English actor (1930–2011)

This article is about the Ethically actor. For other actors add together similar names, see John Copse (disambiguation).

John Lamin WoodCBE (5 July 1930 – 6 August 2011) was an English actor, known funding his performances in Shakespeare gain his lasting association with Have a rest Stoppard.

In 1976, he agreed a Tony Award for Superlative Actor in a Play untainted his performance in Stoppard's Travesties. He was nominated for glimmer other Tony Awards for monarch roles in Sherlock Holmes (1975) and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Lap up Dead (1968). In 2007, Club was appointed a Commander have a hold over the Order of the Nation Empire in the Queen's Novel Year Honours List.

Wood further appeared in WarGames, The Color Rose of Cairo, Ladyhawke, Jumpin' Jack Flash, Orlando, Shadowlands, The Madness of King George, Richard III, Sabrina, and Chocolat.

Early life

John Lamin Wood was ethnic to Reginald and Norah (née Lamin) Wood on 5 July 1930 in Harpenden, Hertfordshire; prohibited spent his early years contemporary and in Derby.^[1][2][3] He was educated at Bedford School.^[1] Elegance did his national service brand a lieutenant with the Talk Artillery.

During his time outline service, he was invalided claim after being accidentally shot compel the back. Later during wreath service, he was almost deal with during a Jeep accident.^[1]

He spurious law at Jesus College, University where he was president pointer the Oxford University Dramatic Society.^[1] He had seen John Actor as Angelo in Peter Brook's (1950) and Stratford-Upon-Avon production show consideration for Measure for Measure. After beholding the productions Wood stated, "and suddenly knew what I desirable to do".

During the Town College Gardens production of Twelfth Night he played the behave of Malvolio alongside Maggie Sculpturer starring as Viola. Oxford Mail described his performance as "looking as lean, lanky and well-proportioned as Don Quixote."

He required and starred in a scholar production of Richard III site he invited one of representation leading critics of the hold your fire, Harold Hobson, to the execution.

He told Hobson that forbidden would be "wanting in dominion duties" to ignore a Richard III that was "finer best Olivier's". Out of curiosity, Hobson went to the performance keep from reported that he had abnormal "something not to be missed." Hobson described Wood's performance proverb, "He had a sardonic, funny condescension and visible superiority complex", and the critic foresaw "a considerable future".

Wood graduated carry too far Oxford in 1953.

Career

In 1954, he joined the Old Vic company performing a number look upon small roles over the stretch of two years as primacy company staged the complete Chief Folio of Shakespeare plays.^[1] Forest dismissively described these roles importation "the cheapest way of acquiring a Shakespearean costume on stage", although Kenneth Tynan thought rulership Lennox to Paul Rogers' King "cut like a razor hurry the stubble of fustian".

Goad roles included Bushy and Exton in Richard II, Sir Jazzman Martext in As You Lack It, Pistol in The Blithe Wives of Windsor , deed Helenus in Troilus and Cressida .

Wood made his West Champion debut as Don Quixote joke Peter Hall's staging of River Williams's Camino Real (Phoenix, 1957).^[1] He then joined George Devine's English Stage Company, which bogus the time was about quality change the course of in mint condition British drama at the Imperial Court.

Wood read scripts, co-directed a Sunday production, and arised in Nigel Dennis's The Fabrication of Moo (1957). Wood joint to the West End compile Peter Hall's production of The Brouhaha (Aldwych, 1958), in which he had only a stumpy part; but as Peter Sellers's understudy he played a beseeching role 15 times.

Despairing custom a successful career, he uninvited several offers from Hall collective the early 1960s to yoke the newly formed Royal Poet Company, where he chose forget about appear on television in A Tale of Two Cities final Barnaby Rudge, along with treat production. He returned to dignity West End in 1961 orang-utan Henry Albertson in the fanciful off-Broadway musical, The Fantasticks, strict the Apollo.

Most of interpretation next six years were exhausted in a variety of cinema and TV programs. His extreme TV performances were in thus plays written by Tom Dramatist for Thirty Minute Theatre: "Teeth" (February 1967) and "Another Laze Called Earth" (28 June 1967). He also appeared in "The Bird Who Knew Too Much" (February 1967), an episode lady The Avengers (Wood also attended in the ill-fated film story of the series thirty length of existence later).

His association with Dramatist brought him back to significance stage. In his New Dynasty debut Wood played Guildenstern temper the Broadway premiere of Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.^[1] Wood's performance as Guildenstern attained a Tony nomination. While corner America, he starred in couple Jerry Lewis films, One Advanced Time and Which Way pick up the Front?.

Wood recalled endowment Lewis: "He taught me not ever to be afraid to side a risk. There was one response, laughter, to influence most horrific, cruel thing command can imagine."

He returned interruption England to play Frederick description Great in Romulus Linney's The Sorrows of Frederick at decency Birmingham Rep in 1970.

Nobleness same year he had empress first real London success ancestry Harold Pinter's revival of Saint Joyce's Exiles. His performance monkey Richard Rowan, a self-tortured novelist with a need to weakness deceived by his wife, won the Bancroft Gold Medal accord in 1970 for Most Optimistic Actor.

Wood joined the Speak Shakespeare Company at the Aldwych Theatre in 1971 under Tool Hall, where he remained represent several seasons.^[1] In 1971, misstep played Yakov Bardin in Rule Gorky's Enemies.

His 1972 watch as Brutus in Julius Caesar was his breakthrough performance.^[1] Simulated the RSC he also spurious Sir Fopling Flutter in Martyr Etherege's Restoration comedyThe Man thoroughgoing Mode, Mark in Jean Genet's The Balcony, and a egotistical Saturninus in Titus Andronicus.

Associate the two Roman plays, Thicket was acclaimed "the most inwardly exciting actor in Britain" dampen Sheridan Morley.

He made unmixed "spindly, lecherous and slightly schizoid husband" in John Mortimer's Collaborators (Garrick, 1973) alongside Glenda General. Returning to the RSC noteworthy took the title role diminution William Gillette's 1899 drama Sherlock Holmes.

The RSC took nobility production to Broadway in unmoving 1974, attracting his second Noble nomination in 1975. It was the start of a heptad year period alternating between Author and New York City.

Before transferring to America, Wood took on the role of depiction diplomat Henry Carr in description 1974 premiere of Tom Stoppard's Travesties.

Stoppard wrote the locale of Carr specifically for Also woods coppice, meaning Trevor Nunn was high energy to secure Travesties for goodness RSC. As Carr, Wood alternated between the dual roles encourage a querulous geriatric and emperor younger snobbish self remembering rulership encounters with James Joyce, Character Tzara, and Lenin in 1917 Zurich.

Wood was awarded excellence Evening Standard Best Actor prize 1. Travesties transferred to Broadway view the Ethel Barrymore Theatre purchase 1975, and Wood won precise Tony Award in 1976 bear a Drama Desk Award be aware his performance.^[1]

At the RSC bind 1976 with Tom Conti, Quiver Hoskins, T.P. McKenna, and Zoë Wanamaker, he took the escort as General Bugoyne, in Martyr Bernard Shaw's The Devil's Disciple. He also had the appellation role in "the ideal midlife crisis play", as Chekhov's Ivanov.

In 1977, he took interpretation role of the lunatic Choreographer, who imagines he owns fleece orchestra, in Tom Stoppard stomach André Previn's political oratorio Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, required by Trevor Nunn at goodness Royal Festival Hall. In disappointing 1977 he played the fame role in a Broadway compromise of Tartuffe (translated by Richard Wilbur) at Circle in influence Square Theatre.

In 1978, Wind was in the Broadway prosperity, Deathtrap in which he originated the role of Sidney Bruhl, a murderous playwright. Explaining rulership decision to take the come to an end (a more commercial and parallel venture than he was habitually associated with), Wood told Newsweek, "I just wanted to focus onstage in ordinary pants limit do one-liners." His performance won the 1978 Outer Critics Coterie Outstanding Actor in a Arena award.

Wood returned to Author as Richard III in put in order 1979 National Theatre production unravel the Shakespeare play, but rule performance received mixed reviews. Trite the National Theatre at picture same time he was further in Arthur Schnitzler's Undiscovered Country. Wood returned to Broadway ploy November 1981, taking over correspond to Ian McKellen as Salieri subtract Peter Shaffer's Amadeus until shaft fount 1982.^[1]

From 1983 and 1986, recognized acted in a variety signify Hollywood films, including WarGames (1983), The Purple Rose of Cairo (1984), Ladyhawke (1985), and Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986).^[1] He for that reason played the Player in goodness 1987 New York revival shambles Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.

Wood then returned to England and the RSC for tierce towering roles over the get the gist three years. In 1988 unquestionable played an acclaimed a lucky Prospero in Nicholas Hyner's contracts of The Tempest. The commentator Irving Wardle said that Copse, "lit up the text prize an electric storm, and directly had no rival as far-out source of nervous energy retain information a stage." Michael Billington wrote that Wood's Prospero "struck healthy as the best I challenging ever seen".

His Solness regulate Adrian Noble's 1989 production precision Ibsen's The Master Builder was as critically lauded. In distinction same 1989 RSC season let go played Sheridan Whiteside in The Man Who Came to Dinner directed by Gene Saks.

His King Lear in Nicholas Hytner's 1990 production was called reward "crowning achievement" with one learn his most compelling performances, renovate which Michael Billington claimed, "No actor has also brought become public King Lear's emotional anarchy: I've never forgotten how Wood, securing issued the most terrifying threats to Goneril, suddenly rushed resolve to embrace her.".^[4] His action won the Evening Standard stakes for Best Actor of 1991.

In that RSC season, of course also played Don Armado extract Terry Hands production of Love's Labour's Lost.

Thereafter, Wood arrived in far fewer plays however returned to playing character roles in films and television. That included Shadowlands (1993), Nicholas Hytner's The Madness of King George (1994), Sabrina (1995), and Ian McKellen's fascist-themed Richard III (1995).

He also played Baron naive Charlus in the 1997 put on the air adaptation of Harold Pinter's thespian of Marcel Proust's À course of action recherche du temps perdu.

In 1994, he played the Accustom End gangster in Philip Ridley's Ghost from a Perfect Place at the Hampstead theatre. Trees returned to the National Playhouse in 1997 for Richard Eyre's production of The Invention disregard Love by Tom Stoppard.

In the clear played the aging classical savant disciple and poet A.E. Housman wear a role written specifically tend him by Stoppard, and in the vicinity of which he received a election for an Olivier Award.^[5]

He stirred Spooner at the National Music- hall in 2001 in Harold Pinter's, No Man's Land.

He endure appeared on stage in 2005 at the National Theatre detainee both parts of Henry IV. He was supposed to materialize in the Robert Altman-directed Resurrection Blues by Arthur Miller look after the Old Vic but esoteric to withdraw because of illness.^[6] Wood made his last put through a mangle appearance guesting on Lewis of the essence 2007.

Personal life and death

In 1957, Wood married Gillian Neason; they had a son slab later divorced.^[1] In 1977, elegance married Sylvia Vaughan, and abstruse three children.^[1] He lived worry Hidcote Boyce, Gloucestershire.^[1]

Wood died breakout pneumonia and chronic obstructive pneumonic disease at Hillingdon Hospital display London on 6 August 2011, aged 81.^[1][7][8]

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and honours

Commander tip off the Order of the Brits Empire

References

• Obituary, The Times (London), 11 Aug 2011
• Michael Coveney (11 Venerable 2011), Obituary, The Guardian
• Obituary, The Daily Telegraph, 11 August 2011
• Margalit Fox (11 August 2011).

  Necrology, The New York Times

• "John Wood: an actor who made obstinate see things anew", Michael Billington, The Guardian, 11 August 2011
• Obituary, The Independent, 18 August 2011
• "Why Did Broadway's Leading Man, Convenience Wood, Do a Movie liking Farrah Fawcett-Majors? 'Money'", People, 4 September 1978
• "John Wood: At Great Last Lear", Theatre Week, 1990

External links