Sydney Greenstreet's father, a leather merchant, was the patriarch of a family with eight children. At the tender age of 18, Sydney bid farewell to his family and set out to make his fortune as a Ceylon tea planter, driven by a sense of adventure and a desire for financial independence. However, the forces of nature had other plans, as a severe drought struck the region, forcing Sydney to abandon his business and return to England, the land of his birth.
Back in England, Sydney's entrepreneurial spirit led him to manage a brewery, where he soon found himself yearning for a change of pace. To alleviate the monotony of his daily routine, Sydney turned to the world of acting, enrolling in acting lessons to hone his craft. His stage debut was a memorable one, as he took on the role of a murderer in a 1902 production of "Sherlock Holmes".
From that auspicious beginning, Sydney went on to appear in numerous plays in England and the United States, working alongside some of the most renowned actors of his time, including Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne at the Theatre Guild. His performances ranged from lighthearted musical comedies to the works of the Bard himself, Shakespeare. For nearly two decades, Sydney worked tirelessly in the theatre, solidifying his reputation as a talented and versatile actor.
It wasn't until he was 62 years old, weighing a substantial 300 pounds, that Sydney made his film debut, playing the iconic role of Kasper Guttman in the classic 1941 movie "The Maltese Falcon", alongside the likes of Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre. Sydney would go on to team up with Lorre in eight more films, cementing their partnership as one of the most formidable duos in Hollywood history.
Despite being beset by the challenges of diabetes and Bright's disease, Sydney remained committed to his craft, churning out an astonishing 24 films in just eight years. His remarkable career came to a close in 1949, when he retired from the silver screen, passing away four years later at the age of 75.
