Harry Meacher
Encyclopedia
Harry Meacher is a British actor, director and playwright. He is married to actress Judi Bowker
.
in Stratford and with James Cooper in Ilford.
He won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, then performed at the Royal Court Theatre, in London's West End and at many leading regional venues. At the National Theatre he worked with Laurence Olivier, and later played Martin Dysart during the run of the original production of Equus
directed by John Dexter
.
One of his early appearances as a leading actor was seen by Alec Guinness
, who said to him afterwards "You were very good.
The Times
said so. I read their review. And I know you did - because you were playing the review, rather than the part! Promise me you will stop reading reviews." Meacher stopped reading drama criticism.
Roles in Shakespeare included Pistol
to Frank Middlemass
's Falstaff
, and Exton to Ian McKellen
's Richard II
. In the death scene at one performance, Exton's blade broke the skin on the King's back; McKellen appeared ready for the curtain call handing Meacher a stiff drink to help him get over it.
He also performed in Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night's Dream
.
His screen appearances have ranged from series like Dixon of Dock Green
, The Scarlet Pimpernel
, Softly Softly, Special Branch
and The Troubleshooters to major films, including Trial By Combat, Transatlantis and Kannibal.
He has written and adapted plays which have been performed in London, and he toured the Mediterranean with his wife Judi Bowker
in his own play The Brownings. His plays Buccaneer and A Haunting Twist have been seen in New York and elsewhere in America. He has toured capital cities in the Middle and Far East, Australia and New Zealand. His adaptations include works by Chekhov, Ibsen, Strindberg, Gorky and Dickens. With Kit Gerould he co-wrote The Sensualist which played at the Arts Theatre in London. He directed and performed in Uncle Vanya
which won Time Out's Critics' Choice award.
He has played the title roles in King Lear
, Macbeth
, Othello
, Richard III
, Ivanov
, Shylock in The Merchant of Venice
and Prospero in The Tempest
. In his own adaptation from Conan Doyle, he portrayed Sherlock Holmes
. He directed Hedda Gabler
starring Judi Bowker
.
He co-founded Coachhouse Films, whose work has been shown on television.
Judi Bowker
Judi Bowker is an English television and cinema actress. Her roles include Princess Andromeda in the 1981 film version of Clash of the Titans and Saint Clare in Franco Zeffirelli's 1972 film Brother Sun, Sister Moon.-Biography:...
.
Biography
Harry Meacher originated in Hainault, near Chigwell, in Essex. In his teens he worked with Joan LittlewoodJoan Littlewood
Joan Maud Littlewood was a British theatre director, noted for her work in developing the left-wing Theatre Workshop...
in Stratford and with James Cooper in Ilford.
He won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, then performed at the Royal Court Theatre, in London's West End and at many leading regional venues. At the National Theatre he worked with Laurence Olivier, and later played Martin Dysart during the run of the original production of Equus
Equus (play)
Equus is a play by Peter Shaffer written in 1973, telling the story of a psychiatrist who attempts to treat a young man who has a pathological religious fascination with horses....
directed by John Dexter
John Dexter
John Dexter was an English theatre, opera, and film director.- Theatre :Born in Derby, England, Dexter left school at the age of fourteen to serve in the British army during World War II. Following the war, he began working as a stage actor before turning to producing and directing shows for...
.
One of his early appearances as a leading actor was seen by Alec Guinness
Alec Guinness
Sir Alec Guinness, CH, CBE was an English actor. He was featured in several of the Ealing Comedies, including Kind Hearts and Coronets in which he played eight different characters. He later won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai...
, who said to him afterwards "You were very good.
The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
said so. I read their review. And I know you did - because you were playing the review, rather than the part! Promise me you will stop reading reviews." Meacher stopped reading drama criticism.
Roles in Shakespeare included Pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
to Frank Middlemass
Frank Middlemass
Francis George Middlemass was an English actor, who even in his early career played older roles. He is best remembered for his television roles as Rocky Hardcastle in As Time Goes By, Algy Herries in To Serve Them All My Days and Dr. Alex Ferrenby in Heartbeat...
's Falstaff
Falstaff
Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare. In the two Henry IV plays, he is a companion to Prince Hal, the future King Henry V. A fat, vain, boastful, and cowardly knight, Falstaff leads the apparently wayward Prince Hal into trouble, and is...
, and Exton to Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen
Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE is an English actor. He has received a Tony Award, two Academy Award nominations, and five Emmy Award nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction...
's Richard II
Richard II (play)
King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
. In the death scene at one performance, Exton's blade broke the skin on the King's back; McKellen appeared ready for the curtain call handing Meacher a stiff drink to help him get over it.
He also performed in Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
.
His screen appearances have ranged from series like Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green was a popular BBC television series that ran from 1955 to 1976, and later a radio series. Despite being a drama series, it was initially produced by the BBC's light entertainment department.-Overview:...
, The Scarlet Pimpernel
The Scarlet Pimpernel
The Scarlet Pimpernel is a play and adventure novel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, set during the Reign of Terror following the start of the French Revolution. The story is a precursor to the "disguised superhero" tales such as Zorro and Batman....
, Softly Softly, Special Branch
Special Branch
Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security in British and Commonwealth police forces, as well as in the Royal Thai Police...
and The Troubleshooters to major films, including Trial By Combat, Transatlantis and Kannibal.
He has written and adapted plays which have been performed in London, and he toured the Mediterranean with his wife Judi Bowker
Judi Bowker
Judi Bowker is an English television and cinema actress. Her roles include Princess Andromeda in the 1981 film version of Clash of the Titans and Saint Clare in Franco Zeffirelli's 1972 film Brother Sun, Sister Moon.-Biography:...
in his own play The Brownings. His plays Buccaneer and A Haunting Twist have been seen in New York and elsewhere in America. He has toured capital cities in the Middle and Far East, Australia and New Zealand. His adaptations include works by Chekhov, Ibsen, Strindberg, Gorky and Dickens. With Kit Gerould he co-wrote The Sensualist which played at the Arts Theatre in London. He directed and performed in Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1897 and received its Moscow première in 1899 in a production by the Moscow Art Theatre, under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski....
which won Time Out's Critics' Choice award.
He has played the title roles in King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
, Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
, Othello
Othello
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
, Richard III
Richard III (play)
Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
, Ivanov
Ivanov
Ivanov may refer to one of the following:*Ivanov , list of real people with this last nameFictional characters*D. D. Ivanov, a fictional character in the Macross universe...
, Shylock in The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...
and Prospero in The Tempest
The Tempest
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
. In his own adaptation from Conan Doyle, he portrayed Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
. He directed Hedda Gabler
Hedda Gabler
Hedda Gabler is a play first published in 1890 by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The play premiered in 1891 in Germany to negative reviews, but has subsequently gained recognition as a classic of realism, nineteenth century theatre, and world drama...
starring Judi Bowker
Judi Bowker
Judi Bowker is an English television and cinema actress. Her roles include Princess Andromeda in the 1981 film version of Clash of the Titans and Saint Clare in Franco Zeffirelli's 1972 film Brother Sun, Sister Moon.-Biography:...
.
He co-founded Coachhouse Films, whose work has been shown on television.
Documentary Sources
- Who's Who In The Theatre Sixteenth Edition Edited by Ian Herbert Pub. Pitman Ltd London 1978
- British Theatre Review 1974 Edited by Eric Johns Pub. Vance-Offord Publications, Eastbourne, 1975
- National Theatre Archive, South Bank, London