André Morell
André Morell | |
---|---|
Doctor Watson in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) | |
Born | Cecil André Mesritz 20 August 1909 , England |
Died | 28 November 1978 London, England | (aged 69)
Years active | 1934–1978 |
Spouse | |
Children | 1 |
Cecil André Mesritz (20 August 1909 – 28 November 1978), known professionally as André Morell, was an English actor. He appeared frequently in theatre, film and on television from the 1930s to the 1970s. His best known screen roles were as
He also appeared in the films
Biography
Early life and career
Morell was born in London, the son of André and Rosa Mesritz.[1][2] Prior to taking up acting professionally he trained as a motor engineer, while also participating in amateur theatrical productions.[2] He turned professional in 1934, initially acting under the name André Mesritz; he anglicised his surname to Morell in 1936, and adopted the latter name legally by deed poll in 1938.[2]
In 1938 he joined the
Towards the end of the 1930s he began appearing in films, making his debut on the big screen in
Major film and television roles
Morell returned to the theatre after the war, including another period at the Old Vic in the 1951–52 season.[1] The New Statesman's critic T. C. Worsley wrote of his performance in a star-studded revival of King Lear that "Mr Morell's Kent is the best I remember since Sir Ralph Richardson's."[5] Of his performance in the title role in Tyrone Guthrie's production of Timon of Athens, the Daily Mail wrote: "From his stage and screen performances we know him already as an eminently dependable actor, but last night he became a spectacular actor."
The same profile quoted Morell's catholic approach to stage assignments: "If a part is a good part and I feel I can enjoy playing it, it doesn't matter whether it's Shakespeare or modern farce … I'd hate to be bogged down in Shakespeare or classic theatre all my life. It's a good thing for an actor to do many different kinds of theatre, because it keeps his imagination stimulated."[citation needed]
However, he now increasingly began to win leading parts on television, and in 1953 was cast by the television director Rudolph Cartier in a play called It Is Midnight, Dr Schweitzer.[6] Cartier was impressed with Morell's performance in this play, and offered him the leading role in a science-fiction serial he was preparing with the writer Nigel Kneale, entitled The Quatermass Experiment. Morell considered the not-yet-completed script, but decided to decline the offer; the part went instead to his co-star from It Is Midnight, Dr Schweitzer, Reginald Tate.[6]
He did take one of the leading parts in another Cartier and Kneale production the following year, when he played
This successful collaboration with Cartier and Kneale resulted, four years later, in him once again being offered the role of Professor Bernard Quatermass for the pair's third serial in the series, Quatermass and the Pit, although on this occasion another actor – Alec Clunes – had already turned them down. This time Morell accepted the part, and is regarded by several critics as having provided the definitive interpretation of the character.[7][9] Morell personally found that in later years it was the role for which he was most often remembered by members of the public.[2]
As well as these and other television appearances, Morell gained several notable film roles towards the end of the 1950s. He appeared in two films which won the Academy Award for Best Picture; The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), as Colonel Green,[10] and Ben-Hur (1959) as Sextus.[11]
With Cushing as Sherlock Holmes, he played Arthur Conan Doyle's character Doctor John H. Watson, in Hammer Film Productions' version of The Hound of the Baskervilles (also 1959).[12] Morell was particularly keen that his portrayal of Watson should be closer to that originally depicted in Conan Doyle's stories, and away from the bumbling stereotype established by Nigel Bruce's interpretation of the role.[13] An earlier Hammer film in which Morell appeared was The Camp on Blood Island (1957).
In 1960, Morell appeared as Judge Brack in a production of Henrik Ibsen's play Hedda Gabler at the Oxford Playhouse.[1] Starring opposite him in the title role was the film actress Joan Greenwood. They fell in love and flew in secret to Jamaica, where they were married, remaining together until his death.[14]
Later career
Morell continued to appear in Hammer's horror films in the ensuing decade. He had parts in the
Morell continued to act successfully on television throughout the decade, with guest roles in episodes of series such as
In 1969, he became the vice president of
Despite his involvement in union business he continued to be a busy working actor. He appeared in
Morell, who smoked up to 60 cigarettes a day until he gave up in 1976, died from lung cancer in London on 28 November 1978, at the age of 69. He and his wife Joan Greenwood had a son, Jason Morell, who also became an actor, appearing in films such as Mrs Brown (1997, as Lord Stanley) and Wilde (also 1997, as Ernest Dowson).[18]
Filmography
- 13 Men and a Gun (1938) - Kroty
- Many Tanks Mr. Atkins (1938) - Hart
- Ten Days in Paris (1940) - Victor
- Three Silent Men (1940) - Charles Klein
- Unpublished Story (1942) - Marchand
- Against the Wind (1948) - Abbot (uncredited)
- That Dangerous Age (1949) - Doctor McCatcheon
- No Place for Jennifer (1950) - William's Counsel
- Madeleine (1950) - Dean of Falcuty
- Stage Fright (1950) - Inspector Byard
- So Long at the Fair (1950) - Doctor Hart
- Trio (1950) - Dr. Lennox (in segment Sanatorium)
- Seven Days to Noon (1950) - Superintendent Folland
- The Clouded Yellow (1950) - Secret Service Chief Chubb
- Flesh & Blood(1951) - Dr. Marshall
- High Treason (1951) - Supt. Folland
- The Tall Headlines (1952) - George Rackham
- Stolen Face (1952) - David
- His Majesty O'Keefe (1954) - Alfred Tetins
- The Golden Link (1954) - Supt. Blake
- The Black Knight (1954) - Sir Ontzlake
- Three Cases of Murder (1955) - Dr. Audlin ("Lord Mountdrago" segment)
- Summertime (1955) - Englishman (uncredited)
- The Secret (1955) - Chief Inspector Blake
- They Can't Hang Me (1955) - Robert Isaac Pitt
- The Man Who Never Was (1956) - Sir Bernard Spilsbury
- The Black Tent (1956) - Sheik Salem ben Yussef
- The Baby and the Battleship (1956) - Marshal
- Zarak (1956) - Maj. Atherton
- Interpol (1957) - Commissioner Breckner
- The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) - Colonel Green
- Diamond Safari (1958) - Williamson
- Paris Holiday (1958) - American Ambassador
- The Camp on Blood Island (1958) - Col. Lambert
- The Giant Behemoth (1959) - Prof. James Bickford
- The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) - Doctor Watson
- Ben-Hur (1959) - Sextus
- Cone of Silence (1960) - Capt. Edward Manningham
- Shadow of the Cat(1961) - Walter Venable
- Cash on Demand (1961) - Colonel Gore Hepburn
- The Human Jungle
- Woman of Straw (1964) - Judge (uncredited)
- The Moon-Spinners (1964) - Yacht Captain
- She (1965) - Haumeid
- The Plague of the Zombies (1966) - Sir James Forbes
- Judith (1966) - Haim
- The Wrong Box (1966) - Club Butler (uncredited)
- The Mummy's Shroud (1967) - Sir Basil Walden
- Dark of the Sun (1968) - Bussier
- The Vengeance of She (1968) - Kassim
- Julius Caesar (1970) - Cicero
- 10 Rillington Place (1971) - Old Bailey: Judge Lewis
- Pope Joan (1972) - Emperor Louis
- Barry Lyndon (1975) - Lord Gustavus Adolphus Wendover
- The Slipper and the Rose (1976) - Bride's Father
- The Message (1976) - Abu-Talib
- The Lord of the Rings (1978) - Lord Elrond (voice)
- The First Great Train Robbery (1979) - Judge (final film role)
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Mr Andre Morell - Stage, film and television actor". The Times. 30 November 1978. p. 19.
- ^ a b c d Pixley, p. 30.
- ^ "Streatham Hill Theatre - 'Romeo and Juliet' by William Shakespeare". The Times. 4 October 1939. p. 6.
- ^ a b c d e "André Morell". IMDb. Retrieved 3 May 2007.
- ^ According to a 1996 profile by Jonathan Rigby
- ^ a b Murray, pg. 28.
- ^ a b Murray, pg. 67.
- ^ a b Duguid, Mark. "Nineteen Eighty-Four (1954)". Screenonline. Retrieved 3 May 2007.
- ISBN 0-00-719099-9.
- ^ "Bridge on the River Kwai, The (1957) - Cast". Screenonline. Retrieved 3 May 2007.
- ^ "Ben-Hur (1959)". IMDb. Archived from the original on 12 April 2007. Retrieved 3 May 2007.
- bbc.co.uk. 25 November 2002. Retrieved 3 May 2007.
- ISBN 1-903111-11-0.
- ^ "Obituary of Miss Joan Greenwood, The voice that intrigued generations". The Times. 3 March 1987.
- ^ Murray, p.95
- ^ Gosling, Kenneth (24 June 1974). "Equity may expel Lord Olivier". The Times. p. 2.
- ^ "Equity chief fears 'destructive' union clash". The Times. 12 May 1975. p. 2.
- ^ "Jason Morell". IMDb. Retrieved 3 May 2007.
References
- Murray, Andy (2006). Into the Unknown: The Fantastic Life of Nigel Kneale (paperback). London: Headpress. pp. 192 pages. ISBN 1-900486-50-4.
- Pixley, Andrew (2005). The Quatermass Collection – Viewing Notes. London: BBC Worldwide. pp. 48 pages. BBCDVD1478.
- Rigby, Jonathan (1996). Andre Morell: Best of British. Visual Imagination, London: Shivers issue 28. ISSN 0965-8238.
External links
- André Morell at IMDb
- André Morell profile at Quatermass.org.uk - Nigel Kneale & Quatermass Appreciation Site