Sir Ralph David Richardson (19 December 1902 â€" 10 October 1983) was
an English actor who, with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, was one
of the trinity of male actors who dominated the British stage for much
of the 20th century. He worked in films throughout most of his career,
and played more than sixty cinema roles. From an artistic but not
theatrical background, Richardson had no thought of a stage career
until a production of Hamlet in Brighton inspired him to become an
actor. He learned his craft in the 1920s with a touring company and
later the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. In 1931 he joined the Old Vic,
playing mostly Shakespearean roles. He led the company the following
season, succeeding Gielgud, who had taught him much about stage
technique. After he left the company, a series of leading roles took
him to stardom in the West End and on Broadway.In the 1940s, together
with Olivier and John Burrell, Richardson was the co-director of the
Old Vic company. There, his most celebrated roles included Peer Gynt
and Falstaff. He and Olivier led the company to Europe and Broadway in
1945 and 1946, before their success provoked resentment among the
governing board of the Old Vic, leading to their dismissal from the
company in 1947. In the 1950s, in the West End and occasionally on
tour, Richardson played in modern and classic works including The
Heiress, Home at Seven, and Three Sisters. He continued on stage and
in films until shortly before his sudden death at the age of eighty.
He was celebrated in later years for his work with Peter Hall's
National Theatre and his frequent stage partnership with Gielgud. He
was not known for his portrayal of the great tragic roles in the
classics, preferring character parts in old and new plays.
an English actor who, with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, was one
of the trinity of male actors who dominated the British stage for much
of the 20th century. He worked in films throughout most of his career,
and played more than sixty cinema roles. From an artistic but not
theatrical background, Richardson had no thought of a stage career
until a production of Hamlet in Brighton inspired him to become an
actor. He learned his craft in the 1920s with a touring company and
later the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. In 1931 he joined the Old Vic,
playing mostly Shakespearean roles. He led the company the following
season, succeeding Gielgud, who had taught him much about stage
technique. After he left the company, a series of leading roles took
him to stardom in the West End and on Broadway.In the 1940s, together
with Olivier and John Burrell, Richardson was the co-director of the
Old Vic company. There, his most celebrated roles included Peer Gynt
and Falstaff. He and Olivier led the company to Europe and Broadway in
1945 and 1946, before their success provoked resentment among the
governing board of the Old Vic, leading to their dismissal from the
company in 1947. In the 1950s, in the West End and occasionally on
tour, Richardson played in modern and classic works including The
Heiress, Home at Seven, and Three Sisters. He continued on stage and
in films until shortly before his sudden death at the age of eighty.
He was celebrated in later years for his work with Peter Hall's
National Theatre and his frequent stage partnership with Gielgud. He
was not known for his portrayal of the great tragic roles in the
classics, preferring character parts in old and new plays.
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