Reginald Berkeley

Born in London in 1890, Reginald Cheyne Berkeley trained as a lawyer before serving in the First World War, where he was awarded the Military Cross. He later entered politics as a Liberal MP, representing Nottingham Central in the House of Commons during the 1920s.

Berkeley is best remembered for the sharp second act of his career. He wrote stage plays including The White Chateau and French Leave, and then moved into screenwriting, working in Hollywood as sound films were expanding the reach of playwrights and dialogue-driven writers.

He died in Los Angeles in 1935 at just 44 years old. Though his life was short, his path from soldier and politician to dramatist and screenwriter makes him an unusual and memorable figure in early 20th-century British cultural life.