Kenneth Haigh
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Kenneth William Michael Haigh (25 March 1931 – 4 February 2018) was an English actor. He first came to public recognition for playing the role of Jimmy Porter in the play ''
Look Back in Anger ''Look Back in Anger'' (1956) is a realist play written by John Osborne. It focuses on the life and marital struggles of an intelligent and educated but disaffected young man of working-class origin, Jimmy Porter, and his equally competent yet i ...
'' in 1956 opposite
Mary Ure Eileen Mary Ure (18 February 1933 – 3 April 1975) was a British stage and film actress. She was the second Scottish-born actress (after Deborah Kerr) to be nominated for an Academy Award, for her role in the 1960 film ''Sons and Lovers''. Ear ...
in London's
West End theatre West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London.Christopher Innes, "West End" in ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), pp. 1194–1 ...
. Haigh's performance in the role on stage was critically acclaimed as a prototype dramatic working-class
anti-hero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions ...
in post-
Second World War 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 ...
English drama.


Early life

Born in
Mexborough Mexborough is a town in the City of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. Situated between Manvers and Denaby Main, it lies on the River Don close to where it joins the River Dearne, and the A6023 road runs through the town. It is contiguous ...
,
West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...
, Haigh studied drama at the
Central School of Speech and Drama The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama was founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906, as The Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students. It became a ...
, at the time based at the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
in London.


Career

He played the central role of Jimmy Porter in the premiere production of
John Osborne John James Osborne (12 December 1929 – 24 December 1994) was an English playwright, screenwriter and actor, known for his prose that criticized established social and political norms. The success of his 1956 play ''Look Back in Anger'' tra ...
's play ''
Look Back in Anger ''Look Back in Anger'' (1956) is a realist play written by John Osborne. It focuses on the life and marital struggles of an intelligent and educated but disaffected young man of working-class origin, Jimmy Porter, and his equally competent yet i ...
'' in 1956 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, Englan ...
. His performance in a 1958
Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...
production of that play so moved one young woman in the audience that she mounted the stage and slapped him in mid-performance. For the film version released in 1959, he was passed over in favour of
Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable pe ...
. Coincidentally, he went on to portray the explorer and adventurer
Richard Francis Burton Sir Richard Francis Burton (; 19 March 1821 – 20 October 1890) was a British explorer, writer, orientalist scholar,and soldier. He was famed for his travels and explorations in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, as well as his extraordinary kn ...
in the
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 exam. ...
...
production of ''The Search for the Nile''. He also briefly appeared in
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 ...
' film '' A Hard Day's Night'' (1964). Later he portrayed Joe Lampton, a character created by
John Braine John Gerard Braine (13 April 1922 – 28 October 1986) was an English novelist. Braine is usually listed among the angry young men, a loosely defined group of English writers who emerged on the literary scene in the 1950s. Biography John Brain ...
in the novel '' Room at the Top'', in the television series '' Man at the Top'' (1970–72) and the spin-off film '' Man at the Top'' (1973). Also in 1973 he released an LP entitled
How To Handle A Woman How may refer to: * How (greeting), a word used in some misrepresentations of Native American/First Nations speech * How, an interrogative word in English grammar Art and entertainment Literature * ''How'' (book), a 2007 book by Dov Seid ...
. Haigh made occasional appearances on television. His most recognisable appearance is that of time-travelling Flight Lieutenant William Terrence Decker, in ''
The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...
'' episode " The Last Flight" (1960). He had already played, three years before, another pilot, in ''
High Flight (film) ''High Flight'' is a 1957, CinemaScope, American, cold war children’s film in Technicolor, directed by John Gilling and featuring Ray Milland, Bernard Lee and Leslie Phillips. ''High Flight'' was filmed with the co-operation of the Royal A ...
''. He also portrayed Pat Casey in
Lionel Bart Lionel Bart (1 August 1930 – 3 April 1999) was a British writer and composer of pop music and musicals. He wrote Tommy Steele's "Rock with the Caveman" and was the sole creator of the musical '' Oliver!'' (1960). With ''Oliver!'' and his work ...
's ''
Maggie May "Maggie May" is a song co-written by singer Rod Stewart and Martin Quittenton, and performed by Rod Stewart on his album ''Every Picture Tells a Story'', released in 1971. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked the song number 130 on its list of T ...
''.


Personal life

Haigh married the
West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
model Myrna Stephens in 1974. They divorced in 1985, but remained good friends; she nursed him through his final years of ill-health.


Death

Haigh died on 4 February 2018, aged 86. He had spent his last years in a nursing home after oxygen deprivation led to brain damage in 2003, following his accidental swallowing of a bone in a restaurant in
Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develop ...
.


Filmography


Theatre

* ''Othello'' (Drogheda, 1952) * ''The Archers Stage Play (Various 1953) * ''Dear Little Liz'' (Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park, 1955) * ''Look Back in Anger'' (Royal Court Theatre, London, 1956) - Jimmy Porter * ''The Mulberry Bush'' (1956) - Peter Lord * ''The Crucible'' (1956) - Rev John Hale * ''Cards of Identity'' (1956) - Beaufort * ''Caligula'' (Broadway, 1960; Phoenix Theatre, London, 1964) - Caligula * ''Zoo Story'' (Arts Theatre, London, 1961) * ''Altona'' (Royal Court and Saville Theatres, 1961) - Franz von Gerlach * ''The Collection'' (The Aldwych, 1962) * ''Playing with Fire'' (The Aldwych, 1962) * ''Julius Caesar'' (Stratford, RSC 1962) - Mark Antony * ''Maggie May'' (Adelphi Theatre, London, 1964) - Patrick Casey * ''Too Good To Be True'' (Edinburgh Festival, 1965) - Burglar * ''Prometheus Unbound'' (Yale University Theatre, 1967) - Prometheus * ''Henry IV'' (Yale, 1967) * ''The Hotel in Amsterdam'' (Duke of York's Theatre, London, 1969) - Laurie * ''Much Ado About Nothing'' (Manchester, 1969) - Benedick * ''Equus'' (Citadel Theatre, Edmonton, Alberta, 1969–70) - Dysart * ''Prometheus Unbound'' (Mermaid Theatre, 1971) - Prometheus * ''Marching Song'' (Mermaid Theatre, London, 1974) - Rupert Foster * ''The Father'' (Haymarket, Leicester, 1975) - Father * ''California Suite'' (Eugene O’Neill Theatre, Broadway, 1977) - Replacement: William, Sidney, Stu * ''The Aspern Papers'' (Chichester Festival, 1978) * ''Twelfth Night'' (Stratford, CT, 1979) - Malvolio * ''Julius Caesar'' (Stratford, CT, 1979) - Brutus * ''The Tempest'' (Stratford, CT, 1979) - Prospero * ''Clothes for a Summer Hotel'' (Broadway, 1980) - F Scott Fitzgerald * ''Othello'' (Young Vic, London, 1982) - Othello


Television

* ''
Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was ren ...
''"Specialty of the House" (1959) - Mr. Costain; "Banquo's Chair" (1959) - John Bedford * ''
Danger Man ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again b ...
''"Josetta" (1960) - Juan *
Strange Report ''Strange Report'' is a British television crime drama series starring Anthony Quayle as Adam Strange. It was produced by ITC Entertainment and first broadcast in 1969 on ITV In the United States, NBC broadcast ''Strange Report'' between 8 Ja ...
(1969) - “Hostage.If you won’t learn,Die!”. * ''Search for the Nile'' (1971) * '' Man at the Top'' (Thames Television, 1971–73) - Joe Lampton * ''
Moll Flanders ''Moll Flanders'' is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published in 1722. It purports to be the true account of the life of the eponymous Moll, detailing her exploits from birth until old age. By 1721, Defoe had become a recognised novelist, wit ...
'' (ITV, 1975) - Jemmy Earle * ''Hazlitt in Love'' (1977) - William Hazlitt * ''Maybury'' (BBC, 1981) * ''The Testament of John'' (1984) * ''The Fourth Floor'' (Thames Television, 1986) - George Payne * '' The Blackheath Poisonings'' (1992) - Charles Russell


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Haigh, Kenneth 1931 births 2018 deaths English male film actors English male television actors Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama People from Mexborough Actors from Doncaster