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John Robertson Hare, OBE (17 December 1891 – 25 January 1979) was an English actor, who came to fame in the
Aldwych farce The Aldwych farces were a series of twelve stage farces presented at the Aldwych Theatre, London, nearly continuously from 1923 to 1933. All but three of them were written by Ben Travers. They incorporate and develop British low comedy styles, ...
s. He is remembered by more recent audiences for his performances as the
Archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that o ...
in the popular
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. ...
...
sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
, ''
All Gas and Gaiters ''All Gas and Gaiters'' is a British television ecclesiastical sitcom which aired on BBC1 from 1966 to 1971. It was written by Pauline Devaney and Edwin Apps, a husband-and-wife team who used the pseudonym of John Wraith when writing the pilot ...
''. Short in stature and of unheroic appearance, Hare made his stage career in character roles. From his early days as an actor he was cast as older men. One of his favourite parts, which he played in the provinces before achieving West End success, was "Grumpy", a retired lawyer, in which he toured before the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. After war service in the army, Hare got his big break. He was cast in a long-running farce with
Ralph Lynn Ralph Clifford Lynn (8 March 1882 – 8 August 1962) was an English actor who had a 60-year career, and is best remembered for playing comedy parts in the Aldwych farces first on stage and then in film. Lynn became an actor at the age of 18 ...
and
Tom Walls Thomas Kirby Walls (18 February 1883 – 27 November 1949) was an English stage and film actor, producer and director, best known for presenting and co-starring in the Aldwych farces in the 1920s and for starring in and directing the film adapt ...
. His meek and put-upon character was repeated in various incarnations in the eleven
Aldwych farce The Aldwych farces were a series of twelve stage farces presented at the Aldwych Theatre, London, nearly continuously from 1923 to 1933. All but three of them were written by Ben Travers. They incorporate and develop British low comedy styles, ...
s presented by Walls between 1923 and 1933. He also appeared in film versions of most of the farces. After the Aldwych series came to an end, Hare continued to be cast in similar roles in new plays by
Ben Travers Ben Travers (12 November 188618 December 1980) was an English writer. His output includes more than 20 plays, 30 screenplays, 5 novels, and 3 volumes of memoirs. He is best remembered for his long-running Aldwych farce, series of farces first ...
and many others. Occasionally Hare took a break from farce, appearing in revue with
Benny Hill Alfred Hawthorne "Benny" Hill (21 January 1924 – 20 April 1992) was an English comedian, actor, singer and writer. He is remembered for his television programme ''The Benny Hill Show'', an amalgam of slapstick, burlesque and double ente ...
and in a musical with
Frankie Howerd Francis Alick Howard (6 March 1917 – 19 April 1992), better known by his stage-name Frankie Howerd, was an English actor and comedian. Early life Howerd was born the son of soldier Francis Alfred William (1887–1934)England & Wales, Deat ...
. His final major role was on television in the late 1960s, as the Archdeacon of St Ogg's 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. ...
...
comedy series ''
All Gas and Gaiters ''All Gas and Gaiters'' is a British television ecclesiastical sitcom which aired on BBC1 from 1966 to 1971. It was written by Pauline Devaney and Edwin Apps, a husband-and-wife team who used the pseudonym of John Wraith when writing the pilot ...
''.


Life and career


Early years

Hare was born 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 ...
, London, the younger child and only son of Frank Homer Hare, an accountant, and his wife, Louisa Mary, ''née'' Robertson.Midwinter, Eric
"Hare, (John) Robertson (1891–1979)
, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edition, January 2011, retrieved 12 February 2013 He was educated at Margate College 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 ...
and then studied drama with the actor and educator Cairns James.Gaye, pp. 703–704 In 1911 Hare made his professional stage debut, playing the Duke of Gallminster in a provincial production of ''The Bear Leaders''. The following year he made his London début as one of the crowd in
Gilbert Murray George Gilbert Aimé Murray (2 January 1866 – 20 May 1957) was an Australian-born British classical scholar and public intellectual, with connections in many spheres. He was an outstanding scholar of the language and culture of Ancient Greece ...
's version of ''
Oedipus Rex ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' ( grc, Οἰδίπους Τύραννος, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC. Originally, to the ancient Gr ...
'' at the
Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...
,
Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...
. In 1913 he had his first role in a West End production, as Kaufman in a detective play, ''The Scarlet Band'', at the
Comedy Theatre The Harold Pinter Theatre, known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011,
. He then toured the provinces for a number of years. His first leading part was the title role of ''Grumpy'', by
Horace Hodges Horace Hodges (19 December 1863 – 6 July 1951) was a British stage and film actor and writer. Hodges was the author (with Thomas Wigney Percyval) of the play ''Grumpy'' which saw a Broadway production in 1913, a silent film version in 1923, a ...
and T. Wigney Percyval, which was one of his favourite roles."Mr Robertson Hare", ''The Times'', 16 November 1979, p. vi Even at this early stage of his career Hare was playing old men: "Grumpy" is an irascible retired lawyer. In December 1915 he married (Alice) Irene Mewton (1890/91–1969); they had one daughter.


Aldwych farce

After war service with the army in France, Hare resumed his acting career, and came to the notice of the West End public as James Chesterman in a new farce, '' Tons of Money'', in which he and the actor-manager
Tom Walls Thomas Kirby Walls (18 February 1883 – 27 November 1949) was an English stage and film actor, producer and director, best known for presenting and co-starring in the Aldwych farces in the 1920s and for starring in and directing the film adapt ...
played supporting roles, with
Ralph Lynn Ralph Clifford Lynn (8 March 1882 – 8 August 1962) was an English actor who had a 60-year career, and is best remembered for playing comedy parts in the Aldwych farces first on stage and then in film. Lynn became an actor at the age of 18 ...
in the lead. The play ran for nearly two years, after which Walls recruited Lynn and Hare to join him in a series of new farces at the
Aldwych Theatre The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Aldwych in the City of Westminster, central London. It was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200 on three levels. History Origins The theatre was constructed in th ...
. There were eleven plays in this series, which came to be known as
Aldwych farce The Aldwych farces were a series of twelve stage farces presented at the Aldwych Theatre, London, nearly continuously from 1923 to 1933. All but three of them were written by Ben Travers. They incorporate and develop British low comedy styles, ...
s; they played continuously from 1923 to 1933."Mr. Ralph Lynn", ''The Times'', 10 August 1962, p. 11 Hare played in them all; his roles were: William Smith ('' It Pays to Advertise''); The Rev Cathcart Sloley-Jones (''
A Cuckoo in the Nest ''A Cuckoo in the Nest'' is a farce by the English playwright Ben Travers. It was first given at the Aldwych Theatre, London, the second in the series of twelve Aldwych farces presented by the actor-manager Tom Walls at the theatre between 1923 ...
''); Harold Twine ('' Rookery Nook''); Hook ('' Thark''); Oswald Veal ('' Plunder''); Ernest Ramsbotham ('' A Cup of Kindness''); Miles Tuckett (''A Night Like This''); Edwin Stoatt ('' Turkey Time''); Clement Peck (''Dirty Work''); Montague Trigg (''Fifty-Fifty''); and Augustus Pogson (''A Bit of a Test''). His biographer, Eric Midwinter, writes of Hare's characters in these farces:


Later years

Hare appeared in films of most of the Aldwych farces, and played more than a dozen film roles in the post-war years. For the rest of his stage career he was usually cast in similar roles. After the last Aldwych farce in 1933 he played his customary types in more than twenty new farces over the next three decades. Among his most successful creations of this kind was Willoughby Pink in Travers's '' Banana Ridge'' in 1938, in which he played a
British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
builder with a dubious past. In 1947 he starred at the
Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.
in '' She Wanted a Cream Front Door'', 1954 saw him in the political farce ''
The Party Spirit ''The Party Spirit'' is a 1954 British comedy play by Peter Jones and John Jowett. It premiered at the Grand Theatre, Blackpool before transferring to the Piccadilly Theatre in London's West End where it ran for 131 performances between 23 Sept ...
;'' in 1956 he was in
John Dighton John Gervase DightonCollections"John Dighton"''British Film Institute''. Retrieved 30 August 2020. (8 December 1909 – 16 April 1989) was a British playwright and screenwriter. Dighton was born in London to Basil Lewis Dighton, of West ...
's '' Man Alive!'' at the Aldwych. The same year he appeared with
Cicely Courtneidge Dame Esmerelda Cicely Courtneidge, (1 April 1893 – 26 April 1980) was an Australian-born British actress, comedian and singer. The daughter of the producer and playwright Robert Courtneidge, she was appearing in his productions in the West En ...
in the long-running '' The Bride and the Bachelor'' at the
Duchess Theatre The Duchess Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, London, located in Catherine Street near Aldwych. The theatre opened on 25 November 1929 and is one of the smallest West End theatres with a proscenium arch. It has 494 sea ...
. He made a few appearances in
revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...
: his first was ''Fine Fettle'' (1959) in which he appeared with
Benny Hill Alfred Hawthorne "Benny" Hill (21 January 1924 – 20 April 1992) was an English comedian, actor, singer and writer. He is remembered for his television programme ''The Benny Hill Show'', an amalgam of slapstick, burlesque and double ente ...
and
Shani Wallis Shani Wallis (born 14 April 1933) is a British actress and singer, who has worked in theatre, film, and television in both her native United Kingdom and in the United States. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she is perhaps best ...
. In 1963 Hare played in a long-running stage musical, '' A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' (762 performances), in which he was cast as Erronius to
Frankie Howerd Francis Alick Howard (6 March 1917 – 19 April 1992), better known by his stage-name Frankie Howerd, was an English actor and comedian. Early life Howerd was born the son of soldier Francis Alfred William (1887–1934)England & Wales, Deat ...
's Pseudolus. In the 1960s Hare toured in '' Arsenic and Old Lace''. In 1962 he briefly escaped type-casting, appearing with
Wilfrid Hyde White Wilfrid Hyde-White (12 May 1903 – 6 May 1991) was a British character actor of stage, film and television. He achieved international recognition for his role as Colonel Pickering in the film version of the musical ''My Fair Lady'' (1964). Ea ...
in a comedy film ''
Crooks Anonymous ''Crooks Anonymous'' is a British comedy film from 1962. Directed by Ken Annakin, it stars Leslie Phillips and Stanley Baxter and is notably the feature film debut of Julie Christie. Plot Captain "Dandy Forsdyke" (Leslie Phillips) is a habitua ...
'', in which he played an old lag, his familiar bald head disguised under a wig. In 1968 he joined
Naunton Wayne Naunton Wayne (born Henry Wayne Davies, 22 June 1901 – 17 November 1970), was a Welsh character actor, born in Pontypridd, Glamorgan, Wales. He was educated at Clifton College. His name was changed by deed poll in 1933. Stage actor His firs ...
in ''Oh, Clarence!'', an adaptation of a
P. G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, ( ; 15 October 188114 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeeve ...
Blandings Blandings Castle is a recurring fictional location in the stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being the seat of Lord Emsworth (Clarence Threepwood, 9th Earl of Emsworth), home to many of his family and the setting for numerous tal ...
novel, which he played in London, on tour in the provinces, and in South Africa. He reached a new public in the late 1960s in a television series, ''
All Gas and Gaiters ''All Gas and Gaiters'' is a British television ecclesiastical sitcom which aired on BBC1 from 1966 to 1971. It was written by Pauline Devaney and Edwin Apps, a husband-and-wife team who used the pseudonym of John Wraith when writing the pilot ...
''. He played the Archdeacon of St. Ogg's, the Ven Henry Blunt. His co-stars were
William Mervyn William Mervyn Pickwoad (3 January 1912 – 6 August 1976) was an English actor best known for his portrayal of the bishop in the clerical comedy ''All Gas and Gaiters'', the old gentleman in '' The Railway Children'' and Inspector Charles Rose ...
as the Rt Rev Cuthbert Hever, Bishop of St Ogg's,
Derek Nimmo Derek Robert Nimmo (19 September 193024 February 1999) was an English character actor, producer and author. He is best remembered for his comedic upper class "silly ass" and clerical roles including Revd Mervyn Noote in the BBC1 sitcom ''Al ...
as the Rev Mervyn Noote, the Bishop's chaplain, and John Barron as the Very Rev Lionel Pugh-Critchley, Dean of St Ogg's.
George Melly Alan George Heywood Melly (17 August 1926 – 5 July 2007) was an English jazz and blues singer, critic, writer, and lecturer. From 1965 to 1973 he was a film and television critic for ''The Observer''; he also lectured on art history, with an ...
wrote: Hare was awarded the OBE in 1979, shortly before his death. He died in London at the age of 87.


Filmography

* '' Rookery Nook'' (1930) - Harold Twine * '' On Approval'' (1930) - Hedworth * '' Plunder'' (1930) - Oswald Veal * '' Tons of Money'' (1930) - Chesterman * '' A Night like This'' (1932) - Miles Tuckett * '' Thark'' (1932) - Hook * '' It's a Boy'' (1933) - Allister * '' Friday the Thirteenth'' (1933) - Ralph Lightfoot * ''
A Cuckoo in the Nest ''A Cuckoo in the Nest'' is a farce by the English playwright Ben Travers. It was first given at the Aldwych Theatre, London, the second in the series of twelve Aldwych farces presented by the actor-manager Tom Walls at the theatre between 1923 ...
'' (1933) - Rev. Sloley Jones * '' Turkey Time'' (1933) - Edwin Stoatt * '' Just My Luck'' (1933) - Trigg * '' A Cup of Kindness'' (1934) - Ernest Ramsbottom * ''
Are You a Mason? Are You a Mason? is a farce in 3 acts by Leo Ditrichstein, who in turn adapted it from a German play, ''Die Logenbrüder'' (''The Freemason''), by Curt Kraatz and Carl Laufs. The play was performed at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 1901.''The Prince ...
'' (1934) - Amos Bloodqood * '' Dirty Work'' (1934) - Clement Peck * ''
Car of Dreams ''Car of Dreams'' is a 1935 British romantic comedy film directed by Graham Cutts and Austin Melford and starring Grete Mosheim, John Mills, Norah Howard and Robertson Hare. A tycoon's son falls in love with a woman who works at his father' ...
'' (1935) - Henry Butterworth * ''
Oh, Daddy! ''Oh, Daddy!'' is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Graham Cutts and Austin Melford and starring Leslie Henson, Frances Day, Robertson Hare, and Barry MacKay. It was made at Islington Studios. The film's sets were designed by the art dir ...
'' (1935) - Rupert Boddy * ''
Fighting Stock ''Fighting Stock'' is a 1935 British comedy film directed by and starring Tom Walls. It also features Robertson Hare, Lesley Wareing and Herbert Lomas. its plot involves a Brigadier who retires to a country cottage for some quiet fishing, but i ...
'' (1935) - Duck * '' Stormy Weather'' (1935) - Mr. Bullock * ''
Foreign Affaires ''Foreign Affaires'' is a 1935 British comedy film directed by and starring Tom Walls. It also features Ralph Lynn, Robertson Hare, Norma Varden and Cecil Parker. The screenplay is by Ben Travers, and the cast included cast members from the Wal ...
'' (1935) - Mr. Hardy Hornett * '' Pot Luck'' (1936) - Mr. Pye * ''
You Must Get Married ''You Must Get Married'' is a 1936 British comedy film directed by Leslie Pearce and starring Frances Day, Neil Hamilton and Robertson Hare. It was based on a novel of the same title by David Evans. Premise In order to be able to work in Br ...
'' (1936) - Percy Phut * ''
Jack of All Trades Jack of all trades may refer to: *Jack of all trades, master of none, an aphorism *"Jack of All Trades", a term to reference one with the ability to be proficient in many areas of life Film and television *Jack of All Trades (TV series), ''Jack of ...
'' (1936) - Lionel Fitch * '' O.H.M.S.'' (1937) - (uncredited) * '' Aren't Men Beasts!'' (1937) - Herbert Holly * ''
A Spot of Bother ''A Spot of Bother'' is the second adult novel by Mark Haddon, who is best known for his prize-winning first novel ''The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time''. Like ''Curious Incident'', ''A Spot of Bother'' examines mental health iss ...
'' (1938) - Dear Mr. Binky Rudd * '' So This Is London'' (1939) - Henry Honeycutt * '' Banana Ridge'' (1942) - Willoughby Pink * ''
Women Aren't Angels ''Women Aren't Angels'' is a 1943 black and white British comedy film directed by Lawrence Huntington and starring Aldwych Theatre farceurs Robertson Hare and Alfred Drayton, with Polly Ward and Joyce Heron. It was made at Welwyn Studios and bas ...
'' (1943) - Wilmer Popday * '' He Snoops to Conquer'' (1944) - Sir Timothy Strawbridge * ''
Things Happen at Night ''Things Happen at Night'' is a 1947 British supernatural ghost comedy film directed by Francis Searle and starring Gordon Harker, Alfred Drayton, Robertson Hare and Garry Marsh. The film is based upon a stage play, ''The Poltergeist'', by Fran ...
'' (1948) - Vincent Ebury * ''
One Wild Oat ''One Wild Oat'' is a 1951 British comedy film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Stanley Holloway, Robertson Hare and Sam Costa with a notable appearance by a pre-stardom Audrey Hepburn as an extra. Plot Barrister Humphrey Proudfoot ...
'' (1951) - Humphrey Proudfoot * ''
The Magic Box ''The Magic Box'' is a 1951 British Technicolor biographical drama film directed by John Boulting. The film stars Robert Donat as William Friese-Greene, with numerous cameo appearances by performers such as Peter Ustinov and Laurence Olivie ...
'' (1951)Release date for The Magic Box
in IMDb.- Sitter in Bath Studio * ''
Our Girl Friday ''Our Girl Friday'' (U.S. title ''The Adventures of Sadie'') is a 1953 British comedy film starring Joan Collins, George Cole, Kenneth More and Robertson Hare. It is about a woman who is shipwrecked with three men on a deserted island. The film ...
'' (1953) - Professor Gibble * '' My Wife's Family'' (1956) - Noah Parker * ''
Three Men in a Boat ''Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)'',The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: ''Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog!'' published in 1889, is a humorous account by English writer Jerome K. Jerome of a tw ...
'' (1956) - Photographer * '' Seven Keys'' (1961) - Mr. Piggott * '' The Night We Got the Bird'' (1961) - Doctor Vincent (uncredited) * '' Out of the Shadow'' (1961) - Ronald Fortescue * '' The Young Ones'' (1961) - Chauffeur * ''
Crooks Anonymous ''Crooks Anonymous'' is a British comedy film from 1962. Directed by Ken Annakin, it stars Leslie Phillips and Stanley Baxter and is notably the feature film debut of Julie Christie. Plot Captain "Dandy Forsdyke" (Leslie Phillips) is a habitua ...
'' (1962) - Grimsdale * ''
Hotel Paradiso ''Hotel Paradiso'' is a 1966 British comedy film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in Panavision. It was directed by Peter Glenville and based on the play '' L'Hôtel du libre échange'' by Maurice Desvallières and Georges Feydeau. The film allo ...
'' (1966) - Duke * ''
Salt and Pepper Salt and pepper is the common name for edible salt and ground black pepper, which are ubiquitously paired on Western dining tables as to allow for the additional seasoning of food after its preparation. During food preparation or cooking, they ...
'' (1968) - Dove * ''
Raising the Roof ''Raising the Roof'' is a 1972 British comedy film directed by Michael Forlong and featuring Michael Gould (actor), Michael Gould, Patricia Davis (actress), Patricia Davis, Roy Kinnear, David Lodge (actor), David Lodge and Patricia Hayes. Synop ...
'' (1972) - Old Gent (final film role)


Notes


References

* *


Further reading

*


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hare, Robertson 1891 births 1979 deaths Aldwych farce English male stage actors English male film actors Officers of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century English male actors