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Tom Kirby Walls (18 February 1883 - 27 November 1949) was a popular English stage and motion-pictures character actor, and film director. He has claim to be one of the most influential figures in British comedy. A native of Northampton, Walls was the son of a plumber. After leaving school, he spent a year in Canada and joined the police on his return. After these false starts, he settled on a stage career in 1905. Over the next few years he worked steadily, appearing in the West End as well as touring Britain, Australia and North America. By 1912 he was firmly established as a West End... MORE

Tom Kirby Walls (18 February 1883 - 27 November 1949) was a popular English stage and motion-pictures character actor, and film director. He has claim to be one of the most influential figures in British comedy. A native of Northampton, Walls was the son of a plumber. After leaving school, he spent a year in Canada and joined the police on his return. After these false starts, he settled on a stage career in 1905. Over the next few years he worked steadily, appearing in the West End as well as touring Britain, Australia and North America. By 1912 he was firmly established as a West End star. He had a principal role in the musical Kissing Time in 1919 and in Whirled into Happiness in 1922. By the 1920s, Walls established a long association with London's Aldwych Theatre, where he produced, directed and starred in a string of popular farces written by Ben Travers, and featuring an ensemble cast including Ralph Lynn, Robertson Hare and Yvonne Arnaud. Walls functioned as both star and director in the first Aldwych-produced farce transferred to the cinema; box-office success Rookery Nook. In 1922, together with Leslie Henson, Walls co-produced and starred in the farce Tons of Money at LESS