Lloyd studied singing at Morley College and later with Amy Martin and Herbert Oliver.
He began his career as an actor at the Old Vic in his early 20s, excelling in the plays of William Shakespeare.
Among the many roles he created on stage at Sadler's Wells were Bardolfo in Falstaff, Basilio in The Marriage of Figaro, Bobyl in The Snow Maiden, Goro in Madama Butterfly, Monostatos in The Magic Flute, Spoletta in Tosca, and Vašek in The Bartered Bride.
He also had two major successes at the Royal Opera, London: the witch in Hänsel und Gretel (1934) and David in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1936) under conductor Thomas Beecham.
[1] Lloyd's career was put on hold while the London stages were closed during World War II.