Actor. He was best known for his strong screen presence and distinctive diction playing nervous or edgy characters, bullies, cowards, and blackmailers especially in three films of director and producer Alfred Hitchcock. He will be best remembered for his role of 'Bob Cratchit' in the classic holiday film, "Scrooge" (1935), which was based on the book by Charles Dickens. The film also starred Sir Seymour Hicks as the crotchety title character, the miser, 'Ebenezer Scrooge.' He was born one of three children as Donald Esme Clayton Calthrop in Chelsea, London, England, to John Alfred Clayton Calthrop (1843-1888), and his wife Eve Boucicault Calthrop (1857-1909), on April 11, 1888. His grandfather was the famous actor Dion Boucicault (1820-1890), and his grandmother was actress Agnes Kelly Robertson Boucicault (1833-1916). His brother Dion William Palgrave Clayton Calthrop (1878-1937), was the famous Illustrator and theatre designer. He also had one half-brother from his mother's first marriage to Harry Arthur Eversfield (1864-1896), named Dion Richard Eversfield (1895–1898). He was also the nephew of the actor Dion Boucicault Jr. (1859–1929). He was educated at the prestigious St. Paul's School (a selective independent school for boys aged 13 to 18), in Barnes, London, England, and he became interested in acting at a young age. Following his education, he began his acting career on the stage. He appeared at the Comedy Theatre in London, England, in 1906. He also toured in the United States with actress Maxine Elliott appearing in stage productions written by the likes of George Bernard Shaw, Harley Granville-Baker, and Elizabeth Baker, including "Deborah Of The Gods," and "The Inferior Sex," before returning to England in 1910. He also played the role of 'Puck' in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1914), at the Savoy Theatre in London, England, and in the Paul Rubens' musical, "Betty," at the Daly's Theatre in London, England, with Winifred Barnes, W.H. Berry, Mabel Sealby, and G.P. Huntley in the cast on June 24, 1915. During World War I, he put his acting career on hold and served with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Brigade from 1915 to 1918. Following the war, he returned to his acting career and managed the Comedy Theatre in London, England, in 1920, Queen's Theatre in London, England, in 1923, and the Kingsway Theatre in London, England, in 1924, where he staged mainly productions of plays that were written by William Shakespeare. He also portrayed 'Figaro' in a translation of playwright Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais's "The Marriage Of Figaro" (1926), at the Court Theatre in London, England, and in "The Merry World" (1926), in New York. He made his actual film debut in the short film, "Wanted: A Widow" (1916). The film was written by Walter Howard and Arthur Shirley and also starred Leslie Henson and Alfred Bishop. Besides, "Wanted: A Widow" (1916), and "Scrooge" (1935), his many other film credits include, "Altar Chains" (1916), "Masks And Faces" (1917), "The Gay Lord Quex" (1917), "Goodbye" (1918), "Nelson" (1918), "Shooting Stars" (1928), "The Flying Squad" (1929), "The Clue Of The New Pin" (1929), "Blackmail" (1929), "Up The Poll" (1929), "Atlantic" (1929), "Juno And The Peacock" (1929), "The Cockney Spirit In The War No. 2" (1930), "The Cockney Spirit In The War No. 3" (1930), "All Riot On The Western Front" (1930), "The Night Porter" (1930), "Song Of Soho" (1930), "Loose Ends" (1930), "Two Worlds" (1930), "Murder!" (1930), "Almost A Honeymoon" (1930), "We Take Off Our Hats" (1930), "Star Impersonations" (1930), and "Spanish Eyes" (1930). The film which was directed by G.B. Samuelson, and also starred Edna Davies, Dennis Noble, Anthony Ireland, and Antonia Brough, had a gypsy theme and was made at Twickenham Studios in West London, England. The film was made at night, to allow other more important productions to use the studio in the daytime - a common practice at Twickenham Studios during the era. During the making of the film, he invited a chorus girl, named Nita Foy, to his dressing room for drinks during a break. Nita Foy stepped too near the stove and her costume caught on fire, and she burned to death. It also became known as, "The Film Studio Horror." His other film credits include, "The Love Storm" (1931), "Uneasy Virtue" (1931), "The Ghost Train" (1931), "The Bells" (1931), "Many Waters" (1931), "Potiphar's Wife" (1931), "Money For Nothing" (1932), "Number 17" (1932), "Fires Of Fate" (1932), "Rome Express" (1932), "F.P.1 Doesn't Answer" (1932), "Orders Is Orders" (1933), "I Was A Spy" (1933), "Early To Bed" (1933), "Friday The Thirteenth" (1933), "The Acting Business" (1933), "Sorrell And Son" (1933), "Strike!" (1934), "It's A Cop" (1934), "Nine Forty-Five" (1934), "The Divine Spark" (1935), "The Clairvoyant" (1935), "Me And Marlborough" (1935), "The Phantom Light" (1935), "Man Of The Moment" (1935), "Broken Blossoms" (1936), "The Man Behind The Mask" (1936), "The Man Who Lived Again" (1936), "Fire Over England" (1937), "Thunder In The City" (1937), "Danger In Paris" (1937), "A Night Of Terror" (1937), "Dreaming Lips" (1937), "Shadow Of Death" (1939), "Band Waggon" (1940), "To Hell With Hitler" (1940), "Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt" (1940), and his last role as 'Peter Shirley' in the comedy film, "Major Barbara" (1940). He was married to Margaret Helen Ledward Calthrop on June 23, 1913, with whom he had at least four children, Hugh, Arthur, Michael, and John. The marriage later ended in divorce supposedly because he faced the additional horror of explaining to his wife why Nita Foy was in his dressing room to start with during the filming of "Spanish Eyes" (1930). This supposedly led him to his drinking following the end of his marriage as well. He passed away from a heart attack at Iver Cottage Hospital in Eton, Buckinghamshire, England, on July 15, 1940, at the age of 52, and he was buried in St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Cemetery in Leytonstone, England, where several other famous British personalities are also laid to rest. His son Private Hugh Ledward Calthrop was killed in action while serving with the 7th Battalion of The Royal Sussex Regiment on May 20, 1940, at the age of 21, just a couple of months before the actor's own death. His son Hugh was buried at the Abbeville Communal Cemetery Extension in Abbeville, France.