Tony Richardson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tony Richardson
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Born |
Cecil Antonio Richardson
5 June 1928 Shipley, West Yorkshire, England
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Died | 14 November 1991 Los Angeles, California, US
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(aged 63)
Occupation |
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Years active | 1952–1991 |
Spouse(s) | |
Children | 3, including Natasha and Joely |
Relatives |
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Cecil Antonio "Tony" Richardson (born June 5, 1928 – died November 14, 1991) was a famous English director and producer. He worked in theatre and film for nearly 40 years. In 1964, he won an Academy Award for Best Director for his movie Tom Jones.
Contents
Tony Richardson's Early Life
Tony Richardson was born in Shipley, England, in 1928. His father, Clarence Albert Richardson, was a chemist. Tony went to Ashville College and then to Wadham College at the University of Oxford.
At Oxford, he was very active in theatre. He was the president of two different drama clubs. He also wrote theatre reviews for the university magazine Isis. Many of his friends at Oxford later became famous, like Rupert Murdoch and Margaret Thatcher.
Tony Richardson's Career in Film and Theatre
In 1955, Tony Richardson started his directing career. He directed a play called The Apollo of Bellac for television. Around this time, he also became involved in a film movement called Free Cinema. He co-directed a short film called Momma Don't Allow.
Starting the British New Wave
Tony Richardson was a key part of the British New Wave of directors. This was a time when British films started to show more realistic stories. He helped create the English Stage Company.
He directed the play Look Back in Anger by John Osborne at the Royal Court Theatre. He also directed Shakespeare plays in Stratford-upon-Avon. In 1957, he directed Laurence Olivier in Osborne's play The Entertainer.
Founding Woodfall Film Productions
In 1959, Richardson co-founded Woodfall Film Productions with John Osborne. Their first film was Look Back in Anger (1959). They also made other important films like The Entertainer (1960), A Taste of Honey (1961), and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962).
Many of Richardson's films, like A Taste of Honey, were part of the "kitchen sink realism" style. This style showed the everyday lives of working-class people in Britain. These films are still seen as very important examples of this movement.
Winning Academy Awards

In 1964, Tony Richardson won two Academy Awards for his film Tom Jones (1963). He won for Best Director and the film won for Best Picture. This movie was based on a book by Henry Fielding.
His next film was The Loved One (1965). He worked with famous actors like John Gielgud and Rod Steiger. He started working in Hollywood for this film.
Working with Famous Actors
Tony Richardson directed many well-known actors throughout his career. Some of them include Jeanne Moreau, Orson Welles, Rob Lowe, Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Mick Jagger, and Judi Dench. He also worked with talented screenwriters and music composers.
Richardson's films had many different styles. Mademoiselle (1966) was a black-and-white film shot in France. The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968) was a big historical movie with animated parts. Ned Kelly (1970) was an Australian Western.
In 1974, he moved to Los Angeles. He continued to work on films there. He wrote and directed the comedy-drama The Hotel New Hampshire (1984). This film starred Jodie Foster and Rob Lowe. Even though it didn't make a lot of money, critics liked it.
Tony Richardson made four more major films before he passed away. His last film, Blue Sky (1994), was released almost three years after his death. Jessica Lange won an Oscar for Best Actress for her role in that film.
Tony Richardson's Personal Life
Tony Richardson was married to the English actress Vanessa Redgrave from 1962 to 1967. They had two daughters together: Natasha (1963–2009) and Joely Richardson (born 1965). After their divorce, he had a relationship with French actress and singer Jeanne Moreau. In 1972, he had another daughter, Katharine Grimond, with Grizelda Grimond.
Death
Tony Richardson passed away on November 14, 1991, at the age of 63.
Filmography (as director)
- The Apollo of Bellac (TV, 1954)
- The Actor's End (TV, 1955)
- Momma Don't Allow (with Karel Reisz; 1955)
- Look Back in Anger (1959)
- The Entertainer (1960)
- A Subject of Scandal and Concern (1960)
- Sanctuary (1961)
- A Taste of Honey (1961)
- The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962)
- Tom Jones (1963)
- The Loved One (1965)
- Mademoiselle (1966)
- Red and Blue (1967)
- The Sailor from Gibraltar (1967)
- The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)
- Laughter in the Dark (1969)
- Hamlet (1969)
- Ned Kelly (1970)
- A Delicate Balance (1973)
- Dead Cert (1974)
- Mahogany (uncredited; replaced by Berry Gordy, 1975)
- Joseph Andrews (1977)
- A Death in Canaan (1978)
- The Border (1982)
- The Hotel New Hampshire (1984)
- Penalty Phase (TV, 1986)
- Beryl Markham: A Shadow on the Sun (1988)
- The Phantom of the Opera (TV, 1990)
- Blue Sky (1994)
Theatre
Year | Play | House | City | Run |
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1954 | The Changeling | Wyndham's | London | 1 performance |
1955 | The Country Wife | Theatre Royal Stratford East | London | 3 weeks |
1955 | Mr Kettle & Mrs Moon | Duchess | London | |
1956 | The Mulberry Bush | Royal Court | London | |
1956 | The Crucible | Royal Court | London | |
1956 | Look Back in Anger | Royal Court | London | 151 performances |
1956 | Cards of Identity | Royal Court | London | |
1957 | Look Back in Anger | John Golden, Lyceum | New York | 1 year |
1957 | Look Back in Anger | Moscow | ||
1957 | The Member of the Wedding | Royal Court | London | |
1957 | The Entertainer | Royal Court | London | 4 weeks |
1957 | The Apollo of Bellac | Royal Court | London | |
1957 | The Chairs | Royal Court | London | |
1957 | The Entertainer | Palace | London | 6 months |
1957 | The Making of Moo | Royal Court | London | |
1957 | Requiem for a Nun | Royal Court | London | |
1958 | The Entertainer | Royale | New York | |
1958 | The Chairs & The Lesson | Phoenix | New York | 17 performances |
1958 | Flesh to a Tiger | Royal Court | London | |
1958 | Pericles | Shakespeare Memorial Theatre | Stratford-on-Avon | |
1959 | Othello | Shakespeare Memorial Theatre | Stratford-on-Avon | |
1959 | Orpheus Descending | Royal Court | London | |
1959 | Look After Lulu! | Royal Court | London | 45 performances |
1959 | Look After Lulu! | New | London | 5 months |
1960 | A Taste of Honey | Los Angeles | ||
1960 | A Taste of Honey | Booth, Lyceum | New York | 376 performances |
1961 | The Changeling | Royal Court | London | |
1961 | Luther | Royal Court | London | 28 performances |
1961 | Luther | Phoenix | London | 239 performances |
1962 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Royal Court | London | 29 performances |
1962 | Semi-Detached | Saville | London | |
1963 | Natural Affection | Booth | New York | 31 performances |
1963 | Luther | Lunt-Fontanne, St. James | New York | 6 months |
1963 | Semi-Detached | Music Box | New York | 12 performances |
1963 | Arturo Ui | Lunt-Fontanne | New York | 8 performances |
1964 | The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore | Brooks Atkinson | New York | 5 performances |
1964 | The Seagull | Queen's Theatre | London | |
1964 | St Joan of the Stockyards | Queen's Theatre | London | 3 weeks |
1969 | Hamlet | Roundhouse | London | 10 weeks |
1969 | Hamlet | Lunt-Fontanne | New York | 52 performances |
1972 | The Threepenny Opera | Prince of Wales | London | |
1972 | I, Claudius | Queen's Theatre | London | |
1973 | Anthony and Cleopatra | Bankside Globe Playhouse | London | |
1976 | The Lady from the Sea | Circle in the Square Theatre | New York | |
1979 | As You Like It | Center Theatre | Long Beach | |
1983 | Toyer | Kennedy Center | Washington | |
1984 | Dreamhouse | L.A. Stage Co. | Hollywood |
See also
In Spanish: Tony Richardson para niños