Reginald Owen (August 5, 1887 – November 5, 1972) was a distinguished English character actor with a seven-decade career on stage and screen, best known to generations of holiday viewers for his definitive portrayal of the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge in the classic 1938 MGM film, A Christmas Carol.
A veteran of the London and Broadway stages, Owen had the rare distinction of playing multiple iconic characters from Victorian literature. In addition to his famous turn as Scrooge (a role he inherited from an injured Lionel Barrymore), he is one of the few actors to have portrayed both Dr. Watson (in 1932’s Sherlock Holmes) and Sherlock Holmes himself (in 1933’s A Study in Scarlet).
Owen was a familiar and dependable face in countless MGM productions, working steadily for decades. He was introduced to a new generation of fans late in his career with his memorable roles as the eccentric Admiral Boom in Disney’s Mary Poppins (1964) and General Sir Brian Teagler in Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), his final film role. He also made numerous guest appearances on television shows like Maverick and Bewitched.
