Paddy Crean
Encyclopedia
Patrick "Paddy" Crean was a professional actor
and theatrical fight director who was one of the most influential figures in the art of modern stage combat
.
Crean, who had a background in competitive fencing, began choreographing fights in 1932 when he was working in his native England as an actor in The Legends of Don Juan. He and his partner Rex Rickman were frequently hired to stage fight scenes for theatrical productions as well as in motion pictures such as The Master of Ballantree and The Sword of Sherwood Forest. They both ran the Sophy School of Fencing in London and used it to teach many celebrities sword work for stage and films. He worked with actors including Paul Scofield
, Laurence Olivier
, Trevor Howard
, Alec Guinness
, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Errol Flynn
, often performing as Flynn's stunt double
in movies.
Crean travelled to the Canadian Stratford Theatre Festival in 1962 to serve as the fight arranger for Macbeth
, directed by Peter Coe. After his second season in 1963, he decided to make Stratford his home and worked as the festival's fight director until 1983. Among festival productions for which he arranged the swordplay, The Three Musketeers
, directed by John Hirsch in 1968, received great acclaim for its stage action. Crean returned from retirement in 1988 to assist fight director Jean-Pierre Fournier for The Three Musketeers
as directed by Richard Ouzounian.
Crean's choreographic philosophy included tenets such as matching the combat to the character and included research into various historical and cultural forms of swordplay. His system of stage combat
safety protocols were highly influential around the world. Those guidelines were codified through the Society of British Fight Directors, for which Crean was a fight master. He was also a certified fight master with Fight Directors Canada as well as being an honorary member of the Society of American Fight Directors.
Crean continued to work as an actor, sometimes taking small roles in shows for which he had done fight arranging and also performing his one-man show about Rudyard Kipling
, The Sun Never Sets
, at Stratford's Avon Theatre in 1970.
His autobiography, More Champagne, Darling (ISBN 0075480778), was published in Toronto
by McGraw-Hill Ryerson in 1981.
The annual Paddy Crean International Stage Combat Conferences
, named in honour of Mr. Crean, present a wide range of seminars run by prominent stage combat and martial arts instructors.
Patrick Crean died on December 22, 2003, at the age of 93. He was married to the actress Helen Christie
.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and theatrical fight director who was one of the most influential figures in the art of modern stage combat
Stage combat
Stage combat is a specialized technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers. It is employed in live stage plays as well as operatic and ballet productions. The term is also used informally to describe fight choreography for other...
.
Crean, who had a background in competitive fencing, began choreographing fights in 1932 when he was working in his native England as an actor in The Legends of Don Juan. He and his partner Rex Rickman were frequently hired to stage fight scenes for theatrical productions as well as in motion pictures such as The Master of Ballantree and The Sword of Sherwood Forest. They both ran the Sophy School of Fencing in London and used it to teach many celebrities sword work for stage and films. He worked with actors including Paul Scofield
Paul Scofield
David Paul Scofield, CH, CBE , better known as Paul Scofield, was an English actor of stage and screen...
, Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
, Trevor Howard
Trevor Howard
Trevor Howard , born Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith, was an English film, stage and television actor.-Early life:...
, 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...
, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
, often performing as Flynn's stunt double
Stunt double
A stunt double is a type of body double, specifically a skilled replacement used for dangerous film or video sequences, in movies and television , and for other sophisticated stunts...
in movies.
Crean travelled to the Canadian Stratford Theatre Festival in 1962 to serve as the fight arranger for 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...
, directed by Peter Coe. After his second season in 1963, he decided to make Stratford his home and worked as the festival's fight director until 1983. Among festival productions for which he arranged the swordplay, The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, first serialized in March–July 1844. Set in the 17th century, it recounts the adventures of a young man named d'Artagnan after he leaves home to travel to Paris, to join the Musketeers of the Guard...
, directed by John Hirsch in 1968, received great acclaim for its stage action. Crean returned from retirement in 1988 to assist fight director Jean-Pierre Fournier for The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, first serialized in March–July 1844. Set in the 17th century, it recounts the adventures of a young man named d'Artagnan after he leaves home to travel to Paris, to join the Musketeers of the Guard...
as directed by Richard Ouzounian.
Crean's choreographic philosophy included tenets such as matching the combat to the character and included research into various historical and cultural forms of swordplay. His system of stage combat
Stage combat
Stage combat is a specialized technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers. It is employed in live stage plays as well as operatic and ballet productions. The term is also used informally to describe fight choreography for other...
safety protocols were highly influential around the world. Those guidelines were codified through the Society of British Fight Directors, for which Crean was a fight master. He was also a certified fight master with Fight Directors Canada as well as being an honorary member of the Society of American Fight Directors.
Crean continued to work as an actor, sometimes taking small roles in shows for which he had done fight arranging and also performing his one-man show about Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
, The Sun Never Sets
The Sun Never Sets
The Sun Never Sets is the third album by Australian hip hop band The Herd and was released on 3 October 2005.The album was selected as the Triple J and 2SER 'Album of the Week' and was nominated for the inaugural Triple J - J Award for Australian Album of the year.The album debuted at #3 on the...
, at Stratford's Avon Theatre in 1970.
His autobiography, More Champagne, Darling (ISBN 0075480778), was published in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
by McGraw-Hill Ryerson in 1981.
The annual Paddy Crean International Stage Combat Conferences
Paddy Crean International Stage Combat Conferences
The Paddy Crean International Stage Combat Conferences are international symposia at which prominent stage combat and martial arts instructors as well as theatre, film, and television fight directors gather to teach seminars on a wide range of subjects related to their professional interests.-...
, named in honour of Mr. Crean, present a wide range of seminars run by prominent stage combat and martial arts instructors.
Patrick Crean died on December 22, 2003, at the age of 93. He was married to the actress Helen Christie
Helen Christie
Helen Christie was an Indian-born British film and television actress. She was married to Patrick Crean.-Selected filmography:Film* Up for the Cup * Wide Boy * Castle in the Air * The Beggar's Opera...
.