David Scase (21 September 1919 – 27 February 2003) was a British

theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...

and actor. Born at

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, as the son of a bricklayer, his first job was in a bicycle factory in the mid-1930s. He joined the Merchant Navy on the outbreak of

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 ...

in 1939, but by the end of the war was working as a

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

sound engineer. He then joined Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

and served as a stage manager, before moving to directing. He ran the Manchester

Library Theatre Manchester Central Library is the headquarters of the city's library and information service in Manchester, England. Facing St Peter's Square, it was designed by E. Vincent Harris and constructed between 1930 and 1934. The form of the buildin ...

, which he made into one of the most prestigious repertory theatres in the country, from the late 1950s until the 1970s. He gave actors such as

Patrick Stewart Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor who has a career spanning seven decades in various stage productions, television, film and video games. He has been nominated for Olivier, Tony, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Screen Actor ...

, Martin Jarvis, and many other household names, their first jobs. Following minor television roles between 1948 and 1965, he began to act on a regular basis during the 1970s, beginning with an appearance in a 1972 episode of ''Holly''. Minor roles in shows including ''

The Nearly Man ''The Nearly Man'' is a UK TV play and series from the mid-1970s, about a middle-class Labour Party (UK), Labour MP. Both play and series were written by Arthur Hopcraft; actors in the cast of both include Tony Britton in the title role, Wilfr ...

'', ''

ITV Playhouse ''Playhouse'' is a British television anthology series that ran from 1967 to 1983, which featured contributions from playwrights such as Dennis Potter, Rhys Adrian and Alan Sharp. The series began in black and white, but was later shot in colour ...

'', ''

Flambards ''Flambards'' is a novel for children or young adults by K. M. Peyton, first published by Oxford University Press in 1967 with illustrations by Victor Ambrus. Alternatively, "Flambards" is the trilogy (1967–1969) or series (1967–1981) name ...

'' and ''

Fallen Hero "Fallen Hero" is the twenty-third aired episode (production #123) of the television series ''Star Trek: Enterprise''. Captain Archer is ordered to transport Vulcan Ambassador V'Lar from a planet where her integrity has been called into questio ...

'' followed later on in the decade. In 1984, in his 65th year, he landed his first regular television role, in '' How We Used to Live'', with five appearances as George Holyrood. From 1984 to 1987, he appeared as Hilda Ogden's friend Dr Lowther in ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...

''. In 1989, he appeared in two episodes of ''

Judith Krantz's Till We Meet Again ''Judith Krantz's Till We Meet Again'' is a 1989 two-episode television miniseries based on the 1988 Judith Krantz novel, '' Till We Meet Again''. Its stars include Mia Sara, Bruce Boxleitner, Hugh Grant, Maxwell Caulfield, and Courteney Co ...

''. Scase retired from acting in 1992, having voiced the Duke in ''Truckers'' (stop motion animation adaptation of the

Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his ''Discworld'' series of 41 novels. Pratchett's first nov ...

book) early in the year, and finally appearing as an Art Gallery Owner in ''

The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes ''The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes'' is the final set of twelve (out of a total of fifty-six) Sherlock Holmes short stories by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle first published in the ''Strand Magazine'' between October 1921 and April 1927. Ti ...

: The Master Blackmailer''. He died in February 2003, at the age of 83. He was married to actress

Rosalie Williams Rosalie Williams (12 June 1919 in Barton upon Irwell, Lancashire – 11 December 2009 in Manchester) was an English actress best known for her appearance as Mrs. Hudson in ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' TV series produced by Granada Tel ...

for 58 years until his death. She outlived him, as did their four children.

Awards

In 2004, he was posthumously awarded the ''Horniman Award'' (named after

Annie Horniman Annie Elizabeth Fredericka Horniman CH (3 October 1860 – 6 August 1937) was an English theatre patron and manager. She established the Abbey Theatre in Dublin and founded the first regional repertory theatre company in Britain at the Gaiety ...

) at the

Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards The Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards (MENTA) were a theatre awards ceremony that recognised live theatre within Greater Manchester. They were administered by the ''Manchester Evening News'', and presented at an annual ceremony in Manchester, ...

, for his "unique contribution to the theatrical life of the region":

"Skilled as a sound engineer and stage manager, as well as a much-admired director and actor, he balanced radical idealism with commercial flair and had a brilliant eye for the genius of young actors. The careers of
Robert Stephens Sir Robert Graham Stephens (14 July 193112 November 1995) was a leading English actor in the early years of Britain's Royal National Theatre. He was one of the most respected actors of his generation and was at one time regarded as the natur ...
,
Richard Griffiths Richard Thomas Griffiths (31 July 1947 – 28 March 2013) was an English actor of film, television, and stage. For his performance in the stage play ''The History Boys'', Griffiths won a Tony Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, the Drama Desk Aw ...
, Patrick Stewart,
Alan Rickman Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his deep, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and became a member of the Royal Shakespe ...
and
Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...
might all have been very different had David not noticed and encouraged them. He helped to establish the Library Theatre and thus Manchester itself as a beacon of excellence in regional, nay world, theatre."

Selected filmography

* '' Never Look Back'' (1952)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Scase, David English male television actors 1919 births 2003 deaths Male actors from London English theatre directors British Merchant Navy personnel of World War II