Anthony Quayle | |
|---|---|
 Quayle inThe Story of David (1976) | |
| Born | John Anthony Quayle (1913-09-07)7 September 1913 |
| Died | 20 October 1989(1989-10-20) (aged 76) |
| Education | Abberley Hall School Rugby School |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1935–1989 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British ArmySpecial Operations Executive |
| Years of service | 1940–1945 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | Royal Artillery |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Mentioned in Despatches |
Sir John Anthony Quayle (7 September 1913 – 20 October 1989) was a British actor. He was nominated for anOscar and aGolden Globe for his supporting role asThomas Wolsey in the filmAnne of the Thousand Days (1969). He also played important roles in such major studio productions asThe Guns of Navarone (1961),Lawrence of Arabia (1962),The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964),Operation Crossbow (1965),QB VII (1974) andThe Eagle Has Landed (1976). Quayle wasknighted in the1985 New Year Honours.
Quayle was born on 7 September 1913 at 2 Delamere Road,Ainsdale,[1]Southport,Lancashire, to solicitor Arthur Quayle, of aManx family, and Esther Kate Quayle (née Overton).[3]
He was educated atAbberley Hall School, apreparatory school inAbberley, Worcestershire, and atRugby School, then an all-boysindependentboarding school. He trained for one year at theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) inLondon. His first professional stage appearance was inThe Ghost Train at theQ Theatre, while on holiday from RADA. After appearing inmusic hall, he joined theOld Vic in 1932.[3]
During theSecond World War, he served in theRoyal Artillery.[3] Having joined as agunner (i.e. private), he attended the 70th Coast Defence Training Regiment and was commissionedsecond lieutenant on 7 January 1940.[4] He was made one of the area commanders of theAuxiliary Units inNorthumberland. The units were "stay-behind forces" in case of a German invasion.[5][6]
Later Quayle joined theSpecial Operations Executive (SOE) and served as a liaison officer with thepartisans inAlbania. Reportedly, his service with the SOE seriously affected him and he never felt comfortable talking about it. He described his experiences in a fictional form inEight Hours from England.[7]
He was an aide to the Governor ofGibraltar at the time of theair crash of GeneralWładysław Sikorski's aircraft on 4 July 1943.[8] He wrote of his Gibraltar experience in his second novelOn Such a Night, published byHeinemann.
By the end of the war, he held the rank oftemporarymajor.[9] In May 1946, it was published that he had beenmentioned in despatches "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in theMediterranean Theatre".[9]
From 1948 to 1956 Quayle directed at theShakespeare Memorial Theatre, and laid the foundations for the creation of theRoyal Shakespeare Company. His own Shakespearian roles includedFalstaff,Othello, Benedick inMuch Ado About Nothing,Henry VIII and Aaron inTitus Andronicus withLaurence Olivier; he played Mosca inBen Jonson'sVolpone; and he also appeared in contemporary plays. He played the role of Moses inChristopher Fry's playThe Firstborn, in a production starring oppositeKatharine Cornell.[10] He also made an LP with Cornell, in which he played the role of poetRobert Browning inThe Barretts of Wimpole Street.[11]
Quayle made hisBroadway debut inThe Country Wife in 1936. Thirty-four years later, he won critical acclaim for his starring role in the highly successfulAnthony Shaffer playSleuth, which earned him aDrama Desk Award.
Quayle played James Tyrone in the first UK production ofEugene O'Neill'sLong Day's Journey Into Night (Globe Theatre, London, 1958).[12]
Quayle was artist-in-residence at the University of Tennessee in the mid-70s. He came to Knoxville in spring 1974, through a partnership with the Kennedy Center, starring in Henry Denker'sThe Headhunters, which rehearsed and opened at the Clarence Brown Theatre and then moved on to the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theatre. Quayle was appointed as professor in theatre in 1974. He taught classes as an artist in residence and served as artistic director of the Clarence Brown Company—a professional theatre company in residence at UT. He played inEveryman the same year.
In 1984, he founded Compass Theatre Company, that he inaugurated with a tour ofThe Clandestine Marriage, directing and playing the part of Lord Ogleby. This production had a run at theAlbery Theatre, London. With the same company he subsequently toured with a number of other plays, includingSaint Joan,Dandy Dick andKing Lear with himself in the title role.
His first film role was an uncredited brief appearance as an Italian wigmaker inPygmalion (1938) – later film roles included parts inAlfred Hitchcock'sThe Wrong Man,Michael Powell andEmeric Pressburger'sThe Battle of the River Plate (both 1956),Ice Cold in Alex (1958),Tarzan's Greatest Adventure (1959),The Guns of Navarone (1961),H.M.S. Defiant,David Lean'sLawrence of Arabia (both 1962) andThe Fall of the Roman Empire (1964). He was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role asCardinal Wolsey inAnne of the Thousand Days (1969).
Often cast as the decent British officer, Quayle drew upon his wartime experiences, bringing a degree of authenticity to the parts absent from the performances of some non-combatant stars. But he memorably - and convincingly - played a German Panzer officer and spy inIce Cold in Alex. One of his best friends from his days at the Old Vic was fellow actorAlec Guinness, who appeared in several films with him. He was also a close friend ofJack Hawkins andJack Gwillim; all four actors appeared inLawrence of Arabia.
Television appearances include theArmchair Theatre episode "The Scent of Fear" (1959) forITV, the title role in the drama seriesStrange Report (ITC, 1969) and as French General Villers in the television film adaptation ofThe Bourne Identity (1988). He starred in the miniseriesMasada (1981) as Rubrius Gallius. Also he narrated the BBC drama serialThe Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970), and the acclaimed aviation documentary seriesReaching for the Skies (1988). Quayle also starred in the 'Last Bottle in The World' episode ofTales of the Unexpected.
Quayle married twice. His first wife was the actressHermione Hannen (1913–1983), to whom he was married from 1935 to 1941. In 1947, he married American-born actressDorothy Hyson (1914–1996), known as "Dot" to family and friends.[8] He and Dorothy had two daughters, Jenny and Rosanna, and a son, Christopher.
Quayle died at his home inChelsea fromliver cancer on 20 October 1989.[13]
Quayle wasmentioned in despatches during the Second World War.[9] He was appointed aCommander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the1952 Birthday Honours.[14] He was appointed aKnight Bachelor in the1985 New Year Honours for services to the Theatre,[15] and knighted by Queen Elizabeth II during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 5 March 1985.[16]
| Year | Film | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Sunday Night Theatre | Othello | — | TV series, 1 episode: "We Live to Please" |
| 1956 | Producers' Showcase | Various | Various | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1958 | Suspicion | Graham | Jack Smight | TV series, 1 episode: "The Man with the Gun" |
| 1959–61 | Armchair Theatre | Various | Various | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 1961 | BBC Sunday-Night Play | The General | Leo Lehmann | TV series, 1 episode: "A Reason for Staying" |
| 1961–65 | ITV Play of the Week | Various | Various | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 1963 | Man of the World | Dr. Moretti | John Llewellyn Moxey | TV series, 1 episode: "The Enemy" |
| 1964 | Drama 64 | Samurai | James Ferman | TV series, 1 episode: "Miss Hanago" |
| Espionage | Philip | Michael Powell | TV series, 1 episode: "A Free Agent" | |
| The Saint | Lord Thornton Yearley | Peter Yates | TV series, 1 episode: "The Noble Sportsman" | |
| 1966 | Court Martial | Colonel Julian Rodney | Peter Maxwell | TV series, 1 episode: "The House Where He Lived" |
| Barefoot in Athens | Pausanias | George Schaefer | TV movie | |
| 1967 | Playhouse | Daniel Bloch | John Gorrie | TV series, 1 episode: "The Waste Spaces" |
| 1968 | A Case of Libel | Colonel Douglas | Charles Jarrott | TV movie |
| 1969 | Destiny of a Spy | Colonel Malendin | Boris Sagal | |
| Red Peppers | Mr. Edwards | Michael Mills | ||
| 1969–70 | Strange Report | Adam Strange | Various | TV series |
| 1970 | The Six Wives of Henry VIII | Narrator | Naomi Capon John Glenister | |
| 1973 | Jarrett | Cosmo Bastrop | Barry Shear | TV movie |
| 1974 | QB VII | Tom Banniester | Tom Gries | Miniseries |
| Moses the Lawgiver | Aaron | Gianfranco De Bosio | ||
| Great Expectations | Jaggers | Joseph Hardy | TV movie | |
| 1974–75 | The Lives of Benjamin Franklin | Dartmouth | Glenn Jordan | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 1976 | The Story of David | King Saul | Alex Segal | TV movie |
| 21 Hours at Munich | General Zvi Zamir | William A. Graham | ||
| 1978 | BBC2 Play of the Week | The Old Man | David Jones | TV series, 1 episode: "Ice Age" |
| 1979 | The First Part of King Henry the Fourth | Sir John Falstaff | David Giles | TV movie |
| The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth | ||||
| 1981 | Manions of America | Lord Montgomery | Charles S. Dubin Joseph Sargent | Miniseries |
| Masada | Rubrius Gallus | Boris Sagal | ||
| Tales of the Unexpected | Kyros Kassoulas | John Gorrie | TV series, 1 episode: "The Last Bottle in the World" | |
| Dial M for Murder | Insp. Hubbard | Boris Sagal | TV movie | |
| 1984 | Lace | Dr. Geneste | William Hale | Miniseries |
| The Last Days of Pompeii | Quintus | Peter R. Hunt | ||
| The Testament of John | John Douglas | Don Taylor | TV movie | |
| 1985 | The Key to Rebecca | Abdullah | David Hemmings | |
| 1986 | The Theban plays, by Sophocles | Oedipus | Don Taylor | Miniseries, 1 episode: "Oedipus at Colonus" |
| 1988 | The Bourne Identity | Gen. François Villiers | Roger Young | TV movie |
| Reaching for the Skies | Narrator | — | TV series, documentary | |
| 1989 | The Endless Game | Glanville | Bryan Forbes | Miniseries, 1 episode |
| Confessional | The Pope | Gordon Flemyng | Posthumous release, miniseries, 2 episodes |
Quayle wrote two novels and an autobiography.
The first novel is a semi-fictional account of his war service with the S.O.E. in Albania.
Quayle is played byDaniel Evans inMr Burton, a British biographical drama film about the youngRichard Burton.[17]
