He came to the notice of Miss Ellen Terry with his Pippy in the "Lemonade Boy" (October 1906). She hired him in January 1907 for her tour of America with "Nance Oldfield" (as Alexander Oldworthy) and "Captain Brassbound's Conversion" (Osman). His subsequent London stage appearances included the part of Sam in "Stingaree" at the Queen's Theatre, and in 1909 the part of Henry French in "The Strife", which performed matinees at the Duke of York's, and evening performances at the Haymarket. He also appeared as Julius Baker in George Bernard Shaw's "Misalliance", as well as in Galworthy's "Justice" and in Pinero's "Trelawny of The Wells". He played Sherlock Holmes in "The Speckled Band", a portrayal much admired by Arthur Conan Doyle His cabman in Haddon Chambers' "Passers By" of 1911 was praised also. After playing Maximilian Cutts in productions of "The New Sin" at the Royal Court and the Criterion in early 1912, he took his own production to America. It played firstly on 15 October 1912 at Wallack's Theatre, New York. On 26 October 1914, he appeared at the same house as Uriah Heep in an adaptation of David Copperfield called "The Highway of Life". In England, he appeared in J.M. Barrie's short play "The Dramatists Get What They Want" at the Hippodrome and took the lead in "Androcles and The Lion" (playing Androcles) at St James's. His Rev. Cyril Smith in G.K. Chesterton's first play "Magic" in 1914 at the Little Theatre was also highly praised. Transferring to Broadway, he appeared in 1915 in the "Man Who Married A Dumb Wife" opposite Lillah McCarthy in its first presentation on an English speaking stage, reprised his role in "Androcles", as Peter Quince in "A Midsummer Night's Dream", and in Shaw's "The Doctor's Dilemma". He followed by playing solicitor's managing clerk Robert Cokeson in "Justice" (1916), Oliver Blayds in "The Truth about Blayds" (1922), and Old Man Minick in "Minick" (1924). He took part in numerous revivals of classics ranging from Shylock in "The Merchant of Venice" (1918) to Diggory in "She Stoops to Conquer" in 1928.