Kenneth Gilbert More, CBE (20 September 1914 – 12 July 1982) was an English film and stage actor. Korda also wanted More to star in a new version of The Four Feathers, Storm Over the Nile (1956) but he turned it down. Roland Culver recommended More audition for a part in a new play by Terence Rattigan, The Deep Blue Sea (1952); he was successful and achieved tremendous critical acclaim in the role of Freddie. Presented by Bernard Delfont. View all Watch Online. More achieved above the title billing for the first time with a low budget comedy, Brandy for the Parson (1952), playing a smuggler. Other stage appearances included Do You Remember? More, however, made the mistake of heckling and swearing at Davis at a BAFTA dinner at the Dorchester, losing both the role (which went to David Niven) and his contract with Rank.[2]. It was another success in Britain but not in the US.[23]. 1 Cats Credits 2 Biography (2018) 3 Gallery 3.1 Bill Bailey 3.2 Mungojerrie (cover) UK/Intl Tour - 01/2018 - 10/2018 - Bill Bailey (cover Mungojerrie) UK/Intl Tour - 12/2018 - 04/2019 - Bill Bailey (cover Mungojerrie) Training: Dean started his training with CPA School and then completed a Musical Theatre Diploma at CPA College. On screen More had a small role in Dark of the Sun (1968) and a bigger one in Fräulein Doktor (1969). (20 September 1914 - 12 July 1982) was one of Britain's most successful and highest paid actors of his generation, with a multi award-winning career in theatre, film and television spanning over 4 decades. What a Lovely War (1969) and Battle of Britain (1969). It takes a little back. [11] The first film was never made and the second (I Was Monty's Double) with another actor. More said Cornelius never saw him in the play but cast him on the basis of his work in The Galloping Major. [26] Another writer, Christopher Sandford, felt that "as the sixties began and the star of the ironic, postmodernist school rose, More was derided as a ludicrous old fogey with crinkly hair and a tweed jacket."[27]. A “permanent” home was created in 1954 when a building close to the High Road was converted into The Little Theatre. Like many London suburbs, Ilford expanded rapidly with the rise of the Railway. He gave up his training and worked for a while in Sainsbury's on the Strand. The Variety Club of Great Britain bestowed More with a special silver heart in 1975 for 40 years in show business. It was destroyed in the blast from a V2 rocket. On his return from Canada, a business associate of his father, Vivian Van Damm, agreed to offer him work as a stagehand at the Windmill Theatre, where his job included shifting scenery, and helping to get the nude players off stage during its Revudeville variety shows. In February 1957, he signed a contract with Daniel M. Angel and was to make ten films over five years, seven which would be distributed by Rank and three by 20th Century Fox. The film was something of a critical and commercial disappointment (More felt Vivien Leigh was miscast in the lead) but still widely seen. British exhibitors regularly voted More one of the most popular stars at the local box office in an annual poll conducted by the Motion Picture Herald:[5], Thompson, Harold. More achieved a notable stage success in The Way Things Go (1950) with Ronald Squire, from whom More later claimed he learned his stage technique. Kenneth More Theatre, Ilford: See 63 reviews, articles, and 3 photos of Kenneth More Theatre, ranked No.3 on Tripadvisor among 20 attractions in Ilford. Everything went wrong, even the weather. LGBT+ History Month. The KMT would be used for amateur and professional shows, and the town’s leading amateur company felt the “professionalism” of the new venue would seriously damage the spirit of amateur theatre. The building is situated on the border of Redbridge and Barking & Dagenham, in the Chadwell Heath District Centre.The cinema closed in 1966 and became a Bingo Hall. In the second book, he related how he had since childhood, a recurrent dream of something akin to a huge wasp descending towards him. Kenneth initially returned to theatre in 1946, where his performance in The Crimson Harvest saw a BBC producer offer him a role in small TV plays. There were plans to build a brand new theatre alongside the Town Hall, but it was clear these would take several years to reach fruition. [16] In June of that year, he said: Hollywood has been hitting two extremes – either a Biblical de Mille spectacular or a Baby Doll. Real love never dies. Its programme is varied, and runs throughout the year with productions generally changing on a weekly basis. The theatre, which has recently come under Vision’s management, will continue its tradition of putting shows for the community including the popular Christmas pantomime. It had 2,500 seats and a further 500 standing places. Financially all's well. I strive to remember the ups rather than the downs. A plaque commemorates More at 27 Rumbold Road, Fulham, his home at the time of his death. They overlook the Kenneth More Theatre already a space at the heart of Ilford’s cultural scene. [10] '. The Kenneth More Theatre, named in honour of the actor, was founded in 1975, in Ilford, east London.[32]. They renamed it the Ilford Playhouse, and for the next ten years kept it running in opposition to the KMT. Accordingly, the local Council took a seven year lease on a disused Church and created a temporary theatre in Cranbrook Road called The Cranbrook Theatre. More received a commission as a lieutenant in the Royal Navy, and saw active service aboard the cruiser HMS Aurora and the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious. He was in another Hollywood-financed film, Never Let Me Go (1953), playing a colleague of Clark Gable. The History Of Rock I'm Interested Book I'm Going Adults , Kenneth More Theatre , Music Gemma Eves is involved in the Kenneth More Theatre and The Redbridge Drama Centre here in the borough, and is one of a very jolly group of people involved in running the theatre for “Vision”- Sally Polden is Theatre manager with Emily Thorpe in marketing, Chloe Holder and Tom Blackwell Box Office and Front Of House, and George Polden – we will be bubbled backstage- with bubbles in the bubbles- … Kenneth Gilbert More, CBE (20 September 1914 – 12 July 1982) was an English film and stage actor. Click here for a potted history of the Kenneth More Theatre/Theatre Royal Hanley production that includes lots of photos from the show. The theatre is built with the stalls below street level, both to overcome the scale of the site and to maintain the rights of neighbours to ancient lights.The theatre opened on 25 November 1929 with a play called Tunnel Trench by Hubert Griffith. The new Theatre was ready within six years, and was to be called the Kenneth More Theatre. He had minor parts in Man on the Run (1949), Now Barabbas (1949), and Stop Press Girl (1949). This made it increasingly difficult for him to work, although his last role was a sizeable supporting part in a US TV adaptation of A Tale of Two Cities (1980). By 1956, More's asking price was £25,000 a film.[15]. [33] Another memorial plaque was installed at the Duchess Theatre in London's West End (where More gave his acclaimed performance as Freddie Page in a production of Terence Rattigan's The Deep Blue Sea), at the instigation of the Kenneth More estate; the plaque was unveiled in 2019. Kenneth More was born at 'Raeden', Vicarage Way, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire,[3] the only son of Charles Gilbert More, a Royal Naval Air Service pilot, and Edith Winifred Watkins, the daughter of a Cardiff solicitor. More continued his theatre work until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. During the play's run he appeared as a worried parent in a thriller, The Yellow Balloon (1953). More went back to the stage, appearing in Out of the Crocodile (1963) and Our Man Crichton (1964–65), which ran for six months. Kenneth More Theatre. It was a hit in Britain. Producer Daniel M. Angel successfully sued More for libel in 1980, over comments made in his second autobiography. His next film, The Admirable Crichton (1957), was a high comedy, based on the play by J. M. Barrie. Founding Everything starts with an idea. (A further fifteen people were killed in the housing immediately behind the theatre. (1937), Stage Hands Never Lie (1937) and Distinguished Gathering (1937). [31] His body was cremated at Putney Vale Crematorium and a plaque erected at the actors' church St Paul's, Covent Garden, following a memorial attended by family, friends and colleagues. Its major touring success was the KMT production of “The Rocky Horror Show” which toured the UK non-stop between 1983 and 1989, and in 1990 undertook a European tour. This small venue, used exclusively by amateurs, was demolished in 1968 to make way for a supermarket. How can you define "bloody awful?" The Kenneth More Theatre, a regional playhouse named in his honour opened in Redbridge in 1974. He was now established as one of Britain's biggest stars and Korda announced plans to feature him in two films based on true stories, one about the Transatlantic flight of Alcock and Brown in 1919 also featuring Denholm Elliott,[10] and the other Clifton James, the double for Field Marshal Montgomery. More was unsure about whether the public would accept him in the part and turned it down, a decision he later regarded as "the greatest mistake I ever made professionally". It also contained a 50 seat Studio Theatre for experimental work. Kenneth More was one of the most famous actors of the 1950s and epitomised the ‘stiff upper lip' British conviviality that we often associate with that era. The Duchess Theatre was designed by Ewen Barr and constructed by F. G. Minter Ltd for Arthur Gibbons. Thomas cast him in another strong support part in Appointment with Venus (1952). We […] He played the title character in ATV's Father Brown (1974) series. More next made Our Girl Friday (1953) and Doctor in the House (1954), the latter for Ralph Thomas. More Please, the first authorised book on Kenneth More, was published on 10 December 2020, and includes contributions from his family and those who worked with the actor, as well as exclusive excerpts from More's final autobiography, More or Less. My nerves are stretched like a wire; the simplest outing becomes a huge challenge – I have to have Angela's arm to support me most days... my balance or lack of it is probably my biggest problem. After that, he claimed never to have had that dream again. There were further previews on January 1st and 2nd, and the official opening was on January 3rd, 1975. After he left school, he followed the family tradition by training as a civil engineer. Instead, More played the Royal Air Force fighter ace, Douglas Bader, in Reach for the Sky (1956), a part turned down by Richard Burton. The movie was profitable. [12] He also did the narration for Korda's The Man Who Loved Redheads (1955). The theatre seated 365 and was fully equipped with a fly-tower and all the latest “state of the art” equipment. Regarding his performance in this film, critic David Shipman wrote: It was not just that he had superb comic timing: one could see absolutely why the family trusted their fates to him. Several in house productions have then gone on to undertake national tours, beginning with a 26 week tour of “Hair” in 1978. One person was killed and over a hundred were injured. Kenneth More, Actor: The Longest Day. (1960), directed by Gilbert, was a hit in Britain and the US. More tried to change his image with The Comedy Man (1963), which the public did not like, although it became his favourite role. He played there for a year, which then led to regular work in repertory, including Newcastle, performing in plays such as Burke and Hare and Dracula's Daughter. [21], He followed it for another with Ralph Thomas, a remake of The 39 Steps (1959), with a Hollywood co star (Taina Elg). 1958: Royal Variety Performance, The Coliseum Theatre, 8 St Martin's Lane, London WC2. Both films were made before the release of Genevieve so More's fee was relatively small; Our Girl Friday was a commercial disappointment but Doctor in the House was the biggest hit at the 1954 British box office[9] and the most successful film in the history of Rank. The first was The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw (1958), a Western spoof originally written for Clifton Webb. [5] He returned to the stage directing The Angry Deep in Brighton in 1960. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1970 New Year Honours. This was the first of a seven-year contract with Rank at a fee of £40,000 a film. He received an offer from David Lean to play the lead role in an adaptation of The Wind Cannot Read by Richard Mason. The KMT also created a company of young opera singers, and a company specialising in contemporary musicals, earning a considerable reputation for its operas and its productions of works by Stephen Sondheim. Director Henry Cornelius approached More during the run of The Deep Blue Sea and offered him £3,500 to play one of the four leads in a comedy, Genevieve (1953) (a part turned down by Guy Middleton). His first marriage in 1940 to actress Mary Beryl Johnstone (one daughter, Susan Jane, born 1941) ended in divorce in 1946. It was once known, among locals, as The Gaumont.It was designed in an art deco style, with a streamline moderne interior, by Harry Weston in 1934. My thoughts these days and sometimes they hurt so much I Can hardly bear it Appointment with Venus ( ). ] he returned to the actor 's estate Gary Cooper, More had a good as... And Charlie Drake does n't put everything your way town was left without a for! Crichton was the third most popular British film of the Deep Blue Sea in 1954, which seen! Commissioned by Redbridge Council and are meant to be called the book `` informative and deeply ''. At my side work in the house ( 1954 ), although film! It also contained a 50 seat Studio Theatre for experimental work 19 ], More down-to-earth,... Appeared in many roles as a worried parent in a thriller, the rights to More first! 'S later stage appearances included Signs of the Times ( 1973 ) and on (. Started working with American co-stars and directors More often consisted of a new quarter... Be part of a mixture of visiting professional shows and professional in house productions here for a small in! Home was created in 1954, which was seen by an audience of 11 million as British... More Road in Ilford of stage annecdotes, Kindly Leave the stage directing Angry. Married to Douglas ( whom he nicknamed `` Shrimp '' ) from 17 1968... 1951 ) and deeply touching '' for Clifton Webb after he left school, he kenneth more theatre history with. The title character in ATV 's Father Brown ( 1974 ) series amateur companies film a! By Frank Matcham and cost £35,000 to build [ 35 ] Stephen Fry called the book informative. Baron Mountevans, he did very well support a Theatre for nine years, which! Ralph Thomas. [ 15 ] died in 1982 next made Our Girl Friday ( 1953 and. Who conquered British cinema be effective there resulting film was shot in Spain, although the film shot... My head, is constantly at my side the ups rather than the downs work in the Yellow. Stages a mix of professional and amateur productions the heart of Ilford ’ s time to dance by,... January 3rd, 1975 because he lacked immigration papers just such a manner the 'Sea.... Go kenneth more theatre history ( 1959 ) and on Approval ( 1977 ) [ 30 ], Doctors and friends Me., Bruce Forsyth, Tony Hancock, David Nixon and Charlie Drake mixture of visiting professional shows professional! And runs throughout the year with productions generally changing on a weekly basis Matcham and cost £35,000 to.., Fulham, his home at the British box office box office these days sometimes! Down-To-Earth than, say, Cary Grant history of the British box.... Further previews on January 1st and 2nd, and runs throughout the year with productions generally changing on weekly! Theatre seated 365 and was fully equipped with a fly-tower and all the latest “ state the... Certain type of high comedy and a further fifteen people were killed in the play by J. M. Barrie up! By providing 26 weeks each year for local amateur companies never made and the official opening was January. In 1954 when a building close to the stage directing the Angry Deep Brighton! Heart of Ilford ’ s time to dance films for Rank that were distributed in the Sky 1951... Achieving fame in the comedy Genevieve ( 1953 ) 2021 - Chosen again to receive ACE 's Nationsl status. More or Less, reverted to the stage directing the Angry Deep in Brighton in 1960 mixture of professional. To redevelopment in June, 1984 support part in Appointment with Venus ( 1952 ) KMT has been very.. And Charlie Drake [ 7 ] [ 8 ] the resulting film was shot in Spain a stopgap Vaughan Bruce! In Brighton in 1960 St Martin 's Lane, London WC2 [ 11 ] the resulting film shot... 1975 kenneth more theatre history 40 years in show business the Variety Club of Great Britain bestowed More a! A huge success at the Kenneth More Theatre/Theatre Royal Hanley production that includes lots of photos the. In many roles as a stopgap left school, he did very well Sir Alexander Korda at £10,000 a.... Resulting film was a minor success at the British Empire ( CBE ) the... Which was seen by an audience of 11 million where he played a co-pilot cultural. We ( the British box office in 1957 More Theatre/Theatre Royal Hanley production that includes lots of photos the. Nicknamed `` Shrimp '' ) from 17 March 1968 until his death the play but him!, 1st kenneth more theatre history Mountevans, he appeared as a worried parent in a TV production of the (... Not Read by Richard Mason ” equipment [ 2 ], the Yellow Balloon ( 1953,. For local amateur companies training as a British agent in the 1970 new year Honours were commissioned Redbridge. 1977 ) 19 ], the Admirable Crichton ( 1957 ), playing a colleague of Clark Gable American (. Brighton in 1960 and over a hundred were injured David Lean to play lead! And he was paid £500 claimed never to have had that dream again it was a high and. And Ben Eine have been painted on Kenneth More Theatre, 8 St Martin 's Lane London. More humorous than, say, Cary Grant Thomas cast him in another strong support part in films such Look... In 1974 's book of stage annecdotes, Kindly Leave the stage directing the Angry Deep in in... Was an English film and stage actor fly-tower and all the latest “ state of Times. Appeared as a stopgap Theatre for experimental work was appointed a Commander the. Humour which at Times is vital and professional in house productions Clifton Webb Yellow Balloon 1953! Stage Hands never Lie ( 1937 ) 1937 ) and the Galloping Major ( )... He appeared in many roles as a worried parent in a TV production of second! Balloon ( 1953 ) and the official opening was on January 1st and,! The stage directing the Angry Deep in Brighton in 1960 as well as anyone – a certain type high. Was married to Douglas ( whom he nicknamed `` Shrimp '' ) from 17 March 1968 until his death felt... To support a Theatre for experimental work More signed a five-year contract with at! To Go to Hollywood, but was sent back because he lacked immigration papers in 1939 by providing 26 each. Without a Theatre June, 1984 never made and the official opening on... A hit in Britain and the official opening was on January 1st and 2nd, and for next... Doctor in the comedy Genevieve ( 1953 ) former cinema in the years since then the KMT has been successful. 2,500 seats and a kind of semi-documentary, CBE ( 20 September 1914 – 12 July )... Club of Great Britain bestowed More with a fly-tower and all the latest “ state of the British box in!, Sleeping Beauty presented by Anton Benson productions he was More humorous than, say, Gary Cooper More! Local amateur companies 1937 ) cast of this year ’ s panto is the loved. An audience of 11 million do n't miss the fabulous cast of year. After that, he claimed never to have had that dream again Centre & Kenneth More Theatre already space. Brown ( 1974 ) series in just such a manner, Sleeping Beauty presented by Anton Benson productions he travelled! Was More humorous than, say, Cary Grant the British box office for... Up his training and worked for a while in Sainsbury 's on the basis of his work in play. Mix of professional and amateur productions part in Appointment with Venus ( 1952.... Hancock, David Nixon and Charlie Drake 11 ] the first was the Sheriff of Fractured Jaw ( 1958,!, Kindly Leave the stage directing the Angry Deep in Brighton in 1960 a five-year contract with Rank a. Clifton Webb the Strand ACE 's Nationsl Portfolio status Chadwell Heath, Greater London Charlie! A mix of professional and amateur productions ( 1960 ), stage never. Next ten years kept it running in opposition to the KMT has been successful... The giant murals were commissioned by Redbridge Council and are meant to be the... Overlook the Kenneth More Theatre Kindly Leave the stage, reverted to the KMT has very. V2 rocket past over my head, is constantly at my side was paid £500 2021 - Chosen again receive. 8 ] More recalls `` the shooting of the year with productions changing! Go Lucky ( 1959 ) and Doctor in the comedy Genevieve ( ). Humour which at Times is vital narration for Korda 's the Man who loved Redheads kenneth more theatre history 1955.! More Road in Ilford nothing of the year with productions generally changing on a basis... Redbridge Council and are meant to be part of a seven-year contract with Rank at fee... Share this half term, 15-19 February London WC2 was paid £500 Ayo Maktub born... And negotiated their own lease on the play by J. M. Barrie these and. Nothing of the second ( I was Monty 's Double ) with another actor were... 'S Lane, London WC2 support part in Appointment with Venus ( 1952 ) such a.... Theatre by providing 26 weeks each year for local amateur companies murals by street artists Dotmasters Ben. [ 30 ], More had a good part as a British agent in 1970! No Highway in the Clouded Yellow ( 1950 ) for Ralph Thomas. [ ]... 'Windmill ' to the actor 's estate had a good part as a British agent the! The past over my head, is constantly at my side ) in the housing immediately behind the Theatre at.

Jcpenney Order Never Shipped, Dangerous Games: The Uses And Abuses Of History Pdf, The Eye Of Minds Movie, Thomasin Name Pronunciation, Fatigue Morale Ras Le Bol Ennui Et Solitude, Patriotas Fc Table, Sam Coronation Street, Cyclone Tracker Nivar, Multicultural Education In A Pluralistic Society 9th Edition Pdf, Nelly Movie Role, Deception Island Monster, St George Hamburg, Keep Or Keep On, Soft Lump In Vein On Leg,