Anthony John Hawtrey (22 January 1909 – 18 October 1954) was an English actor and stage director. He began his acting career in 1930 and began directing by 1939. As director of the Embassy Theatre in London, his productions sometimes achieved enough success to transfer to the West End. During his theatre career, Hawtrey also acted in television and on film. He was a member of the

Terry family The Terry family was a British theatrical dynasty of the late 19th century and beyond. The family includes not only those members with the surname Terry, but also Neilsons, Craigs and Gielguds, to whom the Terrys were linked by marriage or blood ti ...

of actors.

Life and career

Hawtrey was born in

Claygate Claygate is an affluent suburban village in Surrey, England, southwest of central London. It is the only civil parish in the borough of Elmbridge. Surrounded by green belt, it lies inside the Greater London Built-up Area. Claygate was once in t ...

, Surrey, the illegitimate son of the actors Sir Charles HawtreyWho's Who in the Theatre: Hawtrey, Anthony
/ref> and Olive Morris (the daughter of Florence Terry), and was educated at

Bradfield College Bradfield College, formally St Andrew's College, Bradfield, is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) for pupils aged 11–18, located in the small village of Bradfield in the English county of Berkshire. It is note ...

prior to studying for the stage under Bertha Moore. From 1930 Hawtrey worked as an actor in London, on tour in South Africa, and with the Liverpool Repertory Company. He appeared as the King of France in the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary * Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Ma ...

's production of ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane an ...

'' in 1931, when his cousin

John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud, (; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Briti ...

played Lear. In 1939 he was director of productions at the Embassy Theatre in north London, subsequently becoming director at the Swindon Repertory Company. Hawtrey then became the second manager of the

Dundee Repertory Theatre Dundee Repertory Theatre, better known simply as the Dundee Rep, is a theatre and arts company in the city of Dundee, Scotland. It operates as both a producing house - staging at least six of its own productions each year, and a receiving house ...

, succeeding Robert Thornley as Director of Productions in December 1940. He opened with a Christmas adaptation of ''

The Scarlet Pimpernel ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in London, having ...

'', and from 1940 to 1942 he directed and acted in over 40 plays in Dundee.

Embassy Theatre

In January 1945 Hawtrey reopened the Embassy, which had been closed due to bomb damage, and under his directorship there followed a string of successful productions. From the first two years' output, 20 plays in all, he selected six for publication, in two volumes, under the title ''Embassy Successes'', namely *'' Worm's Eye View'' by R. F. Delderfield *'' Father Malachy's Miracle'' adapted by Brian Doherty from the book by

Bruce Marshall Lieutenant-Colonel Claude Cunningham Bruce Marshall, known as Bruce Marshall (24 June 1899 – 18 June 1987) was a prolific Scottish writer who wrote fiction and non-fiction books on a wide range of topics and genres. His first book, ''A Thief ...

*''Zoo in Silesia'' by Richard Pollock *''

National Velvet ''National Velvet'' is a novel by Enid Bagnold (1889–1981), first published in 1935. It was illustrated by Laurian Jones, Bagnold's daughter, who was born in 1921. Plot summary ''National Velvet'' is the story of a 14-year-old girl named ...

'' by

Enid Bagnold Enid Algerine Bagnold, Lady Jones, (27 October 1889 – 31 March 1981) was a British writer and playwright known for the 1935 story ''National Velvet''. Early life Enid Algerine Bagnold was born on 27 October 1889 in Rochester, Kent, daught ...

*''Skipper Next to God'' by

Jan de Hartog Jan de Hartog (April 22, 1914 – September 22, 2002) was a Dutch playwright, novelist and occasional social critic who moved to the United States in the early 1960s and became a Quaker. Biography Early years Jan de Hartog was born to a Dut ...

*''

No Room at the Inn ''No Room at the Inn'' is a 1945 play by Joan Temple that became a 1948 film directed by Daniel Birt. Both play and film are presented in flashback mode and share the same subject matter – cruelty, neglect and mental and physical abuse meted ...

'' by Joan Temple. Of these, ''Worm's Eye View'' and ''No Room at the Inn'' enjoyed successful transfers to the West End, at the

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It is the main ...

and

Winter Garden Theatre The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre at 1634 Broadway in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It opened in 1911 under designs by architect William Albert Swasey. The Winter Garden's current design dates to 1922, when ...

s respectively, and the plays were made into films. In 1948 a third volume of ''Embassy Successes'' comprised *''Peace Comes to Peckham'' by Delderfield *''Let My People Go!'' by

Ian Hay Major General John Hay Beith, Order of the British Empire, CBE Military Cross, MC (17 April 1876 – 22 September 1952), was a British schoolmaster and soldier, but is best remembered as a novelist, playwright, essayist, and historian who w ...

*''Away from It All'' by

Val Gielgud Val Henry Gielgud (28 April 1900 – 30 November 1981) was an English actor, writer, director and Television presenter, broadcaster. He was a pioneer of radio drama for the BBC, and also directed the first ever drama to be produced in the newe ...

. Further successes followed, among them the Sylvia Rayman play ''

Women of Twilight ''Women of Twilight'' is a 1951 play by Sylvia Rayman that became a 1952 film directed by Gordon Parry. The latter stars Freda Jackson, Rene Ray and Lois Maxwell, with a screenplay by Anatole de Grunwald. It was the first British film to receiv ...

'', which proved a major hit for Hawtrey and the Embassy in 1951/52, transferring to both the

Vaudeville Theatre The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on the Strand in the City of Westminster. As the name suggests, the theatre held mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. It opened in 1870 and was rebuilt twice, although each ...

and the

Victoria Palace Theatre The Victoria Palace Theatre is a West End theatre in Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster, opposite Victoria Station. The structure is categorised as a Grade II* listed building. History Origins The theatre began life as a small conc ...

, and was made into a film. Introducing the first two volumes of ''Embassy Successes'', Hawtrey wrote: "Our policy is this. To present new plays dealing with today's world – ''in terms of entertainment''. If these plays are written by new playwrights, so much the better. I am aware that the English theatre cannot properly thrive unless there is a constant supply of fresh dramatists. At the Embassy, we shall always do everything in our power to foster this supply." Val Gielgud, in the third ''Embassy Successes'' book, praised Hawtrey's "persistent refusal to be deterred from experiment by difficulties of staging which too frequently have proved fatal to the chances of a play's production in the West End." According to the actor

Leslie Phillips Leslie Samuel Phillips (20 April 1924 – 7 November 2022) was an English actor, director, producer and author. He achieved prominence in the 1950s, playing smooth, upper-class comic roles utilising his "Ding dong" and "Hello" catchphrases. ...

, Hawtrey "was a charming, easy-going man with a great sense of humour and a natural instinct for popular theatre."Leslie Phillips, ''Hello: The Autobiography'', Orion Books (2006)

Screen work

In parallel with his work in theatre, Hawtrey also acted in television productions and several films, a few of which were *''Inquest'' (1939) (TV) *''

Warn That Man ''Warn That Man'' is a 1943 British comedy thriller film directed by Lawrence Huntington and starring Gordon Harker, Raymond Lovell and Finlay Currie. It was based on the 1941 play '' Warn That Man!'' by Vernon Sylvaine which had run for te ...

'' (1943) *''Headline'' (1944) *''

The Hundred Pound Window ''The Hundred Pound Window'' is a 1944 British crime film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Anne Crawford, David Farrar, Frederick Leister and Richard Attenborough. The film follows an accountant who has to take a second job work ...

'' (1944) *''

The World Owes Me a Living ''The World Owes Me a Living'' is a 1945 British Second World War drama film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring David Farrar and Judy Campbell. The film is based on a novel by John Llewellyn Rhys, a young author who was killed in action in 1 ...

'' (1945) *''

Latin Quarter The Latin Quarter of Paris (french: Quartier latin, ) is an area in the 5th and the 6th arrondissements of Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine, around the Sorbonne. Known for its student life, lively atmosphere, and bistros ...

'' (1945) *''

The First Gentleman ''The First Gentleman'' is a 1948 British historical drama film directed by Alberto Cavalcanti, and starring Jean-Pierre Aumont, Joan Hopkins, and Cecil Parker. It portrays the relationships and marriage of George, Prince Regent and his tense de ...

'' (1948) *''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

'' (1951) (TV; as Mark Antony)

Personal life

He was married to the actress Marjorie Clark, with whom he had two sons, Charles and the actor Nicholas (1932–2018). He died in London of a heart attack in 1954 at the age of 45.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hawtrey, Anthony 1909 births 1954 deaths English male stage actors English theatre directors People from Claygate English male film actors 20th-century English male actors Terry family