Derek Martinus facts for kids
Derek Martinus (born Derek Buitenhuis; 4 April 1931 – 27 March 2014) was a talented British director for television and theatre. He started his career as an actor. Martinus became well-known for directing episodes of popular TV shows like Z-Cars and Doctor Who. He also had a long and successful career directing many plays for the stage.
Early Life and Acting Career
Derek Martinus was born in Ilford, Essex, England. His birth name was Derek Buitenhuis. He chose "Martinus" as his professional name, which was the middle name of his grandfather, who was from Rotterdam.
Martinus went to Brentwood School. After serving in the Royal Air Force, he studied directing and acting in the United States at the University of Oklahoma and Yale School of Drama. When he ran out of money, he came back to the UK in the mid-1950s. He then worked as an actor in different theatres, including the Library Theatre, Manchester and the Royal Court. He even performed with famous actors like Sir Donald Wolfit. Later, he joined the Arena Theatre Company, where he acted and directed plays.
In 1959, he traveled to Scandinavia to study theatre. There, he met his future wife, Eivor, in Gothenburg, Sweden. He directed about 20 plays at The Pembroke Theatre-in-the-round. Some of his most praised acting roles were Monsewer in The Hostage and Malvolio in Twelfth Night. Between his theatre jobs, he also directed productions at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Directing for Television
Derek Martinus directed several episodes of the classic science fiction show Doctor Who for the BBC. These included Galaxy 4 (1965), Mission to the Unknown (1965), The Tenth Planet (1966), The Evil of the Daleks (1967), and The Ice Warriors (1967). His last Doctor Who story, Spearhead from Space (1970), was special because it was the first one made in colour. He worked with the first three actors who played the Doctor. Martinus believed that the famous alien monsters, the Daleks, needed to be filmed very carefully. He said, "You had to build up a Dalek's entrance. I used to make them lurk in the shadows."
He also directed episodes of other popular shows. These included "Trial" and "The Keeper" (both 1979) for Blake's 7. He directed over 50 episodes of the police drama Z-Cars. Martinus also worked on classic TV series like What Maisie Knew (1968), The Black Tulip (1970), A Little Princess (1973), and A Legacy (1975).
For ITV, another British TV channel, he directed The Paper Lads in 1977. This show won the Pye Award for best children's drama. He also directed the army drama series Spearhead and several seasons of the children's show Dodger, Bonzo and the rest in 1985, which also won a Pye Award.
Directing for Theatre and Later Life
After learning Swedish, Derek Martinus directed many plays in Sweden. His wife often translated or adapted these plays. Some of the plays he directed included The Homecoming by Harold Pinter and Volpone by Ben Jonson. At the Gate Theatre London, he directed the first British performances of some less common plays by August Strindberg. His wife, Eivor, translated these plays from Swedish.
Derek Martinus passed away on 27 March 2014, at the age of 82. He had been ill with Alzheimer's disease for many years. He was survived by his wife, Eivor Martinus, their two daughters, Charlotta and Pia, and three grandchildren.
