West Drayton's actor

During research of the 1911 census for West Drayton, a fascinating personality came to light - Charles Aubrey Smith, 47, a theatrical actor, resident at the Old Orchard on Mill Road. He was living with his wife Isabel, daughter Honor, a nurse-governess, butler and cook.

Aubrey Smith turned out to be no ordinary stage actor. He was a film star and cricketer - the only test cricketer to have a star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame.

Born in Hove in 1863, Aubrey Smith was a fast bowler, his action earning him the nickname 'Round the Corner Smith'. He played for England in South Africa in 1888 and 1889, after which he prospected for gold before returning to England.

There, he took up acting. He was business manager of St James's Theatre in London's West End from 1898 and debuted in American cinema in 1915. He was often cast as the archetypal English gentleman. Maintaining his love of cricket, he captained a team of British actors against Bradman's Australia in 1932 and once bowled P G Wodehouse for a duck at Lord's.