Sydney Greenstreet was one of the most memorable actors of the golden age of Hollywood. He made his film debut at the age of 61, after a long and successful career on stage, and quickly became famous for his roles as cunning and sinister villains in films such as The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, and The Mask of Dimitrios. He often co-starred with Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre, forming a formidable trio of screen legends. However, behind his imposing presence and distinctive voice, Greenstreet suffered from serious health problems that eventually led to his death in 1954. In this article, we will explore how Sydney Greenstreet’s cause of death was related to his diabetes and kidney disorder, and how he managed to overcome these challenges to create some of the most iconic performances in cinema history.
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Sydney Greenstreet’s Early Life and Career
Sydney Hughes Greenstreet was born on December 27, 1879, in Eastry, Kent, England. He was the son of a leather merchant and had seven siblings. He left home at the age of 18 to make his fortune as a Ceylon tea planter, but drought forced him out of business and back to England. He began managing a brewery and, to escape boredom, took acting lessons. His stage debut was as a murderer in a 1902 production of a Sherlock Holmes story at the Marina Theatre, Ramsgate, Kent .
He toured Britain with Ben Greet’s Shakespearean company, and in 1905 made his New York City debut in Everyman . He appeared in numerous plays in Britain and America, working through most of the 1930s with Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne at the Theatre Guild. His stage roles ranged from musical comedy to Shakespeare, and he is reported to have acted in every major Shakespearean play and committed 12,000 lines of Shakepearean verse to memory . He became an American citizen in 1925 .
Sydney Greenstreet’s Film Debut and Breakthrough
Despite his success on stage, Greenstreet refused to appear in films until he was 61 years old. He was reluctant to leave the theatre and did not trust the new medium of cinema. However, he was persuaded by director John Huston to play the role of Kasper Gutman (“The Fat Man”) in The Maltese Falcon (1941), based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett. The film starred Humphrey Bogart as private detective Sam Spade, who gets entangled in a web of deception and murder involving a mysterious statuette of a falcon. Greenstreet played the mastermind behind the plot, a wealthy and ruthless collector who would stop at nothing to obtain the priceless artifact. His performance was praised by critics and audiences alike, and he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor .
The Maltese Falcon also marked the beginning of Greenstreet’s partnership with Peter Lorre, who played Gutman’s henchman Joel Cairo. The two actors had a great chemistry on screen and off screen, and they became close friends. They appeared together in nine more films after The Maltese Falcon, three of which also starred Bogart . Some of their most notable collaborations include Casablanca (1942), where Greenstreet played crooked club owner Signor Ferrari; The Mask of Dimitrios (1944), where he played a crime novelist who investigates the mysterious death of a notorious criminal; and The Verdict (1946), where he played a Scotland Yard inspector who tries to solve a murder case with the help of an ex-police officer played by Lorre.
Sydney Greenstreet’s Health Problems and Retirement
Greenstreet’s film career lasted only eight years, from 1941 to 1949. During this time, he made 24 films, all while beset by diabetes and Bright’s disease, a kidney disorder . His weight fluctuated between 280 and 350 pounds, and he had to use a wheelchair or crutches when not filming . He also suffered from asthma and gout . Despite these difficulties, he never complained or let his illnesses affect his work. He was always professional and courteous with his colleagues and fans. He once said: “The lens is the actor’s best critic… showing his mind more clearly than on the stage. You can get wonderful cooperation out of the lens if you are true, but God help you if you are not.”
Greenstreet retired from films in 1949, after appearing in Malaya with Spencer Tracy and James Stewart. He then starred as the title character on NBC Radio’s The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe (1950-1951), based on the detective novels by Rex Stout. He also made occasional appearances on television, such as in an episode of The Ford Theatre Hour in 1951 . He spent his last years in Hollywood, enjoying his hobbies of gardening and painting. He was married to Dorothy Marie Ogden since 1918, and they had one son, John Ogden Greenstreet .
Sydney Greenstreet’s Death and Legacy
Greenstreet died on January 18, 1954, in Hollywood, California, at the age of 74. His death was caused by complications from diabetes and Bright’s disease . He was cremated and his ashes were interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale . He left behind a legacy of unforgettable performances that have influenced generations of actors and filmmakers. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest character actors of all time, and his roles as villains are among the most iconic in film history. He was also a pioneer of the film noir genre, with his dark and complex characters that reflected the moral ambiguity and corruption of the post-war era. He was posthumously honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 .
Sydney Greenstreet was a remarkable actor who overcame many challenges to achieve fame and acclaim in his later years. He brought depth, intelligence, and charisma to every role he played, and he created memorable scenes with his co-stars Bogart and Lorre. He was a master of the craft who left an indelible mark on cinema history. As he said in his final film appearance: “I’ve always liked a challenge.”
