Robert Alexander Atkins Jr. CBE (10 August 1886 – 9 February 1972) was an English actor, producer and director.[1]
Robert Atkins | |
|---|---|
 "Old Vic" Shakespeare Co. photo | |
| Born | Robert Alexander Atkins Jr. 10 August 1886 |
| Died | 9 February 1972 (aged 85) London, England, UK |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, producer, director |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Sumner Ethel Davey |
Biography edit
Robert Alexander Atkins Jr. was born in Dulwich, London, England, to Annie Evans and Robert Atkins Sr. He had a brother, 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, although 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 1940s and 1950s 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]
Personal life and death edit
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 edit
| 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 edit
- ^ "Atkins, (Alexander) Robert (1886–1972), actor and theatre director". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/40449.
- ^ a b c "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.
- ^ a b "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.