David Peacock (14 April 1924 – 11 January 2000), was a British theatre administrator.

Early life

Peacock was born in England in 1924. He was the son of a civil servant father and a French mother. He was educated at the

Douai School Douai School was a public (independent) school run by the Douai Abbey Benedictine community at Woolhampton, England, until it closed in 1999. History 1615–1818 The monastic community was founded in Paris in 1615 and moved to Douai af ...

Career

After serving in the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he worked as the stage manager at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...

. In 1964, he emigrated to Canada and was succeeded by Stella Chitty as general stage manager. Peacock was director of the production course at the

National Theatre School of Canada The National Theatre School of Canada (NTS, french: École nationale de théâtre du Canada) is a private institution of professional theatre studies in Montreal, Quebec. Established in 1960, the NTS receives its principal funding from grants aw ...

, and in 1970 became the school's general director. From 1972, he was in charge of the arts division of the

Canada Council The Canada Council for the Arts (french: Conseil des arts du Canada), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It acts as the federal government's principal i ...

Personal life

In 1951, Peacock married Georgia Thorndike, daughter of the actor and novelist

Russell Thorndike Arthur Russell Thorndike (6 February 1885 – 7 November 1972) was a British actor and novelist, best known for the Doctor Syn of Romney Marsh novels. Less well-known than his sister Sybil but equally versatile, Russell Thorndike's first love ...

and niece of the actress

Sybil Thorndike Dame Agnes Sybil Thorndike, Lady Casson (24 October 18829 June 1976) was an English actress whose stage career lasted from 1904 to 1969. Trained in her youth as a concert pianist, Thorndike turned to the stage when a medical problem with her ...

, and they had seven children, including the actress Lucy Peacock. They divorced in 1978, he moved back to England, and remarried. He died in London in 2000, aged 75.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peacock, David 1924 births 2000 deaths Royal Opera House British theatre managers and producers Academic staff of the National Theatre School of Canada 20th-century British businesspeople