Balding, serious-looking British character actor, who forsook civil engineering for a career on the classical stage. He became a noted interpreter of Shakespearean roles during the 1920's, entering films in 1932. For the next four decades, he specialised in historical dramas, often as elder statesmen or powerful authority figures. During the course of World War II, he was involved as a director of plays for the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA).
