[1] Livesey's father, Thomas, had been a railway engineer before leaving the industry to establish a travelling theatre with his wife Mary.

He often appeared as authority figures; the cuckolded headmaster in Young Woodley, the dictatorial paterfamilias in Maisie's Marriage and a variety of Police inspectors and military officers.

Livesey also worked with Anthony Asquith on Moscow Nights and Alexander Korda (appearing in Rembrandt with his stepson Roger, Dark Journey and cameoing in The Private Life of Henry VIII).

Nearly the whole family – Sam, Mary Catherine ('Cassie'), Jack and Barry – appeared as the Boyds in Variety (1935), a film revue directed by Adrian Brunel.

One of Livesey's final roles was as Mr Tulliver, the owner of the titular Mill on the Floss, with James Mason portraying his son Tom.