Cecil Ramage

Cecil Beresford Ramage, MC (17 January 1895 – 22 February 1988) was a Scottish barrister, actor and Liberal politician.

Cecil Ramage MC
Member of Parliament for Newcastle upon Tyne West
In office 6 December 1923 – 29 October 1924
Preceded by	David Adams
Succeeded by	John Henry Palin
Personal details
Born	Cecil Beresford Ramage (1895-01-17)17 January 1895 Edinburgh, Scotland
Died	22 February 1988(1988-02-22) (aged 93) Bournemouth, England
Political party	Liberal
Spouse(s)	Cathleen Nesbitt ( m. 1921)
Children	2
Alma mater	Pembroke College, Oxford
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch/service	British Army
Rank	Major
Unit	The Royal Scots
Battles/wars	First World War
Awards	Military Cross

Life

Following his education at the Edinburgh Academy, Ramage was commissioned as an officer in the Royal Scots at the outbreak of World War I. He served in Gallipoli, Palestine and Egypt and was awarded the Military Cross.[1]

Following the war, he went up to Pembroke College, Oxford, where he became President of the Oxford Union. At Oxford he first took to the stage, appearing in Antony and Cleopatra with Cathleen Nesbitt, whom he married in 1921. They had two children.[1] Instead of taking up acting as a profession after university, Ramage read law. He was called to the bar at the Middle Temple, and practised on the Oxford Circuit.[1]

At the 1922 general election he was the Liberal candidate for the constituency of Newcastle West, but was defeated by David Adams of the Labour Party. Another election was held in 1923 and Ramage stood again and was elected as Member of Parliament (MP). He was only to be in the Commons for a short period, as he was defeated at the subsequent general election in 1924. He was the Liberal candidate at Southport at the 1929 general election, but failed to be elected.[1]

By this time Ramage was a professional actor, appearing in New York, the West End of London and toured with the Old Vic Company in the Mediterranean. He had a number of minor roles in films, including Secret of Stamboul (1936), Nicholas Nickleby (1947) and Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949).

His career eventually declined, and he retired from the stage and was separated from his wife, Nesbitt, who died in 1982, aged 93.[1] He played the Crown Counsel in Kind Hearts and Coronets, whose devastating cross-examination of Louis Mazzini does much to discredit him.

Death

Cecil Beresford Ramage died in 1988, aged 93.[1] Of the 64 former MPs who only served in the parliament of 1924, he was the last survivor, outliving his parliamentary service by 63 years.

Selected filmography

• Account Rendered (1932)
• C.O.D. (1932)
• The Strangler (1932)
• The Luck of a Sailor (1934)
• What Happened Then? (1934)
• The Night of the Party (1935)
• King of the Damned (1935)
• McGlusky the Sea Rover (1935)
• Be Careful, Mr. Smith (1935)
• The Lonely Road (1936)
• Love in Exile (1936)
• Secret of Stamboul (1936)
• Cafe Colette (1937)
• Return of a Stranger (1937)
• I Live in Grosvenor Square (1945)
• Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

References

Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs

1. Obituary, The Times (London, England), 26 February 1988

External links

• Cecil Ramage on IMDb
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Cecil Ramage

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by David Adams	Member of Parliament for Newcastle upon Tyne West 1923–1924	Succeeded by John Henry Palin