Micheál Mac Liammóir (born Alfred Lee Willmore; 25 October 1899 – 6 March 1978) was an actor, designer, dramatist, writer, and
impresario
An impresario (from Italian ''impresa'', 'an enterprise or undertaking') is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, Play (theatre), plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film producer, film or ...
in 20th-century Ireland. Though born in London to an English family with no Irish connections, he emigrated to Ireland in early adulthood, changed his name, invented an Irish ancestry, and remained based there for the rest of his life, successfully maintaining a fabricated identity as a native Irishman born in
Cork
"Cork" or "CORK" may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
*** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine
Places Ireland
* ...
.
With his partner,
Hilton Edwards
Hilton Edwards (2 February 1903 – 18 November 1982) was an English-born Irish actor, lighting designer, and theatrical producer. He co-founded the Gate Theatre in Dublin with his partner Micheál Mac Liammóir and two others, and has been re ...
, and two others, Mac Liammóir founded the
Gate Theatre
The Gate Theatre is a theatre on Cavendish Row in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1928.
History Beginnings
The Gate Theatre was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir with Daisy Bannard Cogley and Gearóid Ó Lochla ...
in Dublin, and became one of the most recognisable figures in the arts in twentieth-century Ireland. As well as acting at the Gate and internationally, he designed numerous productions, wrote eleven plays, and published stories, verse and travel books in Irish and English. He wrote and appeared in three one-man shows, of which ''
The Importance of Being Oscar
''The Importance of Being Oscar'' is a one man show devised by the ''soi-disant'' Irish people, Irish actor Micheál Mac Liammóir and based on the writings of Oscar Wilde.
It intersperses excerpts from Wilde's plays and other writings with biogra ...
'' (1960) was the most celebrated, achieving more than 1,300 performances.
Life and career
Early years
Mac Liammóir was born Alfred Lee Willmore, in
Willesden
Willesden () is an area of north-west London, situated 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Charing Cross. It is historically a parish in the county of Middlesex that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933; it has formed ...
, in north-west London, into a family with no Irish connections. He was the youngest child and only son of Alfred George Willmore (1863–1934), a forage buyer for the firm of Whitney's of
Bayswater
Bayswater is an area in the City of Westminster in West London. It is a built-up district with a population density of 17,500 per square kilometre, and is located between Kensington Gardens to the south, Paddington to the north-east, and ...
, and his wife, Mary, ''née'' Lee (1867–1918).
[Fitz-Simon, Christophe]
MacLiammóir, Micheál"
''Dictionary of Irish Biography'', Royal Irish Academy. Retrieved 10 April 2021
He attended primary school in Willesden and then attended a children's theatre academy run by Lila Field. He became a professional actor at the age of twelve; his sister Marjorie took charge of his general education and was his chaperone on tours that included visits to venues in Ireland as well as Britain. He made his debut in 1911, as King Goldfish in Field's play ''The Goldfish'',
[ alongside another child actor, ]Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...
. He later said, "I learned from Lila Field the absolute ABC of getting on and off the stage without disgracing oneself; I learned what a cue meant, what a stick of greasepaint
Foundation is a liquid, cream, or powder makeup applied to the face and neck to create an even, uniform color to the complexion, cover flaws and sometimes change the natural skin tone. Some foundations also function as a moisturizer, sunscreen, a ...
was, the elements of timing, and that ghastly thing, the exploitation of childish charm".["Micheal Mac Liammoir Talking About Friends Who Influenced His Life and Work", ''The Stage'', 21 January 1965, p. 19] In September of that year he first worked for Sir Herbert Tree, playing Macduff's son in ''Macbeth
''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...
''.[ From Tree he quickly learned "a rude lesson" that charm was not enough: "I think it was Tree who first awoke the actor's imagination in me and made me feel the terror of the Witches' Coven and the horror of the ghost-haunted banquet".][
In the Christmas season of 1911, he played Michael Darling in '']Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...
'', and in June 1912, he played Oliver Twist
''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, ...
in Tree's revival of the stage version of the novel.[ After two further child roles, and appearances in four silent films (now lost) he temporarily abandoned acting. After a summer in Spain, visiting his grandparents and becoming fluent in Spanish,]["Mac Liammóir, Micheál (1899–1978)"]
AINM (in Irish). Retrieved 11 April 2021. he studied painting at Willesden Polytechnic and then the Slade School of Art
The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as ...
in 1915–16.[
With a fellow student, Mary O'Keefe, he attended Irish language classes at the ]Ludgate Circus
Ludgate Circus is a road junction in the City of London where Farringdon Street/New Bridge Street (the A201) crosses Fleet Street/Ludgate Hill. (Ludgate Hill is a gentle rise to St Paul's Cathedral.)
Fleet Street was the only direct road betw ...
branch of the Gaelic League
(; historically known in English as the Gaelic League) is a social and cultural organisation which promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1893 with Douglas Hyde as its first president, when it eme ...
; the biographer Christopher Fitz-Simon thinks it probable that they saw plays by W. B. Yeats
William Butler Yeats (, 13 June 186528 January 1939), popularly known as W. B. Yeats, was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer, and literary critic who was one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the ...
, Lady Gregory
Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory (; 15 March 1852 – 22 May 1932) was an Anglo-Irish dramatist, folklorist and theatre manager. With William Butler Yeats and Edward Martyn, she co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre and the Abbey Theatre, and wrot ...
and J. M. Synge
Edmund John Millington Synge (; 16 April 1871 – 24 March 1909), popularly known as J. M. Synge, was an Irish playwright, poet, writer, essayist, and collector of folklores. As an important driving force behind the Irish Literary Renaissanc ...
during the visits of the Abbey Theatre
The Abbey Theatre (), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland () is a theatre in Dublin, Ireland. First opening to the public on 27 December 1904, and moved from its original building after a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the p ...
company in this period. Both students developed a keen interest in the Irish Literary Revival
The Irish Literary Revival (also called the Irish Literary Renaissance, sometimes nicknamed the Celtic Twilight though this has a broader meaning) was a flowering of Irish literary talent in the late 19th and early 20th century. It includes wor ...
.[
]
Move to Ireland
Mac Liammóir, now calling himself "Michael Willmore", made a brief return to the stage in February 1917, in ''Felix Gets a Month'', a "whimsical comedy" at the Haymarket Theatre
The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre in Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in ...
.[ The following month he went with O'Keefe and her mother to Ireland, the former having contracted ]tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
and been prescribed "fresh air", the latter anxious to escape Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp. 155� ...
raids. Fitz-Simon suggests that Mac Liammóir's motive was to escape conscription into the army in the latter stages of the First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
.[
In Ireland Mac Liammóir earned a modest living as a freelance illustrator for newspapers and books, acted from time to time, and designed for the Irish Theatre and Dublin Drama League.][ He assimilated himself into Irish culture and politics. He campaigned for ]Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...
in the 1918 General Election, published his first book, a collection of stories in Irish, in 1922, and continued to write verse and prose in Irish and English. He experimented with various gaelicised versions of his name, including "Mac Uaimmhóir" and "Mac Liaimmhóir".[ He built up a fictitious identity as a native Irishman born in Cork.][
During most of the 1920s Mac Liammóir continued to live with the O'Keefes. In search of a healthy environment for Mary, they moved between Switzerland and the French Riviera. He exhibited successfully in local galleries and, in 1923, at the Leigh Gallery in London.][ He later wrote a book of recollections – in Irish – about his travels.][ In 1925 he starred in a silent film, ''Land of Her Fathers'' with a cast of mainly ]Abbey Theatre
The Abbey Theatre (), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland () is a theatre in Dublin, Ireland. First opening to the public on 27 December 1904, and moved from its original building after a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the p ...
players.
Mary O'Keefe died in 1927. Mac Liammóir, now known by that name, returned to the theatre. His sister Marjorie had married the actor-manager Anew McMaster
Andrew "Anew" McMaster (24 December 1891 – 24 August 1962) was a British stage actor who during his nearly 45 year acting career toured the UK, Ireland, Australia and the United States. For almost 35 years he toured as actor-manager of his o ...
whose touring company Mac Liammóir joined,[ playing Shakespearean roles including 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 taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...
'', Laertes in ''Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
'' and Cassio in ''Othello
''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...
''.[ While on tour in the south of Ireland, he met another young English actor, ]Hilton Edwards
Hilton Edwards (2 February 1903 – 18 November 1982) was an English-born Irish actor, lighting designer, and theatrical producer. He co-founded the Gate Theatre in Dublin with his partner Micheál Mac Liammóir and two others, and has been re ...
, who was to become his lifelong partner, both personal and professional. Mac Liammóir and Edwards decided to settle in Dublin, with the intention of setting up their own theatre there.[Walshe, Eibhear]
"MacLiammóir, Micheál (formerly Alfred Lee Willmore) (1899–1978), actor and playwright"
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2006. Retrieved 11 April
Gate Theatre
In 1928 Mac Liammóir wrote, directed, designed and starred in ''Diarmuid and Gráinne
Diarmaid () is a
masculine given name in the Irish language, which has historically been anglicized as Jeremiah or Jeremy, names with which it is etymologically unrelated. The name Dimity might have been used as a feminine English equivalent of ...
'' for the opening of the Irish language theatre, An Taibhdhearc, in Galway
Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
. He subsequently produced twenty plays there.[
Also in 1928, Mac Liammóir was one of the four founders of the Gate Theatre Studio, later simply the Gate Theatre, alongside ]Hilton Edwards
Hilton Edwards (2 February 1903 – 18 November 1982) was an English-born Irish actor, lighting designer, and theatrical producer. He co-founded the Gate Theatre in Dublin with his partner Micheál Mac Liammóir and two others, and has been re ...
, Daisy Bannard Cogley, and Gearóid Ó Lochlainn. Mac Liammóir and Edwards had been considering theatrical plans for Dublin, while Bannard Cogley (a friend of Mac Liammóir) and Ó Lochlainn had been discussing finding a more permanent theatre space, and they met, along with some mutual friends, in Bannard Cogley's club at 7 Harcourt Street, in spring 1928. After further meetings, the quartet rented the Peacock Theatre and launched the Gate Theatre Studio there on 14 October 1928. The theatre studio spent its early years at the 102-seat Peacock Theatre and opened with a production of ''Peer Gynt
''Peer Gynt'' (, ) is a five-Act (drama), act play in verse written in 1867 by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen. It is one of Ibsen's best known and most widely performed plays.
''Peer Gynt'' chronicles the journey of its title character fr ...
'', and Mac Liammóir subsequently acted in and designed nearly 300 productions at the Peacock and, after the company gained its own home in 1930, on Cavendish Row, at the Gate.[Herbert, pp. 1131–1132] He appeared in a wide range of plays, from Shakespeare (Romeo and Othello) to Ibsen
Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...
(Oswald in ''Ghosts
In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...
'' and the title role in ''Brand
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...
'') and Eugene O'Neill
Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of Realism (theatre), realism, earlier associated with ...
(Orin in ''Mourning Becomes Electra
''Mourning Becomes Electra'' is a play cycle written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill. The play premiered on Broadway at the Guild Theatre on 26 October 1931 where it ran for 150 performances before closing in March 1932, starring Lee Ba ...
''), as well as lighter pieces.[ Over the next fifty years the Gate Theatre company presented a programme of new or experimental plays by ]Wilde
Wilde is a surname. Notable people with the name include:
In arts and entertainment In film, television, and theatre
* Andrew Wilde (actor), English actor
* Barbie Wilde (born 1960), Canadian actress
* Brian Wilde (1927–2008), British actor
* ...
, Shaw, Coward
Cowardice is a characteristic wherein excessive fear prevents an individual from taking a risk or facing danger. It is the opposite of courage. As a label, "cowardice" indicates a failure of character in the face of a challenge. One who succumb ...
and many others. Mac Liammóir and Edwards fostered the careers of new Irish dramatists such as Denis Johnston
(William) Denis Johnston (18 June 1901 – 8 August 1984) was an Irish writer. Born in Dublin, he wrote mostly plays, but also works of literary criticism, a book-length biographical essay of Jonathan Swift, a memoir and an eccentric work on c ...
and rising young actors including Orson Welles
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...
.[
Mac Liammóir returned to the West End in 1935, with the Gate company. The theatrical paper '' The Era'' rated his Hamlet one of the best in recent years: "charged with force, intelligence, humanity and dramatic certainty … a dominating and moving piece of acting", and said that the Gate company "looks like putting the Abbey in the shade". The cosmopolitan atmosphere of Mac Liammóir and Edwards' Gate Theatre was contrasted with the earnest Celticism of the Abbey, and the two Dublin theatres were affectionately dubbed "Sodom and Begorrah".][
]
Wartime and later years
Mac Liammóir remained based in Ireland during the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. In the post-war years, he returned to the West End in his own play ''Ill Met by Moonlight''. ''The Stage
''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. Founded in 1880, ''The Stage'' contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at thos ...
'' thought the piece "too obscure and too discursive", but praised the performances of Mac Liammóir, Edwards and their supporting cast. The following year the company played a short season on Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
– Mac Liammóir's début there – giving his ''Where Stars Walk'', Johnston's ''The Old Lady Says No!'', and Shaw's ''John Bull's Other Island
''John Bull's Other Island'' is a comedy about Ireland, written by George Bernard Shaw in 1904. Shaw himself was born in Dublin, yet this is one of only two plays of his where he thematically returned to his homeland, the other being '' O'Flaher ...
''.[ In 1951 he played Iago to Welles's Othello in the latter's ]film adaptation
A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...
. In his early fifties, he was unusually old for the role, but Welles wanted Iago played as an older, impotent man consumed by envy of the younger Othello. Mac Liammóir returned to the role onstage at the Dublin Festival in 1962 opposite William Marshall in the title role.[
In 1954 Mac Liammóir returned to London, playing Brack in '']Hedda Gabler
''Hedda Gabler'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage.Meyer, Michael Lever ...
'' with Peggy Ashcroft
Dame Edith Margaret Emily "Peggy" Ashcroft (22 December 1907 – 14 June 1991) was an English actress whose career spanned more than 60 years.
Born to a comfortable middle-class family, Ashcroft was determined from an early age to become ...
as Hedda. In the role he was judged to be both sinister and amusing. Most of his work continued to be at the Gate, but in 1959 he returned to New York to play Don Pedro in ''Much Ado About Nothing
''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a Shakespearean comedy, 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. ...
'', with John Gielgud
Sir Arthur John Gielgud ( ; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Britis ...
as Benedick and Margaret Leighton
Margaret Leighton (26 February 1922 – 13 January 1976) was an English actress. Known for her work on stage and screen, her film appearances included Anthony Asquith's ''The Winslow Boy'' (her first credited film role), Alfred Hitchcock's ' ...
as Beatrice.
Mac Liammóir's biggest theatrical success came in 1960, with his one-man show ''The Importance of Being Oscar
''The Importance of Being Oscar'' is a one man show devised by the ''soi-disant'' Irish people, Irish actor Micheál Mac Liammóir and based on the writings of Oscar Wilde.
It intersperses excerpts from Wilde's plays and other writings with biogra ...
'', which won enthusiastic reviews and did well at the box office. It opened at the Gate, after which he played it on Broadway, in London and on tour around the world. He appeared in the piece more than 1,300 times between 1960 and 1975.[Wallace, p. 178] He followed this in May 1963 with a new one-man entertainment ''I Must Be Talking to My Friends'', and in 1970 presented a third, ''Talking About Yeats''.[ Also in 1963 he had a key role as the ironic, mocking, unseen narrator of the multi-Oscar-winning film ]Tom Jones
Tom Jones may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer
*Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist
*''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...
.
Despite Ireland's anti-gay laws, not repealed in their lifetimes, Edwards' and Mac Liammóir's relationship gained wide acceptance. The writer Éibhear Walshe has described them as Ireland's only publicly acknowledged homosexuals. They were jointly created freemen of the city of Dublin in 1973, the first theatre people to be thus honoured.[ Before that, MacLiammóir had received the Lady Gregory Medal for literature in 1960 and an honorary doctorate from ]Trinity College Trinity College may refer to:
Australia
* Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales
* Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...
in 1963.[
MacLiammóir made his final stage performance at the Gate in 1975 in ''The Importance of Being Oscar''.][ He died at his and Edwards's Dublin home, 4 Harcourt Terrace, on 6 March 1978. Walshe records, "as a measure of the public acceptance of the MacLiammóir–Edwards partnership, the ]president of Ireland
The president of Ireland () is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The presidency is a predominantly figurehead, ceremonial institution, serving as ...
attended Micheál's funeral, two days later, at St Fintan's, Howth, Dublin, and paid his respects to Hilton Edwards as chief mourner".[
Mac Liammóir continued to give the false impression that he was native Irish throughout his life, including as late as 1976 reminiscing in a interview about how "first went to ondon as a child, how as a young man he "would get back to Ireland as soon as ecould" and that he was originally from Cork. For many years after his death reference books continued to record him inaccurately as a native of Cork.
]
Legacy
Plays
In his ''Who's Who in the Theatre
''Who's Who in the Theatre'' is a British reference work, first published in 1912 with sixteen new editions from then until its last issue in 1981.
The book was a successor to ''The Green Room Book'', of which four editions were published bet ...
'' entry, Mac Liammóir listed ten plays of which he was the author, as well as the three one-man shows, and an unspecified number of adaptations ("''Jane Eyre'', ''The Picture of Dorian Grey'', ''A Tale of Two Cities'', etc.")[
* ''Ford of the Hurdles'' 1928
* ''Diarmuid agus Gráinne'' 1929
* ''Where Stars Walk'' 1940
* ''Dancing Shadows'' 1941
* ''Ill Met by Moonlight'' 1946
* ''Portrait of Miriam'' 1947
* ''The Mountains Look Different'' 1948
* ''Home for Christmas'' 1950
* ''A Slipper for the Moon'' 1954
* ''Saint Patrick'' 1955
:One-man shows:
:* '']The Importance of Being Oscar
''The Importance of Being Oscar'' is a one man show devised by the ''soi-disant'' Irish people, Irish actor Micheál Mac Liammóir and based on the writings of Oscar Wilde.
It intersperses excerpts from Wilde's plays and other writings with biogra ...
''
:* ''I Must Be Talking to my Friends'' issued as an LP argo RG493
:* ''Talking About Yeats''
Books
* ''Put Money In Thy Purse''
* ''Each Actor On His Ass''
* ''Ceo Meala Lá Seaca''
* ''Enter a Goldfish''
* ''All For Hecuba''
* ''Oícheanna Sidhe''
* ''Lá agus Oíche''
* ''Aisteoirí Faoi Dhá Sholas''
* ''Theatre in Ireland''
* ''Ireland''
* ''Bláth agus Taibhse''
* ''An Oscar of No Importance''
* ''W.B.Yeats and his world'', with Eavan Boland
Films
The British Film Institute
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
lists eleven films in which Mac Liammóir took part.
* ''Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
'' (Page) 1911
* ''Enoch Arden
''Enoch Arden'' is a narrative poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, published in 1864 during his tenure as British poet laureate. The story on which it was based was allegedly provided to Tennyson by Thomas Woolner. The poem lends its name to a ...
'' 1914
* '' The Little Minister'' (Micah Dow) 1915
* ''Comin' Thro' the Rye'' 1916
* ''Land of Her Fathers'' 1924
* ''Hamlet at Elsinore'' 1951
* ''Othello
''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...
'' (Iago) 1951
* ''Tom Jones
Tom Jones may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer
*Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist
*''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...
'' (Narrator) 1963
* '' 30 Is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia'' (Irish storyteller) 1968
* ''The Kremlin Letter
''The Kremlin Letter'' is a 1970 American spy thriller film in PanavisionSeymour, Gene. "100 Greatest Spy Movies: A Special Collector's Edition from the Editors of American History. 2009. Weider History Group. directed by John Huston and sta ...
'' (Sweet Alice) 1970
* ''What's the Matter with Helen?
''What's the Matter With Helen?'' is a 1971 American horror film directed by Curtis Harrington and starring Debbie Reynolds and Shelley Winters.
Plot
In mid- 1930s Iowa,A then-current newsreel clip reporting on First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt' ...
'' (Hamilton Starr) 1971
Biographies and commemorations
Books about Mac Liammóir include ''Micheál Mac Liammóir: Designs & Illustrations 1917–1972'', by Richard Pine and Orla Murphy (1973); ''Enter Certain Players: Edwards–MacLiammoir and the Gate 1928–1978'', edited by Peter Luke (1978); a biography, ''The Importance of Being Micheál'' by Micheál Ó hAodha (1990) and ''The Boys: A Double Biography'', by Christopher Fitz-Simon (1996).
In 1985, Orson Welles was the narrator for ''Two People... With One Pulse'', a documentary film about Mac Liammoir and Edwards. To mark Mac Liammóir's centenary in 1999 the BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
commissioned a documentary, ''Dear Boy: The Story of Michéal Mac Liammóir'', which included rare archive footage.
Mac Liammóir is the subject of the 1990 play ''The Importance of Being Micheál'' by John Keyes; Frank McGuinness
Professor Frank McGuinness (born 1953) is an Irish writer. As well as his own plays, which include '' The Factory Girls'', '' Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme'', '' Someone Who'll Watch Over Me'' and '' Dolly West's Kitche ...
's play 2008 ''Gates of Gold'' is inspired by Edwards and Mac Liammóir; and Mac Liammóir is the subject of Antoine Ó Flatharta's 2023 play ''Wáltsáil Abhaile''.
The annual Dublin Gay Theatre Festival presents the "Michéal Mac Liammóir Award for Outstanding performance by a male"."2019 Gala Awards Winners Announced"
Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, 21 May 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2021
Notes, references and sources
Notes
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Academic articles on Mac Liammóir available in open access regime
* Markus, Radvan
"Micheál mac Liammóir, the Irish Language, and the Idea of Freedom."
Marguérite Corporaal and Ruud van den Beuken, eds. ''A Stage of Emancipation: Change and Progress at the Dublin Gate Theatre.'' Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2021, 113-131.
* Dean, Joan Fitzpatrick, and Radvan Markus
"The Internationalist Dramaturgy of Hilton Edwards and Micheál mac Liammóir."
Ondřej Pilný, Ruud van den Beuken, Ian R. Walsh, eds. ''Cultural Convergences: The Dublin Gate Theatre, 1928–1960''. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021, 15-46.
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mac Liammoir, Micheal
1899 births
1978 deaths
20th-century Anglo-Irish people
20th-century English painters
20th-century English poets
20th-century Irish painters
English male painters
Irish male painters
Burials at St. Fintan's Cemetery, Sutton
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Painters from Dublin (city)
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