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Sir Donald Wolfit, KBE (born Donald Woolfitt; Harwood, Ronald
"Wolfit, Sir Donald (1902–1968)"
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, September 2004; online edn, January 2008; accessed 14 July 2009
20 April 1902 – 17 February 1968) was an English
actor-manager An actor-manager is a leading actor who sets up their own permanent theatrical company and manages the business, sometimes taking over a theatre to perform select plays in which they usually star. It is a method of theatrical production used c ...
, known for his touring wartime productions of Shakespeare. He was especially renowned for his portrayal of King Lear.


Personal life

Wolfit was born at New Balderton, near
Newark-on-Trent Newark-on-Trent or Newark () is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yo ...
, Nottinghamshire, and attended the
Magnus Grammar School Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wi ...
. He made his stage début in 1920 and first appeared in the West End in 1924, playing in ''The Wandering Jew.'' He was married three times. His first wife was the actress Chris Castor, and their daughter Margaret Wolfit (1929–2008) was also an actor. He had two children by his second marriage -
Harriet Graham Harriet(t) may refer to: * Harriet (name), a female name ''(includes list of people with the name)'' Places *Harriet, Queensland, rural locality in Australia * Harriet, Arkansas, unincorporated community in the United States * Harriett, Texas, ...
, actor and writer, and Adam Wolfit, a photographer. An active Freemason, he became Master of Green Room Lodge in 1965. Wolfit was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1950 for his services to the theatre, and
knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
in 1957.


Career

He played some major supporting roles at the
Old Vic Theatre The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, not-for-profit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal V ...
in 1930, appearing in ''
Richard of Bordeaux ''Richard of Bordeaux'' (1932) is a play by "Gordon Daviot", a pseudonym for Elizabeth MacKintosh, best known by another of her pen names, Josephine Tey. The play tells the story of Richard II of England in a romantic fashion, emphasizing the r ...
'' with
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 ...
, and finally gained prominence at the
Shakespeare Memorial Theatre The Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST) (originally called the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre) is a grade II* listed 1,040+ seat thrust stage theatre owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company dedicated to the English playwright and poet William Shakes ...
in 1936 as Hamlet, whereupon he tried to persuade the management to finance him on a tour of the provinces. They declined the invitation, so he withdrew his savings and in 1937 started his own touring company, which he would lead for many years, prompting
Hermione Gingold Hermione Ferdinanda Gingold (; 9 December 189724 May 1987) was an English actress known for her sharp-tongued, eccentric character. Her signature drawling, deep voice was a result of nodules on her vocal cords she developed in the 1920s and e ...
's ''bon mot'': " Olivier is a tour-de-force, and Wolfit is forced to tour."


Shakespearean theatre

Wolfit's speciality was Shakespeare. He was known especially for his Shakespearean touring company which he set up with his own money touring in many countries Far East (Asia) Arabia Australia USA And England Not only was he a director he also acted in many of his plays alongside his main leading principle Pamella Carrington Coutte He was also well know in King Lear and
Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...
. He also played Oedipus, and the lead roles in
Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...
's ''
Volpone ''Volpone'' (, Italian for "sly fox") is a comedy play by English playwright Ben Jonson first produced in 1605–1606, drawing on elements of city comedy and beast fable. A merciless satire of greed and lust, it remains Jonson's most-perform ...
'' and
Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe, also known as Kit Marlowe (; baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), was an English playwright, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the Elizabethan playwrights. Based upon the "m ...
's '' Tamburlaine''. His touring company performed in London during the
Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended ...
in 1940 and Wolfit staged a very successful series of abridged versions of Shakespeare's plays in London during the Second World War in the early afternoon for lunchtime audiences. In January 1942, by arrangement with Lionel L. Falck, Donald Wolfit presented ''Richard III'' at the Strand Theatre in London. Wolfit played King Richard; others in the production included
Eric Maxon Eric Maxon (22 May 1882 – 1963) was an English stage and early film actor and member of the Royal Shakespeare Company for whom, for a period, he also designed the costumes. He was born as Eric MacKay in Balham in London in 1882, the son of ...
(King Edward IV), and Frank Thornton (Sir William Catesby). In 1947 Wolfit proved unpopular with American critics when he took the company to
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
. He appeared at Stratford during the 1950s in his signature role of King Lear, and was invited to play Falstaff at the RSC in 1962 but turned the offer down when he discovered
Paul Scofield David Paul Scofield (21 January 1922 – 19 March 2008) was a British actor. During a six-decade career, Scofield achieved the US Triple Crown of Acting, winning an Academy Award, Emmy, and Tony for his work. He won the three awards in a seve ...
would be playing Lear there at the same time, saying "Lear is still the brightest jewel in my crown!"
Edith Sitwell Dame Edith Louisa Sitwell (7 September 1887 – 9 December 1964) was a British poet and critic and the eldest of the three literary Sitwells. She reacted badly to her eccentric, unloving parents and lived much of her life with her governess ...
wrote to Wolfit: "The cosmic grandeur of your King Lear left us unable to speak. ... all imaginable fires of agony and all the light of redemption are there." Amongst his many other theatrical roles were appearances in '' A Murder Has Been Arranged'' by Emlyn Williams,
Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...
's '' Black Coffee'',
Constance Cox Constance Cox (25 October 1912 – 8 July 1998) was a British script writer and playwright, born in Sutton, Surrey. Life and career Cox was born Constance Shaw in Sutton, Surrey, in 1912. She married Norman Cox, a fighter pilot, who was kill ...
's ''
The Romance of David Garrick ''The Romance of David Garrick'' is a 1942 historical play by the British writer Constance Cox. It ran for 35 performances at St James's Theatre in London's West End. Donald Wolfit directed and starred as the eighteenth century actor David Garr ...
'' and
Bill Naughton William John Francis Naughton (12 June 1910 – 9 January 1992) was an Irish-born British playwright and author, best known for his play '' Alfie''. Early life Born into relative poverty in Ballyhaunis, County Mayo, Ireland, he moved to B ...
's '' All in Good Time''.


Film and radio

Although Wolfit was primarily a stage actor, he appeared in over thirty films, such as ''
Svengali Svengali () is a character in the novel ''Trilby'' which was first published in 1894 by George du Maurier. Svengali is a man who seduces, dominates and exploits Trilby, a young half-Irish girl, and makes her into a famous singer. Definition ...
'' (1954), ''
Blood of the Vampire ''Blood of the Vampire'' is a 1958 British colour horror film directed by Henry Cass and starring Donald Wolfit, Barbara Shelley, and Vincent Ball. The film was produced by Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman for Tempean Films, from a scree ...
'' (1958), '' Room at the Top'' (1959), '' Lawrence of Arabia'' (1962) and ''
Becket ''Becket or The Honour of God'' (french: Becket ou l'honneur de Dieu) is a 1959 play written in French by Jean Anouilh. It is a depiction of the conflict between Thomas Becket and King Henry II of England leading to Becket's assassination in 117 ...
'' (1964). He worked a good deal for the
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 exam. ...
, performing as '' King John'' and ''Volpone'' on television, and as Lear, ''Falstaff'' and Richard III for radio – as well as modern parts like Archie Rice in '' The Entertainer''.


Death

Wolfit died on 17 February 1968, at the age of 65 in Hammersmith, London, of
cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, h ...
. His final two films, '' Decline and Fall... of a Birdwatcher'' and ''
The Charge of the Light Brigade The Charge of the Light Brigade was a failed military action involving the British light cavalry led by Lord Cardigan against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October 1854 in the Crimean War. Lord Raglan had intended to se ...
'', were released posthumously. According to Roger Moore, legend had it that on his deathbed, Donald Wolfit said, “Dying is easy, comedy is hard” (however this tale has also been told of Edmund Gwenn, Donald Crisp, and Edmund Kean, and most of Moore's anecdotes are unsourced).


Legacy

Ronald Harwood, who at one time was Wolfit's dresser, based his play ''
The Dresser ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'' (later turned into
cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking * ...
and TV films) on his relationship with Wolfit. Harwood also wrote Wolfit's biography. Peter O'Toole, who worked with Wolfit on several films and plays over the course of his career, considered Wolfit his most important mentor. Wolfit was also an important influence on the early acting career of Pamella Carrington Coutte from the age of 18 he was introduced to her by Noel Coward whom both men could see a very valuable asset to his company as Coutte apart from becoming one of the best Shakespearean actress in that era she was the only actress who was bilingual being very fluent in 11 languages which enabled Worfit to introduce Shakespeare to other countries as Coutte had the experience to interpret and teach actors to the required languages that was needed Harold Pinter, who worked for the Donald Wolfit Company alongside Coutte at the King's Theatre, Hammersmith, in 1953–54, performing eight roles with him.Billington, pp. 20–25; 31, 36, 37–41
"Acting: The Donald Wolfit Company"
''haroldpinter.org'', accessed 9 October 2007.
Wolfit long maintained a bitter hostility to
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 ...
, fuelled by Wolfit's resentment of Gielgud's public school background and family connections in the theatre. The actor Leslie French contrasted the two men: "John was a very gentle person, very caring, with a lovely sense of humour. Donald was a joke, a terrible actor with no sense of humour, who believed he was the greatest in the world. Once John and I took a call in front of the curtain; Donald collapsed in tears because he wasn't called." Wolfit's last appearance on stage was in a musical, as the domineering Mr Barrett in '' Robert and Elizabeth'' (1966–67). Donald Worfit’s acting career declined after Pamlla Coutte’s death in 1959 where he struggled losing not only a great actress but a soulmate friend whom they were very close He died 8 years later. The papers of Donald Wolfit, and those of his first wife Chris Castor, are archived at the
Harry Ransom Center The Harry Ransom Center (until 1983 the Humanities Research Center) is an archive, library and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe for the p ...
at the University of Texas at Austin as part of their extensive British performing arts holdings. The papers include Wolfit's promptbooks, management records, tour schedules, production papers, scene and costume designs, extensive correspondence, and more. The Ransom Center also holds a small selection of costumes and personal effects from Wolfit and his company, including Wolfit's certification as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and Rosalind Iden's gown worn as Beatrice in the company's production of ''
Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' ( W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. 1387 The play ...
''.


Filmography


Notes


References

* * * *


External links


Donald Wolfit Papers
and th
Chris Castor Papers
at the
Harry Ransom Center The Harry Ransom Center (until 1983 the Humanities Research Center) is an archive, library and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe for the p ...

John Mayes Family Papers
at the
Harry Ransom Center The Harry Ransom Center (until 1983 the Humanities Research Center) is an archive, library and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe for the p ...
* *
Amazon.com link to Wolfit biography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wolfit, Donald 1902 births 1968 deaths British people of English descent 20th-century English male actors Actors awarded knighthoods Actor-managers English male film actors Freemasons of the United Grand Lodge of England English male stage actors Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Magnus Church of England School People from Balderton English male Shakespearean actors People from Hammersmith 20th-century theatre managers