Michael Redgrave | |
|---|---|
 Portrait taken byAllan Warren in 1978 | |
| Born | Michael Scudamore Redgrave (1908-03-20)20 March 1908 Bristol, England |
| Died | 21 March 1985(1985-03-21) (aged 77) Denham,Buckinghamshire, England |
| Resting place | St Paul's, Covent Garden,London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Clifton College,Bristol (independent boarding school) |
| Alma mater | Magdalene College, Cambridge |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1933–1982 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | |
| Parents | |
| Family | Redgrave |
Sir Michael Scudamore Redgrave (20 March 1908 – 21 March 1985) was an English actor and filmmaker. Beginning his career in theatre, he first appeared in theWest End in 1937. He made his film debut inAlfred Hitchcock'sThe Lady Vanishes in 1938.
Redgrave received a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Actor for his performance inMourning Becomes Electra (1947), as well as twoBAFTA nominations forBest British Actor for his performances inThe Night My Number Came Up (1955) andTime Without Pity (1957).
At the4th Cannes Film Festival, he wonBest Actor for his performance inThe Browning Version (1951).
Redgrave was born inBristol, England, the son of actressMargaret Scudamore and thesilent film actorRoy Redgrave. Roy left when Redgrave was six months old to pursue a career in Australia. He died when Redgrave was 14. His mother subsequently married Captain James Anderson, a tea planter. Redgrave greatly disliked his stepfather.[1]
Redgrave attendedClifton College in Bristol.[2] Clifton College Theatre was opened in 1966 by Redgrave as the first purpose-built school theatre in the country. After his death, the building was renamed The Redgrave Theatre in his honour.
Upon leaving Clifton, Redgrave went on to study the modern languages and Englishtriposes atMagdalene College, Cambridge. Under the direction ofDadie Rylands, he garnered great acclaim for his starring roles on the Cambridge stage as Edgar, Prince Hal andCaptain Brassbound. Alongside the art historianAnthony Blunt and schoolfriendRobin Fedden, Redgrave also edited anavant-garde literary magazine calledThe Venture, which published work byLouis MacNeice,Julian Bell andJohn Lehmann.[3] He graduated with athird-class degree in 1931.[4]
Redgrave taught modern languages atCranleigh School in Surrey for three years before becoming an actor in 1934. He directed the boys inHamlet,King Lear andThe Tempest, but played all the leading roles himself.[5]
Redgrave made his first professional appearance at thePlayhouse inLiverpool on 30 August 1934 as Roy Darwin inCounsellor-at-Law (byElmer Rice), then spent two years with its Liverpool Repertory Company where he met his future wifeRachel Kempson. They married on 18 July 1935.
Offered a job byTyrone Guthrie, Redgrave made his professional debut in London at theOld Vic on 14 September 1936, playing Ferdinand inLove's Labours Lost. During 1936–37 he also played Mr Horner inThe Country Wife, Orlando inAs You Like It, Warbeck inThe Witch of Edmonton and Laertes toLaurence Olivier's Hamlet. His hit of the season was Orlando.Edith Evans was his Rosalind and the two fell very much in love. As he later explained: "Edith always had a habit of falling in love with her leading men; with us it just went rather further."[5]As You Like It transferred to theWest End'sNew Theatre in February 1937 and Redgrave again played Orlando.
At theEmbassy Theatre in March 1937, he played Anderson in a mystery play,The Bat, before returning to the Old Vic in April, succeedingMarius Goring as Chorus inHenry V. Other roles that year included Christopher Drew inDaisy Fisher's comedyA Ship Comes Home at theSt Martin's Theatre in May and Larry Starr in Philip Leaver's comedyThree Set Out at the Embassy in June, before joiningJohn Gielgud's Company at theQueen's Theatre, September 1937 to April 1938, where he played Bolingbroke inRichard II, Charles Surface inThe School for Scandal and Baron Tusenbach inThree Sisters.
Other roles included:
Once the London theatres were re-opened, after the outbreak of war, he played:
Redgrave joined theRoyal Navy as anordinary seaman in July 1941, (HMS Illustrious) but was discharged on medical grounds in November 1942.[6] Having spent most of 1942 in the Reserve he managed to directLifeline (Norman Armstrong) starringFrank Pettingell at theDuchess Theatre in July; andThe Duke in Darkness (Patrick Hamilton) starringLeslie Banks at theSt James's Theatre in October, also taking the role of Gribaud.[7]
Resuming his stage career he played/directed:
Joining theOld Vic Company at theNew Theatre for its 1949–50 season, he played:
Redgrave joined theShakespeare Memorial Theatre company atStratford-upon-Avon and for the 1951 season appeared as Prospero inThe Tempest as well as playing Richard II, Hotspur and Chorus in the Cycle ofHistories, for which he also directedHenry IV Part Two. After appearing as Frank Elgin inWinter Journey at the St James's April 1952, he rejoined the Stratford company in 1953 (together with his actress wife Rachel Kempson) appearing as Shylock, King Lear and Antony inAntony and Cleopatra, also playing Antony when the company transferred to thePrince's Theatre in November 1953 before touring in theNetherlands,Belgium andParis,[8]: p. 163 in 1958 he played Hamlet with Googie Withers appearing as his mother at Stratford on Avon.
At the Apollo in June 1955 he played Hector inTiger at the Gates, appearing in the same role at thePlymouth Theatre, New York City in October 1955 for which he received the New York Critics' Award. While in New York he directedA Month in the Country at the Phoenix Theatre in April 1956, and directed and played the Prince Regent inThe Sleeping Prince withBarbara Bel Geddes at theCoronet Theatre in November 1956.
Returning to London in January 1958, Redgrave appeared as Philip Lester inA Touch of the Sun (N. C. Hunter) at theSaville Theatre. He won Best Actor in theEvening Standard Awards 1958 for this role. He rejoined the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company in June 1958, to play Hamlet and Benedick, also playing Hamlet with the company inLeningrad andMoscow in December 1958. (His wife Rachel Kempson played Ursula inMuch Ado About Nothing and Lady Capulet inRomeo and Juliet).
At theQueen's Theatre, in London in August 1959, he played H.J. in his own adaptation of the Henry James novellaThe Aspern Papers. His play was later successfully revived on Broadway in 1962, withDame Wendy Hiller andMaurice Evans. The 1984 London revival featured his daughter,Vanessa Redgrave, along withChristopher Reeve and Hiller, this time in the role of Miss Bordereau.
Roles included:
Returning to theUK, in July 1962 he took part in theChichester Festival Theatre's opening season, playing the title role inChekhov'sUncle Vanya to the Astrov ofLaurence Olivier who also directed.
AlongsideJohn Dexter's Chichester staging ofSaint Joan, Olivier'sUncle Vanya was first revived in Chichester in 1963 before transferring to the Old Vic as part of the nascentRoyal National Theatre's inaugural season, winning rave reviews and Redgrave's second win as Best Actor in the 1963Evening Standard Awards. CriticMichael Billington recalled: "In Redgrave's Vanya you saw both a tremulous victim of a lifetime's emotional repression and the wasted potential of a Chekhovian might-have-been: as Redgrave and Olivier took their joint curtain call, linked hands held triumphantly aloft, we were not to know that this was to symbolise the end of their artistic amity."[9]
Redgrave played (and co-presented) Lancelot Dodd MA inArthur Watkyn'sOut of Bounds atWyndham's Theatre in November 1962, following it at the Old Vic with his portrayal of Claudius opposite the Hamlet ofPeter O'Toole on 22 October 1963. ThisHamlet was in fact the National Theatre's official opening production, directed by Olivier, butSimon Callow has dubbed it "slow, solemn, long", whileKen Campbell vividly described it as "brochure theatre."[10]
In January 1964 at the National he played the title role inHobson's Choice, which he admitted was well outside his range: "I couldn't do theLancashire accent and that shook my nerve terribly – all the other performances suffered." While still at the National in June 1964 he also played Halvard Solness inThe Master Builder, which he said 'went wrong'. At this time he had incipientParkinson's disease, although he did not know it.[5]
In May and June 1965 Redgrave directed the opening festival of theYvonne Arnaud Theatre inGuildford, including directing and playing Rakitin inA Month in the Country (co-starring withIngrid Bergman as Natalya Petrovna), and Samson inSamson Agonistes (co-starring with Rachel Kempson as Chorus). He again played Rakitin in September 1965, when his production transferred to theCambridge Theatre in London. For theGlyndebourne Festival Opera he directedWerther in 1966 andLa bohème in 1967.[11]
At theMermaid Theatre in July 1971 he played Mr Jaraby inThe Old Boys (William Trevor) and had an unfortunate experience: "My memory went, and on the first night they made me wear a deaf aid to hear some lines from the prompter and it literally fell to pieces – there were little bits of machinery all over the floor, so I then knew I really couldn't go on, at least not learning new plays."[5]
Nevertheless, he successfully took over the part of Father inJohn Mortimer'sA Voyage Round My Father at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, also touring Canada and Australia in the role in 1972–73.
In 1973, he played a supporting role inDavid Winters' musical television film adaptation ofDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, starringKirk Douglas.[12]
He returned to the international touring ofA Voyage Round My Father in 1974–75 with a Royal Shakespeare Company production ofThe Hollow Crown, visiting major venues in the US, New Zealand and Australia, while in 1976–77 he toured South America, Canada, the UK and the United States in the anthology,Shakespeare's People.
Redgrave's final theatre appearance came in May 1979 when he portrayed Jasper inSimon Gray'sClose of Play, directed on the Lyttelton stage at the National Theatre byHarold Pinter. It was a silent, seated role, based on Gray's own father, who had died a year before he wrote the play. As Gray has said: "Jasper is in fact dead but is forced to endure, as if alive, a traditional English Sunday, helpless in his favourite armchair as his three sons and their wives fall to pieces in the usual English middle class style, sometimes blaming him, sometimes appealing to him for help and sobbing at his feet for forgiveness, but basically ignoring him. In other words I had stuck him in Hell, which turns out to be 'life, old life itself'."[13]
His final work, in 1975, a narrative of the epic poem,The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, bySamuel Taylor Coleridge, a poem that Redgrave taught as a young schoolmaster and visualised by producer-director Raul da Silva, received six international film festival prizes of which five were first place in category. This work was to be his last before the onslaught ofParkinson's disease.[14]
Redgrave first appeared on BBC television at theAlexandra Palace in 1937, in scenes fromRomeo and Juliet. His first major film role was inAlfred Hitchcock'sThe Lady Vanishes (1938), which included a scene where he hummed the "Colonel Bogey March" in what was the first appearance of the tune in film.[15] Ted Black put him under contract at Gainsborough.[16]
Redgrave also starred inThe Stars Look Down (1940), withJames Mason in the film ofRobert Ardrey's playThunder Rock (1942), and in the ventriloquist's dummy episode of theEaling compendium filmDead of Night (1945).
His first American film role was oppositeRosalind Russell inMourning Becomes Electra (1947), for which he was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Actor. In 1951 he starred inThe Browning Version, fromSir Terrence Rattigan's play of the same name. TheDaily Mirror described Redgrave's performance as Crocker-Harris as "one of the greatest performances ever seen in films".[17] The 1950s also saw Redgrave inThe Importance of Being Earnest (1952),The Dambusters (1954) with his portrayal of the inventorBarnes Wallis,1984 (1956),Time Without Pity (1957), for which he was nominated for aBAFTA Award, andThe Quiet American (1958).
Notable television performances include narration forThe Great War (1964), a history ofWorld War I using stills and 'stretched' archive film, and the less successfulLost Peace series (BBC Television, 1964 and 1966). Of the latter,Philip Purser wrote: "The commentary, spoken by Sir Michael Redgrave, took on an unremittingly pessimistic tone from the outset."[18]
Redgrave was married to the actressRachel Kempson for 50 years from 1935 until his death. Their childrenVanessa (b. 1937),Corin (1939–2010) andLynn Redgrave (1943–2010), and their grandchildren:Natasha Richardson (1963–2009),Joely Richardson (b. 1965) andJemma Redgrave (b. 1965) are also involved in theatre or film as actors. Their grandsonCarlo Gabriel Nero is a screenwriter and film director; only Luke Redgrave has taken a path outside the theatre.
His daughter Lynn wrote a one-woman play for herself calledShakespeare for My Father. She was nominated for Broadway'sTony Award for this role. She traced her love for Shakespeare as a way of following and finding her often absent father.[19]
Redgrave ownedWhite Roding Windmill from 1937 to 1946.[20] He and his family lived in Bedford House onChiswick Mall from 1945 to 1954.[21] His entry forWho's Who in the Theatre (1981) gives his address as Wilks Water,Odiham, Hampshire.
Corin helped his father in the writing of his last autobiography. During one of Corin's visits to his father, the latter said, "There is something I ought to tell you". Then, after a long pause, "I am, to say the least of it, bisexual". Corin encouraged him to acknowledge his bisexuality in the book. Redgrave agreed to do so, but in the end he chose to remain silent about it.[8]: p.274 Alan Strachan's 2004 biography of Redgrave discusses his affairs with both men and women.[22] Although Redgrave had some long-term relationships with men, he also was prone to cruisingVictoria orKnightsbridge for what he called "a necessary degradation", a habit of quick pick-ups that left him with a lasting sense of self-disgust.[23]
The 1996 BBC documentary filmMichael Redgrave: My Father, narrated by Corin Redgrave, and based on his book of the same name, discusses his father'sbisexuality in some depth.[24] Rachel Kempson recounted that when she proposed to him, Redgrave said that there were "difficulties to do with his nature, and that he felt he ought not to marry". She said that she understood, it did not matter and that she loved him.[25] To this, Redgrave replied, "Very well. If you're sure, we will".[26]
During the filming ofFritz Lang'sSecret Beyond the Door (1947), Redgrave met Bob Mitchell, and they soon became lovers. Mitchell set up house close to the Redgraves, and he became a surrogate "uncle" to Redgrave's children (then aged 11, 9 and 5), who adored him. Mitchell later had children of his own, including a son he named Michael.[8]: p.193 Fred Sadoff was an actor/director who became Redgrave's assistant and lover; they shared lodgings in New York and London.[8]: p.178–183
A card was found among Redgrave's effects after his death. The card was signed "Tommy, Liverpool, January 1940", and on it were the words (quoted fromW.H. Auden): "The word is love. Surely one fearless kiss would cure the million fevers".[27]
In 1976, after suffering symptoms for many years, Redgrave was diagnosed with rapidly advancingParkinson's disease. He began a regimen of therapies and medications that caused disorientation and otherside effects. Costs for his healthcare expenses and his diminished earning power caused the family to apply for public assistance from the King George's Pension Fund. In an interview on his 70th birthday, he said: "For a long time, nobody understood the Parkinson's condition, and directors thought I was just forgetful or drunk – and even now the work isn't easy. The difficulty is not just remembering lines but getting from place to place."[8]: p.258
Redgrave died in a nursing home inDenham, Buckinghamshire, on 21 March 1985, from Parkinson's disease, the day after his 77th birthday. He was cremated atMortlake Crematorium and his ashes were scattered in the garden ofSt Paul's, Covent Garden (The Actors' Church), London.[28]
In 1951 Redgrave received theBest Actor Award (Cannes Film Festival) forThe Browning Version. He won Best Actor trophies in 1958 and 1963Evening Standard Awards and received theVariety Club of Great Britain 'Actor of the Year' award in the same years.
Redgrave was appointed Commander of theOrder of the British Empire (CBE) by theQueen in 1952 andknighted in 1959. He was appointed Commander of theOrder of the Dannebrog by Denmark in 1955.
Redgrave became the First President of the English Speaking Board in 1953, and President of theQuestors Theatre,Ealing in 1958. In 1966, he received an honoraryDLitt degree from theUniversity of Bristol.
In 1986, he was inducted posthumously into theAmerican Theater Hall of Fame.[29]
TheRedgrave Theatre inFarnham, Surrey, 1974–1998, was named in his honour.
For a number of years, British film exhibitors voted him among the top ten British stars at the box office via an annual poll in theMotion Picture Herald.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | The Lady Vanishes | Gilbert | First major role |
| Climbing High | Nicky Brooke | ||
| 1939 | Stolen Life | Alan MacKenzie | |
| 1940 | The Stars Look Down | Davey Fenwick | |
| A Window in London | Peter | Released asLady in Distress in USA | |
| 1941 | Kipps | Kipps | Released asThe Remarkable Mr. Kipps in USA |
| Atlantic Ferry | Charles MacIver | ||
| Jeannie | Stanley Smith | ||
| 1942 | The Big Blockade | Russian | |
| Thunder Rock | David Charleston | ||
| 1945 | The Way to the Stars | David Archdale | Released asJohnny in the Clouds in USA |
| Dead of Night | Maxwell Frere | ||
| 1946 | The Captive Heart | Captain Karel Hasek | |
| The Years Between | Michael Wentworth | ||
| 1947 | The Man Within | Richard Carlyon | Released asThe Smugglers in the USA |
| Fame Is the Spur | Hamer Radshaw | ||
| Mourning Becomes Electra | Orin Mannon | ||
| Secret Beyond the Door... | Mark Lamphere | ||
| 1951 | The Browning Version | Andrew Crocker-Harris | |
| The Magic Box | Mr Lege | ||
| 1952 | The Importance of Being Earnest | Jack/Ernest Worthing | |
| 1954 | The Green Scarf | Maitre Deliot | |
| The Sea Shall Not Have Them | Air Commodore Waltby | ||
| 1955 | The Night My Number Came Up | Air Marshal Hardie | |
| The Dam Busters | Barnes Wallis | ||
| Mr. Arkadin | Burgomil Trebitsch | ||
| Oh... Rosalinda!! | Colonel Eisenstein | ||
| 1956 | 1984 | O'Connor (O'Brien) | |
| 1957 | Time Without Pity | David Graham | |
| The Happy Road | General Medworth | ||
| 1958 | The Quiet American | Thomas Fowler | |
| Law and Disorder | Percy Brand | ||
| Behind the Mask | Sir Arthur Benson Gray | ||
| 1959 | Shake Hands with the Devil | The General | |
| The Wreck of the Mary Deare | Mr Nyland | ||
| 1961 | No My Darling Daughter | Sir Matthew Carr | |
| The Innocents | The Uncle | ||
| 1962 | The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner | Ruxton Towers Reformatory Governor | |
| 1963 | Uncle Vanya | Uncle Vanya | |
| 1965 | Young Cassidy | W. B. Yeats | |
| The Hill | The Medical Officer | (credited as Sir Michael Redgrave) | |
| The Heroes of Telemark | Uncle | ||
| 1966 | Alice in Wonderland | Caterpillar | (credited as Sir Michael Redgrave) |
| 1967 | The 25th Hour | Defence lawyer | |
| 1968 | Assignment K | Harris | |
| Heidi | Grandfather | TV movie | |
| 1969 | Oh! What a Lovely War | General Sir Henry Wilson | |
| Battle of Britain | Air Vice Marshal Evill | ||
| Goodbye, Mr. Chips | The Headmaster | ||
| 1970 | David Copperfield | Dan Peggotty | TV movie |
| Connecting Rooms | James Wallraven | ||
| Goodbye Gemini | James Harrington-Smith | ||
| 1971 | The Go-Between | Leo Colston | |
| A Christmas Carol | Narrator | Voice | |
| Nicholas and Alexandra | Sazonov | ||
| 1972 | The Last Target | Erik Fritsch | |
| 1975 | Rime of the Ancient Mariner | The Ancient Mariner | narration, (final film role) |
| Year | Programme | Episode/source |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | CBS's Studio One | The Return of the Native[32] |
| 1952/3 | Horatio Hornblower | 48 Episodes in the title role on CBS[33] |
| 1952 | Theatre Guild on the Air | The Unguarded Hour[34] |
| 1953 | Theatre Guild on the Air | Jane[35] |
Redgrave wrote five books:
His plays includeThe Seventh Man andCircus Boy, both performed at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1935, and his adaptations ofA Woman in Love (Amourese) at the Embassy Theatre in 1949 and theHenry James novellaThe Aspern Papers at theQueen's Theatre, in 1959.
