Harry Cording (April 26, 1891 – September 1, 1977) was a prolific British-born character actor who, with his imposing height and stocky build, became one of Hollywood’s most recognizable and dependable henchmen during the Golden Age.
Cording was a master of playing tough guys, thugs, and guards, appearing in over 250 films. He is best remembered for two iconic villainous roles: as the hulking, sadistic henchman Thamal in the horror classic The Black Cat (1934) opposite Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, and as the traitorous Captain of the Guard, Dickon Malbete, in the Technicolor epic The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938).
As a contract player for Universal Pictures in the 1940s, he was a familiar face in the studio’s horror films, with small parts in classics like The Wolf Man (1941). He also became a staple of the popular Sherlock Holmes series starring Basil Rathbone, ultimately appearing in seven of the twelve Universal films as various guards, pub keepers, and other tough characters.
