Difference between revisions of "Nigel Hawthorne"

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(1929-2001) Stage, film and TV actor and director.  
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'''Nigel Hawthorne''' (1929-2001) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_Hawthorne] was a British-born stage, film and TV actor and director.  
  
 
== Biography ==
 
== Biography ==
  
Born Nigel Barnard Hawthorne in Coventry, England, the son of Agnes Rosemary (née Rice) and Charles Barnard Hawthorne, a physician. The family came to Cape Town in 1932. He grew up in central Cape Town (no 80 Queen Victoria Street) and later in Camps Bay, and was educated at St George's Grammar School, Cape Town and Christian Brothers College, Green Point. After a short stint in the Southern Life Insurance Company, he enrolled at the [[University of Cape Town]] for a BA course, with a diploma in "broadcasting". He later also attended acting classes with his friend [[Jobie Stewart]]. He did some amateur acting, and two professionmal shows before dropping out in his second year of University and going to the United Kingdom in the 1951 determined to pursue a career in acting. He returned in 1957 at the behest of [[Leonard Schach]], since his career was not taking off and he had to do stage management, house-cleaning and other jobs to pay his way. Here he would appear in local productions between 1957 and 1961 , before returning to London.(See further the section on his South African period below)
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Born Nigel Barnard Hawthorne in Coventry, England, the son of Agnes Rosemary (née Rice) and Charles Barnard Hawthorne, a physician. The family came to Cape Town in 1932. He grew up in central Cape Town (no 80 Queen Victoria Street) and later in Camps Bay, and was educated at St George's Grammar School, Cape Town and Christian Brothers College, Green Point. After a short stint in the Southern Life Insurance Company, he enrolled at the [[University of Cape Town]] for a BA course, with a diploma in "broadcasting". He later also attended acting classes with his friend [[Jobie Stewart]]. He did some amateur acting, and two professionmal shows before dropping out in his second year of University and going to the United Kingdom in the 1951 determined to pursue a career in acting.  
  
He left South Africa permanently for London in 1962, only returning to visit his family on occasion, and began to build a long, varied and highly successful career as actor for stage, film and TV in England.  
+
Here he met [[Bruce Palmer]], who would be his partner in a tempestuous relationship for over 25 years. He and Bruce came to South Africa in 1957 at the behest of [[Leonard Schach]], since his career was not taking off and he had to do stage management, house-cleaning and other jobs to pay his way. Here he would appear in local productions between 1957 and 1961, before returning to London.(See further the section on his South African period below)
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 +
He left South Africa permanently for London in 1962, only returning to visit his family on occasion, and began to build a long, varied and highly successful career as actor for stage, film and TV in England. In 1968 he met the stage manager and scriptwriter Trevor Bentham[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevor_Bentham],  who would become his life partner for 22 years, till his death in 2001. It was in this period that he was cynically "outed" by the press in the year he had been nominated for an Oscar for ''[[The Madness of King George]]''.
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 +
His autobiography ''Straight Face'' appeared posthumously in 2002.
 +
   
  
 
=== His stage career ===
 
=== His stage career ===
 
   
 
   
  
His first London appearance was in ''Can't Take it with You'' in 1951, After an interlude back in South Africa, he returned in 1962 and and went on to play numerous roles over the years, among them  ''[[Macbeth]]'', **, ** ''[[The Madness of George III]]'' (Bennett) and, in his final production , ''[[King Lear]]'' (2001).
+
His career started as bit player and stage hand with the Charles Hawtrey company in Buxton, his first appearance being in ''[[Murder at the Vicarage]]'' (Christie). His first London appearance was in ''[[Can't Take it with You]]'' in 1951, and he then worked on and off for the next years on a variety of shows, but frustratingly only as bit-part actor, stage hand and so on.  Then, in 1957 [[Leonard Schach]] offered him the role of "Cliff" in ''[[Look Back in Anger]]'' for the [[Cockpit Players]] in Cape Town and he returned to South Africa. 
 +
 
 +
So, after an interlude of 5 years, he was back in South Africa, he returned in 1962 and and went on to play numerous roles over the years, among them  ''[[Macbeth]]'', **, ** ''[[The Madness of George III]]'' (Bennett) and, in his final production , ''[[King Lear]]'' (2001).
  
 
=== His film and TV career ===
 
=== His film and TV career ===
Line 18: Line 25:
  
  
His film career started slowly, culminating in the role of King George III in ''The Madness of King George'', the filmed version of Alan Bennett's stage play, for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Hawthorne was also a voice artist and lent his voice to two Disney films, "Fflewddur Fflam" in ''The Black Cauldron'' (1985) and "Professor Porter" in ''Tarzan'' (1999).
+
His film career started slowly, culminating in the role of King George III in ''[[The Madness of King George]]'', the filmed version of Alan Bennett's stage play, for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Hawthorne was also a voice artist and lent his voice to two Disney films, "Fflewddur Fflam" in ''The Black Cauldron'' (1985) and "Professor Porter" in ''Tarzan'' (1999).
 
 
He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1987, and was knighted in 1999. His autobiography ''Straight Face'' appeared in 2002.
 
  
 
== His contribution to South African theatre ==
 
== His contribution to South African theatre ==
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While at school he began performing, often for an amateur group in Camps Bay led by [[Mary Fenton]]. The plays included ''[[The Late Christopher Bean]]'' ([[Emlyn Williams]])and ''[[The Astonished Heart]]'' (Coward).   
 
While at school he began performing, often for an amateur group in Camps Bay led by [[Mary Fenton]]. The plays included ''[[The Late Christopher Bean]]'' ([[Emlyn Williams]])and ''[[The Astonished Heart]]'' (Coward).   
  
He performed in or worked as assistant stage manager on a number of plays in the [[Little Theatre]] at University,  besides making radio programmes for his diploma course in "broadcasting" (with student friends such as  [[Cecil Jubber]]). Among the productions were an English Department production of ''[[Twelfth Night]]'' (1949?*) and a number of plays staged and directed by Leonard Schach, including ''[[The Glass Menagerie]]'' (Tennessee Williams, 1949), ''[[Cockpit]]'' (Boland, 1949), and ''[[Home of the Brave]]'' (Arthur Laurent - Hawthorne's first paid performance, 1949). Now he was invited to join the [[Brian Brooke Company]] company at the [[Hofmeyr Theatre]] as a professional,  working as assistant stage manager, publicity manager, and bit-part actor,  as required. He appeared as actor for them in ''[[The Shop at Sly Corner]]'' (Edward Percy, 1950) and ''[[Edward My Son]]'' (Robert Morley, 1950). 
+
He performed in or worked as assistant stage manager on a number of plays in the [[Little Theatre]] at University,  besides making radio programmes for his diploma course in "broadcasting" (with student friends such as  [[Cecil Jubber]]). Among the productions were an English Department production of ''[[Twelfth Night]]'' (1949?*) and a number of plays staged and directed by [[Leonard Schach]], including ''[[The Glass Menagerie]]'' (Tennessee Williams, 1949), ''[[Cockpit]]'' (Boland, 1949), and ''[[Home of the Brave]]'' (Arthur Laurent - Hawthorne's first paid performance, 1949).  
 
 
In 1951, he left for England to try his luck there (see sections above). In 1957 he returned at the invitation of [[Leonard Schach]] to 
 
  
 +
Now he was invited to join the [[Brian Brooke Company]] company at the [[Hofmeyr Theatre]] as a professional,  working as assistant stage manager, publicity manager, and bit-part actor,  as required. He appeared as actor for them in ''[[The Shop at Sly Corner]]'' (Edward Percy, 1950), ''[[Edward My Son]]'' (Noel Langley and Robert Morley, 1950) and ''[[Charley's Aunt]]''. 
  
 
He starred in [[Leonard Schach]]’s [[Cockpit Players]] production of [[Basil Warner]]’s ''[[Try for White]]'', which opened in 1959 at the [[Pretoria Opera House]] before moving to the [[Intimate Theatre]] for the remainder of their highly successful run. It also starred [[Marjorie Gordon]], [[Zoë Randall]], [[Michael Turner]]. [[Joyce Grant]] and [[Fiona Fraser]] replaced [[Minna Millsten]] and [[Heather Lloyd-Jones]] respectively, from the Cape Town cast. He starred in ''[[A Long Day's Journey into Night]]'' at the [[Intimate Theatre]] for the [[Cockpit Players]], together with [[John McKelvey]], [[Joan Blake]] and [[Leon Gluckman]] in 1959. He starred in Thornton Wilder’s lively period-New York comedy, ''[[The Matchmaker]]'', which was staged by the [[Cockpit Players]] in 1959. He played in the [[Cockpit Players]] productions of Harold Pinter’s ''[[The Caretaker]]'' and Paddy Chayefsky’s prizewinning ''[[The Tenth Man]]'' at the [[Playhouse]] in 1961 with actors [[Michael McGovern]] and [[Siegfried Mynhardt]].
 
He starred in [[Leonard Schach]]’s [[Cockpit Players]] production of [[Basil Warner]]’s ''[[Try for White]]'', which opened in 1959 at the [[Pretoria Opera House]] before moving to the [[Intimate Theatre]] for the remainder of their highly successful run. It also starred [[Marjorie Gordon]], [[Zoë Randall]], [[Michael Turner]]. [[Joyce Grant]] and [[Fiona Fraser]] replaced [[Minna Millsten]] and [[Heather Lloyd-Jones]] respectively, from the Cape Town cast. He starred in ''[[A Long Day's Journey into Night]]'' at the [[Intimate Theatre]] for the [[Cockpit Players]], together with [[John McKelvey]], [[Joan Blake]] and [[Leon Gluckman]] in 1959. He starred in Thornton Wilder’s lively period-New York comedy, ''[[The Matchmaker]]'', which was staged by the [[Cockpit Players]] in 1959. He played in the [[Cockpit Players]] productions of Harold Pinter’s ''[[The Caretaker]]'' and Paddy Chayefsky’s prizewinning ''[[The Tenth Man]]'' at the [[Playhouse]] in 1961 with actors [[Michael McGovern]] and [[Siegfried Mynhardt]].
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After this he left the country permanently in 1962, working mainly in England and Hollywood (see above) and only returned for work briefly in 1995, to make the film ''[[Inside]]'' with director Arthur Penn.
 
After this he left the country permanently in 1962, working mainly in England and Hollywood (see above) and only returned for work briefly in 1995, to make the film ''[[Inside]]'' with director Arthur Penn.
  
=MORE DATA - To be edited=
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== Awards ==
  
 +
He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1987, and was knighted in 1999.
  
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== Sources ==
  
HAWTHORNE, Nigel. (1929-2002) Actor. Born in Coventry, England on 5 April, 1929. Came to South Africa as a child, went to Christian Brother's College and University of Cape Town. First stage appearance in 1950 at the [[Hofmeyr Theatre]], Cape Town as "Archie" in ''[[The Shop at Sly Corner]]'' [for [[Brian Brooke]]?*]. His first London appearance was in ''Can't Take it with You'' in 1951. Returned to South Africa in 1957 to play in ''[[Look Back in Anger]]'' (1957) for the [[Cockpit Players]], for which he also did ''[[Try for White]]'' (1959) and ''[[The Caretaker]]'' (1960). He also acted in **'s production of ''[[The Summer of the Seventeenth Doll]]'' (1958) and O'Neill's ''[[A Long Day's Journey into Night]]'' (1958). In 1961 he returned to England to do ''Talking to You'' in the West End. He has now made a niche for himself in England. Among his best remembered stage roles are ***, *** and the lead in ''The Madness of King George'' (199*). Also did radio and television work, becoming nationally known for his television work (notably the ''Yes, Minister'' and ''Yes, Prime Minister'' series for the BBC).Later in life he broke through in film, winning numerous awards, including an Oscar, for the film of ''The Madness of King George''. Knighted in 2000, died in 2002.
 
  
HAWTHORNE, Nigel. He starred in Thornton Wilder’s lively period-New York comedy, ''[[The Matchmaker]]'', which was staged by the [[Cockpit Players]] in 1959. This enduring show, also starring [[Marjorie Gordon]] as Dolly Levi, [[John McKelvey]], [[Michael McGovern]], [[Robert Haber]] and [[Heather Lloyd-Jones]], became the musical ''[[Hello, Dolly!]]''. He played in the [[Cockpit Players]] productions of Harold Pinter’s ''[[The Caretaker]]'' and Paddy Chayefsky’s prizewinning ''[[The Tenth Man]]'' at the [[Playhouse]] in 1961 with actors [[Michael McGovern]] and [[Siegfried Mynhardt]]. He Left for London in 1962 and returned again in 1995, after his success abroad which included London’s Olivier Award, Broadway’s Tony and an Oscar nomination. He made the film ''Inside'' with director Arthur Penn on his return. * (Tucker, 1997)
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[[ESAT Bibliography Haw-Her|Hawthorne]], 2002.
  
HAWTHORNE, NIGEL (19** + 2001).  Trained at UCT.  Cast in several plays by [[Leonard Schach]] for [[NTO]] v/d the [[Cockpit Players]] in 1957.  Leave for England in 1951. He performed in ''Yes, Minister'', ''Shadowlands'' & ''The Madness of King George''.  ''[[Summer of the Seventeenth Doll]]'' (Australian comedy-drama)by Ray Lawler, presented by [[NTO]],  [[Marjorie Gordon]], [[Edward Ogden]] & [[Bill Brewer]].  [[Frank Graves]] (décor), 1958.  Later changes:  [[Fiona Fraser]], [[Joan Blake]], [[Jane Fenn]], [[Elspeth Bryce]], [[Eveline Garrat]], [[Robert Cheetham]], [[Doreen Graves]] (Costumes).
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[[[[ESAT Bibliography I|Inskip]], 1972.
  
== Sources ==
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[[Leonard Schach|Schach]], 1996.
  
 +
[[ESAT Bibliography Tra-Tz|Tucker]], 1997.
  
[[Nigel Hawthorne|Hawthorne]], 2002
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''Wikipedia'' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_Hawthorne]
  
[[Donald Inskip|Inskip]], 19**
 
  
[[Leonard Schach|Schach]], 19**
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Go to [[ESAT Bibliography]]
 
 
[[Percy Tucker|Tucker]], 1997
 
 
 
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_Hawthorne
 
  
 
==Return to==
 
==Return to==
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Return to [[South_African_Theatre/Personalities|South African Theatre Personalities]]
 
Return to [[South_African_Theatre/Personalities|South African Theatre Personalities]]
 +
 +
Return to [[The ESAT Entries]]
  
 
Return to [[Main Page]]
 
Return to [[Main Page]]

Latest revision as of 17:51, 1 February 2018

Nigel Hawthorne (1929-2001) [1] was a British-born stage, film and TV actor and director.

Biography

Born Nigel Barnard Hawthorne in Coventry, England, the son of Agnes Rosemary (née Rice) and Charles Barnard Hawthorne, a physician. The family came to Cape Town in 1932. He grew up in central Cape Town (no 80 Queen Victoria Street) and later in Camps Bay, and was educated at St George's Grammar School, Cape Town and Christian Brothers College, Green Point. After a short stint in the Southern Life Insurance Company, he enrolled at the University of Cape Town for a BA course, with a diploma in "broadcasting". He later also attended acting classes with his friend Jobie Stewart. He did some amateur acting, and two professionmal shows before dropping out in his second year of University and going to the United Kingdom in the 1951 determined to pursue a career in acting.

Here he met Bruce Palmer, who would be his partner in a tempestuous relationship for over 25 years. He and Bruce came to South Africa in 1957 at the behest of Leonard Schach, since his career was not taking off and he had to do stage management, house-cleaning and other jobs to pay his way. Here he would appear in local productions between 1957 and 1961, before returning to London.(See further the section on his South African period below)

He left South Africa permanently for London in 1962, only returning to visit his family on occasion, and began to build a long, varied and highly successful career as actor for stage, film and TV in England. In 1968 he met the stage manager and scriptwriter Trevor Bentham[2], who would become his life partner for 22 years, till his death in 2001. It was in this period that he was cynically "outed" by the press in the year he had been nominated for an Oscar for The Madness of King George.

His autobiography Straight Face appeared posthumously in 2002.


His stage career

His career started as bit player and stage hand with the Charles Hawtrey company in Buxton, his first appearance being in Murder at the Vicarage (Christie). His first London appearance was in Can't Take it with You in 1951, and he then worked on and off for the next years on a variety of shows, but frustratingly only as bit-part actor, stage hand and so on. Then, in 1957 Leonard Schach offered him the role of "Cliff" in Look Back in Anger for the Cockpit Players in Cape Town and he returned to South Africa.

So, after an interlude of 5 years, he was back in South Africa, he returned in 1962 and and went on to play numerous roles over the years, among them Macbeth, **, ** The Madness of George III (Bennett) and, in his final production , King Lear (2001).

His film and TV career

This was equally remarkable, and perhaps the aspect best known in South Africa. He began with an advert for Mackeson stout and a bit part in Dad's Army, then went on to one of his most famous roles as Sir Humphrey Appleby, the Permanent Secretary of the fictional Department of Administrative Affairs in the television series Yes Minister (and Cabinet Secretary in its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister), for which he won four BAFTA awards.


His film career started slowly, culminating in the role of King George III in The Madness of King George, the filmed version of Alan Bennett's stage play, for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Hawthorne was also a voice artist and lent his voice to two Disney films, "Fflewddur Fflam" in The Black Cauldron (1985) and "Professor Porter" in Tarzan (1999).

His contribution to South African theatre

While at school he began performing, often for an amateur group in Camps Bay led by Mary Fenton. The plays included The Late Christopher Bean (Emlyn Williams)and The Astonished Heart (Coward).

He performed in or worked as assistant stage manager on a number of plays in the Little Theatre at University, besides making radio programmes for his diploma course in "broadcasting" (with student friends such as Cecil Jubber). Among the productions were an English Department production of Twelfth Night (1949?*) and a number of plays staged and directed by Leonard Schach, including The Glass Menagerie (Tennessee Williams, 1949), Cockpit (Boland, 1949), and Home of the Brave (Arthur Laurent - Hawthorne's first paid performance, 1949).

Now he was invited to join the Brian Brooke Company company at the Hofmeyr Theatre as a professional, working as assistant stage manager, publicity manager, and bit-part actor, as required. He appeared as actor for them in The Shop at Sly Corner (Edward Percy, 1950), Edward My Son (Noel Langley and Robert Morley, 1950) and Charley's Aunt.

He starred in Leonard Schach’s Cockpit Players production of Basil Warner’s Try for White, which opened in 1959 at the Pretoria Opera House before moving to the Intimate Theatre for the remainder of their highly successful run. It also starred Marjorie Gordon, Zoë Randall, Michael Turner. Joyce Grant and Fiona Fraser replaced Minna Millsten and Heather Lloyd-Jones respectively, from the Cape Town cast. He starred in A Long Day's Journey into Night at the Intimate Theatre for the Cockpit Players, together with John McKelvey, Joan Blake and Leon Gluckman in 1959. He starred in Thornton Wilder’s lively period-New York comedy, The Matchmaker, which was staged by the Cockpit Players in 1959. He played in the Cockpit Players productions of Harold Pinter’s The Caretaker and Paddy Chayefsky’s prizewinning The Tenth Man at the Playhouse in 1961 with actors Michael McGovern and Siegfried Mynhardt.

After this he left the country permanently in 1962, working mainly in England and Hollywood (see above) and only returned for work briefly in 1995, to make the film Inside with director Arthur Penn.

Awards

He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1987, and was knighted in 1999.

Sources

Hawthorne, 2002.

[[Inskip, 1972.

Schach, 1996.

Tucker, 1997.

Wikipedia [3]


Go to ESAT Bibliography

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