Michael Newell

Michael Newell (1931-) is a British born stage, television, radio and film actor, active in South Africa during the 1960s.

Also known as Mike Newell, However, not to be confused with the British film director Mike Newell

THIS ENTRY IS CURRENTLY BEING EDITED AND CORRECTED

Biography

He was born in in Blackheath, London, England, and was educated at City of London School and at Oxford.

Career as performer

He was a chorister and soloist at New College, Oxford, also at Chapel Royal, Savoy, St Jame's Palace and St Paul's Cathedral. He began acting in films and commercials at age nine. At 14, he auditioned for and got the part of Arthur in Thornton Wilder's play The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith. Terence Rattigan was at the first night and came back stage afterwards to ask him to play the title role of Ronnie Winslow in the play he was just completing; The Winslow Boy. The play opened in May 1946 at the Lyric Theatre, London, and ran for over a year, then transferred to the Empire Theater on Broadway in November 1947 and ran in America for more than a year. Newell was the only member of the cast to last the entire run of 1,048 performances over a three year period.

He then worked in London on stage and television, radio and in films. (For details of his acting career in England, see his detailed biography on IMDb[1])

He moved to South Africa and lived and worked as an actor in Cape Town from the 1960's, where met Judith Gibson (Judy Gibson) during the Maynardville season of Hamlet in 1963 and they married in Cape Town in 1964. Having been an actor for 30 years (from age 9 to 39) he became involved in property in South Africa with his wife and daughter, moving in 2001 to work in England, Spain, Portugal, California and North Carolina, before settling in Virginia with their and their two grandchildren. In this period he took up photography and has produced a number of books.

In 1961 he was invited to join Donovan Maule Theatre, Nairobi, Kenya, a monthly repertory company, and there met his future wife, actress Judy Gibson who had also arrived there from London, just two days before him. They worked together there for their year's contracts.

Having greatly enjoyed exploring East Africa, Mike joined a friend driving down through the wilds of Africa to Johannesburg, in a very battered old World War Two jeep.

In 1963 he met Judy again during a performance of Hamlet at Maynardville (1963), followed by joint roles in Ring Round the Moon (Anouih) (1964). They married on 6th June, 1964.

After a two year stint in Johannesburg and Cape Town, they returned to England, to live on a houseboat on the Thames in Chelsea, while he Michael toured the country as Orsino in "Twelfth Night" with a Shakespeare company and they touted the idea of rebuilding the Globe Theatre in London.

In 1965 they returned to Cape Town, invited to perform in Shakespeare productions again, and in 1968 their daughter Amanda was born there.

Michael then became very involved in his other great interest, namely house design, interior design and landscaping, creating many lovely homes in Cape Town, the Natal coast and Johannesburg and ultimately becoming a successful Real Estate agent, handling the sales of fine homes in South Africa, England, Spain, Portugal, California and North Carolina, winning several achievement awards with RE/MAX.

In 2002, the couple emigrated to America to join their daughter, and having retired at 80, he and his wife of over 50 years, live in rural Virginia, near Richmond, with their daughter and their two grandchildren. Since his retirement, he has written several eBooks. Over the years a great deal of travel was enjoyed. touring Europe, the Middle East, the length and breadth of Africa--plus India, Australia, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

In Johannesburg he played

While living in Cape Town, he played Laertes in Hamlet (Maynardville, 1963), Edgar in King Lear, (Maynardville, 1966). He appeared in Ring Round the Moon (1964) and Die Laaste van die Takhare (1966) for CAPAB.

Other roles were in The Sound of Music (1963), Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra (as Eros), The Affair (as the lover).

Sources

King Lear theatre programme notes, 1966.

Personal communication by E-mail from Mike Newell (12 January 2018 07:02 AM)

IMDb [2]

Go to ESAT Bibliography

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