Hugh Rouse

Hugh Rouse (b. Brentford, Middlesex, 17/01/1920 – d. Alberton, Gauteng, 17/05/1998) was an actor and radio personality. Occasionally credited as Hugh Rowse.

Biography

Hugh Cecil Rouse was the oldest of three children of Claude Vernon Rouse and his wife, Beatrice Ada Wellacott. He matriculated from University College School in London and had hoped to study modern languages, history and psychology at Cambridge, but when World War II broke out he joined the Royal Navy as a signalman. He served in a number of campaigns and was attached to Mountbatten’s strike force in the English Channel aboard H.M.S. Basset, an armed trawler that functioned as a minesweeper. When, eventually, he was demobilized, he was a lieutenant-commander. He evidently was already interested in the theatre, as in 1946 he appeared in Rodney Ackland’s adaptation of Diary of a Scoundrel for the Questors in Ealing.

Later that year he arrived in Durban on board the Winchester Castle, a city he had first encountered during the war when his ship had passed through. Not soon afterwards he joined the SABC as an announcer-producer and became organiser for the English Service in Natal. During this time he gained experience in a variety of broadcasting assignments, from duty announcer to acting as quiz master and from drama production to sports commentator. This experience stood him in good stead when, in 1958, he switched to Springbok Radio, the SABC’s commercial service. Here he became one of radio’s most familiar voices, reading The World at 7 P.M. and other news bulletin. There was considerable consternation in 1962 when, as a freelancer, he was replaced by a member of the salaried staff.

Through the years he appeared on the stage, in films, on television and on radio and frequently acted as compere at charity events. He also played a major role in the South African Actors’ Equity Association, becoming its Chairman in 1961. In 1980, when there was a disagreement between the South African Film and Theatre Union and the South African Association of Theatre Managements (SAATM), he negotiated and reached a settlement on behalf of SAFTU. Amongst his theatrical accomplishments were his role as Cromwell in A Man for All Seasons (1962), as George Bernard Shaw in Dear Liar (1971), opposite Diane Wilson, as Prospero in The Tempest (1975) and as Colonel Pickering in My Fair Lady (1977). His most popular radio appearances were probably in the title role of the long-running Inspector Carr Investigates and as the narrator in The Avengers. In addition he adapted radio plays, wrote commentaries for documentaries and basically tackled everything from Shakespeare to Noddy.

He married four times and is known to have had two daughters with his third wife, Norma Crawford. He died of cancer of the throat in 1998. (FO)

Credits

Theatre

1958 – Don Juan in Hell (Reading for the National Theatre in Pretoria and at the Wits University Great Hall in Johannesburg), 1959 – The Dock Brief + What Shall We Tell Caroline? (Staged by Kushlick-Gluckman at the Intimate Theatre), 1962 – Dickens readings at the University of the Witwatersrand, 1962 – A Man for All Seasons (Directed by Margaret Webster for Kushlick-Gluckman at the Civic Theatre), 1963 – The Affair (Produced by Taubie Kushlick at the Civic Theatre), 1965 – Hay Fever (Directed by John Hayter for the Brian Brooke Company), 1968 – The Fighting Cock (Directed by Kerry Jordan for PACT at the Alexander Theatre), 1969 – King Lear (Directed by Robert Mohr for PACT at the Alexander Theatre), 1970 – Fallen Angels (Alexander Theatre), 1970 – Canterbury Tales (Directed by Daniel Thorndike for JODS at the Civic Theatre), 1971 – The Case of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Directed by Leonard Schach for PACT at the Alexander Theatre, 1971 – Dear Liar (Produced by Peter Prowse at Blue Fox Theatre Restaurant), 1972 – What Does a Woman Want? (Blue Fox Theatre Restaurant), 1974 – The Happiness Cage (Directed by Ken Leach at the Alexander Theatre) 1975 – The Dot-Dash Show (Chelsea Hotel), 1975 – The Tempest (as Prospero) (His Majesty’s Theatre), 1975 – The Tempest (as Alonso) (Directed by Robert Mohr for PACT at the Breytenbach Theatre and at the Alexander Theatre), 1975 – The Shrew (For Des and Dawn Lindberg at the Arena Theatre), 1977 – Night of January 16th (Directed by Louis Burke at His Majesty’s Theatre), 1977 – My Fair Lady (Directed by Francois Swart at the Civic Theatre), 1978 – Dear Liar (Directed by Michael McCabe for PACT at the Arena Theatre), 1978 – Saint Joan (Arena Theatre), 1978 – Oliver! (Directed by Geoffrey Ferris for PACT at the Civic Theatre), 1979 – Ross (Directed by Francois Swart for PACT), 1981 – First Monday in October (Directed by John Burch for CAPAB at the Nico Malan Theatre), 1982 – Othello (Directed by Roy Sargeant for CAPAB at Maynardville).

Sources

Tribute published in The Sunday Independent, 12 July 1998.

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