Michael Redgrave facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sir Michael Redgrave CBE
Portrait taken by Allan Warren in 1978
Born	Michael Scudamore Redgrave (1908-03-20)20 March 1908 Bristol, England
Died	21 March 1985(1985-03-21) (aged 77) Denham, Buckinghamshire, England
Nationality	British
Education	Clifton College, Bristol (independent boarding school)
Alma mater	Magdalene College, Cambridge
Occupation	Actor director producer screenwriter writer
Years active	1933–1982
Spouse(s)	Rachel Kempson ​ (m. 1935)​
Children	Vanessa Redgrave Corin Redgrave Lynn Redgrave
Parent(s)	Roy Redgrave Margaret Scudamore
Family	Redgrave

Sir Michael Scudamore Redgrave (20 March 1908 – 21 March 1985) was a famous English actor. He worked in theatre and films, and also directed, managed, and wrote. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Mourning Becomes Electra (1947). He also received two BAFTA nominations for Best British Actor.

At the 4th Cannes Film Festival, he won the Best Actor award. This was for his performance in The Browning Version (1951).

Early Life and School Days

Michael Redgrave was born in Bristol, England. His mother was actress Margaret Scudamore. His father was silent film actor Roy Redgrave. Roy left the family when Michael was very young. Michael's mother later married Captain James Anderson.

Michael went to Clifton College and then Magdalene College, Cambridge. Clifton College Theatre, a special school theatre, was opened by Redgrave in 1966. After he passed away in 1985, it was renamed The Redgrave Theatre in his honor.

Before becoming an actor, he was a school teacher at Cranleigh School in Surrey. He directed plays like Hamlet and King Lear for the students. He even played the main roles himself! A theatre society at the school is named after him.

Theatre Career Highlights

Redgrave started his acting career in 1934 at the Liverpool Playhouse. There, he met his future wife, Rachel Kempson. They got married in 1935.

Starting in London (1930s)

In 1936, Redgrave made his first London appearance at the Old Vic theatre. He played Ferdinand in Love's Labours Lost. He also played Orlando in As You Like It, which was a big success. He worked with famous actors like Laurence Olivier and Edith Evans.

He performed in many other plays during this time. These included The Country Wife and Henry V. He also joined John Gielgud's company at the Queen's Theatre.

During World War II

When London theatres reopened after the war began, Redgrave continued acting. He played Captain Macheath in The Beggar's Opera. He also starred in Thunder Rock.

In 1941, he joined the Royal Navy. However, he was discharged in 1942 due to health reasons. He then returned to the stage, acting and directing plays.

After the War

After the war, Redgrave played the main role in Macbeth in London and New York. He joined the Old Vic Company again in 1949. He played Berowne in Love's Labours Lost and his first Hamlet. He even performed Hamlet at festivals in Switzerland and the Netherlands.

Stratford and New York (1950s)

In 1951, Redgrave joined the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre company. He played Prospero in The Tempest and King Lear. He also played Antony in Antony and Cleopatra.

In 1955, he played Hector in Tiger at the Gates in London and New York. For this role, he won the New York Critics' Award. He also directed plays in New York.

In 1958, he won the Evening Standard Award for Best Actor. This was for his role in A Touch of the Sun. He also performed Hamlet in Russia.

In 1959, he adapted and starred in The Aspern Papers. This play was very successful and was later performed on Broadway. His daughter, Vanessa Redgrave, starred in a revival of the play in 1984.

Later Career (1960s-1970s)

In the 1960s, Redgrave continued to take on important roles. He played Uncle Vanya in Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. This play was directed by Laurence Olivier and received great reviews. He won another Evening Standard Award for Best Actor in 1963.

He also played Claudius in Hamlet at the National Theatre. In the 1970s, he continued to act, even with health challenges. His final theatre performance was in 1979 in Close of Play.

His last work was a narration of the poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner in 1975. This project won several international film festival prizes.

Film and Television Work

Redgrave first appeared on BBC television in 1937. His first big film role was in Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes (1938). He also starred in The Stars Look Down (1940). He was in the spooky ventriloquist's dummy episode of the film Dead of Night (1945).

His first American film was Mourning Becomes Electra (1947). For this, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. In 1951, he starred in The Browning Version. Critics called his performance "one of the greatest ever seen in films."

In the 1950s, he also appeared in The Importance of Being Earnest (1952). He played the inventor Barnes Wallis in The Dambusters (1954). Other notable films included 1984 (1956) and The Quiet American (1958).

On television, he narrated The Great War (1964). This series told the history of World War I.

Family Life

Michael Redgrave was married to actress Rachel Kempson for 50 years. They had three children who also became famous actors: Vanessa, Corin, and Lynn Redgrave.

His grandchildren, Natasha Richardson (who passed away in 2009), Joely Richardson, and Jemma Redgrave, are also actors. His grandson Carlo Gabriel Nero is a screenwriter and film director. Only Luke Redgrave chose a different path outside of acting.

His daughter Lynn wrote a play about her love for Shakespeare and how it connected her to her father.

Redgrave lived in several places, including Bedford House in Chiswick Mall.

Health and Passing

In 1976, Michael Redgrave was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He passed away in a nursing home in Denham, Buckinghamshire, on 21 March 1985. He died the day after his 77th birthday. His ashes were scattered in the garden of St Paul's, Covent Garden in London.

Awards and Recognition

In 1951, Redgrave won the Best Actor Award (Cannes Film Festival) for The Browning Version. He also won Best Actor awards in 1958 and 1963 at the Evening Standard Awards. He received the Variety Club of Great Britain 'Actor of the Year' award in those same years.

Honors and Appointments

Queen Elizabeth II made Redgrave a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1952. He was then knighted in 1959, which means he became "Sir" Michael Redgrave. Denmark also honored him in 1955.

He became the first President of the English Speaking Board in 1953. In 1966, he received an honorary degree from the University of Bristol. In 1986, he was added to the American Theater Hall of Fame after his death.

Redgrave Theatre

The Redgrave Theatre in Farnham, Surrey, was named in his honor. It was open from 1974 to 1998.

Film Popularity

For several years, British film viewers voted him among the top ten British stars.

• 1946: 4th most popular
• 1951: 9th most popular

Filmography

Sir Michael Redgrave by Allan Warren, 1973

Films

Radio Appearances

Theatre Performances

Writings

Redgrave wrote five books, including:

• The Actor's Ways and Means (1953)
• Mask or Face: Reflections in an Actor's Mirror (1958)
• The Mountebank's Tale (1959)
• In My Mind's I: An Actor's Autobiography (1983)

He also wrote plays like The Seventh Man and Circus Boy. He adapted other works for the stage, such as A Woman in Love and The Aspern Papers.

See also

In Spanish: Michael Redgrave para niños