Richard Ainley
Encyclopedia
Richard Ainley was a stage and film actor
, son of Henry Ainley
and half-brother of Anthony Ainley
.
Although according to Allmovie his date of birth was 22 October 1910, The Internet Movie Database places it on 22 December. In any case, he was born in Stanmore
, Middlesex
and made his stage debut in 1928 and initially used the stage name Richard Riddle/Riddell. His first motion picture appearance was in 1936 as Sylvius in As You Like It
, which starred his father. Other roles included Ferdinand in the television movie of The Tempest (1939), Dr. Hale in Shining Victory
(1941), and a Foreign Office official in the thriller Above Suspicion
(1943).
Ainley married three times. He was divorced from his first two wives; his third wife Rowena Woolf died in 1968. He retired from film work following a disabling war wound while he was serving in the US Army to return to the stage. He was briefly principal of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in the early 1960s, and as a teacher his pupils included Tom Baker
, Tom Courtenay
, Diana Rigg
, Terry Palmer and Albert Finney
. He died in London in 1967.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, son of Henry Ainley
Henry Ainley
Henry Hinchliffe Ainley was an English Shakespearean stage and screen actor. He was married three times to Susanne Sheldon, Elaine Fearon and the novelist Bettina Riddle, later Baroness von Hutten zum Stolzenberg...
and half-brother of Anthony Ainley
Anthony Ainley
Anthony Ainley was an English actor best known for his work on British television and particularly for his role as the third Master in Doctor Who. He was the fourth actor to play the role of the Master, and the first actor to portray the Master as a recurring role after the death of Roger Delgado...
.
Although according to Allmovie his date of birth was 22 October 1910, The Internet Movie Database places it on 22 December. In any case, he was born in Stanmore
Stanmore
Stanmore is a suburban area of the London Borough of Harrow, in northwest London. It is situated northwest of Charing Cross. The area is home to Stanmore Hill, one of the highest points of London, high.-Toponymy:...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
and made his stage debut in 1928 and initially used the stage name Richard Riddle/Riddell. His first motion picture appearance was in 1936 as Sylvius in As You Like It
As You Like It
As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
, which starred his father. Other roles included Ferdinand in the television movie of The Tempest (1939), Dr. Hale in Shining Victory
Shining Victory
Shining Victory is a 1941 film based on the play, Jupiter Laughs, by A. J. Cronin. It stars James Stephenson, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Donald Crisp, and Barbara O'Neil, and it was the first film directed by Irving Rapper. Bette Davis makes a brief cameo appearance as a nurse in the film.-Plot...
(1941), and a Foreign Office official in the thriller Above Suspicion
Above Suspicion (1943 film)
Above Suspicion is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer spy drama film starring Joan Crawford and Fred MacMurray as newlyweds who spy on the Nazis for the British Secret Service during their honeymoon, along with Basil Rathbone as a Nazi who pursues them. The screenplay by Keith Winter, Melville Baker, and...
(1943).
Ainley married three times. He was divorced from his first two wives; his third wife Rowena Woolf died in 1968. He retired from film work following a disabling war wound while he was serving in the US Army to return to the stage. He was briefly principal of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in the early 1960s, and as a teacher his pupils included Tom Baker
Tom Baker
Thomas Stewart "Tom" Baker is a British actor. He is best known for playing the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series Doctor Who, a role he played from 1974 to 1981.-Early life:...
, Tom Courtenay
Tom Courtenay
Sir Thomas Daniel "Tom" Courtenay is an English actor who came to prominence in the early 1960s with a succession of films including The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner , Billy Liar , and Dr. Zhivago . Since the mid-1960s he has been known primarily for his work in the theatre...
, Diana Rigg
Diana Rigg
Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg, DBE is an English actress. She is probably best known for her portrayals of Emma Peel in The Avengers and Countess Teresa di Vicenzo in the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service....
, Terry Palmer and Albert Finney
Albert Finney
Albert Finney is an English actor. He achieved prominence in films in the early 1960s, and has maintained a successful career in theatre, film and television....
. He died in London in 1967.
External links
- Richard Ainley (1910-1967), Actor from the National Portrait Gallery (United Kingdom)