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Robert Atkins (actor)

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For other people named Robert Atkins, see Robert Atkins (disambiguation).
Robert Atkins
CBE
"Old Vic" Shakespeare Co. photo
Born
Robert Alexander Atkins

(1886-08-10)10 August 1886
Dulwich, London, England
Died9 February 1972(1972-02-09) (aged 85)
London, England
Occupation(s)Actor, producer & director
SpouseEthel Davey

Alexander Robert Atkins CBE (10 August 1886 – 9 February 1972) was an English actor, producer and director.[1]

Biography

Born in Dulwich, London, England, Atkins was most famous for his participation in 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
1936 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
1942 The Great Mr. Handel
1946 A Matter of Life and Death The Vicar
1949 That Dangerous Age George Drummond
1949 Black Magic King Louis XV
1951 I'll Never Forget You Dr. Samuel Johnson Uncredited

References

  1. ^ "Atkins, (Alexander) Robert (1886–1972), actor and theatre director". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/40449.
  2. ^ a b c "ROBERT ATKINS, 85, ACTOR AND DIRECTOR". The New York Times. 11 February 1972.
  3. ^ Pigott-Smith, Tim (1 June 2017). Do You Know Who I Am?: A Memoir. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781472934253 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ a b "STR Publications: Robert Atkins - An Unfinished Autobiography". www.str.org.uk.
  5. ^ "BFI Screenonline: Hamlet (1913) Credits". www.screenonline.org.uk.
  6. ^ "Robert Atkins".
  7. ^ "Scenes from Shakespeare: The Merry Wives of Windsor (BBC, 1937)". 3 April 2014.
  8. ^ "BFI Screenonline: The Tempest On Screen". www.screenonline.org.uk.
  9. ^ "Touchstone : Online Exhibition". www.touchstone.bham.ac.uk.
  10. ^ "Robert Atkins - Our Heritage - Open Air Theatre". openairtheatreheritage.com.

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