but an old hand like me would never be bothered to get the hang of the American pitching.

There is a vast difference between American picture methods and those in England. In America it's so much more organized. You have your producer, your director, production managers, assistants, all working in a well-oiled machine. In England the director is the center of things, as on the stage - and of course much more of the atmosphere of the stage pervades, as the players are practically all stage people. In fact, we haven't got away from simply filming stage plays entirely yet. The hugeness of the organization in Hollywood always astounds me.

A London audience has a certain psychology, and a certain loyalty to players - yet it is a harsh audience if you give it something it doesn't like. Its likes and dislikes are often more positive than those of audiences in America. American audiences have a greater capacity for enthusiasm.