Leslie French
A celebrated British stage and film actor who had started as a boy in the Ben Greet Players and had gone on to star in Lillian Bayliss' Old Vic productions and was famous for his performances in the open air theatre in Regent's Park in London.
He directed the first production at the Maynardville Open-Air Theatre, and a number of other productions there. These include
He also directed The Tempest for PACOFS in the Bloemfontein Civic Theatre in 1970.
Sources
FRENCH, Leslie. (1904-1999) British actor, singer, dancer and director for stage, TV and film. Born 23. April 1904, Taurus, Bromley, Kent, Anglie, UK. Famous in England for is portrayals of Shakespearean characters such as "Puck" and "Ariel" (he was the nude model for the statue of Ariel on the facade of the BBC's Broadcasting House in London) and his film work - roles in The Scapegoat (1959) , The Singer Not the Song (1961), Death in Venice (1971) , etc, and many TV dramas and series. Extensive experience with the Open Air Theatre in Regents Park from 1952 onwards. French’s chief connection with South African theatre came though his close relationship with Cecilia Sonnenberg and René Ahrenson’s Maynardville Open Air Theatre, a venue he helped found and develop. He was later also instrumental in the establishment of the Mannville Open Air Theatre in Port Elizabeth in association with Helen Mann. He thus regularly visited South Africa between 1956 and 196*, beginning with The Tempest for the Johannesburg Reps in 1956, starring David Crichton, and going on to act in and especially direct many other memorable Shakespeare productions for companies and venues such as Maynardville, Mannville, The Johannesburg Reps, and PACOFS (in conjunction with the Bloemfontein Shakespeare Circle). The plays include As You Like It, A Winter's Tale, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet and The Tempest (Johannesburg Reps in 1956, PACOFS in 1968?*). In January 1963 he received the Key to the City of Cape Town in recognition of his services to Cape Town’s cultural and educational life.
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