Kenneth Leith Halliwell (23 June 1926 – 9 August 1967) was a British actor, writer and

collagist Collage (, from the french: coller, "to glue" or "to stick together";) is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an Assemblage (art), assemblage of different forms, thus creat ...

. He was the mentor, boyfriend and murderer of playwright Joe Orton.

Childhood

Halliwell was born in

Bebington Bebington () is a town and unparished area within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. Historically part of Cheshire, it lies south of Liverpool, close to the River Mersey on the eastern side of the Wirral Peninsula. ...

. He was very close to his mother; when he was 11, he witnessed her death from a

wasp A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. Th ...

sting at the family home. Halliwell was a

classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

scholar at Wirral Grammar School, where he gained his Higher School Certificate in 1943. Eligible for military service in 1944, he registered as a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to object ...

, and was exempted conditional upon becoming a

coal miner Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

. After discharge in 1946, he acted for a time in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

and then returned home to act in

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...

. His father committed suicide in 1949 by inhaling coal-gas in a gas oven; Halliwell was the first to find the body the following morning, but he "stepped over the body, put the kettle on, made a cup of tea and had a shave" before he reported the death. Halliwell later moved to London to study drama at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sen ...

(RADA), having inherited the family fortune.

Relationship with Orton

In 1951, he met Joe Orton, a fellow RADA student. Both men were struggling actors who became struggling writers. However, their common interests led to a lengthy romantic relationship. Halliwell, in the early years, seems to have been something of a mentor to Orton, who had had a rather cursory education, and helped to mould the writing style that would later be called "Ortonesque". The two men collaborated on several novels, including ''The Boy Hairdresser'', which were not published until after their deaths. From January 1959, Orton and Halliwell were involved in the theft and defacement of public library books. Halliwell became an illicit collage artist, while Orton wrote the fake blurbs for the flyleaf of the dust jackets. After their trial in 1962 the two men were given custodial sentences, Halliwell was sent to HM Prison Ford in

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

for six months; Orton went to Eastchurch in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. Orton's eventual success as a writer, which began not long after their release from prison, put a distance between the two men that Halliwell found difficult to handle. Towards the end of his life, Halliwell was on regular courses of

anti-depressants Antidepressants are a class of medication used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, chronic pain conditions, and to help manage addictions. Common side-effects of antidepressants include dry mouth, weight gain, dizziness, hea ...

Murder–suicide

On 9 August 1967, Halliwell mortally injured Orton with nine hammer blows to the head and then overdosed on

pentobarbital Pentobarbital (previously known as pentobarbitone in Britain and Australia) is a short-acting barbiturate typically used as a sedative, a preanesthetic, and to control convulsions in emergencies. It can also be used for short-term treatment of i ...

(Nembutal)

sleeping pills Hypnotic (from Greek ''Hypnos'', sleep), or soporific drugs, commonly known as sleeping pills, are a class of (and umbrella term for) psychoactive drugs whose primary function is to induce sleep (or surgical anesthesiaWhen used in anesthesia ...

. Halliwell died first. Their bodies were discovered late the following morning, when a chauffeur arrived at the door of their Noel Road flat in

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

to collect Orton for a meeting with director

Richard Lester Richard Lester Liebman (born January 19, 1932) is an American retired film director based in the United Kingdom. He is best known for directing the Beatles' films '' A Hard Day's Night'' (1964) and '' Help!'' (1965), and the superhero films ' ...

to discuss filming options on ''

Up Against It ''Up Against It'' is an unproduced script by Joe Orton, written in 1967 for The Beatles at the height of their fame. Background Orton's screenplay was a revised version of a 1966 script called ''Shades of a Personality'', by Owen Holder, wh ...

'', an unproduced script by Orton, written in 1967 for

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

. Halliwell's

suicide note A suicide note or death note is a message left behind by a person who dies or intends to die by suicide. A study examining Japanese suicide notes estimated that 25–30% of suicides are accompanied by a note. However, incidence rates may depe ...

referred to the contents of Orton's diary as an explanation for his actions:

If you read his diary, all will be explained. KH PS: Especially the latter part.

This is presumed to be a reference to Orton's description of his promiscuity; the diary contains numerous incidents of cottaging in public lavatories and other casual sexual encounters.

In popular culture

In ''

Prick Up Your Ears ''Prick Up Your Ears'' is a 1987 British film, directed by Stephen Frears, about the playwright Joe Orton and his lover Kenneth Halliwell. The screenplay was written by Alan Bennett, based on the 1978 biography by John Lahr. The film stars Gar ...

'', the 1987 film based on Orton's life, Halliwell was portrayed by

Alfred Molina Alfred Molina (born Alfredo Molina; 24 May 1953) is a British-American actor known for his work on the stage and screen. He first rose to prominence in the West End, earning a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Newcomer in a Pla ...

. In '' Fantabulosa!'', the 2006 television play about

Kenneth Williams Kenneth Charles Williams (22 February 1926 – 15 April 1988) was an English actor of Welsh heritage. He was best known for his comedy roles and in later life as a raconteur and diarist. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the 31 Car ...

, he was portrayed by Ewan Bailey. British experimental music group Coil recorded three tracks titled "The Halliwell Hammers" for their 1995 album '' Worship the Glitch''. The two primary members of Coil,

John Balance Geoffrey Nigel Laurence Rushton (16 February 1962 – 13 November 2004), better known under the pseudonyms John Balance or the later variation Jhonn Balance, was an English musician, occultist, artist and poet. He was best known as a co-founde ...

and Peter Christopherson, were romantic partners through most of the band's existence, and much of their work was inspired by or dedicated to gay icons and personalities of the past. Halliwell is the subject of a monologue, ''Especially The Latter Part'', by Richard Ely. It premiered in Lichfield, in 2009. The stage version of ''Prick Up Your Ears'', written by

Simon Bent Simon Bent is a British screenwriter and playwright, notable for work including BBC TV drama '' Beau Brummell: This Charming Man'' (2006), the screenplay for the feature film ''Christie Malry's Own Double-Entry'' (2000), and the Joe Orton biograph ...

, opened on the West End in London at the Royal Theatre on 17 September 2009.

Matt Lucas Matthew Richard Lucas (born 5 March 1974) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television presenter. He is best known for his work with David Walliams on the BBC sketch comedy series ''Little Britain'' (2003–2006, 2020) and '' Come Fl ...

played Halliwell and Chris New played Orton. Con O'Neill took over the role of Halliwell after Lucas pulled out. The play closed on 15 November 2009. In 2014, a collage by Halliwell was purchased by Islington Museum at auction for £2,800. In 2016 the same museum purchased at auction ''The Cat Screen'', a four-panel described as "an important part of 1960s cultural history as well as an engaging piece of art work", for £8,000.

Works

* ''The Protagonist'' (circa 1949), unproduced and unpublished play about

Edmund Kean Edmund Kean (4 November 178715 May 1833) was a celebrated British Shakespearean stage actor born in England, who performed, among other places, in London, Belfast, New York, Quebec, and Paris. He was known for his short stature, tumultuo ...

. * ''The Silver Bucket'' (1953), ''The Mechanical Womb'' (1955), ''The Last Days of Sodom'' (1955), novels co-written with Orton, all unpublished and now lost. * ''Priapus in the Shrubbery'' (1959), solo novel, unpublished and now lost. * ''Lord Cucumber'' and ''The Boy Hairdresser'', novels co-written with Orton, published in 2001.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Halliwell, Kenneth 1926 births 1967 suicides Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art English male stage actors English conscientious objectors English writers Drug-related suicides in England Barbiturates-related deaths English gay actors English gay writers Murder–suicides in the United Kingdom People educated at Wirral Grammar School for Boys People from Bebington 20th-century English male actors 1967 deaths 20th-century LGBT people