Anthony Hawtrey
Encyclopedia
Anthony John Hawtrey was an English
actor
on stage and screen, and theatre director.
, Surrey, on 22 January 1909, the illegitimate son of Sir Charles Hawtrey and Olive Morris. He was educated at Bradfield College
, then studied for the stage under Bertha Moore. From 1930 he worked as an actor in London, on tour in South Africa, and with the Liverpool Repertory Company
. In 1939 he was director of productions at the Embassy Theatre
in London. Subsequently he was director at the Swindon Repertory Company, then in 1940 - 42 directed and played in over forty plays at the Dundee Repertory Theatre
.
, which had been bomb-damaged, as director, and there followed a string of successful productions. From the first two years' productions, twenty plays in all, he selected six for publication unde the title Embassy Successes, namely
Further successes followed. In the words of Val Gielgud
"Not the least of Mr. Hawtrey's claims to the gratitude of his audiences is his persistent refusal to be deterred from experiment by difficulties of staging whch too frequently have proved fatal to the chances of a play's production in the West End."
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
on stage and screen, and theatre director.
Life
He was born in ClaygateClaygate
Claygate is a village in the English county of Surrey, approximately south west of London and within the Metropolitan Green Belt.It is primarily a residential area but with offices, farms and two shopping areas with a supermarket, five pubs and numerous restaurants...
, Surrey, on 22 January 1909, the illegitimate son of Sir Charles Hawtrey and Olive Morris. He was educated at Bradfield College
Bradfield College
Bradfield College is a coeducational independent school located in the small village of Bradfield in the English county of Berkshire.The college was founded in 1850 by Thomas Stevens, Rector and Lord of the Manor of Bradfield...
, then studied for the stage under Bertha Moore. From 1930 he worked as an actor in London, on tour in South Africa, and with the Liverpool Repertory Company
Liverpool Playhouse
The Liverpool Playhouse is a theatre in Williamson Square in the city of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It originated in 1866 as a music hall, and in 1911 developed into a repertory theatre. As such it nurtured the early careers of many actors and actresses, some of which went on to achieve...
. In 1939 he was director of productions at the Embassy Theatre
Embassy Theatre (London)
The Embassy Theatre is a theatre at 64, Eton Avenue, Swiss Cottage, London.- Early years :The Embassy Theatre was opened as a repertory company in September 1928 on the initiative of Sybil Arundale and Herbert Jay., when the premises of Hampstead Conservatoire of Music were adapted by architect...
in London. Subsequently he was director at the Swindon Repertory Company, then in 1940 - 42 directed and played in over forty plays at the Dundee Repertory Theatre
Dundee Repertory Theatre
Dundee Repertory Theatre or Dundee Rep is a theatre and arts company in the city of Dundee, Scotland. It operates as both a producing house - staging at least six of its own productions each year, and a receiving house - hosting work from visiting companies throughout Scotland and the United...
.
Post-war
In February 1945 he reopened the EmbassyEmbassy Theatre (London)
The Embassy Theatre is a theatre at 64, Eton Avenue, Swiss Cottage, London.- Early years :The Embassy Theatre was opened as a repertory company in September 1928 on the initiative of Sybil Arundale and Herbert Jay., when the premises of Hampstead Conservatoire of Music were adapted by architect...
, which had been bomb-damaged, as director, and there followed a string of successful productions. From the first two years' productions, twenty plays in all, he selected six for publication unde the title Embassy Successes, namely
- Worm's Eye View, by R. F. DelderfieldR. F. DelderfieldRonald Frederick Delderfield was a popular English novelist and dramatist, many of whose works have been adapted for television and are still widely read.-Childhood in London and Surrey:...
- Father Malachy's MiracleFather Malachy's Miracle-Plot summary:Next to a church in a prosperous Scottish industrial town is the "Garden of Eden", a dance hall of dubious reputation. The "Garden of Eden" is a thorn in the side of the innocent and unworldly Catholic priest Father Malachy, who is praying to God that He will close the dance...
, adapted by Brian Doherty from the book by Bruce MarshallBruce MarshallLieutenant-Colonel Claude Cunningham Bruce Marshall, known as Bruce Marshall was a prolific Scottish writer who wrote fiction and non-fiction books on a wide range of topics and genres. His first book, A Thief in the Night came out in 1918, possibly self-published... - Zoo in Silesia, by Richard Pollock
- National VelvetNational VelvetNational Velvet is a novel by Enid Bagnold , first published in 1935.-Plot summary:"National Velvet" is the story of a 14-year-old girl named Velvet Brown, who rides her horse to victory in the Grand National steeplechase...
, by Enid BagnoldEnid BagnoldEnid Algerine Bagnold, Lady Jones, CBE , known by her maiden name as Enid Bagnold, was a British author and playwright, best known for the 1935 story National Velvet which was filmed in 1944 with Elizabeth Taylor.... - Skipper Next to God, by Jan de HartogJan de HartogJan de Hartog was a Dutch playwright, novelist and occasional social critic who moved to the United States in the early 1960s and became a Quaker.- Early years :...
- No Room at the Inn, by Joan Temple
Further successes followed. In the words of Val Gielgud
Val Gielgud
Val Henry Gielgud was an English actor, writer, director and broadcaster. He was a pioneer of radio drama for the BBC, and also directed the first ever drama to be produced in the newer medium of television....
"Not the least of Mr. Hawtrey's claims to the gratitude of his audiences is his persistent refusal to be deterred from experiment by difficulties of staging whch too frequently have proved fatal to the chances of a play's production in the West End."
Film work
In parallel with his work in live theatre, he took part in television and several films, a few of which are- Inquest (1939) (television)
- Warn That ManWarn that ManWarn That Man is a 1943 British thriller film directed by Lawrence Huntington and starring Gordon Harker, Raymond Lovell and Finlay Currie. It was based on a play by Vernon Sylvaine. During the Second World War, the niece of a peer is kidnapped and an impersonater takes her place as part of a...
(1943) - Headline (1944)
- The Hundred Pound WindowThe Hundred Pound WindowThe Hundred Pound Window is a 1944 British crime film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Anne Crawford, David Farrar, Frederick Leister and Richard Attenborough. An accountant has to take a second job working at a racetrack where he soon becomes mixed up with a shady crowd.-Cast:* Anne...
(1944) - The World Owes Me a LivingThe World Owes Me a LivingThe World Owes Me a Living is a 1945 British World War II film drama, directed by Vernon Sewell and starring David Farrar and Judy Campbell. The film is based on a novel by John Llewellyn Rhys, a young author who was killed in action in 1940 while serving in the Royal Air Force...
(1945) - Latin QuarterLatin Quarter (film)Latin Quarter is a 1945 British thriller, directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Derrick De Marney, Joan Greenwood and Beresford Egan. The film is an adaptation of the play L'Angoisse by Pierre Mills and C. Vylars...
(1945) - The First GentlemanThe First GentlemanThe First Gentleman is a 1948 British historical drama film directed by Alberto Cavalcanti and starring Jean-Pierre Aumont, Joan Hopkins and Cecil Parker. It portrays the relationships and marriage of George, Prince Regent and his tense dealings with other members of his family such as Princess...
(1948)