Sutton Vane

Born Vane Hunt Sutton-Vane on November 9, 1888, he was an English playwright and actor. He came from a theatrical family: his father was also a writer and playwright, and the two were sometimes confused early in his career.

He is remembered above all for Outward Bound (1923), a play about passengers on a ship who slowly realize they are dead and heading toward judgment. The work was a major success, was adapted for film more than once, and remained well known long after its first run.

Before his breakthrough as a playwright, he worked professionally as an actor. He died in Hastings, Sussex, on June 15, 1963, leaving behind a reputation for imaginative stage work with a memorable supernatural twist.