Norman Rodway
Encyclopedia
Early life
Rodway was born in Dublin to English parents, Frank and Lillian (Moyles) Rodway. He studied classicsClassical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
, graduating at Trinity College
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
. He worked as an accountant, teacher, and university lecturer before acting.
Career
He made his stage debut in May 1953 at the Cork Opera HouseCork Opera House
Cork Opera House is a theatre and opera house in Cork in the Republic of Ireland. It was originally built in 1855, although its existence has not been continuous; having survived the burning of much of Cork by British forces in reprisal for an ambush of a military convoy in 1920 by Irish rebels,...
. There, he portrayed General Mannion in The Seventh Step. He made his first appearance in London in 1959, as The Messenger in Cock-A-Doodle Dandy. In 1962, he portrayed the young James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
in Stephen D, based on Joyce's writings. Rodway joined the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
in 1966. His favorite theatrical parts included Bassov in Summerfolk, and the title roles in Butley and 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...
.
Although he was primarily a stage actor, he also performed in radio, television, and film productions. With his expressive voice (described by Jack Adrian as "rich and dark and thumpingly Celtic" ), he made many radio broadcasts for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. Major television roles included Cummings
Mansfield Smith-Cumming
Captain Sir George Mansfield Smith-Cumming, KCMG, CB was the first director of what would become the Secret Intelligence Service , also known as MI6...
in Reilly, Ace of Spies
Reilly, Ace of Spies
Reilly, Ace of Spies is a 1983 television miniseries dramatizing the life of Sidney Reilly, a Russian Jew who became one of the greatest spies to ever work for the British. Among his exploits in the early 20th century were the infiltration of the German General Staff in 1917 and a near-overthrow of...
, and Charles Brett in The Bretts. He also appeared in three of the PBS Mystery!
Mystery!
Mystery! is an episodic television series that debuted in 1980 in the USA. It airs on PBS and is produced by WGBH...
series: Miss Marple
Miss Marple (TV series)
Miss Marple is a British television series based on the Miss Marple murder mystery novels by Agatha Christie. It starred Joan Hickson in the title role, and aired from 1984 to 1992. All twelve original Miss Marple Christie novels have been dramatised. The screenplays were written by T. R...
, Rumpole of the Bailey
Rumpole of the Bailey
Rumpole of the Bailey is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer which starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, an ageing London barrister who defends any and all clients...
, and Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse (TV series)
Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis. Dexter makes a cameo appearance in all but three of the episodes....
. He acted with Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
in Chimes at Midnight
Chimes at Midnight
Chimes at Midnight, also known as Falstaff and Campanadas a medianoche , is a 1965 film directed by and starring Orson Welles. Focused on William Shakespeare's recurring character Sir John Falstaff, the film stars Welles himself as Falstaff, Keith Baxter plays Prince Hal , and John Gielgud plays...
(1965) and I'll Never Forget What's'isname (1967). He often acted as the villain, including Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
in The Empty Mirror
The Empty Mirror
The Empty Mirror is a 1996 film set in the underground Führerbunker where Adolf Hitler and his clan of loyal backers strive to outlast the destruction of the Third Reich.-Plot:...
(1999). He played the role of Apemantus
Apemantus
Apemantus is a character in the play Timon of Athens by William Shakespeare. He is a cynical and misanthropic philosopher.-Role in the play:...
in both television and audiobook productions of Shakespeare's Timon of Athens
Timon of Athens
The Life of Timon of Athens is a play by William Shakespeare about the fortunes of an Athenian named Timon , generally regarded as one of his most obscure and difficult works...
.
Personal life
He was married four times. His first wife was a casting director, Mary SelwayMary Selway
Mary Selway was a British casting director.-Life:Selway was born in Norwich in 1936 and attended the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London...
, and his second the actress Pauline Delany. He was stepfather to Tara FitzGerald
Tara Fitzgerald
Tara Anne Cassandra Fitzgerald is an English actress who has appeared in feature films, television, radio and the stage....
by his third marriage to Sarah Callaby (née Fitzgerald). He was married to Jane Rodway from 1991 to his death. He died in London after a series of stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
s.
Filmography
- This Other EdenThis Other Eden (film)This Other Eden is a 1959 Irish comedy drama film directed by Muriel Box and starring Audrey Dalton, Leslie Phillips and Niall MacGinnis.-Synopsis:...
(1959) - Murder in EdenMurder in Eden (film)Murder in Eden is a 1961 British mystery film directed by Max Varnel and starring Ray McAnally, Catherine Feller and Yvonne Buckingham. An art critic is murdered, triggering a hunt for the killer.-Cast:* Ray McAnally ... Inspector Sharkey...
(1961) - A Question of Suspense (1961)
- Johnny NobodyJohnny NobodyJohnny Nobody is a 1961 UK drama film brought to the screen by Viceroy Films Limited under the production of John R. Sloan with executive production from Irving Allen and Albert R. Broccoli. The original story was by Albert Z. Carr with the screenplay by Patrick Kirwan. It was directed by the...
(1961) - Ambush in Leopard Street (1962)
- The Webster BoyThe Webster BoyThe Webster Boy is an Irish film directed by Don Chaffey and written by Ted Allan and Leo Marks.-Cast:*Richard O'Sullivan as Jimmy Webster*John Cassavetes as Vance Miller*Elizabeth Sellars as Margaret Webster*David Farrar as Paul Webster...
(1962) - The Quare Fellow (1962)
- Four in the MorningFour in the Morning (film)Four in the Morning is a 1965 British film directed by Anthony Simmons.-External links:...
(1965) - Chimes at MidnightChimes at MidnightChimes at Midnight, also known as Falstaff and Campanadas a medianoche , is a 1965 film directed by and starring Orson Welles. Focused on William Shakespeare's recurring character Sir John Falstaff, the film stars Welles himself as Falstaff, Keith Baxter plays Prince Hal , and John Gielgud plays...
(1965) - The PenthouseThe PenthouseThe Penthouse is a 1967 film directed by Peter Collinson. It stars Suzy Kendall and Terence Morgan and was based on a 1964 play The Meter Man by Scott Forbes.-Cast:*Suzy Kendall as Barbara Willison*Terence Morgan as Bruce Victor...
(1967) - I'll Never Forget What's'isname (1967)
- The Hiding PlaceThe Hiding Place (film)The Hiding Place is a 1975 film based on the autobiographical book of the same name by Corrie ten Boom recounting her and her family's experiences before and during their imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust in World War II.-Plot:...
(1975) - Who Dares WinsWho Dares Wins (film)Who Dares Wins is a 1982 British film starring Lewis Collins, Judy Davis, Richard Widmark and Edward Woodward, directed by Ian Sharp. The title is the motto of the elite Special Air Service ....
(1982) - Tai-PanTai-Pan (film)Tai-Pan is a 1986 film directed by Daryl Duke, loosely based on James Clavell's 1966 novel of the same name. While many of the same characters and plot twists are maintained, a few smaller occurrences are left out. Filmed under communist Chinese censorship, some portions of Clavell's story were...
(1986) - King of the WindKing of the Wind (film)King of the Wind is a 1989 British adventure film directed by Peter Duffell and starring Richard Harris, Glenda Jackson and Frank Finlay. It is based on the novel King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry. The film depicts the life of an Arab colt in eighteenth century Britain.-Cast:* Richard Harris ......
(1989) - Mother NightMother Night (film)Mother Night is a 1996 film based on Kurt Vonnegut's 1961 book of the same name.Nick Nolte stars as Howard W. Campbell, Jr., an American who moves with his family to Germany after World War I and goes on to become a successful German language playwright...
(1996) - The Empty MirrorThe Empty MirrorThe Empty Mirror is a 1996 film set in the underground Führerbunker where Adolf Hitler and his clan of loyal backers strive to outlast the destruction of the Third Reich.-Plot:...
(1996) - County KilburnCounty KilburnCounty Kilburn is a 2000 British comedy film directed by Elliot Hegarty and starring Ciarán McMenamin, Rick Warden and John Bowe.-Plot:A young man takes a job working at The Waggon and Horses, an Irish bar in Kilburn in North London, where a number of eccentric patrons do their drinking.-Cast:*...
(2000)
Selected television roles
- Sergeant CorkSergeant CorkSergeant Cork is a British detective television series which first aired between 1963 and 1968 on ATV. It featured a police procedural show which followed the efforts of two police officers and their battle against crime in Victorian London. In all 66 hour-long episodes were aired during the five...
- Inspector MorseInspector Morse (TV series)Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis. Dexter makes a cameo appearance in all but three of the episodes....
- The SweeneyThe SweeneyThe Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London...
- The Bretts
- Rumpole of the BaileyRumpole of the BaileyRumpole of the Bailey is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer which starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, an ageing London barrister who defends any and all clients...
- Jeeves and WoosterJeeves and Wooster-External links:*—An episode guide to the series, including information about which episodes were adapted from which Wodehouse stories.*—Episode guides, screenshots and quotes from the four series....
Sources
- Contemporary Theatre, Film, and Television (vol. 26), 2000
- Who’s Who in Theatre, 1981