Robert Emrys James (1 September 1928 – 5 February 1989) was a Welsh

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 natio ...

an actor. He also performed in many theatre and TV parts between 1960 and 1989, and was an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He was born in

Machynlleth Machynlleth () is a market town, community and electoral ward in Powys, Wales and within the historic boundaries of Montgomeryshire. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads. At the 2001 Census it had a pop ...

, the son of a railwayman, and attended the

University of Wales, Aberystwyth , mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all , established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'') , former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth , type = Public , endowment = ...

Selected theatre work

After training at

RADA 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 Se ...

, in 1953 James joined Peter Hall and John Barton's

Oxford Playhouse Oxford Playhouse is a theatre designed by Edward Maufe and F.G.M. Chancellor. It is situated in Beaumont Street, Oxford, opposite the Ashmolean Museum. History The Playhouse was founded as ''The Red Barn'' at 12 Woodstock Road, North Oxfo ...

-based Elizabethan Theatre Company. In 1956 he played his first season at Stratford, taking the roles of Guildernstern, Salerio in ''The Merchant of Venice'' and Claudio in ''Measure for Measure''. Seasons at the

Bristol Old Vic Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a f ...

and 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 ...

, London, followed. Notable roles at the RSC included Sir Hugh Evans in '' The Merry Wives of Windsor'', 1968; Gower in ''

Pericles Pericles (; grc-gre, Περικλῆς; c. 495 – 429 BC) was a Greek politician and general during the Golden Age of Athens. He was prominent and influential in Athenian politics, particularly between the Greco-Persian Wars and the Pelo ...

'', 1969; Feste in ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vi ...

'', 1969; The Boss in Günter Grass' '' The Plebeians Rehearse the Uprising'', 1970; The Cardinal in

John Webster John Webster (c. 1580 – c. 1632) was an English Jacobean dramatist best known for his tragedies '' The White Devil'' and '' The Duchess of Malfi'', which are often seen as masterpieces of the early 17th-century English stage. His life and c ...

's '' The Duchess of Malfi'', 1971; Shylock 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 ...

'', 1971;

Iago Iago () is a fictional character in Shakespeare's ''Othello'' (c. 1601–1604). Iago is the play's main antagonist, and Othello's standard-bearer. He is the husband of Emilia, who is in turn the attendant of Othello's wife Desdemona. Iago ha ...

in '' Othello'', 1971; the

title role The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...

in '' King John'', 1974;

Mephistopheles Mephistopheles (, ), also known as Mephisto, is a demon featured in German folklore. He originally appeared in literature as the demon in the Faust legend, and he has since appeared in other works as a stock character (see: Mephistopheles i ...

in Christopher Marlowe's '' Doctor Faustus'', 1974; Chorus in '' Henry V'', 1975; the title role in ''Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2, 1975–76; York in ''Henry VI'', parts I, II and III, 1977–78; Jaques in '' As You Like It'', 1977; Edgar in

Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...

's ''The Dance of Death'', 1978; Cassius in ''Julius Caesar'', 1983;

Malvolio Malvolio is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's comedy ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will''. His name means "ill will" in Italian, referencing his disagreeable nature. He is the vain, pompous, authoritarian steward of Olivia's househo ...

in ''

'', 1984; and Sir Giles Overreach in

Philip Massinger Philip Massinger (1583 – 17 March 1640) was an English dramatist. His finely plotted plays, including '' A New Way to Pay Old Debts'', ''The City Madam'', and ''The Roman Actor'', are noted for their satire and realism, and their polit ...

's ''A New Way to Pay Old Debts'', 1984. In 1981, he played Lopakhin in ''The Cherry Orchard'' at

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 ...

Family life

In 1958 he married the novelist Sian James, whom he had met while they were both students at the University of Wales. The couple set up home, firstly in London then in

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Av ...

, when James began his lasting association with the RSC at Stratford. They had four children: William, Owen, Jo and Anna.

Selected TV and films

* '' How Green Was My Valley'' (1960, TV series) - Gwilym Morgan Jr. * '' The House Under the Water'' (1961, TV series) – Rob Tregaron *''

Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it debut ...

'' (1963, TV Series) – Cyclist *''Moulded in Earth'' (1965, TV Series) – Edwin Peele * '' Broome Stages'' (1966, TV Series) – Morgan *'' Talking to a Stranger'' (1966, TV Series) – Gordon Lester *'' Seven of One'' (1973, TV Series) – Reverend Simmonds *'' Softly, Softly'' (1973, TV Series) – Jack Hodder *'' Wessex Tales'' (1973, TV Movie) – David Lloyd George *''

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 ...

'' (1973, TV Series) – Doolittle / Dr. Pangloss *''

Fall of Eagles ''Fall of Eagles'' is a 13-part British television drama aired by the BBC in 1974. The series was created by John Elliot and produced by Stuart Burge. The series portrays historical events from 1848 to 1918, dealing with the ruling dynasties of ...

'' (1974, TV Mini-Series) – Count Taaffe *''

Days of Hope ''Days of Hope'' is a BBC television drama serial produced in 1975. The series dealt with the lives of a working-class family from the turmoils of the First World War in 1916 to the General Strike in 1926. It was written by Jim Allen, produced ...

'' (1975, TV Mini-Series) – Thomas Jones *'' The Man in The Iron Mask'' (1977) – Percerin *'' Testament of Youth'' (1979, TV Series) – Mr Brittain *''

Hammer House of Horror ''Hammer House of Horror'' is a British television series made in 1980. An anthology series created by Hammer Films in association with Cinema Arts International and ITC Entertainment, it consists of 13 hour-long episodes, originally broadca ...

'' (1980, TV Series) – Dr. Harris *''

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark ''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 ...

'' (1980, TV Movie) – Player King *'' Gauguin the Savage'' (1980, TV movie) - Maurice Schuffenecker *'' Doctor Who'' (1981, TV Series: ''

State of Decay ''State of Decay'' is a series of third-person survival horror video games. The series was created by Undead Labs and published by Xbox Game Studios. To date, there are two installments in the franchise, and an upcoming third game. Common game ...

'') – Aukon / Anthony O'Connor *''

Open All Hours ''Open All Hours'' is a British television sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke for the BBC. It ran for 26 episodes in four series, which aired in 1976, 1981, 1982 and 1985. The programme developed from a television pilot broadcast in Ronn ...

'' (1981, TV Series) – Eli Bickerdyke *'' Antony and Cleopatra'' (BBC, 1981, TV Movie) – Enobarbus *'' Dragonslayer'' (1981) – Valerian's Father *''

Giro City ''Giro City'' is a 1982 British television drama film written and directed by Karl Francis. It stars Glenda Jackson, Jon Finch and Kenneth Colley. The film was released in the United States under the title ''And Nothing But the Truth'' in 1984. ...

'' (1982) – Tommy Williams *''

Dombey & Son ''Dombey and Son'' is a novel by English author Charles Dickens. It follows the fortunes of a shipping firm owner, who is frustrated at the lack of a son to follow him in his footsteps; he initially rejects his daughter's love before eventual ...

'' (TV Mini-Series) – Captain Cuttle *''

Eureka Eureka (often abbreviated as E!, or Σ!) is an intergovernmental organisation for research and development funding and coordination. Eureka is an open platform for international cooperation in innovation. Organisations and companies applying th ...

'' (1983) – Judge *''

Anna of the Five Towns ''Anna of the Five Towns'' is a novel by Arnold Bennett, first published in 1902 and one of his best-known works. Plot background The plot centres on Anna Tellwright, daughter of a wealthy but miserly and dictatorial father, living in the St ...

'' (1985, TV Mini-Series) – Ephraim Tellwright *''God's Chosen Carpark'' (1986, TV Movie) – Nathaniel Box *''

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is a collection of twelve short stories by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, first published on 14 October 1892. It contains the earliest short stories featuring the consulting detective Sherlock Holmes, w ...

'' (1987, TV Series: ''The Sign of Four'') - Inspector Athelney Jones *'' The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1987, TV Series) – Otto Frank *'' Out of Love'' (1988, TV film) – Emrys Price *''Father Brown'' (1988?, Italian TV Series - Padre Brown

References

External links

*
Obituary
from BBC Wales {{DEFAULTSORT:James, Emrys 1928 births 1989 deaths People from Machynlleth Royal Shakespeare Company members Welsh male stage actors Welsh male television actors Welsh-speaking actors Alumni of Aberystwyth University 20th-century Welsh male actors Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Welsh male Shakespearean actors

Selected theatre work

Family life

Selected TV and films

Further reading

References

External links