George Augustus Andrews was born in London. Known professionally as George Arliss, he began his stage career at the age of 18 and then came to the United States in his mid-30s where he appeared in numerous Broadway productions and films. He successfully made the conversion from theater to silent film and then from silent film to talkies, becoming the first British winner of an Academy Award for best actor in "Disraeli" (1929). Arliss' wife, actress Florence Montgomery, appeared in several films with him although when she lost her sight in 1937 he retired from the screen. He appears distinguished in this portrait dressed in a suit with a monocle. He looks up from the document in his hand as if distracted by someone who just past by the camera.