Stephen Haggard | |
|---|---|
 Stephen Haggard | |
| Born | (1911-03-21)21 March 1911 Guatemala City, Guatemala |
| Died | 25 February 1943(1943-02-25) (aged 31) Egypt |
| Resting place | Heliopolis War Cemetery |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, writer, poet, intelligence officer |
| Years active | 1930s–1940s |
Stephen Hubert Avenel Haggard (21 March 1911 – 25 February 1943) was a British actor, writer and poet.
A member of theHaggard family, he was born on 21 March 1911 inGuatemala City,Guatemala, toSir Godfrey Digby Napier Haggard, a British diplomat, and his wife Georgianna Ruel Haggard.[1] He was the great-nephew of authorH. Rider Haggard, and the brother of photographer and authorVirginia Haggard, the companion of the painterMarc Chagall.[2] Haggard was educated atHaileybury College, where he became close to the artist-schoolmasterWilfrid Blunt.[3]
After an initial foray into journalism, and determined to obtain some overseas experience,[4]Haggard moved to Munich, where he studied for stage at the Munich State Theatres under Frau Magda Lena.[4] He made his stage debut at the Schauspielhaus in October 1930 in the playDas kluge Kind directed byMax Reinhardt. He later appeared asHamlet at the same theatre.[1][4]
Upon Haggard's return to the United Kingdom in 1931, his career path was initially discouraging: he received only small parts in various London plays and worked in repertory in Worthing.[1] He undertook further study at theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art[4] and subsequently received good notices when he played Silvius in Shakespeare'sAs You Like It in London in 1933.[4] He was noticed by the playwrightClemence Dane and made his first appearance in New York in 1934 as the poetThomas Chatterton in her playCome of Age.[1][4] Returning to Britain, he had successful roles in a number of plays, includingFlowers of the Forest, a production ofMazo de la Roche'sWhiteoaks, and he appeared as Konstantin inChekhov'sThe Seagull,[4][5] and was hailed as one of the most promising and handsome classical actors of the era.[6]
Haggard married Morna Gillespie in September 1935, and they had three children, of whom one died young,[1][7][8] and another is the directorPiers Haggard.[1][9] His granddaughter is actorDaisy Haggard.[10]
In 1938, Haggard returned to New York to reprise his role as Finch inWhiteoaks, which he also directed.[1][4] His novelNya was published in the same year.[1]He appeared asMozart in the filmWhom the Gods Love (1936). The film was not a success, in part because Haggard was considered to be inexperienced, and was unknown. He also appeared inAlfred Hitchcock's filmJamaica Inn (1939)[1][11] and subsequently appeared asLord Nelson in theCarol Reed filmThe Young Mr. Pitt (1942).[12]
At the outbreak of theSecond World War Haggard joined theBritish Army, serving as a captain in theIntelligence Corps.[1] His wife and two sons went to the United States in 1940, where his father was consul-general in New York. Shortly after their departure, he wrote his sons a letter, which was published in theAtlantic Monthly later that year as"I'll Go to Bed at Noon: A Soldier's Letter to His Sons."[13] Haggard was posted to the Middle East and worked for the Department of Political Warfare.[5][6] There he met the authorOlivia Manning and her husband, the broadcasterR. D. Smith. The latter recruited Haggard to play starring roles in his productions ofHenry V andHamlet on local radio inJerusalem.[5] Manning based the character Aidan Sheridan in herFortunes of Warnovel sequence on Haggard.[6][14]
While in the Middle East, Haggard fell in love with a beautiful Egyptian married woman whose husband worked in Palestine. Haggard was overworked and felt that the war had destroyed his acting career. He was on the edge of anervous breakdown when after some months the woman decided to end the relationship. Haggard shot himself on a train betweenCairo andPalestine on 25 February 1943 at the age of 31.[6][14]
The manner of Haggard's death was hushed up and is not mentioned in the biography of Haggard written byChristopher Hassall and published in 1948.[14] Haggard is buried inHeliopolis War Cemetery, in Cairo, Egypt.[15]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | Whom the Gods Love | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | (film debut) |
| 1937 | Knight Without Armor | Minor Role | Uncredited |
| 1939 | Jamaica Inn | Willie Penhale – Sir Humphrey's Gang | |
| 1942 | The Young Mr. Pitt | Lord Nelson | (final film role) |
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