As a young man, under the name of Reginald Grasdorff, he served in the
British Army with the
South Wales Borderers regiment for the duration of the
First World War. On returning to civilian life after the war, he decided to try his luck as an actor under the name of Purdell and gained experience on the stage through the 1920s. His move into films in 1930 coincided with the advent of the
talkie era in British cinema. Purdell's first screen appearance was in the 1930 comedy
The Middle Watch, in a role he would later reprise in a 1940 remake. He next travelled to
Germany to feature in historical drama
Congress Dances, an ambitious and lavishly budgeted project by the
UFA film company, involving the simultaneous filming of three versions of the same story in
German,
English and
French in an attempt to prove that a European company could challenge the dominance of American studios in the new era of sound by delivering a continent-wide hit. Purdell soon began to accumulate screen credits in a wide variety of films ranging from cheaply made
quota quickies to more sophisticated productions. He showed a knack for playing comedy, and his 1930s films fell mainly into this genre, with occasional ventures into straight drama and thrillers. Purdell's screenwriting career began in 1932 and he was most productive in this field during the late 1930s, with only occasional ventures later in his career. He tried his hand at film directing in 1937 with two comedies ''
Don't Get Me Wrong, a Max Miller vehicle co-directed with Arthur B. Woods, and Patricia Gets Her Man''. Both films were reasonably well-received, but Purdell appears to have decided that directing was not for him, as there would be no more ventures in this area. In the 1940s Purdell's acting career diversified, with fewer throwaway comedies and more appearances in high-quality dramatic vehicles. His credits included war dramas
We Dive at Dawn and
Two Thousand Women,
Gainsborough melodrama
Love Story, the notorious box-office flop musical
London Town and the classic
Brighton Rock. Purdell's last screen appearance was in 1951. ==Personal life==