Norman Gilbert Pritchard (also known as Norman Trevor) (23 June 1877 – 31 October 1929) was an athlete from India who went on to star in Hollywood and Broadway. He was of British descent and moved to Britain permanently in 1905.
Background
Norman Gilbert Pritchard was born on the 23rd of June 1875 at Calcutta (now Kolkata), West Bengal to George Peterson Pritchard and Helen Maynard Pritchard, and baptized on 28th of January 1883. George was an accountant, settled at Alipore, Calcutta. Norman studied at St. Xaviers College, Calcutta and used to play Football for his college, and is said to have been the first Indian to score a Hat-Trick in an Open Football Tournament in India, which he did in a match against Sovabazar in the year 1897.
Norman Pritchard is a "controversial" Olympian in that he is claimed by both Britain and India as having competed for them at the 1900 Olympics. The doyen of British Olympic historians, Ian Buchanan, notes that Pritchard was a member of an old colonial family and although he was born in India, he was indisputedly British. The Indian Olympic historian, Gulu Ezekiel, claims Pritchard based on his birth and the fact that he lived in India for many years. Pritchard moved to England in the summer of 1900 and was elected a member of [London AC] in June after which he competed in the AAA Championships, which he entered as a member of the London AC and the Bengal Presidency AC, further adding to the confusion. The British team was chosen for the 1900 Olympics based on the results of the 1900 AAA Championships, and Pritchard's runner-up finish to Al Kraenzlein in the 120y hurdles garnered him Olympic selection. Buchanan notes that the Paris program lists him as a member of the AAA team, and that The New York Times referred to him as an "Englishman". Although not a match for the best athletes at the 1900 Olympics, he was a solid sprinter and hurdler, winning the Bengal 100 yards title for seven consecutive years (1894-1900) and was also Bengal champion at 440 yards and 120y hurdles, which would lend support to the Indian claim. He was also at one time Secretary of the Indian FA. He later moved to the United States, where he took the name Norman Trevor, and became a silent movie star, appearing alongside Ronald Coleman in 27 movies for MGM. But he died penniless in California, in and out of mental asylums, presumably from a chronic brain disease, unclassified in that era.
Education
He made the first hat-trick in an open football tournament in the country in a match for Saint Xavier`s against Sovabazar in July 1897. During his early life, Norman Gilbert Pritchard was employed as an accountant and resided in Alipore.
Career
As an Athlete, the best performance by Norman in India was delivered in a 100 yards race on grass in Calcutta on the 18th of February 1988. Although no official world records were maintained those days, Norman’s timing of 9.8 seconds is said to be equal to the same delivered by World class sprinters of the time. For a period of 7 years consecutively from the year 1894 to 1900, he won the Bengal Province 100 yards Sprint title. He also won the 440 yards and 120 yards Hurdles races. He participated in 5 races at the Paris Olympic Games 1900, viz. 60m, 100m, 110m Hurdles, 200m and 200m Hurdles, and was the first Indian to participate in Olympic Games. Norman reached the finals of 110m Hurdles, 200m and 200m Hurdles, and couldn’t qualify in the rest two. In the 110m Hurdles final round he got stumbled right in the beginning, and finished at 5th place, but won Silver Medals in the 200m and 200m Hurdles, losing to Walter Tewksbury and Alvin Kraenzlein respectively. Norman was the first Asian to win an Olympic Medal.Between the years 1900 and 1902, Norman served as the Secretary of the Indian Football Association, and permanently moved to England in the year 1905 to trade in Jute. After his relocation to England, Norman was invited by Sir Charles Wyndham, a theater personality to perform a role in his play, The Stronger Sex, in the year 1907. After the play proved to be a good success, Sir Charles advised him to move to the US and take up acting seriously. Following his suggestions, Norman made his debut at Broadway in the US with the play The Elder Son in the year 1914. The next year he made his Silent Movie debut with a movie named After Dark. He acted in 26 plays and 27 movies, his last movie being Tonight at Twelve released in the year 1929.
