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Richard Burton People
Compiled below is a list of people who, in their own way played a part in, or had a major influence on, the life and career of Richard Burton. Although mentioned in passing on various other pages of this site, they deserve a more detailed profile of their own.
The Richard Burton Museum does not own the rights or copyright to any of the images reproduced below, but have tried hard to credit the respective owners where possible.
The Richard Burton Museum does not own the rights or copyright to any of the images reproduced below, but have tried hard to credit the respective owners where possible.
Edith Maud Jenkins, nee Thomas
Richard Burton's mother was born Edith Maud Thomas, in Llangffelach, South Wales, a small village located just ten miles from Pontrhydyfen, on the 28th of January 1883.
Edith Maud was the eldest daughter of a respectable, middle-class Methodist Welsh family. Her father Harry, originally a miner, was later to rise up the ladder to become a significant member of the management in a local copper smelting works.
Edith Thomas first met Richard Burton's father when she was employed as a barmaid in The Miners Arms, Pontrhydyfen, and after a courtship lasting well over a year, finally agreed to marry Dic Jenkins, against the wishes of her family, on the Christmas Eve of 1900 at Neath Registry Office. Edith was forced to lie about her age on the Marriage Certificate as she was under eighteen at the time and needed her parents permission to marry, obviously something which she knew would never be granted to her.
Edith's story is such a tragic one. Having found out about the illicit marriage, Edith's parents disowned her and for the next twenty-five years she was subjected to the worst kind of treatment possible from her alcoholic, abusive husband. Edith was often left penniless and unable to feed her growing family due to her husband's continual drinking binges, Dic Jenkins often disappearing with the housekeeping money for the public houses of Swansea and Neath for days, sometimes weeks, on end.
David Jenkins, Richard's elder brother, was the only member of the family to write of the few memories he had of his mother. In his biography of Richard, entitled, 'A Brother Remembered' he wrote of Edith saying..."It is tempting to idealise my mother as the pure selfless one, devoted to children and home, and to condemn my father for his self-absorption and gratification, and his humiliation of his family. She rarely, if ever, questioned her total subjugation to the family and devotion to chapel; the idea of her doing something for her own pleasure was quite alien to her".
From the age of eighteen until her death, Edith was to give birth to thirteen children, which included the birth of two daughters, both called Margaret Hannah, who died in infancy. By the time Edith was to give birth to her thirteenth child, Richard Burton's younger brother Graham on the 25th of October 1927, she was physically and emotionally exhausted, mainly due to neglect and poverty. Her final indignity came when Dic Jenkins refused her any money for hospital care when she was diagnosed with septicemia soon after the birth.
Edith Jenkins succumbed to the illness just six days later, dying at home on the morning of the 31st of October, 1927. She was just forty-five years of age.
David Jenkins was further to recall in his marvellous book, 'A Brother Remembered'..."On the morning of the 31st of October, there was suddenly a frightening atmosphere in the house. I can remember the confused, fearful feelings I had, unable to understand exactly what was going on, certain only of the magnitude of the ill-defined disaster. (Prior to this David Jenkins had sensed that all was not well, his mother had borne for many years, virtually single-handedly, the burden of family responsibility, often going without food herself to be able to feed her children, making her emotionally and physically weak.) The doctor and midwife, my father and Cis were rushing about the house in a state of confused preoccupation. I was the only child in the house that morning. About nine o'clock my father came faltering down the stairs and I realised with mounting horror that he was saying to me, 'Mae dy fam wedi marw..'Your mother has died'.
In a moment of melancholy during an interview in his later years Richard Burton was to recall that;
"Apparently I was a real mother's boy, I went with her everywhere, I hung on to her, but I think the shock must have been so great that when they told me she had gone away and that she wouldn't come back, which I don't remember being told, I never asked for her again. I completely, obviously, cut her out of my two year old mind and I have no recollection of her whatsoever. It must be sleeping there in some dormant part of the brain, but I'm not sure I would like to remember..."
Richard Burton's mother was born Edith Maud Thomas, in Llangffelach, South Wales, a small village located just ten miles from Pontrhydyfen, on the 28th of January 1883.
Edith Maud was the eldest daughter of a respectable, middle-class Methodist Welsh family. Her father Harry, originally a miner, was later to rise up the ladder to become a significant member of the management in a local copper smelting works.
Edith Thomas first met Richard Burton's father when she was employed as a barmaid in The Miners Arms, Pontrhydyfen, and after a courtship lasting well over a year, finally agreed to marry Dic Jenkins, against the wishes of her family, on the Christmas Eve of 1900 at Neath Registry Office. Edith was forced to lie about her age on the Marriage Certificate as she was under eighteen at the time and needed her parents permission to marry, obviously something which she knew would never be granted to her.
Edith's story is such a tragic one. Having found out about the illicit marriage, Edith's parents disowned her and for the next twenty-five years she was subjected to the worst kind of treatment possible from her alcoholic, abusive husband. Edith was often left penniless and unable to feed her growing family due to her husband's continual drinking binges, Dic Jenkins often disappearing with the housekeeping money for the public houses of Swansea and Neath for days, sometimes weeks, on end.
David Jenkins, Richard's elder brother, was the only member of the family to write of the few memories he had of his mother. In his biography of Richard, entitled, 'A Brother Remembered' he wrote of Edith saying..."It is tempting to idealise my mother as the pure selfless one, devoted to children and home, and to condemn my father for his self-absorption and gratification, and his humiliation of his family. She rarely, if ever, questioned her total subjugation to the family and devotion to chapel; the idea of her doing something for her own pleasure was quite alien to her".
From the age of eighteen until her death, Edith was to give birth to thirteen children, which included the birth of two daughters, both called Margaret Hannah, who died in infancy. By the time Edith was to give birth to her thirteenth child, Richard Burton's younger brother Graham on the 25th of October 1927, she was physically and emotionally exhausted, mainly due to neglect and poverty. Her final indignity came when Dic Jenkins refused her any money for hospital care when she was diagnosed with septicemia soon after the birth.
Edith Jenkins succumbed to the illness just six days later, dying at home on the morning of the 31st of October, 1927. She was just forty-five years of age.
David Jenkins was further to recall in his marvellous book, 'A Brother Remembered'..."On the morning of the 31st of October, there was suddenly a frightening atmosphere in the house. I can remember the confused, fearful feelings I had, unable to understand exactly what was going on, certain only of the magnitude of the ill-defined disaster. (Prior to this David Jenkins had sensed that all was not well, his mother had borne for many years, virtually single-handedly, the burden of family responsibility, often going without food herself to be able to feed her children, making her emotionally and physically weak.) The doctor and midwife, my father and Cis were rushing about the house in a state of confused preoccupation. I was the only child in the house that morning. About nine o'clock my father came faltering down the stairs and I realised with mounting horror that he was saying to me, 'Mae dy fam wedi marw..'Your mother has died'.
In a moment of melancholy during an interview in his later years Richard Burton was to recall that;
"Apparently I was a real mother's boy, I went with her everywhere, I hung on to her, but I think the shock must have been so great that when they told me she had gone away and that she wouldn't come back, which I don't remember being told, I never asked for her again. I completely, obviously, cut her out of my two year old mind and I have no recollection of her whatsoever. It must be sleeping there in some dormant part of the brain, but I'm not sure I would like to remember..."
Richard Walter Jenkins Senior
Richard Walter Jenkins Senior was born on the 5th of March,1876 in Efail-Fach, South Wales, to parents Thomas and Margaret Jenkins, a working-class mining family originally from Pontrhydyfen. Dic Bach, as he became known, meaning 'Little Dick' due to his small stature, was named after his maternal grandfather, Richard Walter, who had at one time been the manager of the Pontrhydyfen mill.
Taking after his father Thomas, Dic, from an early age was an irresponsible, selfish, drunken gambler, whose sole pleasure seemed to be drinking away the seven shillings and six pence which he earned from his employment working down the coal-mines of Pontrhydyfen, a job he had held since the age of fourteen.
Dic Jenkins, although having the reputation as a drinker and a man not be trusted, was however, according to his elder sons, an intelligent, well-read and literate man, who spoke both Welsh and English fluently. He was also a talented pit-worker and was renowned throughout the South Wales valley's for his skills. He rapidly rose to earning three pounds a week and became somewhat of a hero in the mining community. Dic Jenkin's weaknesses however were alcohol and gambling, two vices which left him frequently broke, and a borrower of money which he would never pay back, and increasingly unreliable as an employee.
Despite these failings, Dic Jenkins was a born raconteur and storyteller, (a trait obviously passed on to his famous son), and he had a charm and wit that overshadowed the fact that he was a waster and a drunkard. This charm must have worked on Edith Maud Thomas in the early days of their courtship for she was to say that it was his 'eloquence and deep rooted passion' which had made her overlook his more serious faults. A decision she must have regretted throughout the ensuing and turbulent years of her marriage.
After Edith died and the younger children had been taken to the homes of their elder siblings to be raised, Dic Jenkins, now a sad, lonely and haunted figure, looking considerably older than his years, went into a slow alcoholic decline that would take thirty years to complete. Spending most of his days and nights in The Miners Arms and at other times, according to David Jenkins .." Just pottering around the house when he was there, not greatly missed when he was not.", it seemed that he had accepted the fact that his older children were now in charge of the day-to-day running of the house, and also, his life. It was Hilda, Richard Burton's sister, who would remain closest to her father, and as the elder children moved on with their lives, getting married and leaving home, it was Hilda who took responsibility for the welfare of Dic Jenkins. Eventually too, Hilda would get married and leave 2 Dan-Y-Bont forever, and when she did, she took her aged, alcoholic father with her.
Dic Jenkins was always to be a neglectful and absent father, neither taking an interest or pride in any of his children's scholastic or life achievements. Sadly this was especially true in Richard's case. It has been well documented that Dic Jenkins only ever saw one of Richard Burton's films, probably 'My Cousin Rachel', taken on a family night-out to the Cardiff Premiere but leaving half-way through the screening to find a local pub, complaining that..."There was too much kissing".
The end for Dic Jenkins finally came on the 25th of March, 1957 at the Neath General Hospital, having been taken there the week previously due to breathing problems. Richard Burton received the news, by telegram, at his home in Celigny. David Jenkins was to remark that..."And so it was that I was to be the one person present at the death of both my parents. My father's death was nowhere near as traumatic as my mother's had been for her young children, but it was nonetheless a great wrench"
In what was to be a final, very telling gesture, Richard Burton did not attend the funeral.
Richard Walter Jenkins Senior was born on the 5th of March,1876 in Efail-Fach, South Wales, to parents Thomas and Margaret Jenkins, a working-class mining family originally from Pontrhydyfen. Dic Bach, as he became known, meaning 'Little Dick' due to his small stature, was named after his maternal grandfather, Richard Walter, who had at one time been the manager of the Pontrhydyfen mill.
Taking after his father Thomas, Dic, from an early age was an irresponsible, selfish, drunken gambler, whose sole pleasure seemed to be drinking away the seven shillings and six pence which he earned from his employment working down the coal-mines of Pontrhydyfen, a job he had held since the age of fourteen.
Dic Jenkins, although having the reputation as a drinker and a man not be trusted, was however, according to his elder sons, an intelligent, well-read and literate man, who spoke both Welsh and English fluently. He was also a talented pit-worker and was renowned throughout the South Wales valley's for his skills. He rapidly rose to earning three pounds a week and became somewhat of a hero in the mining community. Dic Jenkin's weaknesses however were alcohol and gambling, two vices which left him frequently broke, and a borrower of money which he would never pay back, and increasingly unreliable as an employee.
Despite these failings, Dic Jenkins was a born raconteur and storyteller, (a trait obviously passed on to his famous son), and he had a charm and wit that overshadowed the fact that he was a waster and a drunkard. This charm must have worked on Edith Maud Thomas in the early days of their courtship for she was to say that it was his 'eloquence and deep rooted passion' which had made her overlook his more serious faults. A decision she must have regretted throughout the ensuing and turbulent years of her marriage.
After Edith died and the younger children had been taken to the homes of their elder siblings to be raised, Dic Jenkins, now a sad, lonely and haunted figure, looking considerably older than his years, went into a slow alcoholic decline that would take thirty years to complete. Spending most of his days and nights in The Miners Arms and at other times, according to David Jenkins .." Just pottering around the house when he was there, not greatly missed when he was not.", it seemed that he had accepted the fact that his older children were now in charge of the day-to-day running of the house, and also, his life. It was Hilda, Richard Burton's sister, who would remain closest to her father, and as the elder children moved on with their lives, getting married and leaving home, it was Hilda who took responsibility for the welfare of Dic Jenkins. Eventually too, Hilda would get married and leave 2 Dan-Y-Bont forever, and when she did, she took her aged, alcoholic father with her.
Dic Jenkins was always to be a neglectful and absent father, neither taking an interest or pride in any of his children's scholastic or life achievements. Sadly this was especially true in Richard's case. It has been well documented that Dic Jenkins only ever saw one of Richard Burton's films, probably 'My Cousin Rachel', taken on a family night-out to the Cardiff Premiere but leaving half-way through the screening to find a local pub, complaining that..."There was too much kissing".
The end for Dic Jenkins finally came on the 25th of March, 1957 at the Neath General Hospital, having been taken there the week previously due to breathing problems. Richard Burton received the news, by telegram, at his home in Celigny. David Jenkins was to remark that..."And so it was that I was to be the one person present at the death of both my parents. My father's death was nowhere near as traumatic as my mother's had been for her young children, but it was nonetheless a great wrench"
In what was to be a final, very telling gesture, Richard Burton did not attend the funeral.
Philip H. Burton
Philip Henry Burton was born on the 30th of November, 1904 in Mountain Ash, South Wales, to an English father and a Welsh mother. His father died in a pit accident when Philip was just fourteen, and this led Philip Burton to withdraw into himself and focus his attention on his schoolwork, literature and the arts. Philip Burton excelled at school and largely due to his mothers influence, who saw the academic promise in her son, Philip applied for, and won a scholarship for a place at the University of Wales based in Cardiff, and graduated in 1925 with a double honours degree in mathematics and history.
It was while he was studying in Cardiff that Philip Burton really discovered the theatre. The capital of Wales, Cardiff, in the years between the wars, was a cultural goldmine, boasting three of the grandest theatres of the time, The Empire, The New Theatre and The Playhouse. Philip Burton spent as much time as his studies would allow watching productions and learning the techniques as to how each performance was staged, and the creative process that went into each and every show. It was during this time that he knew his vocation in life was to be involved in some way with the theatre, whether it be as an actor or involved in the production process, perhaps as a script editor, or possibly as a director.
After graduating from university, Philip Burton took up a post at the Port Talbot Secondary School, where he became the senior English master. He also became the chairman of the Port Talbot Y.M.C.A. and founded the accompanying Drama Society.
It was during this time that Philip Burton was also contributing plays to the B.B.C. in Cardiff, and two of his plays, 'Granton Street' and 'Margam Abbey' were broadcast in 1937, produced by T. Rowland Hughes, who he continued to work with throughout the War years.
Philip Burton was a prolific writer and between 1937 and 1953 provided the B.B.C. with well over forty-five completed radio scripts, as well as screenplays for television dramas. This incredible body of work led Philip Burton to be awarded a scholarship by the University of Wales to visit America to study drama, broadcasting and theatre, this he duly undertook in 1938.
Returning to Britain just before the War, Philip Burton was commissioned as Commanding Officer of the Port Talbot Air Training Corps, 499 Squadron, a post which led to him being awarded an M.B.E.
Since his youth, Philip Burton had always longed to be an actor, and as Head English master at the Port Talbot Secondary school he had every opportunity to discover a young protege who could achieve success on the stage which had long eluded himself. This he did very successfully with a young pupil named Owen Jones, who would go on to appear in many films in the 1930's as well as appearing with many great names on the theatrical stage. Sadly, Owen Jones was called-up during the War to serve in the Royal Air Force, and died after an accident during training, which left Philip Burton devastated. It was following this that the outstanding talent of another young pupil, Richard Walter Jenkins, came to the attention of Philip Burton, who immediately took the aspiring young talent under his wing.
Philip Burton tutored Richard Jenkins mercilessly, often working together into the early hours, teaching him his usual school subjects as well as the rudiments of stage work, elocution and acting voice, which included hours of outdoor voice projection on the mountains overlooking Port Talbot. Richard Burton was to later recall these lessons as the most hardworking and painful period of his life.
During the early 1940's, Philip Burton made an unsuccessful attempt to adopt the young Richard Jenkins in order to give him a better chance of succeeding in his chosen profession, but due to a technicality was only able to make him his legal ward, but this gave Richard Jenkins Burton's surname and propelled him on the way to international stardom. There is no doubt that without Philip Burton and his knowledge, dedication, foresight and educational discipline there would have been no Richard Burton, the actor.
Philip Burton left teaching in 1945 and took over from T. Rowland Hughes as the Features Producer for B.B.C. Wales. One of his first jobs within the B.B.C. was to produce the Dylan Thomas radio feature, 'Return Journey'. He was to work closely with Dylan Thomas during the first draft of the radio play, 'The Town That Was Mad', which would later to become Dylan's 'Play for Voices', 'Under Milk Wood'.
In 1949 Philip Burton left the B.B.C. in Cardiff and moved to London to take up the position of Chief Instructor at the B.B.C. Staff Training School. A year later he was promoted to the Welsh Committee of the Arts Council.
He left the B.B.C. in 1952 to become a freelance scriptwriter, and began by writing the first twelve episodes of the first ever B.B.C. television 'Soap Opera', entitled 'The Appleyards'.
In 1954, Philip Burton moved to America where he helped establish the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and became its first Director. He eventually became an American citizen in 1964 and retired to Key West in Florida where he died in Haines City, aged ninety, on the 28th of January, 1995.
Philip Henry Burton was born on the 30th of November, 1904 in Mountain Ash, South Wales, to an English father and a Welsh mother. His father died in a pit accident when Philip was just fourteen, and this led Philip Burton to withdraw into himself and focus his attention on his schoolwork, literature and the arts. Philip Burton excelled at school and largely due to his mothers influence, who saw the academic promise in her son, Philip applied for, and won a scholarship for a place at the University of Wales based in Cardiff, and graduated in 1925 with a double honours degree in mathematics and history.
It was while he was studying in Cardiff that Philip Burton really discovered the theatre. The capital of Wales, Cardiff, in the years between the wars, was a cultural goldmine, boasting three of the grandest theatres of the time, The Empire, The New Theatre and The Playhouse. Philip Burton spent as much time as his studies would allow watching productions and learning the techniques as to how each performance was staged, and the creative process that went into each and every show. It was during this time that he knew his vocation in life was to be involved in some way with the theatre, whether it be as an actor or involved in the production process, perhaps as a script editor, or possibly as a director.
After graduating from university, Philip Burton took up a post at the Port Talbot Secondary School, where he became the senior English master. He also became the chairman of the Port Talbot Y.M.C.A. and founded the accompanying Drama Society.
It was during this time that Philip Burton was also contributing plays to the B.B.C. in Cardiff, and two of his plays, 'Granton Street' and 'Margam Abbey' were broadcast in 1937, produced by T. Rowland Hughes, who he continued to work with throughout the War years.
Philip Burton was a prolific writer and between 1937 and 1953 provided the B.B.C. with well over forty-five completed radio scripts, as well as screenplays for television dramas. This incredible body of work led Philip Burton to be awarded a scholarship by the University of Wales to visit America to study drama, broadcasting and theatre, this he duly undertook in 1938.
Returning to Britain just before the War, Philip Burton was commissioned as Commanding Officer of the Port Talbot Air Training Corps, 499 Squadron, a post which led to him being awarded an M.B.E.
Since his youth, Philip Burton had always longed to be an actor, and as Head English master at the Port Talbot Secondary school he had every opportunity to discover a young protege who could achieve success on the stage which had long eluded himself. This he did very successfully with a young pupil named Owen Jones, who would go on to appear in many films in the 1930's as well as appearing with many great names on the theatrical stage. Sadly, Owen Jones was called-up during the War to serve in the Royal Air Force, and died after an accident during training, which left Philip Burton devastated. It was following this that the outstanding talent of another young pupil, Richard Walter Jenkins, came to the attention of Philip Burton, who immediately took the aspiring young talent under his wing.
Philip Burton tutored Richard Jenkins mercilessly, often working together into the early hours, teaching him his usual school subjects as well as the rudiments of stage work, elocution and acting voice, which included hours of outdoor voice projection on the mountains overlooking Port Talbot. Richard Burton was to later recall these lessons as the most hardworking and painful period of his life.
During the early 1940's, Philip Burton made an unsuccessful attempt to adopt the young Richard Jenkins in order to give him a better chance of succeeding in his chosen profession, but due to a technicality was only able to make him his legal ward, but this gave Richard Jenkins Burton's surname and propelled him on the way to international stardom. There is no doubt that without Philip Burton and his knowledge, dedication, foresight and educational discipline there would have been no Richard Burton, the actor.
Philip Burton left teaching in 1945 and took over from T. Rowland Hughes as the Features Producer for B.B.C. Wales. One of his first jobs within the B.B.C. was to produce the Dylan Thomas radio feature, 'Return Journey'. He was to work closely with Dylan Thomas during the first draft of the radio play, 'The Town That Was Mad', which would later to become Dylan's 'Play for Voices', 'Under Milk Wood'.
In 1949 Philip Burton left the B.B.C. in Cardiff and moved to London to take up the position of Chief Instructor at the B.B.C. Staff Training School. A year later he was promoted to the Welsh Committee of the Arts Council.
He left the B.B.C. in 1952 to become a freelance scriptwriter, and began by writing the first twelve episodes of the first ever B.B.C. television 'Soap Opera', entitled 'The Appleyards'.
In 1954, Philip Burton moved to America where he helped establish the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and became its first Director. He eventually became an American citizen in 1964 and retired to Key West in Florida where he died in Haines City, aged ninety, on the 28th of January, 1995.
A studio portrait of a young Richard Jenkins seated with his foster father, Philip Burton. The photograph is credited to the Philip Burton Collection.
George 'Emlyn' Williams
George Emlyn Williams was born in Glan-Yr-Afon, Mostyn, Flintshire on the 26th of November, 1905.
After being schooled at Hollywell Grammar School, for which he had won a scholarship, he attended Christ Church, Oxford, where he read French and Italian and joined the Oxford University Dramatic Society, which was where he discovered his taste for the theatre and in particular his talent in the art of play-writing.
In 1927, at the age of eighteen, Emlyn Williams joined a small repertory company and by 1930 had begun writing himself, his early works included the titles, 'A Murder Has Been Arranged' and 'The Late Christopher Bean', a successful comedy-drama which opened at The St. James Theatre, London on May the 16th,1933 and which ran for a total of four hundred and thirty-three performances.
It was however his 1935 play, 'A Night Must Fall', that brought him recognition and fame. 'Night Must Fall', was a psychological thriller which was later adapted twice for film, the first, and most successful being in 1937 which starred Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell.
Success followed success and in 1938 he wrote 'The Corn Is Green', probably the play which Emlyn Williams will be most remembered for. This too was adapted for the big screen, being released in 1945 by Warner Brothers and starring two great character actors, Bette Davis and Nigel Bruce.
It was in 1944 however, with his next play, 'The Druid's Rest', that Emlyn Williams became involved in the life, and career, of Richard Burton.
More information on 'The Druid's Rest' and Emlyn Williams' involvement in the life and career of Richard Burton can be found on the 'Richard Burton In The Theatre' and 'Burton Books and Magazines' pages of this website.
As well as stage-plays, Emlyn William's was a prolific writer of screenplays, which included working with Alfred Hitchcock on 'The Man Who Knew Too Much' which was released in 1956 by Paramount Pictures and starred James Stewart and Doris Day.
Emlyn Williams also began to appear in various films himself including the classic films, 'They Drive By Night', 'The Citadel', 'Jamaica Inn', and of course, 'The Last Day's Of Dolwyn'.
Written and directed by, and starring Emlyn Williams himself, 'The Last Day's Of Dolwyn' is notable for being the film in which Richard Burton would make his screen debut. In a part especially written for him, Richard Burton would play the role of Gareth, a part requiring him to speak both Welsh and English, starring alongside Edith Evans, Hugh Griffith and Emlyn Williams himself.
As well as appearing in his own plays, Emlyn Williams took two 'one-man shows' on tour, the first in which he portrayed Charles Dickens and the second, Dylan Thomas in the production entitled, 'A Boy Growing Up'.
Emlyn Williams was also the author of two autobiographies and the best selling 'True-Crime' work, 'Beyond Belief - A Chronicle of Murder and Detection', which was an in-depth study of the infamous 'Moors Murders' of the late sixties.
From 1935 Emlyn Williams was married to the actress Mary O' Shann with whom they had two sons, Alan, who became a writer, and Brook, who became close to Richard Burton and was employed by him as a personal assistant and who can often be seen in many of Richard Burton's films in small cameo roles.
Emlyn Williams was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1962.
A lifelong friend of Richard Burton, he was instrumental in the introduction of Burton to his first wife Sybil, was Godfather to Burton's daughter Kate, and read a moving eulogy at Richard Burton's Memorial Service, held in London, in August, 1984. A deeply personal and moving piece of writing, it reads in it's entirety;
Our dear Richard...Or, the way I used to start a letter to you - Annwyl Richard...Our dear Richard, here we all are, joining Sally and Kate and all your family in thinking about you, and talking about you. Yes, I can see the old twinkle in the eye, as if to say - 'Well, now that the smoke's clearing away...what are you going to say about me? Not going to be easy, is it?' How often, in the past few weeks, have my thoughts gone back to the first time you and I met, forty-one years ago next month! We spoke of that first meeting, you remember, at our last meeting, in New York a year ago...
It was one evening in Cardiff, in 1943, the Sandringham Hotel, where I was interviewing possible Welsh-speaking actors for a new play. After a dismal procession of no-goods, an older man introduced himself as the schoolmaster who had written about a pupil, apparently a promising amateur. He beckoned, and the pupil stepped forward : a boy of seventeen, of startling beauty, and quiet intelligence. He looked - as very special human beings tend to look at that age - he looked imperishable.
I asked young Jenkins what was the last part he had played, at school. The answer came clear as a bell, 'Professor Higgins in Pygmalion.' I was later to realise the added incongruity of that : the schoolmaster - the unique Phil Burton - was, at that time, playing a real-life Higgins to a markedly male Eliza.
At rehearsals in London, it was interesting to watch the boy work, for he did something very rare : he drew attention by not claiming it. He played his part with the perfect simplicity needed, and offstage was quietly pleasant - not shy, just...reserved - except for the sudden smile, which - there is no other word for it - glowed. He didn't talk much. I think he was a bit self-conscious about his accent, and the need to work on it - it's a phase actors sometimes go through. But inside there, there was humour. A twinkle in the eye, no doubt about it. One evening, as he and I walked away from a late rehearsal, I asked what was the book he was carrying. 'Dylan Thomas'. I just knew the name. 'He is a great poet.' Then he suddenly stopped, and recited. The words resounded through the blackout of the deserted street : Upper St.Martin's Lane, just up the road. 'They shall have stars at elbow and foot...'
I did not say to myself, in a flash, 'This lad will be famous!' But it did occur to me that here was more than a well-graced adolescent who could speak lines naturally, this was a 'voice'. And behind the 'voice' a mind which, like my own, was in love with the English language.
Then I asked him, in an avuncular manner - I was thirty-seven - if his digs were all right, and was he behaving himself in London? he said he was. Even then I doubted it.
Oh, the English language - let me touch, in passing, on something which - up till now - has only been known by those closest to him. His devotion to spoken English has over the last years, extended to words on paper. Steadily, unobtrusively, he has been writing. Diaries? Autobiography? Time will tell, and may surprise. Anyway...
Back to spoken English. After the war, five years of invaluable stage experience, with in between, several films. Then in the early fifties, the young actor's life was taken over by Shakespeare, at 'Stratford' and the 'Old Vic'. They were salaries you couldn't save on, but gruelling hard work built up to triumph.
My former school-teacher, Miss Cooke, was curious about this second Welsh peasant who had been seduced into the theatre and I presented him to her. Richard was on his best behaviour. But she did say afterwards, 'He's going to do well, what's more he's got the devil in him. You haven't.' I felt commonplace.
Then - America! The Movies, Capital 'M', and - and even bigger capital 'M' - the money! The dollars poured in.
Then - 1962. Which means we have to touch lightly - no names mentioned - on a certain Roman - Egyptian epic. (I nearly said 'a Roman - Elizabethan epic')...Gossip bloomed into sensation. Mind you, it is my duty here to emphasise that, at the time, nobody could have guessed that what looked like an irresponsible escapade, was to mature into a long, deep, important relationship.
But at the time all the public knew was that - as a romantic novelist might put it - Cupid's dart had hit both targets, and set the Nile on fire. And the Tiber. Even the Thames sizzled, a bit. I have an idea that the South-Wales River Tawe kept its cool.
Well, as the scandal grew and grew, I - oh, Richard, you and I have talked of this so often since, and it's so long ago it can come out now - I remembered that I had introduced you to Sybil, and that I was godfather to little Kate : I flew to Rome. Once again the heavy uncle, but this time on a mission. A romance-puncturing mission. Sitting in the plane, I did remind myself that I was playing a very bad part, was miscast, and had to pay my own fare.
I was met by our delinquent friend, and as he drove me to the studios, we talked of this and that, but not of it. then, bump - he stopped the car and looked at me. I was about to embark on my lecture, carefully prepared, when he said - I shall never forget it - he said, very calmly, 'Dwi am briodi'r eneth 'ma.' Which is Welsh for 'I am going to marry this girl.' Dwi am brioi'r eneth 'ma.
There was, in the green eyes, the twinkle - but a mischievous devilish twinkle, Miss Cooke had been right. And the fact that he'd said it in Welsh proved, to my Celtic instinct, that he was going to marry this girl. Though even a Celtic instinct could hardly foresee that he was going to do it twice.
After Rome, the dollars no longer poured. They cascaded. Up to the waist he was. Having started life as a simple child of the valleys - the smallest luxuries out of his reach - Richard Burton 'Super-Star' found himself, like an orphan with a sweet-tooth, let loose in the biggest candy-store in the world - Hollywood!
He spent lavishly. And the more he spent, the more he earned. And the Media - 'media', what a useful word, the plural of 'medium', however did we manage without it, covers everything - the Media began to mutter. As they donned the unsuitable mantles of the old Welsh-Calvinist preachers, they hinted at Mammon, and the Mess of Pottage, and the golden calf : omitting to note that while the 'Super-Star' enjoyed getting rich - who wouldn't have, who wasn't a hermit? - it was a joy he shared with a beloved family, with his friends and with countless acquaintances and causes in need of help. He was bountiful.
I remember, in Manhattan, a glimmering party, where I sat next to the elder sister who brought Richard up. He had taken Cis out shopping, and she looked stunning ; she could have been a film beauty who had retired into New York society. I complimented her on her dress. She looked round - the stars were hanging from the chandeliers, Danny Kaye, Gina Lollobrigida, Sinatra, fabulous. Cis looked round and said, 'Well, Emlyn, I thought I'd put on my Sunday-best for them all.'
No need to go into the rest of an eventful saga, with its ups and downs. Many downs, because the man had a passion for life, and where there is passion, there has to be - sooner or later - trouble. Side by side with the light, the dark ; behind exaltation....melancholy. No need to go into all that, because the Media was there, keeping the world up to date on every detail, true or false. (To be fair to them, Richard, you sure did supply them with copy! You with the cheerfully cynical attitude of the quick-witted public figure trapped in limelight - 'If they want something quotable, here goes, with salt and pepper.' And out would shout some outrageous quip, often to our detriment. But quotable).
The ups and downs....Permit me to administer a reproach. Concerning the recent obituaries and commentaries.
They're funny things, obituaries. When something like this happens, a bolt from the blue, within a couple of hours the newspapers are swarming with meticulously detailed judgements ; and we all think - 'How uncannily quick -brilliant!'
The fact is that most of the Obits, for months or even years, have been lurking in cold storage along shelves in Fleet Street, at the ready for....I was going to say 'starting gun' but what I mean, of course, is the opposite....For any of us who have done anything public, the posthumous verdicts, signed and sealed, lie in wait. Long before curtain is down. We can only hope the notices won't be too bad. and at least we have the comforting thought that we ourselves won't be tempted to rush out and buy all the papers. Richard's notices have been....mixed. Oh, much emotional affection, some of it touching, some of it toppling over into the maudlin. But when it came to the career....not much emphasis on the ups, concentration on the downs. So I'd like, quickly, to set the record a bit straighter, credits versus debits.
For instance - while there has been harping on physical indulgence, has there been any mention of the crippling illness which cut short a distinguished stage appearance in 'Camelot'? What of the days and nights of pain, endured with stubborn fortitude?
His mistakes. Of course he made mistakes - he has said so - we all make mistakes, unless at the age of ten we retire into a retreat, for life! Of course some of the films were trash, again he said so - but there have been - apart from a couple of serious articles - has there been any appreciation of such pictures as....Look Back In Anger ; The Taming Of The Shrew ; The Night Of The Iguana ; Under Milk Wood ; The Comedians ; The Spy Who Came In From The Cold ; Becket ; Anne Of The Thousand Days ; Equus ; Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, and quite recently, the immensely bold Wagner with Olivier, Gielgud and Richardson - trash?
Moreover, while the film only just completed has been mentioned by name, well it has to be - has anybody remarked that 1984, with a subject infinitely disturbing - is patently a venture worthy of respect? And is it not to reflect that all these performances are permanent? Which leaves....the accusation that he turned his back on the serious theatre, in order to worship that wicked old mammon. No salute to the three returns to the same 'serious theatre' . First, at the Playhouse Oxford, Doctor Faustus. No slouch Chris Marlowe. Or Nevill Coghill....
Then two theatre gambles, which he won. First, his appearance in that fine play Equus, on Broadway, where two stars had already been successful in the same part. Second again on Broadway, at the height of his 'Super-star' combo....Hamlet, directed by Gielgud, a run which broke John Barrymore's record.
Finally, no mention of the fact that when this sadness hit us, the man was in fine shape. Richard was himself again. Which meant there was a good chance that he might, in a year or two, fulfil a dream, of his and others : a return to the English poetry which he cherished with all his Welsh heart. As Prospero. As Lear.
After that, I don't much like going back to his 'notices',but -two brisk quotes, and I have done. Very brisk, they are one word each. at least two journalists had the cheek to tap out, on their typewriters the word 'failure'. well...if a man is a failure who, on leaving this planet, monopolizes the front page of every national newspaper throughout the Western World - then quite a few mortals would give anything to be such a failure.
And what of the other word, which has recurred so often that it has become a cliche - the word 'flawed' , f-l-a-w-e-d, - 'a flawed career' and so on. But this word happens to imply a compliment. Because it takes a precious stone to be flawed. and we have here....a precious stone.
We thank you, ein annwyl Richard, for your shining gifts, for your love of your devoted wife, of your family, of your friends, of your country, and of life. And thank you for....that twinkle in the eye. I can only think at this moment, of Upper St Martin's Lane. A boy of seventeen, standing in the black-out, spouting poetry. Imperishable. And death....shall have no dominion.
Emlyn Williams died at home in Chelsea on the 25th of September, 1987. He was eighty-one years old.
The photograph of Emlyn Williams is credited to BBC Cymru / Wales
George Emlyn Williams was born in Glan-Yr-Afon, Mostyn, Flintshire on the 26th of November, 1905.
After being schooled at Hollywell Grammar School, for which he had won a scholarship, he attended Christ Church, Oxford, where he read French and Italian and joined the Oxford University Dramatic Society, which was where he discovered his taste for the theatre and in particular his talent in the art of play-writing.
In 1927, at the age of eighteen, Emlyn Williams joined a small repertory company and by 1930 had begun writing himself, his early works included the titles, 'A Murder Has Been Arranged' and 'The Late Christopher Bean', a successful comedy-drama which opened at The St. James Theatre, London on May the 16th,1933 and which ran for a total of four hundred and thirty-three performances.
It was however his 1935 play, 'A Night Must Fall', that brought him recognition and fame. 'Night Must Fall', was a psychological thriller which was later adapted twice for film, the first, and most successful being in 1937 which starred Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell.
Success followed success and in 1938 he wrote 'The Corn Is Green', probably the play which Emlyn Williams will be most remembered for. This too was adapted for the big screen, being released in 1945 by Warner Brothers and starring two great character actors, Bette Davis and Nigel Bruce.
It was in 1944 however, with his next play, 'The Druid's Rest', that Emlyn Williams became involved in the life, and career, of Richard Burton.
More information on 'The Druid's Rest' and Emlyn Williams' involvement in the life and career of Richard Burton can be found on the 'Richard Burton In The Theatre' and 'Burton Books and Magazines' pages of this website.
As well as stage-plays, Emlyn William's was a prolific writer of screenplays, which included working with Alfred Hitchcock on 'The Man Who Knew Too Much' which was released in 1956 by Paramount Pictures and starred James Stewart and Doris Day.
Emlyn Williams also began to appear in various films himself including the classic films, 'They Drive By Night', 'The Citadel', 'Jamaica Inn', and of course, 'The Last Day's Of Dolwyn'.
Written and directed by, and starring Emlyn Williams himself, 'The Last Day's Of Dolwyn' is notable for being the film in which Richard Burton would make his screen debut. In a part especially written for him, Richard Burton would play the role of Gareth, a part requiring him to speak both Welsh and English, starring alongside Edith Evans, Hugh Griffith and Emlyn Williams himself.
As well as appearing in his own plays, Emlyn Williams took two 'one-man shows' on tour, the first in which he portrayed Charles Dickens and the second, Dylan Thomas in the production entitled, 'A Boy Growing Up'.
Emlyn Williams was also the author of two autobiographies and the best selling 'True-Crime' work, 'Beyond Belief - A Chronicle of Murder and Detection', which was an in-depth study of the infamous 'Moors Murders' of the late sixties.
From 1935 Emlyn Williams was married to the actress Mary O' Shann with whom they had two sons, Alan, who became a writer, and Brook, who became close to Richard Burton and was employed by him as a personal assistant and who can often be seen in many of Richard Burton's films in small cameo roles.
Emlyn Williams was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1962.
A lifelong friend of Richard Burton, he was instrumental in the introduction of Burton to his first wife Sybil, was Godfather to Burton's daughter Kate, and read a moving eulogy at Richard Burton's Memorial Service, held in London, in August, 1984. A deeply personal and moving piece of writing, it reads in it's entirety;
Our dear Richard...Or, the way I used to start a letter to you - Annwyl Richard...Our dear Richard, here we all are, joining Sally and Kate and all your family in thinking about you, and talking about you. Yes, I can see the old twinkle in the eye, as if to say - 'Well, now that the smoke's clearing away...what are you going to say about me? Not going to be easy, is it?' How often, in the past few weeks, have my thoughts gone back to the first time you and I met, forty-one years ago next month! We spoke of that first meeting, you remember, at our last meeting, in New York a year ago...
It was one evening in Cardiff, in 1943, the Sandringham Hotel, where I was interviewing possible Welsh-speaking actors for a new play. After a dismal procession of no-goods, an older man introduced himself as the schoolmaster who had written about a pupil, apparently a promising amateur. He beckoned, and the pupil stepped forward : a boy of seventeen, of startling beauty, and quiet intelligence. He looked - as very special human beings tend to look at that age - he looked imperishable.
I asked young Jenkins what was the last part he had played, at school. The answer came clear as a bell, 'Professor Higgins in Pygmalion.' I was later to realise the added incongruity of that : the schoolmaster - the unique Phil Burton - was, at that time, playing a real-life Higgins to a markedly male Eliza.
At rehearsals in London, it was interesting to watch the boy work, for he did something very rare : he drew attention by not claiming it. He played his part with the perfect simplicity needed, and offstage was quietly pleasant - not shy, just...reserved - except for the sudden smile, which - there is no other word for it - glowed. He didn't talk much. I think he was a bit self-conscious about his accent, and the need to work on it - it's a phase actors sometimes go through. But inside there, there was humour. A twinkle in the eye, no doubt about it. One evening, as he and I walked away from a late rehearsal, I asked what was the book he was carrying. 'Dylan Thomas'. I just knew the name. 'He is a great poet.' Then he suddenly stopped, and recited. The words resounded through the blackout of the deserted street : Upper St.Martin's Lane, just up the road. 'They shall have stars at elbow and foot...'
I did not say to myself, in a flash, 'This lad will be famous!' But it did occur to me that here was more than a well-graced adolescent who could speak lines naturally, this was a 'voice'. And behind the 'voice' a mind which, like my own, was in love with the English language.
Then I asked him, in an avuncular manner - I was thirty-seven - if his digs were all right, and was he behaving himself in London? he said he was. Even then I doubted it.
Oh, the English language - let me touch, in passing, on something which - up till now - has only been known by those closest to him. His devotion to spoken English has over the last years, extended to words on paper. Steadily, unobtrusively, he has been writing. Diaries? Autobiography? Time will tell, and may surprise. Anyway...
Back to spoken English. After the war, five years of invaluable stage experience, with in between, several films. Then in the early fifties, the young actor's life was taken over by Shakespeare, at 'Stratford' and the 'Old Vic'. They were salaries you couldn't save on, but gruelling hard work built up to triumph.
My former school-teacher, Miss Cooke, was curious about this second Welsh peasant who had been seduced into the theatre and I presented him to her. Richard was on his best behaviour. But she did say afterwards, 'He's going to do well, what's more he's got the devil in him. You haven't.' I felt commonplace.
Then - America! The Movies, Capital 'M', and - and even bigger capital 'M' - the money! The dollars poured in.
Then - 1962. Which means we have to touch lightly - no names mentioned - on a certain Roman - Egyptian epic. (I nearly said 'a Roman - Elizabethan epic')...Gossip bloomed into sensation. Mind you, it is my duty here to emphasise that, at the time, nobody could have guessed that what looked like an irresponsible escapade, was to mature into a long, deep, important relationship.
But at the time all the public knew was that - as a romantic novelist might put it - Cupid's dart had hit both targets, and set the Nile on fire. And the Tiber. Even the Thames sizzled, a bit. I have an idea that the South-Wales River Tawe kept its cool.
Well, as the scandal grew and grew, I - oh, Richard, you and I have talked of this so often since, and it's so long ago it can come out now - I remembered that I had introduced you to Sybil, and that I was godfather to little Kate : I flew to Rome. Once again the heavy uncle, but this time on a mission. A romance-puncturing mission. Sitting in the plane, I did remind myself that I was playing a very bad part, was miscast, and had to pay my own fare.
I was met by our delinquent friend, and as he drove me to the studios, we talked of this and that, but not of it. then, bump - he stopped the car and looked at me. I was about to embark on my lecture, carefully prepared, when he said - I shall never forget it - he said, very calmly, 'Dwi am briodi'r eneth 'ma.' Which is Welsh for 'I am going to marry this girl.' Dwi am brioi'r eneth 'ma.
There was, in the green eyes, the twinkle - but a mischievous devilish twinkle, Miss Cooke had been right. And the fact that he'd said it in Welsh proved, to my Celtic instinct, that he was going to marry this girl. Though even a Celtic instinct could hardly foresee that he was going to do it twice.
After Rome, the dollars no longer poured. They cascaded. Up to the waist he was. Having started life as a simple child of the valleys - the smallest luxuries out of his reach - Richard Burton 'Super-Star' found himself, like an orphan with a sweet-tooth, let loose in the biggest candy-store in the world - Hollywood!
He spent lavishly. And the more he spent, the more he earned. And the Media - 'media', what a useful word, the plural of 'medium', however did we manage without it, covers everything - the Media began to mutter. As they donned the unsuitable mantles of the old Welsh-Calvinist preachers, they hinted at Mammon, and the Mess of Pottage, and the golden calf : omitting to note that while the 'Super-Star' enjoyed getting rich - who wouldn't have, who wasn't a hermit? - it was a joy he shared with a beloved family, with his friends and with countless acquaintances and causes in need of help. He was bountiful.
I remember, in Manhattan, a glimmering party, where I sat next to the elder sister who brought Richard up. He had taken Cis out shopping, and she looked stunning ; she could have been a film beauty who had retired into New York society. I complimented her on her dress. She looked round - the stars were hanging from the chandeliers, Danny Kaye, Gina Lollobrigida, Sinatra, fabulous. Cis looked round and said, 'Well, Emlyn, I thought I'd put on my Sunday-best for them all.'
No need to go into the rest of an eventful saga, with its ups and downs. Many downs, because the man had a passion for life, and where there is passion, there has to be - sooner or later - trouble. Side by side with the light, the dark ; behind exaltation....melancholy. No need to go into all that, because the Media was there, keeping the world up to date on every detail, true or false. (To be fair to them, Richard, you sure did supply them with copy! You with the cheerfully cynical attitude of the quick-witted public figure trapped in limelight - 'If they want something quotable, here goes, with salt and pepper.' And out would shout some outrageous quip, often to our detriment. But quotable).
The ups and downs....Permit me to administer a reproach. Concerning the recent obituaries and commentaries.
They're funny things, obituaries. When something like this happens, a bolt from the blue, within a couple of hours the newspapers are swarming with meticulously detailed judgements ; and we all think - 'How uncannily quick -brilliant!'
The fact is that most of the Obits, for months or even years, have been lurking in cold storage along shelves in Fleet Street, at the ready for....I was going to say 'starting gun' but what I mean, of course, is the opposite....For any of us who have done anything public, the posthumous verdicts, signed and sealed, lie in wait. Long before curtain is down. We can only hope the notices won't be too bad. and at least we have the comforting thought that we ourselves won't be tempted to rush out and buy all the papers. Richard's notices have been....mixed. Oh, much emotional affection, some of it touching, some of it toppling over into the maudlin. But when it came to the career....not much emphasis on the ups, concentration on the downs. So I'd like, quickly, to set the record a bit straighter, credits versus debits.
For instance - while there has been harping on physical indulgence, has there been any mention of the crippling illness which cut short a distinguished stage appearance in 'Camelot'? What of the days and nights of pain, endured with stubborn fortitude?
His mistakes. Of course he made mistakes - he has said so - we all make mistakes, unless at the age of ten we retire into a retreat, for life! Of course some of the films were trash, again he said so - but there have been - apart from a couple of serious articles - has there been any appreciation of such pictures as....Look Back In Anger ; The Taming Of The Shrew ; The Night Of The Iguana ; Under Milk Wood ; The Comedians ; The Spy Who Came In From The Cold ; Becket ; Anne Of The Thousand Days ; Equus ; Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, and quite recently, the immensely bold Wagner with Olivier, Gielgud and Richardson - trash?
Moreover, while the film only just completed has been mentioned by name, well it has to be - has anybody remarked that 1984, with a subject infinitely disturbing - is patently a venture worthy of respect? And is it not to reflect that all these performances are permanent? Which leaves....the accusation that he turned his back on the serious theatre, in order to worship that wicked old mammon. No salute to the three returns to the same 'serious theatre' . First, at the Playhouse Oxford, Doctor Faustus. No slouch Chris Marlowe. Or Nevill Coghill....
Then two theatre gambles, which he won. First, his appearance in that fine play Equus, on Broadway, where two stars had already been successful in the same part. Second again on Broadway, at the height of his 'Super-star' combo....Hamlet, directed by Gielgud, a run which broke John Barrymore's record.
Finally, no mention of the fact that when this sadness hit us, the man was in fine shape. Richard was himself again. Which meant there was a good chance that he might, in a year or two, fulfil a dream, of his and others : a return to the English poetry which he cherished with all his Welsh heart. As Prospero. As Lear.
After that, I don't much like going back to his 'notices',but -two brisk quotes, and I have done. Very brisk, they are one word each. at least two journalists had the cheek to tap out, on their typewriters the word 'failure'. well...if a man is a failure who, on leaving this planet, monopolizes the front page of every national newspaper throughout the Western World - then quite a few mortals would give anything to be such a failure.
And what of the other word, which has recurred so often that it has become a cliche - the word 'flawed' , f-l-a-w-e-d, - 'a flawed career' and so on. But this word happens to imply a compliment. Because it takes a precious stone to be flawed. and we have here....a precious stone.
We thank you, ein annwyl Richard, for your shining gifts, for your love of your devoted wife, of your family, of your friends, of your country, and of life. And thank you for....that twinkle in the eye. I can only think at this moment, of Upper St Martin's Lane. A boy of seventeen, standing in the black-out, spouting poetry. Imperishable. And death....shall have no dominion.
Emlyn Williams died at home in Chelsea on the 25th of September, 1987. He was eighty-one years old.
The photograph of Emlyn Williams is credited to BBC Cymru / Wales
The Blue Plaque located at 60 Marchmont Street, London, commemorating the time Emlyn Williams lived at the address.
Sir John Gielgud
Arthur John Gielgud was born in South Kensington on the 14th of April, 1904. The youngest of three sons born to Frank and Kate Terry-Gielgud, he was destined to become in some way connected to the theatre as his mother, an actress till she married, was a member of the famous theatrical dynasty which included Ellen, Fred and Marion Terry.
It was whilst being educated at the Hillside Preparatory School in Surrey that the young John Gielgud first discovered his love of theatre, which the school actively encouraged, casting him in various amateur Shakesperian roles such as Mark Anthony in 'Julius Caesar' and Shylock in 'The Merchant Of Venice'.
Following Hillside, he was then educated at the Westminster School where as he was to later recall he had easy access to the West End... "Just in time to touch the fringe of the great century of the theatre'. Upon leaving the Westminster School in 1921 he persuaded his parents to allow him to attend acting lessons under the tutelage of Constance Benson, the wife of actor and manager, Sir Frank Benson. His theatrical debut came in November 1921 playing an uncredited Herald in 'Henry V' at the Old Vic. A colleague at the time recognised his talent and recommended he apply to The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and in 1923 Gielgud won a scholarship there and was trained by, among others, the actor Claude Rains.
His major breakthrough came with the assistance of his famous family. In 1922 his famous cousin Phillis Nelson-Terry invited him on tour as an understudy, assistant stage-manager and walk-on actor. It was a highly successful tour with the outcome being that John Gielgud would be invited to join the Oxford Players Repertory Theatre.
Gielgud's theatre career flourished during the 1920's,with Gielgud appearing in a variety of roles, and in 1924 he made his screen debut in Walter Summers' silent film, 'Who Is the Man', however, John Gielgud's big break was to be not on screen but on the stage at The Old Vic.
The photograph of Sir John Gielgud ¨which appears here is credited to Godfrey Argent and is currently on display at the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Arthur John Gielgud was born in South Kensington on the 14th of April, 1904. The youngest of three sons born to Frank and Kate Terry-Gielgud, he was destined to become in some way connected to the theatre as his mother, an actress till she married, was a member of the famous theatrical dynasty which included Ellen, Fred and Marion Terry.
It was whilst being educated at the Hillside Preparatory School in Surrey that the young John Gielgud first discovered his love of theatre, which the school actively encouraged, casting him in various amateur Shakesperian roles such as Mark Anthony in 'Julius Caesar' and Shylock in 'The Merchant Of Venice'.
Following Hillside, he was then educated at the Westminster School where as he was to later recall he had easy access to the West End... "Just in time to touch the fringe of the great century of the theatre'. Upon leaving the Westminster School in 1921 he persuaded his parents to allow him to attend acting lessons under the tutelage of Constance Benson, the wife of actor and manager, Sir Frank Benson. His theatrical debut came in November 1921 playing an uncredited Herald in 'Henry V' at the Old Vic. A colleague at the time recognised his talent and recommended he apply to The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and in 1923 Gielgud won a scholarship there and was trained by, among others, the actor Claude Rains.
His major breakthrough came with the assistance of his famous family. In 1922 his famous cousin Phillis Nelson-Terry invited him on tour as an understudy, assistant stage-manager and walk-on actor. It was a highly successful tour with the outcome being that John Gielgud would be invited to join the Oxford Players Repertory Theatre.
Gielgud's theatre career flourished during the 1920's,with Gielgud appearing in a variety of roles, and in 1924 he made his screen debut in Walter Summers' silent film, 'Who Is the Man', however, John Gielgud's big break was to be not on screen but on the stage at The Old Vic.
The photograph of Sir John Gielgud ¨which appears here is credited to Godfrey Argent and is currently on display at the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Christopher Fry
Born Arthur Hammond Harris in Bristol on the 18th of December, 1907, the son of a Master Builder and Lay Preacher. At an early age he took on his mother's maiden name in the mistaken belief that she was related to the 19th Century prison reformer and Quaker, Elizabeth Fry.
It was whilst still at school in Bedford that he developed a skill and life-long love of writing, mostly amateur plays, and upon leaving school he took up the career of schoolteacher at the prestigious Hazelwood school in Surrey.
Fry gave up teaching in 1932 to pursue a career in the theatre, founding the Tunbridge Wells Repertory Players, which ran for three years, during which time he directed and starred in the English theatrical premiere of George Bernard Shaw's play, 'A Village Wooing'.
His recognition as a playwright and dramatist of some renown came about after he was commissioned by the Vicar of Steyning, West Sussex to write a play celebrating the life of a local Saint, Cuthman of Steyning. This work was to become, 'The Boy With A Cart', which opened at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith in the January of 1950 with Richard Burton in the title role of Cuthman.
In 1939 he was appointed Artistic Director of the Oxford Playhouse, however this position was cut short due to the outbreak of war on September the 3rd, 1939. Fry had grown up as a pacifist and during the war he was a conscientious objector. He served in the Non-Combatant Corps, during which time his duties were to clean the vast underground complex of London's sewers.
Just after the war, Christopher Fry wrote the comedy play, 'A Phoenix Too Frequent', based on the play originally written by Petronius. The play opened at the Mercury Theatre, Notting Hill Gate in 1946 with Paul Scofield in the role of Tegeus, the part being taken over in 1950 by Richard Burton in the production which opened at the Dolphin Theatre, Brighton.
Two other plays followed in quick succession, 'The Firstborn' and 'Thor, With Angels', the latter being commissioned by the Canterbury Festival.
Christopher Fry's most famous work however has to be his poetic, historical drama, 'The Lady's Not For Burning'. This was to be the play which would bring Richard Burton's name to the attention of the British and American theatre-going public and cement his name as one of the most important theatrical actors of his generation.
The play was commissioned by Alec Clunes, manager of the Arts Theatre in London. After a provincial run the play opened at the Globe Theatre in London and enjoyed a nine-month run. Starring alongside Richard Burton were John Gielgud and Claire Bloom. The play transferred to Broadway in 1950, to a very responsive American audience and the play can certainly be credited for a revival in popularity for poetic drama, especially of a historical kind.
Sadly, with the advent of the 'Angry Young Man' genre of British cinema in the 1950's, of which Richard Burton played a part with his role of Jimmy Porter in the magnificent film 'Look Back In Anger', Christopher Fry's style of poetic drama fell out of fashion with the general public. He did however continue to write plays, 'Curtmantle', commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, is one fine example.
Christopher Fry lived out his last years in the village of East Dean in West Sussex. He died, in Chichester, on the 30th of June, 2005. He was ninety-seven years old.
The photograph of Christopher Fry which appears here is credited to Godfrey Argent, captured in 1970, and is on display in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Born Arthur Hammond Harris in Bristol on the 18th of December, 1907, the son of a Master Builder and Lay Preacher. At an early age he took on his mother's maiden name in the mistaken belief that she was related to the 19th Century prison reformer and Quaker, Elizabeth Fry.
It was whilst still at school in Bedford that he developed a skill and life-long love of writing, mostly amateur plays, and upon leaving school he took up the career of schoolteacher at the prestigious Hazelwood school in Surrey.
Fry gave up teaching in 1932 to pursue a career in the theatre, founding the Tunbridge Wells Repertory Players, which ran for three years, during which time he directed and starred in the English theatrical premiere of George Bernard Shaw's play, 'A Village Wooing'.
His recognition as a playwright and dramatist of some renown came about after he was commissioned by the Vicar of Steyning, West Sussex to write a play celebrating the life of a local Saint, Cuthman of Steyning. This work was to become, 'The Boy With A Cart', which opened at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith in the January of 1950 with Richard Burton in the title role of Cuthman.
In 1939 he was appointed Artistic Director of the Oxford Playhouse, however this position was cut short due to the outbreak of war on September the 3rd, 1939. Fry had grown up as a pacifist and during the war he was a conscientious objector. He served in the Non-Combatant Corps, during which time his duties were to clean the vast underground complex of London's sewers.
Just after the war, Christopher Fry wrote the comedy play, 'A Phoenix Too Frequent', based on the play originally written by Petronius. The play opened at the Mercury Theatre, Notting Hill Gate in 1946 with Paul Scofield in the role of Tegeus, the part being taken over in 1950 by Richard Burton in the production which opened at the Dolphin Theatre, Brighton.
Two other plays followed in quick succession, 'The Firstborn' and 'Thor, With Angels', the latter being commissioned by the Canterbury Festival.
Christopher Fry's most famous work however has to be his poetic, historical drama, 'The Lady's Not For Burning'. This was to be the play which would bring Richard Burton's name to the attention of the British and American theatre-going public and cement his name as one of the most important theatrical actors of his generation.
The play was commissioned by Alec Clunes, manager of the Arts Theatre in London. After a provincial run the play opened at the Globe Theatre in London and enjoyed a nine-month run. Starring alongside Richard Burton were John Gielgud and Claire Bloom. The play transferred to Broadway in 1950, to a very responsive American audience and the play can certainly be credited for a revival in popularity for poetic drama, especially of a historical kind.
Sadly, with the advent of the 'Angry Young Man' genre of British cinema in the 1950's, of which Richard Burton played a part with his role of Jimmy Porter in the magnificent film 'Look Back In Anger', Christopher Fry's style of poetic drama fell out of fashion with the general public. He did however continue to write plays, 'Curtmantle', commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, is one fine example.
Christopher Fry lived out his last years in the village of East Dean in West Sussex. He died, in Chichester, on the 30th of June, 2005. He was ninety-seven years old.
The photograph of Christopher Fry which appears here is credited to Godfrey Argent, captured in 1970, and is on display in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Sir Anthony Quayle
John Anthony Quayle was born on the 7th of September, 1913 in Southport, Lancashire, and was educated at both the Adderley Hall and Rugby Schools before moving on to Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
After a brief career in music hall, he discovered his true calling was for classical theatre and so joined The Old Vic Company in 1932.
His acting career was interrupted by the outbreak of war in 1939 and Quayle served firstly as an officer before joining the Special Operations Executive, an experience that affected him deeply and a time he never talked about thereafter.
In 1948 he was back in theatre, and became the director at The Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, the forerunner of The Royal Shakespeare Company, and it was around this time he first came into contact with Richard Burton.
Quayle had witnessed Burton's incredible performance in Christopher Fry's, 'The Boy With A Cart' at The Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith and had invited him to join the cast in the 1951 Cycle Of Historical Plays at Stratford. Burton's introduction to Shakespeare saw him take the roles in Henry IV ( Parts I and II ), The Tempest, and Henry V. Anthony Quayle's roles during this season saw him take on Falstaff, Othello and parts in Henry VIII, Titus Andronicus and Much Ado About Nothing.
It was from 1956 that Anthony Quayle's film career began to take off. Some of the films in which he was to appear include such classics as, 'Ice Cold In Alex', 'The Guns Of Navarone', 'Lawrence Of Arabia', 'A Study In Terror', and 'The Eagle Has Landed'.
He was to appear on film with Richard Burton just once, in the 1969 historical drama, 'Anne Of The Thousand Days', cast as Cardinal Wolsey alongside Burton as Henry VIII.
Anthony Quayle returned to the theatre in 1970 and achieved critical acclaim for his role in 'Sleuth', written by Anthony Shaffer, (who wrote the screenplay for the 1978 Richard Burton film, 'Absolution'), and was presented with the Drama Desk Award for that year.
In 1984 Quayle formed the Compass Theatre Company, touring in plays such as, 'Saint Joan' and 'King Lear', with Quayle in the title role.
Anthony Quayle was knighted for his services to theatre in 1985.
He died, aged 76, at home in Chelsea, on the 20th of October, 1989.
The above photograph of Sir Anthony Quayle is credited to Godfrey Argent and is currently on display at the National Portrait Gallery, London.
John Anthony Quayle was born on the 7th of September, 1913 in Southport, Lancashire, and was educated at both the Adderley Hall and Rugby Schools before moving on to Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
After a brief career in music hall, he discovered his true calling was for classical theatre and so joined The Old Vic Company in 1932.
His acting career was interrupted by the outbreak of war in 1939 and Quayle served firstly as an officer before joining the Special Operations Executive, an experience that affected him deeply and a time he never talked about thereafter.
In 1948 he was back in theatre, and became the director at The Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, the forerunner of The Royal Shakespeare Company, and it was around this time he first came into contact with Richard Burton.
Quayle had witnessed Burton's incredible performance in Christopher Fry's, 'The Boy With A Cart' at The Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith and had invited him to join the cast in the 1951 Cycle Of Historical Plays at Stratford. Burton's introduction to Shakespeare saw him take the roles in Henry IV ( Parts I and II ), The Tempest, and Henry V. Anthony Quayle's roles during this season saw him take on Falstaff, Othello and parts in Henry VIII, Titus Andronicus and Much Ado About Nothing.
It was from 1956 that Anthony Quayle's film career began to take off. Some of the films in which he was to appear include such classics as, 'Ice Cold In Alex', 'The Guns Of Navarone', 'Lawrence Of Arabia', 'A Study In Terror', and 'The Eagle Has Landed'.
He was to appear on film with Richard Burton just once, in the 1969 historical drama, 'Anne Of The Thousand Days', cast as Cardinal Wolsey alongside Burton as Henry VIII.
Anthony Quayle returned to the theatre in 1970 and achieved critical acclaim for his role in 'Sleuth', written by Anthony Shaffer, (who wrote the screenplay for the 1978 Richard Burton film, 'Absolution'), and was presented with the Drama Desk Award for that year.
In 1984 Quayle formed the Compass Theatre Company, touring in plays such as, 'Saint Joan' and 'King Lear', with Quayle in the title role.
Anthony Quayle was knighted for his services to theatre in 1985.
He died, aged 76, at home in Chelsea, on the 20th of October, 1989.
The above photograph of Sir Anthony Quayle is credited to Godfrey Argent and is currently on display at the National Portrait Gallery, London.
John Neville
John Reginald Neville was born in Willesden, London on the 2nd of July, 1925 to working-class parents Mabel and Reginald Neville, a lorry driver. He was educated at the Willesden and Chiswick School for Boys and after National Service, in which he served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, he continued his education, training as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, after which he joined the theatrical company, The Trent Players.
Hailed as one of the most potent stage actors of the 1950's, his talent and 'Matinee Idol' good looks soon saw him rise up to become one of the leading players of London's 'Old Vic' company. It was during this time that he was first cast alongside the rising talent of Richard Burton.
Richard Burton had already proved himself to be the 'star' of the English Shakespearean stage with his performances at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford in 1951 in the roles of Henry IV and Ferdinand in The Tempest, and now John Neville found himself cast alongside Richard Burton at The Old Vic in the 1953/4 productions of Hamlet, King John, Coriolanus and Twelfth Night as well as the 1955 production of Henry V. It was during this time that Richard Burton and John Neville became firm friends.
It was, however, their combined performance in the Shakespeare play, 'Othello' for which they became best known and it is a performance for which some actors and directors still talk about to this day.
Between themselves they decided to take on the mammoth task of alternating nightly the roles of Othello and Iago, a feat which had never been considered before, let alone been undertaken. The Old Vic 1955 production of 'Othello' made headlines, and the two actors became superstars of the English stage overnight.
Burton, in his early theatre career had always been looked upon as the natural successor to Olivier and John Neville, with his good looks, distinctive voice and in-born modesty was naturally considered to be the one actor who could slip easily into Sir John Gielgud's comfortable shoes.
Sadly Richard Burton and John Neville never appeared on screen together.
Following his success at The Old Vic and at The Bristol Old Vic, John Neville joined the Nottingham Playhouse becoming joint artistic director alongside Frank Dunlop and Peter Ustinov. The trio soon built up the reputation of the theatre making it one of the country's leading provincial repertory theatres. John Neville held this position until 1967.
In 1969 John Neville took on his first major television role, starring in the B.B.C.2 series. 'The First Churchills'. The programme was also broadcast in the United States, gaining him immediate international recognition.
John Neville left Britain in 1972 for Canada to take up the post of artistic director of The Citadel Theatre in Alberta and throughout the 1970's and 1980's took on several more positions around Canada including artistic director of the Stratford Festival as well as a similar position at the Neptune Theatre in Nova Scotia.
In 1988, ex-Monty Python star, Terry Gilliam, cast Neville in the lead role of the adventure film,'The Adventures of Baron Munchausen', which led onto a recurring role in the American Sci-Fi series, 'The X Files'. However Neville's first love was always the theatre and he would regularly return to appear on stage throughout his later years.
Recalling his 1955 dual roles with Richard Burton as Iago / Othello, John Neville was to say...
"We took to each other and, with Richard, that was that. He was serious about friendship. He had a wonderful mind, in another league from that of any other actor around".
John Neville died in Canada on the 19th of November, 2011 aged 86. He had, in his later years, suffered with Alzheimer's disease.
The photograph of John Neville is credited to The Globe and Mail, Canada.
John Reginald Neville was born in Willesden, London on the 2nd of July, 1925 to working-class parents Mabel and Reginald Neville, a lorry driver. He was educated at the Willesden and Chiswick School for Boys and after National Service, in which he served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, he continued his education, training as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, after which he joined the theatrical company, The Trent Players.
Hailed as one of the most potent stage actors of the 1950's, his talent and 'Matinee Idol' good looks soon saw him rise up to become one of the leading players of London's 'Old Vic' company. It was during this time that he was first cast alongside the rising talent of Richard Burton.
Richard Burton had already proved himself to be the 'star' of the English Shakespearean stage with his performances at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford in 1951 in the roles of Henry IV and Ferdinand in The Tempest, and now John Neville found himself cast alongside Richard Burton at The Old Vic in the 1953/4 productions of Hamlet, King John, Coriolanus and Twelfth Night as well as the 1955 production of Henry V. It was during this time that Richard Burton and John Neville became firm friends.
It was, however, their combined performance in the Shakespeare play, 'Othello' for which they became best known and it is a performance for which some actors and directors still talk about to this day.
Between themselves they decided to take on the mammoth task of alternating nightly the roles of Othello and Iago, a feat which had never been considered before, let alone been undertaken. The Old Vic 1955 production of 'Othello' made headlines, and the two actors became superstars of the English stage overnight.
Burton, in his early theatre career had always been looked upon as the natural successor to Olivier and John Neville, with his good looks, distinctive voice and in-born modesty was naturally considered to be the one actor who could slip easily into Sir John Gielgud's comfortable shoes.
Sadly Richard Burton and John Neville never appeared on screen together.
Following his success at The Old Vic and at The Bristol Old Vic, John Neville joined the Nottingham Playhouse becoming joint artistic director alongside Frank Dunlop and Peter Ustinov. The trio soon built up the reputation of the theatre making it one of the country's leading provincial repertory theatres. John Neville held this position until 1967.
In 1969 John Neville took on his first major television role, starring in the B.B.C.2 series. 'The First Churchills'. The programme was also broadcast in the United States, gaining him immediate international recognition.
John Neville left Britain in 1972 for Canada to take up the post of artistic director of The Citadel Theatre in Alberta and throughout the 1970's and 1980's took on several more positions around Canada including artistic director of the Stratford Festival as well as a similar position at the Neptune Theatre in Nova Scotia.
In 1988, ex-Monty Python star, Terry Gilliam, cast Neville in the lead role of the adventure film,'The Adventures of Baron Munchausen', which led onto a recurring role in the American Sci-Fi series, 'The X Files'. However Neville's first love was always the theatre and he would regularly return to appear on stage throughout his later years.
Recalling his 1955 dual roles with Richard Burton as Iago / Othello, John Neville was to say...
"We took to each other and, with Richard, that was that. He was serious about friendship. He had a wonderful mind, in another league from that of any other actor around".
John Neville died in Canada on the 19th of November, 2011 aged 86. He had, in his later years, suffered with Alzheimer's disease.
The photograph of John Neville is credited to The Globe and Mail, Canada.
Michael Hordern
Michael Murray Hordern was born on the 3rd of October 1911 in Berkhamsted , Hertfordshire, to parents Edward and Margaret, who was descended from Sir James Murray, a famous Irish physician notable for his discovery and development of milk of magnesia.
Hordern was educated at the Windlesham House School in Sussex where even at an early age, along with a fellow pupil, he set up the 'A. Acting Association', a small theatrical group which organised productions on behalf of the school.
At the age of fourteen Michael Hordern left Windlesham to continue his studies at Brighton College where his love of acting continued, performing in various productions staged by the College.
Hordern left the College in the early 1930's and secured his first full-time regular employment as a teaching assistant at a preparatory school in Beaconsfield, again joining the amateur dramatics group. His teaching post however was cut short due to illness, and it was whilst he was recovering he joined an amateur Shakespearean theatre company which at the time was touring the stately homes of England, his first role within the company was to be that of Orlando in, 'As You Like It'.
In addition to touring with this company he also joined the St. Pancras People's Theatre, and it was while there that he decided, in 1936, to become a full-time actor. His London stage debut took place in January of 1937, as understudy to the actor Bernard Lee at the Savoy Theatre. Many roles were soon to follow including parts in productions such as, 'Othello', 'Someone At The Door', 'Outward Bound' and 'Cold Comfort Farm'.
After the war, in which he served in the Royal Navy, he resumed his theatrical career, touring extensively in plays such as, 'A Doll's House', 'Dear Murderer', 'The Fairy Queen', 'Rebecca', and as Toad in 'The Wind in the Willows'.
By 1951 Hordern was performing at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon. When his contract expired in the Spring of 1952 he was invited by Michael Benthall to join his theatrical company at the Old Vic in London. It would be here that he would first perform on the same stage as Richard Burton. He appeared alongside Burton in the Shakespeare plays; 'Hamlet', both at the Edinburgh Festival and at the Old Vic, 'King John', 'Twelfth Night', 'The Tempest', 'Henry V' and in the special 'William Shakespeare Birthday Performance' which took place on April the 23rd, 1954.
Throughout the 1950's, Michael Hordern was appearing in three or films a year and in 1956 would appear in the first of many films alongside Richard Burton. The first film in which he would appear was 'Alexander the Great' in which he portrayed Demosthenes. The many other Burton films in which he would have roles were; 'Cleopatra', 'The V.I.P.s', 'The Spy Who Came In From The Cold', 'The Taming Of The Shrew', 'Where Eagles Dare', 'Anne Of The Thousand Days' and finally, 'The Medusa Touch'.
Film and theatre work was offered to Michael Hordern right through to his old age, and he was performing on stage and screen even at the age of eighty-one. His last acting role was in the comedy film, 'A Very Open Prison'.
Michael Hordern died at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford on the 2nd of May, 1995 after a long battle with kidney disease. He was eighty-three years old.
The photograph of Sir Michael Hordern is credited to Godfrey Argent and The National Portrait Gallery, London.
Michael Murray Hordern was born on the 3rd of October 1911 in Berkhamsted , Hertfordshire, to parents Edward and Margaret, who was descended from Sir James Murray, a famous Irish physician notable for his discovery and development of milk of magnesia.
Hordern was educated at the Windlesham House School in Sussex where even at an early age, along with a fellow pupil, he set up the 'A. Acting Association', a small theatrical group which organised productions on behalf of the school.
At the age of fourteen Michael Hordern left Windlesham to continue his studies at Brighton College where his love of acting continued, performing in various productions staged by the College.
Hordern left the College in the early 1930's and secured his first full-time regular employment as a teaching assistant at a preparatory school in Beaconsfield, again joining the amateur dramatics group. His teaching post however was cut short due to illness, and it was whilst he was recovering he joined an amateur Shakespearean theatre company which at the time was touring the stately homes of England, his first role within the company was to be that of Orlando in, 'As You Like It'.
In addition to touring with this company he also joined the St. Pancras People's Theatre, and it was while there that he decided, in 1936, to become a full-time actor. His London stage debut took place in January of 1937, as understudy to the actor Bernard Lee at the Savoy Theatre. Many roles were soon to follow including parts in productions such as, 'Othello', 'Someone At The Door', 'Outward Bound' and 'Cold Comfort Farm'.
After the war, in which he served in the Royal Navy, he resumed his theatrical career, touring extensively in plays such as, 'A Doll's House', 'Dear Murderer', 'The Fairy Queen', 'Rebecca', and as Toad in 'The Wind in the Willows'.
By 1951 Hordern was performing at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon. When his contract expired in the Spring of 1952 he was invited by Michael Benthall to join his theatrical company at the Old Vic in London. It would be here that he would first perform on the same stage as Richard Burton. He appeared alongside Burton in the Shakespeare plays; 'Hamlet', both at the Edinburgh Festival and at the Old Vic, 'King John', 'Twelfth Night', 'The Tempest', 'Henry V' and in the special 'William Shakespeare Birthday Performance' which took place on April the 23rd, 1954.
Throughout the 1950's, Michael Hordern was appearing in three or films a year and in 1956 would appear in the first of many films alongside Richard Burton. The first film in which he would appear was 'Alexander the Great' in which he portrayed Demosthenes. The many other Burton films in which he would have roles were; 'Cleopatra', 'The V.I.P.s', 'The Spy Who Came In From The Cold', 'The Taming Of The Shrew', 'Where Eagles Dare', 'Anne Of The Thousand Days' and finally, 'The Medusa Touch'.
Film and theatre work was offered to Michael Hordern right through to his old age, and he was performing on stage and screen even at the age of eighty-one. His last acting role was in the comedy film, 'A Very Open Prison'.
Michael Hordern died at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford on the 2nd of May, 1995 after a long battle with kidney disease. He was eighty-three years old.
The photograph of Sir Michael Hordern is credited to Godfrey Argent and The National Portrait Gallery, London.
Nevill Coghill
Nevill Henry Kendal Aylmer Coghill, the son of the 5th Baronet, Sir Egerton Coghill, was born on the 16th of April, 1899 in County Cork, Ireland.
Educated at Haileybury, Coghill went on to read English at Exeter College, Oxford, of which he was made a fellow in 1924. In 1948 he was made Professor of Rhetoric, a position he held until 1957 before becoming Merton Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford, which he held until 1966.
It was whilst at Oxford that Nevill Coghill undertook the monumental task of translating Chaucer's, 'Canterbury Tales' into modern English couplets, which were soon after, and to critical acclaim, broadcast by the B.B.C. It was also during his time at Oxford that he discovered an interest in the theatre, in particular stage direction, and was fondly remembered for his 1949 production of Shakespeare's, 'The Tempest' with the Oxford University Dramatic Society. Coghill also became a member, albeit on the fringes, of 'The Inking's', a literary discussion group whose members included J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.
It was in early 1944 that Nevill Coghill first encountered the young Richard Burton. During his National Service in the R.A.F. Burton was, with the assistance of his foster father Philip, given the opportunity to study at Exeter College, Oxford, on a six month course that would combine intensive R.A.F. training with English language classes. Burton was fortunate enough to have the learned Coghill as his tutor, and it wasn't long before Burton drifted into the theatrical world of the Oxford University Dramatic Society himself. Burton was to discover that during his time at Oxford, the Shakespeare comedy, 'Measure For Measure' was to be staged and was desperate to play the lead. Nevill Coghill was to have an unexpected visit from Richard Burton, who was to plead for the chance to take on the role of Angelo, even giving his tutor an impromptu audition in which he delivered the 'To be or not to be' soliloquy from 'Hamlet'. "Out came the most perfect rendering I had ever heard", recalled Coghill in later years.
Burton was disappointed to learn from Coghill that the role of Angelo had already been cast, but his spirits were slightly raised when he was offered the chance to be understudy for the part. As fortune would have it, the actor who had been cast did eventually pull out of the role and Richard Burton stepped into his shoes, word perfect, on opening night. It was a performance that was talked about among contemporary and future members of the O.U.D.S. for many years to come.
In file notes, only discovered after Coghill's death, of Burton's performance he had written, "The boy is a genius and will be a great actor. He is outstandingly handsome and robust, very masculine and with a deep inward fire, and extremely reserved."
Coghill was to recall Burton's time at Oxford in an interview with Richard Burton biographer, Fergus Cashin. Coghill stated that..."I have had many students of very great gifts and many of very little. But I have had only two men of genius to teach - W.H.Auden and Richard Burton. When they happen, one cannot mistake them."
The end of Richard Burton's National Service and time at Oxford was not the last encounter between Coghill and Burton. They had corresponded frequently over the years, and at the height of Burton's international stardom in 1964, Burton drove to Oxford in order to introduce Nevill Coghill to Elizabeth Taylor. It was during this meeting that the idea was formed to stage Christopher Marlowe's, 'Doctor Faustus', which would star Burton and Taylor along with members of the O.U.D.S and be directed by Coghill himself, in order to raise money for the University Playhouse. It would take a further two years before the play was staged and on the 1st February, 1966 Burton arrived at Oxford for three weeks to fulfill his promise. (Doctor Faustus was made into a film the following year, filmed in Rome, financed and produced by Burton, adapted for the screen and directed by Coghill and using the same cast of O.U.D.S. actors that had performed in the play).
There were further discussions between Coghill and Burton to film an adaption of Shakespeare's, 'The Tempest', which was to feature Sir John Gielgud in the cast, but sadly this project never came to fruition.
Following 'Doctor Faustus', Nevill Coghill worked with actor, writer and director Martin Starkie to co-write an adaption of his translation of, 'The Canterbury Tales', which was eventually performed in both the West End and on Broadway. This became a huge success internationally and received five Tony Award nominations. (In 1969, Coghill's modern version of 'The Tales' was also adapted for a B.B.C television series which featured, among others, Joss Ackland, William Squire and Geoffrey Bayldon, all of whom at one time or another had appeared alongside Richard Burton on stage or screen).
After a long and distinguished academic, literary and theatrical career, Nevill Coghill died, aged eighty-one, on the 6th of November, 1980.
The photograph of Nevill Coghill is credited to Cyril Arapoff and The National Portrait Gallery, London
Nevill Henry Kendal Aylmer Coghill, the son of the 5th Baronet, Sir Egerton Coghill, was born on the 16th of April, 1899 in County Cork, Ireland.
Educated at Haileybury, Coghill went on to read English at Exeter College, Oxford, of which he was made a fellow in 1924. In 1948 he was made Professor of Rhetoric, a position he held until 1957 before becoming Merton Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford, which he held until 1966.
It was whilst at Oxford that Nevill Coghill undertook the monumental task of translating Chaucer's, 'Canterbury Tales' into modern English couplets, which were soon after, and to critical acclaim, broadcast by the B.B.C. It was also during his time at Oxford that he discovered an interest in the theatre, in particular stage direction, and was fondly remembered for his 1949 production of Shakespeare's, 'The Tempest' with the Oxford University Dramatic Society. Coghill also became a member, albeit on the fringes, of 'The Inking's', a literary discussion group whose members included J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.
It was in early 1944 that Nevill Coghill first encountered the young Richard Burton. During his National Service in the R.A.F. Burton was, with the assistance of his foster father Philip, given the opportunity to study at Exeter College, Oxford, on a six month course that would combine intensive R.A.F. training with English language classes. Burton was fortunate enough to have the learned Coghill as his tutor, and it wasn't long before Burton drifted into the theatrical world of the Oxford University Dramatic Society himself. Burton was to discover that during his time at Oxford, the Shakespeare comedy, 'Measure For Measure' was to be staged and was desperate to play the lead. Nevill Coghill was to have an unexpected visit from Richard Burton, who was to plead for the chance to take on the role of Angelo, even giving his tutor an impromptu audition in which he delivered the 'To be or not to be' soliloquy from 'Hamlet'. "Out came the most perfect rendering I had ever heard", recalled Coghill in later years.
Burton was disappointed to learn from Coghill that the role of Angelo had already been cast, but his spirits were slightly raised when he was offered the chance to be understudy for the part. As fortune would have it, the actor who had been cast did eventually pull out of the role and Richard Burton stepped into his shoes, word perfect, on opening night. It was a performance that was talked about among contemporary and future members of the O.U.D.S. for many years to come.
In file notes, only discovered after Coghill's death, of Burton's performance he had written, "The boy is a genius and will be a great actor. He is outstandingly handsome and robust, very masculine and with a deep inward fire, and extremely reserved."
Coghill was to recall Burton's time at Oxford in an interview with Richard Burton biographer, Fergus Cashin. Coghill stated that..."I have had many students of very great gifts and many of very little. But I have had only two men of genius to teach - W.H.Auden and Richard Burton. When they happen, one cannot mistake them."
The end of Richard Burton's National Service and time at Oxford was not the last encounter between Coghill and Burton. They had corresponded frequently over the years, and at the height of Burton's international stardom in 1964, Burton drove to Oxford in order to introduce Nevill Coghill to Elizabeth Taylor. It was during this meeting that the idea was formed to stage Christopher Marlowe's, 'Doctor Faustus', which would star Burton and Taylor along with members of the O.U.D.S and be directed by Coghill himself, in order to raise money for the University Playhouse. It would take a further two years before the play was staged and on the 1st February, 1966 Burton arrived at Oxford for three weeks to fulfill his promise. (Doctor Faustus was made into a film the following year, filmed in Rome, financed and produced by Burton, adapted for the screen and directed by Coghill and using the same cast of O.U.D.S. actors that had performed in the play).
There were further discussions between Coghill and Burton to film an adaption of Shakespeare's, 'The Tempest', which was to feature Sir John Gielgud in the cast, but sadly this project never came to fruition.
Following 'Doctor Faustus', Nevill Coghill worked with actor, writer and director Martin Starkie to co-write an adaption of his translation of, 'The Canterbury Tales', which was eventually performed in both the West End and on Broadway. This became a huge success internationally and received five Tony Award nominations. (In 1969, Coghill's modern version of 'The Tales' was also adapted for a B.B.C television series which featured, among others, Joss Ackland, William Squire and Geoffrey Bayldon, all of whom at one time or another had appeared alongside Richard Burton on stage or screen).
After a long and distinguished academic, literary and theatrical career, Nevill Coghill died, aged eighty-one, on the 6th of November, 1980.
The photograph of Nevill Coghill is credited to Cyril Arapoff and The National Portrait Gallery, London
Sybil Burton (Nee Williams)
Sybil Williams was born on the 27th of March, 1929 in Tylorstown, in the Rhondda Valley. She had an idyllic childhood in the Welsh valleys until tragically both her mother and father, a clerk in the local colliery, died when she was just fifteen.
Moving to Northampton to live with her married sister, she did well at school and soon developed a taste for the theatre, especially amateur dramatics, enrolling at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art when she turned eighteen.
In 1948, whilst still studying, she took on some 'film extra' work and landed the part of a villager on the London Films production of 'The Last Days Of Dolwyn'.
During a break whilst filming the interior shots for the film at Worton Hall, Isleworth, Richard Burton and the director Emlyn Williams were in discussion with regard to what Williams considered to be Burton's wayward lifestyle. At the conclusion of the conversation, Williams remarked that it was time Burton, "Should settle down with a nice girl", and just as that had been said, Sybil passed by... "Someone like her perhaps?" Emlyn Williams suggested.
Everyone who was around during the early 'Richard and Sybil' years agree that Sybil captivated everyone she met and that she was certainly the best thing that could have happened to him at the time, saving him from his self-destructive lifestyle.
Various Burton biographers have written of Sybil.. "She charmed and infected everyone she knew with her great love of life and bustling enthusiasm for everything that was going on around her"..." She had a style and elegance of her own and the surprising quality of consistent equilibrium"..."A woman radiating warmth and competence" and "She was the sort of person who would liven up a gathering just by walking in the door".
From the moment Richard Burton strode over and introduced himself and for the duration of filming, the pair were inseparable. After work was completed on 'The Last Days Of Dolwyn', Sybil followed Burton back to London and found herself employment as a stage manager at the Prince Of Wales Theatre in order to be closer to him.
In January of 1949 Burton took Sybil to Pontrhydyfen in order that she could meet the members of the Jenkins family, a visit which also included an introduction to Philip Burton. This one act of Richard Burton's proving that he was serious about Sybil and that their relationship was cemented.
Burton and Sybil were married on Saturday the 5th of February, 1949 at Kensington Registry Office in London, with Robert Hardy officiating as best man, followed by a riotous reception party at the home of Daphne Rye complete with champagne laid on by Binkie Beaumont. Daphne Rye's wedding present to the newly-married Burtons was the top floor flat at her home in Pelham Crescent, which was to be their first marital home.
Sybil Williams was born on the 27th of March, 1929 in Tylorstown, in the Rhondda Valley. She had an idyllic childhood in the Welsh valleys until tragically both her mother and father, a clerk in the local colliery, died when she was just fifteen.
Moving to Northampton to live with her married sister, she did well at school and soon developed a taste for the theatre, especially amateur dramatics, enrolling at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art when she turned eighteen.
In 1948, whilst still studying, she took on some 'film extra' work and landed the part of a villager on the London Films production of 'The Last Days Of Dolwyn'.
During a break whilst filming the interior shots for the film at Worton Hall, Isleworth, Richard Burton and the director Emlyn Williams were in discussion with regard to what Williams considered to be Burton's wayward lifestyle. At the conclusion of the conversation, Williams remarked that it was time Burton, "Should settle down with a nice girl", and just as that had been said, Sybil passed by... "Someone like her perhaps?" Emlyn Williams suggested.
Everyone who was around during the early 'Richard and Sybil' years agree that Sybil captivated everyone she met and that she was certainly the best thing that could have happened to him at the time, saving him from his self-destructive lifestyle.
Various Burton biographers have written of Sybil.. "She charmed and infected everyone she knew with her great love of life and bustling enthusiasm for everything that was going on around her"..." She had a style and elegance of her own and the surprising quality of consistent equilibrium"..."A woman radiating warmth and competence" and "She was the sort of person who would liven up a gathering just by walking in the door".
From the moment Richard Burton strode over and introduced himself and for the duration of filming, the pair were inseparable. After work was completed on 'The Last Days Of Dolwyn', Sybil followed Burton back to London and found herself employment as a stage manager at the Prince Of Wales Theatre in order to be closer to him.
In January of 1949 Burton took Sybil to Pontrhydyfen in order that she could meet the members of the Jenkins family, a visit which also included an introduction to Philip Burton. This one act of Richard Burton's proving that he was serious about Sybil and that their relationship was cemented.
Burton and Sybil were married on Saturday the 5th of February, 1949 at Kensington Registry Office in London, with Robert Hardy officiating as best man, followed by a riotous reception party at the home of Daphne Rye complete with champagne laid on by Binkie Beaumont. Daphne Rye's wedding present to the newly-married Burtons was the top floor flat at her home in Pelham Crescent, which was to be their first marital home.
Stanley Baker
William Stanley Baker, like his friend Richard Burton, was born in Wales to a working-class coal mining family. Stanley Baker was born in Ferndale in the Rhondda Valley on the 28th of February, 1928. Considered to be an unruly child, whose only interests seemed to be boxing and football, his artistic side was noticed by one of his early teachers, Glynne Morse, who then encouraged him to try his hand at acting.
He was noticed by a casting director for Ealing Studios whilst performing in a school play, and it was through this chance meeting that he secured a role in the 1943 Ealing Studios production of the war film, 'Undercover', when he was just fourteen. It was through this film part that he was offered the chance to audition for a theatre role in the new Emlyn Williams play, 'The Druid's Rest'. Although unsuccessful, this was to be his first meeting with Richard Burton, acting as his understudy for the part. Due to their similar backgrounds, their chosen careers, talent, and similar 'hell-raising' traits, the two became life-long friends thereafter.
After leaving school Stanley Baker worked in various menial jobs until, through the helpful assistance of Glynne Morse, his old teacher, he secured a contract for three years with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. This was only to last for a short while however, for in 1946 Baker was called up for National Service. After serving for two years in the Royal Army Service Corps he returned to London eager to resume his acting career, and this time it was to be his old friend Richard Burton who would assist him, recommending him for a part in Terence Rattigan's West End play, 'Adventure Story'.
From this point Stanley Baker's career went from strength to strength and be began to occasionally appear on television and it wasn't long before he was noticed by Hollywood and was given a small role in the Warner Brothers film, 'Captain Horatio Hornblower', appearing alongside Gregory Peck, Robert Beatty and James Robertson Justice.
Many supporting roles followed, which included such films as 'The Cruel Sea', 'Knights Of The Round Table' and 'Hell Below Zero', as well as the chance to appear with Laurence Olivier in the 1955 adaption of, 'Richard III'. Baker was also cast as Attacus in the 1956 United Artists epic production of 'Alexander The Great', which starred his friend Burton in the title role. 'Alexander The Great' was, sadly, to be the only film in which they would appear on screen together.
Richard Burton had also been instrumental in introducing Baker to his future wife, the actress Ellen Martin, with whom Baker would remain married to for the remainder of his life.
From 1957 onwards, Baker began to be cast in lead roles, usually playing tough 'anti-hero' characters in such films as 'Hell Drivers', 'The Violent Playground' and 'The Criminal'. After appearing in the highly successful World War Two film 'The Guns Of Navarone', Baker was offered the part of James Bond but unfortunately turned the part down as he didn't at that time want to be tied down to a long-term contract.
By the early 1960's Stanley Baker was moving into the production side of film-making and formed his own production company, 'Diamond Films', and together with American producer Joseph E. Levine was able to finance the film for which he will probably be best remembered, 'Zulu'. Baker was cast as the factual hero of Rouke's Drift, Lieutenant John Shard V.C. alongside the relatively unknown actor, (until his role in 'Zulu'), Michael Caine. Richard Burton was asked by Baker to supply the opening and closing narration for the film, which included Burton reading the very moving, 'V.C. Roll Of Honour'.
Following the success of 'Zulu', Baker went on to form the production company, 'Oakhurst Productions' which was responsible for such classic films as 'The Robbery' and 'The Italian Job', again starring Michael Caine.
In the 1970's Baker expanded his business interests and aside from being part of a company which purchased the British Lion Film Company as well as Shepperton Studios he was one of the founders of Harlech Television, a company which also had on it's board of directors, Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Geraint Evans, Harry Secombe and Wynford Vaughan-Thomas.
Baker made a return to acting in the late seventies appearing in such B.B.C. dramas as, 'Robinson Crusoe', 'The Changling' and most notably, a 1975 B.B.C. Wales adaption of Richard Llewellyn's, 'How Green Was My Valley', which proved to be his last screen role as, lamentably, shortly afterwards Stanley Baker was diagnosed with lung cancer.
In May,1976 it was announced that he was to receive a knighthood, sadly he did not live long enough to be invested at Buckingham Palace.
Stanley Baker died in Spain on the 28th of June, 1976, aged just forty-eight, his ashes were scattered from the top of the Llanwonno mountain, overlooking his birthplace of Ferndale in his beloved Wales.
Following Baker's death, Richard Burton, in the midst of depression caused by alcoholism, marriage difficulties and from the loss of his friend, wrote an obituary for Baker entitled, 'Lament For A Dead Welshman', which was published in The Observer. Although a deeply moving and brilliant piece of writing, it deeply offended Lady Baker, as to outsiders unknowing of Burton's closeness to his friend, it portrayed Baker as a man who lacked in culture and was a devil-may-care, street-fighting Lothario. In truth, Burton had no intention of offending anybody, in particular Lady Baker. It is important to note that Burton had not been commissioned to write the obituary, he had taken it upon himself to do it. What Burton had intended, according to many critics, was to praise Baker by saying 'Look at what Stanley Baker achieved in his lifetime, given the poverty and circumstances of his origins and education. The drive and ambition he must have had to drag himself out of the Welsh Valleys and achieve super-stardom, to achieve standing and greatness, and to mix easily alongside the privileged classes and royalty. Stanley Baker, the son of a Welsh miner from the Rhondda achieved that, and should be admired'.
The photograph of Stanley Baker which appears here is a Remus Films promotional studio portrait used to promote the release of 'The Good Die Young' in 1954.
William Stanley Baker, like his friend Richard Burton, was born in Wales to a working-class coal mining family. Stanley Baker was born in Ferndale in the Rhondda Valley on the 28th of February, 1928. Considered to be an unruly child, whose only interests seemed to be boxing and football, his artistic side was noticed by one of his early teachers, Glynne Morse, who then encouraged him to try his hand at acting.
He was noticed by a casting director for Ealing Studios whilst performing in a school play, and it was through this chance meeting that he secured a role in the 1943 Ealing Studios production of the war film, 'Undercover', when he was just fourteen. It was through this film part that he was offered the chance to audition for a theatre role in the new Emlyn Williams play, 'The Druid's Rest'. Although unsuccessful, this was to be his first meeting with Richard Burton, acting as his understudy for the part. Due to their similar backgrounds, their chosen careers, talent, and similar 'hell-raising' traits, the two became life-long friends thereafter.
After leaving school Stanley Baker worked in various menial jobs until, through the helpful assistance of Glynne Morse, his old teacher, he secured a contract for three years with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. This was only to last for a short while however, for in 1946 Baker was called up for National Service. After serving for two years in the Royal Army Service Corps he returned to London eager to resume his acting career, and this time it was to be his old friend Richard Burton who would assist him, recommending him for a part in Terence Rattigan's West End play, 'Adventure Story'.
From this point Stanley Baker's career went from strength to strength and be began to occasionally appear on television and it wasn't long before he was noticed by Hollywood and was given a small role in the Warner Brothers film, 'Captain Horatio Hornblower', appearing alongside Gregory Peck, Robert Beatty and James Robertson Justice.
Many supporting roles followed, which included such films as 'The Cruel Sea', 'Knights Of The Round Table' and 'Hell Below Zero', as well as the chance to appear with Laurence Olivier in the 1955 adaption of, 'Richard III'. Baker was also cast as Attacus in the 1956 United Artists epic production of 'Alexander The Great', which starred his friend Burton in the title role. 'Alexander The Great' was, sadly, to be the only film in which they would appear on screen together.
Richard Burton had also been instrumental in introducing Baker to his future wife, the actress Ellen Martin, with whom Baker would remain married to for the remainder of his life.
From 1957 onwards, Baker began to be cast in lead roles, usually playing tough 'anti-hero' characters in such films as 'Hell Drivers', 'The Violent Playground' and 'The Criminal'. After appearing in the highly successful World War Two film 'The Guns Of Navarone', Baker was offered the part of James Bond but unfortunately turned the part down as he didn't at that time want to be tied down to a long-term contract.
By the early 1960's Stanley Baker was moving into the production side of film-making and formed his own production company, 'Diamond Films', and together with American producer Joseph E. Levine was able to finance the film for which he will probably be best remembered, 'Zulu'. Baker was cast as the factual hero of Rouke's Drift, Lieutenant John Shard V.C. alongside the relatively unknown actor, (until his role in 'Zulu'), Michael Caine. Richard Burton was asked by Baker to supply the opening and closing narration for the film, which included Burton reading the very moving, 'V.C. Roll Of Honour'.
Following the success of 'Zulu', Baker went on to form the production company, 'Oakhurst Productions' which was responsible for such classic films as 'The Robbery' and 'The Italian Job', again starring Michael Caine.
In the 1970's Baker expanded his business interests and aside from being part of a company which purchased the British Lion Film Company as well as Shepperton Studios he was one of the founders of Harlech Television, a company which also had on it's board of directors, Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Geraint Evans, Harry Secombe and Wynford Vaughan-Thomas.
Baker made a return to acting in the late seventies appearing in such B.B.C. dramas as, 'Robinson Crusoe', 'The Changling' and most notably, a 1975 B.B.C. Wales adaption of Richard Llewellyn's, 'How Green Was My Valley', which proved to be his last screen role as, lamentably, shortly afterwards Stanley Baker was diagnosed with lung cancer.
In May,1976 it was announced that he was to receive a knighthood, sadly he did not live long enough to be invested at Buckingham Palace.
Stanley Baker died in Spain on the 28th of June, 1976, aged just forty-eight, his ashes were scattered from the top of the Llanwonno mountain, overlooking his birthplace of Ferndale in his beloved Wales.
Following Baker's death, Richard Burton, in the midst of depression caused by alcoholism, marriage difficulties and from the loss of his friend, wrote an obituary for Baker entitled, 'Lament For A Dead Welshman', which was published in The Observer. Although a deeply moving and brilliant piece of writing, it deeply offended Lady Baker, as to outsiders unknowing of Burton's closeness to his friend, it portrayed Baker as a man who lacked in culture and was a devil-may-care, street-fighting Lothario. In truth, Burton had no intention of offending anybody, in particular Lady Baker. It is important to note that Burton had not been commissioned to write the obituary, he had taken it upon himself to do it. What Burton had intended, according to many critics, was to praise Baker by saying 'Look at what Stanley Baker achieved in his lifetime, given the poverty and circumstances of his origins and education. The drive and ambition he must have had to drag himself out of the Welsh Valleys and achieve super-stardom, to achieve standing and greatness, and to mix easily alongside the privileged classes and royalty. Stanley Baker, the son of a Welsh miner from the Rhondda achieved that, and should be admired'.
The photograph of Stanley Baker which appears here is a Remus Films promotional studio portrait used to promote the release of 'The Good Die Young' in 1954.
Robert Hardy
Robert 'Tim' Hardy was born in Cheltenham on the 29th of October, 1925, the son of Jocelyn and Henry Harrison Hardy, who at that time was the headmaster of Cheltenham College. He was educated at Rugby School before progressing on to Magdalen College, Oxford, until his studies were interrupted by National Service in the Royal Air Force. It was during this time that he first encountered Richard Burton. In Robert Hardy's own eloquent words, he was to later write of his friend;
"Rishiart of Pontrhydyfen - a legend? a myth? a Welsh prince of the time before Owain Glyndwr? Not to begin with - "To begin at the beginning", he was little Richie Jenkins, the tenth surviving child of a miner's family, of No.2 Dan-y-Bont. There was Twm, Cecilia - but always 'Cis' - Ifor, William, David, Verdun (born 1916, you see), Hilda, Catherine, Edith, Rich and Graham. Soon after that, their mother, Edith, died. A great part of their life gone, the family circled protectively around the youngest; a family of much nobility - not the nobility of ermine, but of dignity, loyalty and pride.
Not yet a prince, but a bright schoolboy who attracted attention wherever he fixed his blue gaze; mad for Rugby football, for music, for words, for cricket 'and the run-stealers flitting to and fro'. More than one teacher saw in him promise; Philip Burton, the senior English master at Port Talbot Secondary School, himself a miner's son, saw in Richard a glow of genius, which he slowly fanned into a flame. Later, he would adopt him, with the family's blessing and to the relief of Cis, who had stepped into their mother's place and was hard put to it to look after a husband, her own children and her young brother.
From now, he would be Richard Burton 'absolutely to renounce his surname and bear the surname of the adopter and be held out to the world as if he were the child of Philip Burton.' Philip brought him forward, tutored him in literature and drama, teaching him the language of England and of Shakespeare.
So came the War, and in a crowd of half soldiers, sailors and airman, half undergraduates, Richard and I, went up to Oxford, met, and loathed each other - until one day poring over a map in navigation class, we spotted at the same moment the River Trent: "See how this river comes me cranking in..." said one; the other followed with "and cuts me from the best of all my land, a huge half-moon, a monstrous cantle out..." Hotspur, Shakespeare and his 'Henry IV' had formed a bond that lasted all one life (far, far too short), and still, the other.
The year of the Festival of Britain, when she strove to regain her spirits after the horrors and the gloom of war, saw Richard as a medieval prince at last; Hal, of the Shakespeare Histories, Henry of Agincourt at Stratford-on-Avon. From then, there was no stopping in the eagle-flight, bar the occasional hard landing and a stoup or two (not the falcon's stoop), and Rich became a great Shakespearean - I mean truly great, not as the word is misused now.
There had been a day near a Norfolk airfield, in the War, Easter Sunday and he and I swam in an icy sea and came back to the sands with one handkerchief to dry us both. We ran to warm ourselves, shouting bits of Hal, Hamlet, Coriolanus, Lear too probably, arguing how to play them...I was posted the next day and, in saying goodbye, told him; "Whatever you do, as actor, politician or anything else, you will do greatly." It came true, size of spirit, breadth of mind - even his life mistakes were great, his finest achievements unique, his voice unmatched.
My thoughts go back to Hampstead and to Rich with Sybil, all spirited gaiety and all forgiving love, and to Kate, the best of each of them, until one day Rich became Anthony - with Cleopatra - and a huge and famous, ferocious passion ensued. Richard and Elizabeth - Dame Elizabeth - twice married, twice divorced, always in love and longing for each other, even until death.
Richard's life is famous, though only a fortunate few know of his wide generosity, his gentleness in the still centre of the fire and sometimes fury. A genius, 'perhaps a flawed genius, but there has to be a precious stone to have a flaw'. At the last, peace perhaps, writing words, reading them in his library. Now, in a sense, he is going back to Wales, which, however far he travelled, he never really left, to a theatre that will bear his name and which, I fancy, he will haunt. The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama which houses the Richard Burton Theatre must do 'Doctor Faustus' for him one day; "the only play", he said, "I don't have to work on, I am Faustus!".
Following National Service Robert Hardy returned to Oxford and under the tutelage of, among others C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, he gained a BA (Hons) in English.
It was whilst at Oxford that Robert Hardy joined the Experimental Theatre Club, once again rekindling his friendship with Richard Burton. This led Hardy to begin his career as a classical actor. With only a few parts behind him, including a few roles alongside Burton at the Memorial Theatre, Stratford and at The Old Vic, Robert Hardy's big break came in 1959, when he was cast alongside Laurence Olivier in William Shakespeare's, 'Coriolanus'.
Robert Hardy remained close to Burton throughout his life, despite falling out over Burton's affair with Elizabeth Taylor. Hardy and his wife were close friends of both Burton and Sybil and during those first difficult years of what Richard Burton termed, 'Le Scandale', Robert Hardy was firmly in what could be termed, 'The Sybil Camp', leading to the close friendship between Hardy and Burton becoming somewhat strained.
By 1965 however, matters were resolved and Robert Hardy was cast alongside his old friend in what would be the only film in which they would appear together, 'The Spy Who Came In From the Cold'. However they did collaborate once more in the 1974 'Made-for-Television' film, 'The Gathering Storm', in which Burton portrayed Winston Churchill, a role that Robert Hardy would make entirely his own, twice, firstly in 1981 in the lead role in 'Winston Churchill -The Wilderness Years', and again in 1988 when once again he portrayed Churchill in the television mini-series, 'War and Remembrance'.
Probably best known to a certain generation growing up for his television role as Siegfried Farnon in, 'All Creatures Great And Small', Robert Hardy's stage and screen career has been an illustrious one. It has seen him play Royalty, Shakespeare, Prime Ministers, Presidents, doctors, professors, bishops, spies, detectives and he is now known to a younger audience as the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, in the Harry Potter franchise.
Robert Hardy was appointed as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1981 Queen's Birthday Honours.
Sadly, Robert Hardy died on the 3rd of August, 2017 at Denville Hall, a home for retired actors, aged ninety-one.
Robert 'Tim' Hardy was born in Cheltenham on the 29th of October, 1925, the son of Jocelyn and Henry Harrison Hardy, who at that time was the headmaster of Cheltenham College. He was educated at Rugby School before progressing on to Magdalen College, Oxford, until his studies were interrupted by National Service in the Royal Air Force. It was during this time that he first encountered Richard Burton. In Robert Hardy's own eloquent words, he was to later write of his friend;
"Rishiart of Pontrhydyfen - a legend? a myth? a Welsh prince of the time before Owain Glyndwr? Not to begin with - "To begin at the beginning", he was little Richie Jenkins, the tenth surviving child of a miner's family, of No.2 Dan-y-Bont. There was Twm, Cecilia - but always 'Cis' - Ifor, William, David, Verdun (born 1916, you see), Hilda, Catherine, Edith, Rich and Graham. Soon after that, their mother, Edith, died. A great part of their life gone, the family circled protectively around the youngest; a family of much nobility - not the nobility of ermine, but of dignity, loyalty and pride.
Not yet a prince, but a bright schoolboy who attracted attention wherever he fixed his blue gaze; mad for Rugby football, for music, for words, for cricket 'and the run-stealers flitting to and fro'. More than one teacher saw in him promise; Philip Burton, the senior English master at Port Talbot Secondary School, himself a miner's son, saw in Richard a glow of genius, which he slowly fanned into a flame. Later, he would adopt him, with the family's blessing and to the relief of Cis, who had stepped into their mother's place and was hard put to it to look after a husband, her own children and her young brother.
From now, he would be Richard Burton 'absolutely to renounce his surname and bear the surname of the adopter and be held out to the world as if he were the child of Philip Burton.' Philip brought him forward, tutored him in literature and drama, teaching him the language of England and of Shakespeare.
So came the War, and in a crowd of half soldiers, sailors and airman, half undergraduates, Richard and I, went up to Oxford, met, and loathed each other - until one day poring over a map in navigation class, we spotted at the same moment the River Trent: "See how this river comes me cranking in..." said one; the other followed with "and cuts me from the best of all my land, a huge half-moon, a monstrous cantle out..." Hotspur, Shakespeare and his 'Henry IV' had formed a bond that lasted all one life (far, far too short), and still, the other.
The year of the Festival of Britain, when she strove to regain her spirits after the horrors and the gloom of war, saw Richard as a medieval prince at last; Hal, of the Shakespeare Histories, Henry of Agincourt at Stratford-on-Avon. From then, there was no stopping in the eagle-flight, bar the occasional hard landing and a stoup or two (not the falcon's stoop), and Rich became a great Shakespearean - I mean truly great, not as the word is misused now.
There had been a day near a Norfolk airfield, in the War, Easter Sunday and he and I swam in an icy sea and came back to the sands with one handkerchief to dry us both. We ran to warm ourselves, shouting bits of Hal, Hamlet, Coriolanus, Lear too probably, arguing how to play them...I was posted the next day and, in saying goodbye, told him; "Whatever you do, as actor, politician or anything else, you will do greatly." It came true, size of spirit, breadth of mind - even his life mistakes were great, his finest achievements unique, his voice unmatched.
My thoughts go back to Hampstead and to Rich with Sybil, all spirited gaiety and all forgiving love, and to Kate, the best of each of them, until one day Rich became Anthony - with Cleopatra - and a huge and famous, ferocious passion ensued. Richard and Elizabeth - Dame Elizabeth - twice married, twice divorced, always in love and longing for each other, even until death.
Richard's life is famous, though only a fortunate few know of his wide generosity, his gentleness in the still centre of the fire and sometimes fury. A genius, 'perhaps a flawed genius, but there has to be a precious stone to have a flaw'. At the last, peace perhaps, writing words, reading them in his library. Now, in a sense, he is going back to Wales, which, however far he travelled, he never really left, to a theatre that will bear his name and which, I fancy, he will haunt. The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama which houses the Richard Burton Theatre must do 'Doctor Faustus' for him one day; "the only play", he said, "I don't have to work on, I am Faustus!".
Following National Service Robert Hardy returned to Oxford and under the tutelage of, among others C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, he gained a BA (Hons) in English.
It was whilst at Oxford that Robert Hardy joined the Experimental Theatre Club, once again rekindling his friendship with Richard Burton. This led Hardy to begin his career as a classical actor. With only a few parts behind him, including a few roles alongside Burton at the Memorial Theatre, Stratford and at The Old Vic, Robert Hardy's big break came in 1959, when he was cast alongside Laurence Olivier in William Shakespeare's, 'Coriolanus'.
Robert Hardy remained close to Burton throughout his life, despite falling out over Burton's affair with Elizabeth Taylor. Hardy and his wife were close friends of both Burton and Sybil and during those first difficult years of what Richard Burton termed, 'Le Scandale', Robert Hardy was firmly in what could be termed, 'The Sybil Camp', leading to the close friendship between Hardy and Burton becoming somewhat strained.
By 1965 however, matters were resolved and Robert Hardy was cast alongside his old friend in what would be the only film in which they would appear together, 'The Spy Who Came In From the Cold'. However they did collaborate once more in the 1974 'Made-for-Television' film, 'The Gathering Storm', in which Burton portrayed Winston Churchill, a role that Robert Hardy would make entirely his own, twice, firstly in 1981 in the lead role in 'Winston Churchill -The Wilderness Years', and again in 1988 when once again he portrayed Churchill in the television mini-series, 'War and Remembrance'.
Probably best known to a certain generation growing up for his television role as Siegfried Farnon in, 'All Creatures Great And Small', Robert Hardy's stage and screen career has been an illustrious one. It has seen him play Royalty, Shakespeare, Prime Ministers, Presidents, doctors, professors, bishops, spies, detectives and he is now known to a younger audience as the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, in the Harry Potter franchise.
Robert Hardy was appointed as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1981 Queen's Birthday Honours.
Sadly, Robert Hardy died on the 3rd of August, 2017 at Denville Hall, a home for retired actors, aged ninety-one.
Claire Bloom
Born in the North London suburb of Finchley on the 15th of February, 1931, Patricia Claire Bloom is an extraordinarily beautiful and talented actress of stage, screen and television with an illustrious career behind her spanning over six decades.
After studying drama at school in Bristol and The Guildhall she went on to study at the prestigious Central School of Speech and Drama in London, under the serious tutelage of both Dame Sybil Thorndike and Elsie Fogerty.
She made her Royal National Theatre debut as Ophelia, alongside Paul Schofield as Hamlet, when she was just sixteen, a role she would reprise a few years later, to great acclaim, with Richard Burton in the lead role.
Her big break however came when she was cast in the Christopher Fry play, 'The Lady's Not For Burning', starring alongside a young Richard Burton for the first time. It was during this time that they commenced on an love affair which was to last, on and off, for several years.
As well as appearing in many stage roles opposite Richard Burton, most notably at Stratford-Upon-Avon and at The Old Vic in the early 1950's. She also appeared on the big screen with him in several films, 'Alexander The Great', 'Look Back In Anger', 'The Spy Who Came In From The Cold' in 1965, (much to the disapproval of Elizabeth Taylor), and lastly, in what was to be Richard Burton's final television appearance, in the American mini-series, 'Ellis Island'.
She has written two memoirs about her life, the first being, 'Limelight And After: The Education of An Actress', a reference to her appearance in the 1952 film 'Limelight' alongside Charlie Chaplin, but it wasn't until the publication of 'Leaving A Doll's House: A Memoir', that the full extent of her relationship with Richard Burton became known. Many who were around at the time and were witness to the affair believe that she was the first real threat to the stability of his first marriage. Richard Burton is believed to have told a biographer that;
" I have only ever loved two women before Elizabeth, Sybil was one, Claire Bloom was the other."
Well respected among her peers in the acting profession, she is still in great demand to appear on television and in films. Her most recent television credits include appearances in, 'New Tricks', 'Doctor Who' and a very moving performance in one of the last ever episodes of the television series, 'The Bill'. In 2011 Claire Bloom was cast as Queen Mary in the Academy Award winning film, 'The King's Speech'.
For ten years from 1959 Claire Bloom was married to actor Rod Steiger, a man who, especially in his later years, bore an uncanny resemblance to Richard Burton. Interestingly, Richard Burton and Rod Steiger starred together in the 1979 film, 'Breakthrough'. It is not known how the two men got along.
Claire Bloom was appointed as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2013 Birthday Honours for her services to drama.
The photograph of Claire Bloom which appears here is an original studio portrait dating from around the time of 'The Spy Who Came In From The Cold'. A signed copy of this lovely photograph of Claire Bloom is held in the Richard Burton Museum collection.
Born in the North London suburb of Finchley on the 15th of February, 1931, Patricia Claire Bloom is an extraordinarily beautiful and talented actress of stage, screen and television with an illustrious career behind her spanning over six decades.
After studying drama at school in Bristol and The Guildhall she went on to study at the prestigious Central School of Speech and Drama in London, under the serious tutelage of both Dame Sybil Thorndike and Elsie Fogerty.
She made her Royal National Theatre debut as Ophelia, alongside Paul Schofield as Hamlet, when she was just sixteen, a role she would reprise a few years later, to great acclaim, with Richard Burton in the lead role.
Her big break however came when she was cast in the Christopher Fry play, 'The Lady's Not For Burning', starring alongside a young Richard Burton for the first time. It was during this time that they commenced on an love affair which was to last, on and off, for several years.
As well as appearing in many stage roles opposite Richard Burton, most notably at Stratford-Upon-Avon and at The Old Vic in the early 1950's. She also appeared on the big screen with him in several films, 'Alexander The Great', 'Look Back In Anger', 'The Spy Who Came In From The Cold' in 1965, (much to the disapproval of Elizabeth Taylor), and lastly, in what was to be Richard Burton's final television appearance, in the American mini-series, 'Ellis Island'.
She has written two memoirs about her life, the first being, 'Limelight And After: The Education of An Actress', a reference to her appearance in the 1952 film 'Limelight' alongside Charlie Chaplin, but it wasn't until the publication of 'Leaving A Doll's House: A Memoir', that the full extent of her relationship with Richard Burton became known. Many who were around at the time and were witness to the affair believe that she was the first real threat to the stability of his first marriage. Richard Burton is believed to have told a biographer that;
" I have only ever loved two women before Elizabeth, Sybil was one, Claire Bloom was the other."
Well respected among her peers in the acting profession, she is still in great demand to appear on television and in films. Her most recent television credits include appearances in, 'New Tricks', 'Doctor Who' and a very moving performance in one of the last ever episodes of the television series, 'The Bill'. In 2011 Claire Bloom was cast as Queen Mary in the Academy Award winning film, 'The King's Speech'.
For ten years from 1959 Claire Bloom was married to actor Rod Steiger, a man who, especially in his later years, bore an uncanny resemblance to Richard Burton. Interestingly, Richard Burton and Rod Steiger starred together in the 1979 film, 'Breakthrough'. It is not known how the two men got along.
Claire Bloom was appointed as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2013 Birthday Honours for her services to drama.
The photograph of Claire Bloom which appears here is an original studio portrait dating from around the time of 'The Spy Who Came In From The Cold'. A signed copy of this lovely photograph of Claire Bloom is held in the Richard Burton Museum collection.
This page was updated on the 20th of January, 2021
