Norman Pritchard

For the American poet, see Norman Pritchard (poet).
Norman Pritchard
Personal information
Full name Norman Gilbert Pritchard
Ethnicity British
Born (1877-06-23)23 June 1877
Calcutta, British India
Died 31 October 1929(1929-10-31) (aged 52)
Los Angeles, United States
Education Saint Xavier's College
Sport
Sport Athletics
Event(s) 200 metre hurdles
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing British Raj India
Olympic Games
1900 Paris 200 metres hurdles
1900 Paris 200 metres
Trevor at right with Earle Foxe and Florence Reed in The Black Panther's Cub (1921).

Norman Gilbert Pritchard (known in his acting career as Norman Trevor) (23 June 1877 – 31 October 1929) was an athlete from India who went on to star in Hollywood and on the Broadway stage.[1] He was of British parents and moved to Great Britain permanently in 1905.

Biography

Pritchard was born in Calcutta to George Petersen Pritchard and Helen Maynard Pritchard.[2]

Pritchard was the first Indian-born athlete to participate in the Olympic Games. He was also the first athlete from India and first athlete representing an Asian nation to win an Olympic medal. He won two silver medals at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, coming second in the 200 metres behind Walter Tewksbury of the United States and second in the 200 metres hurdles behind the legendary Alvin Kraenzlein, also of the United States. He reached the final of the 110 metres hurdles, but did not finish, and also participated in the 60 metres and 100 metres sprints, in which he failed to qualify for the finals.

In 2005 the IAAF published the official track and field statistics for the 2004 Summer Olympics. In the historical records section Pritchard was listed as having competed for Great Britain in 1900. Research by Olympic historians has shown that Pritchard was indeed chosen to represent Great Britain after competing in the British AAA championship in June 1900.[3] However, the IOC still regard Pritchard as having competed for India, and his two medals are credited to India.[4]

Pritchard won the Bengal province 100 yards sprint title for seven consecutive years, from 1894 to 1900 and set a meet record in 1898-99. He also won the 440 yards (¼ mile) run and the 120 yards hurdles.

He studied at Saint Xaviers College, Calcutta, and is credited with the first hat-trick in an open football tournament in India, for Saint Xavier's against Sovabazar in July 1897.

He served as Secretary of the Indian Football Association from 1900 to 1902. He moved permanently to Britain in 1905.

He later migrated to the United States, where he became a silent film actor under the screen name Norman Trevor. He acted alongside Hollywood legends like Ronald Colman in films like Beau Geste (1926), Clara Bow's father in Dancing Mothers (1926) and Tonight at Twelve (1929). He also appeared in several Broadway shows.

He died in Los Angeles of a brain malady on 31 October 1929.

Selected filmography

References

  1. ↑ "Norman Trevor at IMDb".
  2. ↑ "The Story of a Champion from the East".
  3. ↑ David Wallechinsky - The Complete Book of the Olympics Aurum Press 2000
  4. ↑ http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/results/search_r_uk.asp?KEYWORD=Pritchard&x=0&y=0&RESULT=TRUE&KEYWORDS=%22Pritchard*%22
  • Ian Buchanan. "Who was Norman Pritchard?" (PDF). Journal of Olympic History. International Society of Olympic Historians (January 2000): 27–28. 
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