The acting career of Russell Thorndike (1885-1972) was always somewhat overshadowed by that of his much more famous sister, Sybil. It was as the creator of the Doctor Syn series of novels, which appeared from 1915 to the 1940s that he enjoyed, and continues to enjoy, a cult following. Born in Rochester, where his father was Canon of the cathedral, he attended the King’s School there, and then went to St George’s School in Windsor, where he sang in the castle choir, writing about this experience later. Partly encouraged by his sister, he entered the Ben Greets Academy in 1903, and toured America, Asia and Europe for the next few years.
In 1914, he enlisted for the First World War, and was wounded in Gallipoli. It was during this period that his first Dr Syn book was published, `Doctor Syn: A Tale of Romney Marsh’. In 1916, he started acting again in London, appearing at the Old Vic. He gained praise for his performance in the first professional staging of Ibsen’s `Peer Gynt’ in London in 1922. 1922 was also the year he appeared in a silent film version of Macbeth.
Thorndike continued to appear in films through to the 1950s, and figured, though in very minor roles in Lawrence Olivier’s `Hamlet’ in 1948, and `Richard the Third’ in 1955. The Syn novels were to be filmed from the 1960s.