Norman John Frank Rodway (7 February 1929 – 13 March 2001) was an
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...
actor.
Early life
Rodway was born at the family home, Elsinore (named after
the castle where
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 ...
's ''
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
'' is set), on Coliemore Road,
Dalkey
Dalkey ( ; ) is an affluent suburb of Dublin, and a seaside resort southeast of the city, and the town of Dún Laoghaire, in the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown in the historic County Dublin, Ireland. It was founded as a Viking settlement ...
,
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
, to Lillian Sybil (née Moyles) and Frank Rodway, who ran a shipping agency. His parents were English, and had moved to Dublin two years before he was born because his father had been posted there for work. He was educated at St Andrew's Church of Ireland National School and
the High School, then studied at
Trinity College Dublin
, name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
, motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin)
, motto_lang = la
, motto_English = It will last i ...
, where he was
elected a Scholar in classics in 1948. He worked as an accountant, teacher, and lecturer in Latin and Greek at Trinity before acting.
Career
He made his stage debut in May 1953 at the
Cork Opera House
Cork Opera House is a theatre and opera house in Cork in Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the Nort ...
. There, he portrayed General Mannion in ''The Seventh Step''. He made his first appearance in
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 ...
's
West End in 1959, as The Messenger in ''Cock-A-Doodle Dandy'', and moved to England the following year. In 1962, he portrayed the young
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...
in ''Stephen D'', based on Joyce's writings. Rodway joined the
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...
in 1966. His theatrical parts included Bassov in ''
Summerfolk
''Summerfolk'' (russian: Дачники, translit=Dachniki) is a play by Maxim Gorky written in 1904 and first published in 1905 by Znaniye (''1904 Znaniye Anthology'', book Three), in Saint Petersburg. '', and the title roles in ''
Butley'' 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 ...
''.
Although he was primarily a stage actor, he also performed in radio, television and film productions. With his expressive voice (described by Jack Adrian as "rich and dark and thumpingly Celtic"), he made many radio broadcasts for 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. ...
...
. Major television roles included
'', and Charles Brett in ''The Bretts''. He also appeared in series such as ''
''. He acted with
'', "The Man Who Wouldn't Talk". He often acted as the villain, including
'' (1999). He played the role of
''.
He was married four times. His first wife was actress Pauline Delaney, and his second was casting director
. He was stepfather to
by his third marriage to Sarah Callaby (née Fitzgerald); Rodway and Callaby had a daughter, Bianca.
He was married to Jane Rodway from 1991 to his death.
* ''Contemporary Theatre, Film, and Television'' (vol. 26), 2000
* ''Who’s Who in Theatre'', 1981