Kenneth Haigh facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kenneth Haigh
Simon Scott and Kenneth Haigh (right) in The Twilight Zone episode "The Last Flight" (1960)
Born	Kenneth William Michael Haigh (1931-03-25)25 March 1931 Mexborough, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Died	4 February 2018(2018-02-04) (aged 86) London, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1956–2003
Spouse(s)	Myrna Haigh (m. 1974 - div. 1985)

Kenneth William Michael Haigh (born March 25, 1931 – died February 4, 2018) was a famous English actor. He first became well-known for playing a character named Jimmy Porter in the play Look Back in Anger in 1956. This play was shown in London's West End. His acting in this role was praised a lot. It showed a new kind of working-class hero in plays after World War II.

Early Life and Acting Start

Born in Mexborough, a town in Yorkshire, England, Kenneth Haigh studied acting. He went to the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. This school was located at the Royal Albert Hall at that time.

Kenneth Haigh's Acting Career

Kenneth Haigh played the main character, Jimmy Porter, in the very first show of John Osborne's play Look Back in Anger in 1956. This play was performed at the Royal Court Theatre. His acting in a 1958 Broadway show of the play was so powerful that a young woman in the audience once went onto the stage and slapped him during the performance!

When they made a movie version of the play in 1959, Kenneth Haigh was not chosen for the role. Instead, Richard Burton played Jimmy Porter. Interestingly, Kenneth Haigh later played another famous Richard Burton. This was the explorer and adventurer Richard Francis Burton in a BBC show called The Search for the Nile.

Kenneth Haigh also had a small part in the Beatles' movie A Hard Day's Night in 1964. Later, he played Joe Lampton in the TV series Man at the Top (1970–72). This character was from a novel called Room at the Top. He also starred in a movie based on the TV series, called Man at the Top (1973).

He made special appearances on television shows. One of his most famous roles was as Flight Lieutenant William Terrence Decker. This character traveled through time in The Twilight Zone episode "The Last Flight" (1960). Three years before that, he had played another pilot in the movie High Flight (film). He also played Pat Casey in Lionel Bart's musical Maggie May.

Personal Life

Kenneth Haigh married Myrna Stephens, a model from the Caribbean, in 1974. They got divorced in 1985. However, they remained good friends. Myrna helped take care of him during his last years when he was not well.

Later Years and Death

Kenneth Haigh passed away on February 4, 2018, when he was 86 years old. He had spent his last years in a nursing home. This was because he suffered brain damage in 2003 due to an accident.

Film Roles

Theatre Performances

Television Shows