Colin Clive Discography

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Clive was born in Saint-Malo, France, to a British colonel, and he attended Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where an injured knee disqualified him from military service and contributed to his becoming a stage actor. On stage, one of his roles was Steve Baker, the white husband of racially mixed Julie LaVerne, in the first London production of Show Boat. This production also featured Sir Cedric Hardwicke, and Paul Robeson. Clive first worked with James Whale in the Savoy Theatre production of Journey`s End and subsequently joined the British community in Hollywood in the 1930s, repeating his stage role in the 1930 film version of Journey`s End, which was directed by Whale.

Although Colin Clive made only three horror films, Whale`s two Frankenstein movies and Mad Love (1935), he is widely regarded as one of the essential stars of the genre by many film buffs. His portrayal of mad Dr. Frankenstein has proved inspiration and a launching pad for scores of other mad scientist performances in films over the years.

Clive was also an in-demand leading man for a number of major film actresses of the era, including Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Corinne Griffith, and Jean Arthur. He also starred as Edward Rochester in a 1934 adaptation of Jane Eyre opposite Virginia Bruce. He was related to Clive of India and appeared in a featured role in a film biography of his relative in 1935.

From June 1929 until his death, Clive was married to Jeanne De Casalis, an English actress born in South Africa. Although she worked in films and on stage, her greatest success was as a comedienne on radio sitcoms in England, playing a dithering character named "Mrs. Feather". De Casalis did not accompany her husband to Hollywood. There has been speculation that De Casalis was a lesbian and Clive either gay or bisexual and their marriage was one of convenience. David Lewis the longtime companion of Clive`s frequent director James Whale, flatly states that Clive was not gay.


Colin Clive developed chronic alcoholism and died of pneumonia in 1937 at age 37. His cenotaph is located at Chapel of the Pines Crematory, but ashes were scattered at sea in 1978 after they spent over 40 years unclaimed in the basement of the funeral parlor where his body was brought after his death.