Roger Rees facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Roger Rees
Rees in 2004
Born	(1944-05-05)5 May 1944 Aberystwyth, Cardiganshire, Wales
Died	10 July 2015(2015-07-10) (aged 71) New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, director
Years active	1975–2015
Spouse(s)	Rick Elice ​ (m. 2011)​

Roger Rees (born May 5, 1944 – died July 10, 2015) was a talented actor and director from Wales. He was famous for his amazing work on stage. He won an Olivier Award and a Tony Award for his lead role in the play The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. He also won Obie Awards for his part in The End of the Day and for helping direct Peter and the Starcatcher. After he passed away, Roger Rees was honored and added to the American Theater Hall of Fame in November 2015.

Many people in America knew him from TV shows. He played Robin Colcord in Cheers and Lord John Marbury in The West Wing. He was also known as the Sheriff of Rottingham in Mel Brooks' movie Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

Roger Rees' Early Life and Beginnings

Roger Rees was born in Aberystwyth, a town in Cardiganshire, Wales. His mother, Doris Louise, worked as a shop clerk, and his father, William John Rees, was a police officer. When Roger was young, his family moved to Balham, London, where he grew up.

He first studied art at the Camberwell College of Arts and the Slade School of Fine Art. He started acting by chance. While painting backgrounds for plays at the Wimbledon Theatre, he was asked to step in and play a part in a show. This was the start of his acting journey!

Roger Rees' Acting Career Highlights

Rees at Florida State University in 1985

Roger Rees continued his acting career with the famous Royal Shakespeare Company. He played Malcolm in a highly praised production of Macbeth in 1976, which was also shown on television in 1978.

His most famous role was playing the main character in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. This play was based on the book by Charles Dickens. For this role, he won a Laurence Olivier Award for Actor of the Year in a New Play in 1980 and a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1982. A filmed version of the play also earned him an Emmy nomination in 1983. He also starred in the first production of The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard in London in 1982.

Roger Rees' Television and Film Roles

In the 1980s, Roger Rees started working in television. He appeared with Laurence Olivier in The Ebony Tower (1984). That same year, he played Fred Hollywell and narrated A Christmas Carol, starring George C. Scott as Scrooge. In 1986, he played William Tyndale in God's Outlaw.

From 1988 to 1991, he starred in the British TV show Singles. He also appeared on the American TV series Cheers as the rich English businessman Robin Colcord. Robin was a love interest for Rebecca Howe, played by Kirstie Alley. From 2000 to 2005, he played British Ambassador Lord John Marbury in several episodes of The West Wing. He also appeared in My So-Called Life as Mr. Racine and as James MacPherson on Warehouse 13.

His film career began in the 1980s. Roger Rees played the funny Sheriff of Rottingham in Mel Brooks' movie, Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993). Later, he appeared in films like Frida (2002), The Prestige (2006), and The Pink Panther (2006).

Roger Rees' Later Theatre Work

Roger Rees continued his theatre work in the 1990s, both acting and directing. He won an Obie Award in 1992 for his performance in the play The End of the Day. In 1995, he was nominated for a Tony Award for his role in Indiscretions. He also recorded many audiobooks, including Memnoch the Devil.

From 2004 to 2007, Rees was the artistic director of the Williamstown Theatre Festival. In 2011, he took over the role of Gomez Addams in the Broadway musical The Addams Family.

In 2012, Rees performed his own Shakespeare show, What You Will, in London. In 2013, he directed a play called The Primrose Path in Minneapolis. In 2014, he directed a new musical called Dog and Pony.

His very last role was as Anton Schell in the musical The Visit, which opened on Broadway in April 2015. He had to leave the show in May 2015 due to his illness. Roger Rees was also planning to direct a new musical and perform his Shakespeare show again before he passed away.

Roger Rees' Personal Life

Roger Rees lived in the United States for over 25 years. He became an American citizen in 1989. In 2011, he married his partner of 33 years, playwright Rick Elice.

Roger Rees and Rick Elice also worked together on plays. Rick Elice helped write the musical The Addams Family, which Roger Rees later joined. In 2012, they both received Tony Award nominations for their work on Peter and the Starcatcher. Rick Elice wrote a book about his life with Roger in 2017 called Finding Roger: An Improbably Theatrical Love Story.

Roger Rees' Illness and Passing

In October 2014, Roger Rees was diagnosed with brain cancer. Despite his illness, he was determined to perform in The Visit on Broadway. He went through surgeries and treatments while rehearsing and opening the show in April 2015. By mid-May, it became too difficult for him to speak, and he had to leave the show.

Roger Rees passed away at his home in New York City on July 10, 2015, at the age of 71. To honor him, the lights at all Broadway theatres were dimmed on July 15, 2015. His ashes were scattered in the Atlantic Ocean. A memorial service was held for him in New York City, and in November 2015, he was added to the Broadway Theatre Hall of Fame.

Roger Rees' Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Theatre Roles

See also

In Spanish: Roger Rees para niños