Actor, Singer. He was a prominent member of the famed D'Oyly Carte Opera Company usually as a bass-baritone chorister from May 1920 until June 1931. He will be best remembered for playing the role of 'Samuel' in the stage production of the opera, "The Pirates Of Penzance" (1923-1924). He was born as Henry Hussey Howell in Swansea, Wales, on December 6, 1894. Besides, playing the role of 'Samuel' in the stage production of the opera, "The Pirates Of Penzance" (1923-1924), his many other stage opera credits include, as 'Second Yeoman' in "The Yeoman Of The Guard" (1920-1922, 1923-1924, and 1924-1926), 'Guron' in "Princess Ida" (1922-1928), and as 'Luiz' in "The Gondoliers" (1922-1923, 1923-1924, and 1924-1925). He also appeared in the stage production of the opera, "H.M.S. Pinafore," and in the film adaptation of the stage production of the opera, "The Mikado." The film version, "The Mikado" (1926), was based on the libretto by W.S. Gilbert, and also starred Darrel Fancourt, Charles Goulding, Henry Lytton, Leo Sheffield, Janet Adair, and John Huntington, is a short film that was created to promote the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company's production of "The Mikado," in which, in a mythical Japan, Ko-Ko, a cheap tailor, has been appointed Lord High Executioner and must find someone to execute before the arrival of the ruling Mikado. He lights upon Nanki-Poo, a strolling minstrel who loves the beautiful Yum-Yum. But Yum-Yum is also loved by Ko-Ko, and Nanki-Poo, seeing no hope for his love, considers suicide. Ko-Ko offers to solve both their problems by executing Nanki-Poo, and an agreement is reached whereby Ko-Ko will allow Nanki-Poo to marry Yum-Yum for one month, at the end of which Nanki-Poo will be executed, in time for the arrival of the Mikado. But what Ko-Ko doesn't know is that Nanki-Poo is the son of the Mikado and has run away to avoid a betrothal to an old harridan named Katisha. The arrival of the Mikado brings all the threads of the tale together. He continued to act and entertain until his retirement. During his acting career, he also used the name of James Blain. He passed away in Birmingham, England, on November 18, 1955, at the age of 60, and he was buried in Yardley Cemetery and Crematorium in Birmingham, England. He was married for a period of time to Cecile "Cis" Blain, who was the wardrobe mistress for many of the stage operas for the famed D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.