Arthur Phillips Hemsley was a great vaudevillian who grew up in a theatrical family in London during the latter part of the 19th Century. In 1907 he married Elsa Brull, an equally talented and versatile actress. Together they conquered the world as Brull & Hemsley, comedic duo of renown.

 

Hemsley's travels took him far and wide. After honing his craft in England he performed in Africa and India before touring the antipodes first in 1913 and again in 1917-1918.

 

In 1920 he became a Freemason by joining Thespian Lodge No. 73, Grand Lodge of Queensland, then meeting in the Alice Street Masonic Temple.

 

Arthur Hemsley decided to stay permanently in Australia.

 

As Brull & Hemsley the pair toured extensively throughout the 1920s and early 1930s.

 

A transition to radio in the 1930s saw Hemsley's fame spread even further as he conquered the new medium as producer, actor and publicity agent for both the National Broadcaster, the ABC and several commercial radio stations.

 

Hemsley's life, which began in Battersea, London 1891... and concluded in Mosman, Sydney 1954 is a rich tapestry of a talented actor and his wife who continually renewed themselves by clever writing and performances welcomed in live theatres across Australia and New Zealand....

 

It is high time to re-discover a very talented, but almost forgotten Londoner...