Keith Joseph Michell (1 December 1926 – 20 November 2015) was an Australian actor who worked primarily in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

, and was best known for his television and film portrayals of King

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

. He appeared extensively in

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

and other classics and musicals in Britain, and was also in several Broadway productions. He was an

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since th ...

of the

Chichester Festival Theatre Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, it was opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Mart ...

in the 1970s and later had a recurring role on ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The seri ...

'' as the charming thief

Dennis Stanton Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius. The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is some ...

. He was also known for illustrating a collection of Jeremy Lloyd's poems '' Captain Beaky'', and singing the title song from the associated album.

Early life

Michell was born in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, and brought up in

Warnertown Warnertown is a settlement in South Australia. At the , Warnertown had a population of 532. It lies on the Augusta Highway Augusta Highway is the part of Australia's ring route ( Highway 1) located in South Australia between Port Wakefield ...

, near

Port Pirie Port Pirie is a small city on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia, north of the state capital, Adelaide. The city has an expansive history which dates back to 1845. Port Pirie was the first proclaimed regional city in South A ...

. His parents were Joseph, a cabinet-maker, and Alice (née Aslat). Educated at Port Pirie High School, Adelaide Teachers' College and Adelaide University, he began his career as an art teacher and made his professional acting debut in 1947 in the comedy ''Lover’s Leap'', by Bill Daily, at Adelaide's

Playbox Theatre The Playbox Theatre was a theatre located at 53-55 Exhibition Street in Melbourne, Australia, from 1927 to 1984. It became the home of the Playbox Theatre Company, previously Hoopla! and later Malthouse Theatre. History The theatre seatin ...

. He then worked in radio for ABC in Adelaide. In 1949, he moved to Britain to study at 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 ...

Theatre School.

Career

Michell joined the

Young Vic The Young Vic Theatre is a performing arts venue located on The Cut, near the South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The Young Vic was established by Frank Dunlop in 1970. Kwame Kwei-Armah has been Artistic Director since February 201 ...

theatre company and made his first appearance in London by 1951. An early role there was Bassanio in ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

''. His first London musical was ''And So to Bed'', playing King Charles II. With the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company in 1952–1953, he toured in Australia. Then, at

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-we ...

, he appeared in a series of Shakespeare plays: ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunk ...

, A Midsummer Night’s Dream,

Troilus and Cressida ''Troilus and Cressida'' ( or ) is a play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1602. At Troy during the Trojan War, Troilus and Cressida begin a love affair. Cressida is forced to leave Troy to join her father in the Greek camp. Me ...

'', and ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with ''Ham ...

''. In 1956, on television, he played Henry Higgins in ''Pygmalion'' by Bernard Shaw and, the same year, at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...

, he starred in the title role in Ronald Duncan's ''Don Juan'' and in several Old Vic Company productions as Benedick in ''

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 ...

'', Proteus in ''

The Two Gentlemen of Verona ''The Two Gentlemen of Verona'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1589 and 1593. It is considered by some to be Shakespeare's first play, and is often seen as showing his first tentative steps in laying ...

'', Antony in ''

Antony and Cleopatra ''Antony and Cleopatra'' ( First Folio title: ''The Tragedie of Anthonie, and Cleopatra'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed, by the King's Men, at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre in aroun ...

'' and Aaron in ''

Titus Andronicus ''Titus Andronicus'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593, probably in collaboration with George Peele. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy and is often seen as his attempt to emul ...

''.

In 1958, he played Nestor-Le-Fripe in the musical '' Irma La Douce'', also starring in the role with the National Theatre in Washington, DC, and on Broadway in 1960–1961. At the newly opened

, in 1962, he played Don John in ''

The Chances ''The Chances'' is a Jacobean era stage play, a comedy written by John Fletcher. It was one of Fletcher's great popular successes, "frequently performed and reprinted in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries." The play's Prologue assigns the ...

'' and then Ithocles in ''

The Broken Heart ''The Broken Heart'' is a Caroline era tragedy written by John Ford, and first published in 1633. "The play has long vied with Tis Pity She's a Whore'' as Ford's greatest work...the supreme reach of his genius...." The date of the play's authorshi ...

'', and in British television adaptations, he starred as Heathcliff in ''Wuthering Heights'' (1962) and, in a series of Roman plays titled ''The Spread of the Eagle'', he played

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the au ...

(1963). He later sang in a series of television specials written for him. Also on Broadway, he played the Count in ''The Rehearsal'' by

Jean Anouilh Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh (; 23 June 1910 – 3 October 1987) was a French dramatist whose career spanned five decades. Though his work ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, Anouilh is best known for his 1944 play ''Antigone'', an a ...

(1963). In 1964 in London, he starred as

Robert Browning Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical sett ...

in the musical '' Robert and Elizabeth'', opposite Australian soprano

June Bronhill June Mary Bronhill (26 June 192924 January 2005), also known as June Gough, was an Australian coloratura soprano opera singer, performer and actress, She was well known for light opera, operetta and musical theatre in London West End theatre ...

. He played the dual role of

Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. He is best kno ...

and his fictional creation

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of West ...

in the musical ''

Man of La Mancha ''Man of La Mancha'' is a 1965 musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by Joe Darion. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay '' I, Don Quixote'', which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cerva ...

'', first starring in the original London production of the musicalAllMusic – Keith Michell biography
cast album
''Man of La Mancha'' sound recording – Trove entry
/ref> and then on Broadway. He also starred as Abelard in the Broadway play ''Abelard and Heloise'' with

Diana Rigg Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg (20 July 193810 September 2020) was an English actress of stage and screen. Her roles include Emma Peel in the TV series '' The Avengers'' (1965–1968); Countess Teresa di Vicenzo, wife of James Bond, in ''On H ...

Ronald Millar Sir Ronald Graeme Millar (12 November 1919 – 16 April 1998) was an English actor, scriptwriter, and dramatist. Life and career After attending Charterhouse School, Millar studied at King's College, Cambridge for a year before joining the ...

(1971) and as Georges in '' La Cage aux Folles'' in the 1980s. On stage, in film and on television, he appeared several times as King

, perhaps most memorably in the series '' The Six Wives of Henry VIII'' in 1970 and the similar film '' Henry VIII and his Six Wives'' (1972). For this he won an Emmy. The actual Emmy was given to Julie Andrews, who presented him with it when he appeared on her show, for the 2nd time. He reprised the role in a 1996 television series adaptation of ''

The Prince and the Pauper ''The Prince and the Pauper'' is a novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada, before its 1882 publication in the United States. The novel represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. Set in 1547 ...

''. Other films included '' Dangerous Exile'' (1957), '' The Hellfire Club'' (1961), '' Seven Seas to Calais'' (1962) and '' The Executioner'' (1970). He appeared in a series of

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

TV adaptations by Brent Walker. On American television from 1988 to 1993, Michell made appearances on the mystery series ''

'', playing Dennis Stanton, a former jewel thief turned insurance claims investigator. He was the artistic director of the Chichester Festival Theatre from 1974 to 1977, appearing in many of their productions, including as the Director in ''

Tonight We Improvise ''Tonight We Improvise'' ( it, Questa sera si recita a soggetto ) is a play by Luigi Pirandello.Oedipus Tyrannus'', and in '' A Month in the Country'' and ''

The Confederacy The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confede ...

'' by Vanbrugh. As well as acting, Michell wrote the musical ''Pete McGynty and the Dreamtime'', an Australian rendering of

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential pla ...

's ''

Peer Gynt ''Peer Gynt'' (, ) is a five- act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen published in 1876. Written in Norwegian, it is one of the most widely performed Norwegian plays. Ibsen believed '' Per Gynt'', the Norwegian fairy tale on ...

'', the performance of which used Michell's own paintings as backdrops. He enjoyed a recording career as a soloist, with one of his singles, ''I'll Give You the Earth'', which he co-wrote, reaching No. 30 in the UK charts in 1971, boosted by his high-profile on television at the time. He also illustrated a limited edition run of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

sonnet A sonnet is a poetic form that originated in the poetry composed at the Court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in the Sicilian city of Palermo. The 13th-century poet and notary Giacomo da Lentini is credited with the sonnet's inventio ...

s, for which he did the calligraphy; and wrote and illustrated a number of macrobiotic cookbooks. Michell himself was a proponent of the

macrobiotic diet A macrobiotic diet (or macrobiotics) is a fad diet based on ideas about types of food drawn from Zen Buddhism. The diet tries to balance the supposed yin and yang elements of food and cookware. Major principles of macrobiotic diets are to reduce ...

and philosophy. Michell illustrated '' Captain Beaky'', a collection of Jeremy Lloyd's poems. The Captain Beaky character enjoyed success in the UK in the early 1980s, among both children and adults. The song "Captain Beaky", sung by Michell, peaked at No. 5 and No. 36 in the UK and Australia respectively in 1980.

Personal life and death

He married the actress

Jeanette Sterke Jeanette Laura Sterke is a British actress. Sterke was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Her parents emigrated to England to escape the Nazis. She went to school in England and attended RADA. She has had a long stage and television career. She ...

in 1956, and they had a son, Paul who was the lead singer of 80s band the Roaring Boys, and a daughter,

Helena Helena may refer to: People *Helena (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Katri Helena (born 1945), Finnish singer *Helena, mother of Constantine I Places Greece * Helena (island) Guyana * H ...

, who appeared in the films '' Prick Up Your Ears'' and '' Maurice''. Michell died in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the London Borough o ...

, London, eleven days before his 89th birthday.

Filmography

*'' True as a Turtle'' (1957) – Harry Bell *'' Dangerous Exile'' (1957) – Colonel St. Gerard *'' The Gypsy and the Gentleman'' (1958) – Sir Paul Deverill *''Dow Hour of Great Mysteries'' (1960, TV series) – Baron Von Ragastein *'' The Hellfire Club'' (1961) – Jason Caldwell *'' All Night Long'' (1962) – Cass Michaels *''Wuthering Heights'' (1962, TV movie) – Heathcliff *''Dominatore dei sette mari, Il'' (1962) – Malcolm Marsh *''The Spread of the Eagle'' (1963, TV mini-series) – Marc Antony *''The Bergonzi Hand'' (1963, TV series) – Gabriel Cordier *''Soldier in Love'' (1967, TV movie) – John Churchill *''

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in ...

'' (1967, TV movie) – John Churchill *'' Kain'' (1967, TV play) *''Thirty-Minute Theatre'' (1968, TV series) – Martin *'' Prudence and the Pill'' (1968) – Dr. Alan Hewitt *'' House of Cards'' (1968) – Général Sébastien Henri René de Villemont / Dr Morillon *''

Play of the Month ''Play of the Month'' is a BBC television anthology series, which ran from 1965 to 1983 featuring productions of classic and contemporary stage plays (or adaptations) which were usually broadcast on BBC1. Each production featured a different wo ...

'' (1968–1969, TV series) – Caliban *'' The Six Wives of Henry VIII'' (1970, TV mini-series) – King Henry VIII *'' The Executioner'' (1970) – Adam Booth *''Wiltons'' (1970, TV series) – Music Hall Performer *'' The Morecambe and Wise Show'' (1971, TV series) – Himself / Captain Tony Snug-Fitting *'' Henry VIII and His Six Wives'' (1972) – King Henry VIII *''Keith Michell at Her Majesty's Show of the Week'' (1972, TV series) – Himself *'' The Julie Andrews Hour'' (1972-1973, two episodes, guest)''The Julie Andrews Hour'' DVDs *'' The Story of Jacob and Joseph'' (1974, TV movie) – Jacob *'' Moments'' (1974) – Peter Samuelson *'' The Story of David'' (1976, TV movie) – Older David *''

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, an ...

'' (1979, TV movie) – Marcus Antonius *'' The Tenth Month'' (1979, TV movie) – Matthew Poole *''

The Day Christ Died ''The Day Christ Died'' is a 1980 American television film directed by James Cellan Jones. The collaborative production by 20th Century Fox and CBS-TV dramatizes the last 24 hours of Jesus Christ's life and is based on Jim Bishop's 1957 book of t ...

'' (1980, TV movie) – Pontius Pilate *''

Grendel Grendel Grendel ''Grendel Grendel Grendel'' is a 1981 Australian animated film written, directed and designed by Alexander Stitt and starring Peter Ustinov. It was based on John Gardner's novel ''Grendel''. The music was composed and conducted by Bruce Smeato ...

'' (1981) – The Shaper (voice) *''

The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 187 ...

'' (1982, TV movie) – Major General Stanley *''

The Gondoliers ''The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria'' is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances (at that time the ...

'' (1982, TV movie) – Don Alhambra del Bolero *'' Ruddigore'' (1982, TV movie) – Robin Oakapple / Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd *''

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

'' (1983, TV movie) – Marsh *'' Cross Creek'' (1983) – Preston Turner *''The Miracle'' (1985, TV movie) *''

My Brother Tom ''My Brother Tom'' is a 1986 Australian television miniseries about sectarianism in a small country town.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p215 References External links''My Brother Tom''at ...

'' (1986, TV mini-series) – Edward Quayle *'' Captain James Cook'' (1986, TV TV mini-series) – Captain James Cook *'' The Deceivers'' (1988) – Colonel Wilson *''

'' (1988–1993, TV series) – Dennis Stanton (recurring role) *''The Prince and the Pauper'' (1996, TV mini-series) – King Henry VIII *'' Love/Loss'' (2010) – Joe

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Michell, Keith 1926 births 2015 deaths Australian male television actors Australian male film actors Australian male stage actors Australian expatriates in England Australian expatriates in the United Kingdom Diet food advocates Best Actor BAFTA Award (television) winners Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners People from Port Pirie 20th-century Australian male actors 21st-century Australian male actors