Harry Frederick Wilcoxon (8 September 1905 â€" 6 March 1984), known as
Henry Wilcoxon, was an actor born in Roseau, Dominica, British West
Indies, and who was a leading man in many of Cecil B. DeMille's films,
also serving as DeMille's associate producer on his later films.Henry
Wilcoxon was born on 8 September 1905 in Roseau, Dominica. His father
was English-born Robert Stanley 'Tan' Wilcoxon (1869â€"1957), manager
of the Colonial Bank in Jamaica and his mother, Lurline Mignonette
Nunes (1870â€"1907), was a Jamaican amateur theatre actress,
descendant of a wealthy Spanish merchant family.As important in his
life as his parents, but closer, was his only sibling, his older
brother Robert Owen Wilcoxon, known as 'Owen'. Henry (known then by
his born name, Harry) had a difficult childhood. His mother
"disappeared suddenly and mysteriously" (presumed she died) when he
was about a year old, and his father took him and Owen (aged four) to
England with the intention that his own mother Ann would care of them.
But, because his mother was too frail to care for the children, they
were first sent to a bad foster home, where they became ill from
malnutrition and neglect until this was discovered and they were moved
on to an orphanage. Harry suffered from rickets, and Owen developed a
stutter and had epileptic fits. They were rescued from the orphanage
to a new foster home run by the more caring Stewart family, at
Springfield House in Acton, London. After several years Harry's father
'Tan', with his new wife Rosamond took the children home with them to
Bridgetown, Barbados, where they were educated. Harry was sent to
Wolmer's Boys School in Kingston, Jamaica and Harrison College,
Barbados. Harry told that at 14 he was 'almost' the underwater
swimming champion of Barbados and good enough to become a salvage
diver.
Henry Wilcoxon, was an actor born in Roseau, Dominica, British West
Indies, and who was a leading man in many of Cecil B. DeMille's films,
also serving as DeMille's associate producer on his later films.Henry
Wilcoxon was born on 8 September 1905 in Roseau, Dominica. His father
was English-born Robert Stanley 'Tan' Wilcoxon (1869â€"1957), manager
of the Colonial Bank in Jamaica and his mother, Lurline Mignonette
Nunes (1870â€"1907), was a Jamaican amateur theatre actress,
descendant of a wealthy Spanish merchant family.As important in his
life as his parents, but closer, was his only sibling, his older
brother Robert Owen Wilcoxon, known as 'Owen'. Henry (known then by
his born name, Harry) had a difficult childhood. His mother
"disappeared suddenly and mysteriously" (presumed she died) when he
was about a year old, and his father took him and Owen (aged four) to
England with the intention that his own mother Ann would care of them.
But, because his mother was too frail to care for the children, they
were first sent to a bad foster home, where they became ill from
malnutrition and neglect until this was discovered and they were moved
on to an orphanage. Harry suffered from rickets, and Owen developed a
stutter and had epileptic fits. They were rescued from the orphanage
to a new foster home run by the more caring Stewart family, at
Springfield House in Acton, London. After several years Harry's father
'Tan', with his new wife Rosamond took the children home with them to
Bridgetown, Barbados, where they were educated. Harry was sent to
Wolmer's Boys School in Kingston, Jamaica and Harrison College,
Barbados. Harry told that at 14 he was 'almost' the underwater
swimming champion of Barbados and good enough to become a salvage
diver.
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