Robert Atkins | |
|---|---|
 "Old Vic" Shakespeare Co. photo | |
| Born | Robert Alexander Atkins 10 August 1886 |
| Died | 9 February 1972 (aged 85) London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, producer & director |
| Spouse | Ethel Davey |
Robert Atkins CBE (10 August 1886 – 9 February 1972) was an English actor, producer and director.[1]
Biography
Born in Dulwich, London, England, to Annie Evans and Robert Atkins sr. He had a brother named Lawrence. Atkins was most famous for his association with the theatre.[2] An early graduate of Beerbohm Tree's Academy of Dramatic Art, he joined the Old Vic company in 1915, and became Director of Productions for Lilian Baylis from 1921 to 1926.[2][3][4] He also appeared many times on film and in television, though not with the success of his theatre career.
His first film was a 1913 production of Hamlet, as the First Player, with Johnston Forbes-Robertson in the title role.[5] Atkins went on to appear in several other film and television roles over the next 50 years with the most famous production possibly being A Matter of Life and Death.[6] He also produced and/or directed several adaptations of William Shakespeare plays during the '40s and '50s for British TV.[7][8]
He was director of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford, and along with Sydney Carroll, also founded Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.[4][9][10]
Robert Atkins was married twice: to Mary Sumner whom he divorced, and to Ethel Davey, a film editor. He died in London, England in 1972.[2]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | Peg of Old Drury | Dr. Samuel Johnson | |
| 1936 | The Cardinal | General Belmont | |
| Everything Is Thunder | Adjutant | ||
| 1937 | Victoria the Great | Garter King-at-Arms | |
| 1941 | He Found a Star | Frank Forrester | |
| 1942 | Let the People Sing | Hassock | |
| The Great Mr. Handel | |||
| 1946 | A Matter of Life and Death | The Vicar | |
| 1949 | That Dangerous Age | George Drummond | |
| Black Magic | King Louis XV | ||
| 1951 | I'll Never Forget You | Dr. Samuel Johnson | Uncredited |
References
- ↑ "Atkins, (Alexander) Robert (1886–1972), actor and theatre director". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/40449.
- 1 2 3 "ROBERT ATKINS, 85, ACTOR AND DIRECTOR". The New York Times. 11 February 1972.
- ↑ Pigott-Smith, Tim (1 June 2017). Do You Know Who I Am?: A Memoir. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781472934253 – via Google Books.
- 1 2 "STR Publications: Robert Atkins – An Unfinished Autobiography". str.org.uk.
- ↑ "BFI Screenonline: Hamlet (1913) Credits". BFI Screenonline.
- ↑ "Robert Atkins". Archived from the original on 9 October 2018.
- ↑ "Scenes from Shakespeare: The Merry Wives of Windsor (BBC, 1937)". 3 April 2014.
- ↑ "BFI Screenonline: The Tempest on Screen". BFI Screenonline.
- ↑ "Touchstone : Online Exhibition". touchstone.bham.ac.uk.
- ↑ "Robert Atkins – Our Heritage – Open Air Theatre". openairtheatreheritage.com.