John Neville (actor)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other people with the same name, see John Neville (disambiguation).

John Neville
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
OccupationActor
Years active1949–2006
Spouse
Caroline Hooper
​
(m. 1949)​
Children6
FamilyJoe Dinicol (grandson)

John Reginald Neville, CM, OBE (2 May 1925 – 19 November 2011)[1] was an English theatre and film actor who moved to Canada in 1972. He enjoyed a resurgence of international attention in the 1980s as a result of his starring role in Terry Gilliam's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988).

Early life and education

Neville was born in

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before starting his professional career as a member of the Trent Players.[4]

Career

United Kingdom

Neville was a

Richard Burton the parts of Othello and Iago in Othello.[6] He was a frequent performer at the Bristol Old Vic. He received good reviews in the musical adaptation of Lolita, called Lolita, My Love
, which closed in Boston.

Known for his classical good looks and mellifluous voice, the young Neville was regularly described as the young John Gielgud's natural successor. For a while, he took over the leading role of Nestor Le Fripé from Keith Michell in the original West End production of the musical Irma La Douce, with Elizabeth Seal as Irma. He returned to the London stage for a brief period in 1963, playing the title role in Alfie by Bill Naughton, but by then his theatrical commitment lay outside London.[4]

In 1961, his weekly pay declining from £200 to £50, he joined the Nottingham Playhouse, becoming joint artistic director with Frank Dunlop and Peter Ustinov when the current Playhouse opened in 1963.[4] It became one of Britain's leading regional repertory theatres.[5] Though Dunlop and Ustinov soon left, Neville remained at the theatre until 1967, when he resigned over funding disputes with the local authority and the Arts Council.[4][6][7]

Neville starred as the

Masterpiece Theatre series in the United States in 1971.[8][9][10]

Canada

With his family, he left Britain for Canada in 1972, becoming a citizen there.

Stratford Festival of Canada from 1985 to 1989, while continuing his acting career.[7] On top of his artistic decisions, Neville helped eliminate the Neptune's deficit with canny promotions, such as giving free tickets to the local taxi drivers and their families, correctly anticipating that recipients would enthusiastically discuss the theatre with passengers and tourists.[12]

Director

The Well Manicured Man, and in 1998, he reprised the role in the feature film The X-Files
. Although he made numerous other television appearances and occasional film roles, the main focus of Neville's career was always on the theatre.

In his later years, Neville had numerous cameo appearances in films, including primate of the Anglican Church in Australia in The Man Who Sued God and an admiral in the Earth Space Navy in The Fifth Element. He had a small role as Terrence in David Cronenberg's Spider (2002). Around the same time, he appeared with Vanessa Redgrave in the film adaptation of Crime and Punishment (also 2002).

In 2003, Neville performed a stage reading of John Milton's Samson Agonistes, with Claire Bloom at Bryn Mawr College at the behest of poet Karl Kirchwey.[13] He appeared in an episode of the soap opera Train 48 (2005) as the grandfather of Zach Eisler, who was played by his grandson Joe Dinicol.

He was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2006.[14]

Death

According to publicists at Canada's

Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Neville died "peacefully surrounded by family" on 19 November 2011, aged 86.[15] Neville suffered from Alzheimer's disease in his later years.[7] He was survived by his wife Caroline (née Hooper) and their six children.[16]

Select filmography

Neville and Claire Bloom in Romeo and Juliet (1957)

References

  1. ^ "Actor John Neville dies at 86". CBC News. The Canadian Press. 21 November 2011.
  2. ^ "Neville profile at Film Reference.com". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  3. ^ "John Neville obituary". the Guardian. 21 November 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d Hayward, Anthony "John Neville: Shakespearean actor and director who became a theatrical force in Canada ", The Independent, 26 November 2011
  5. ^ a b Jeremy Lewis, "A Real Class Act", Nottingham Post, 5 March 1999
  6. ^ a b "Obituaries: John Neville". The Daily Telegraph. London. 21 November 2011.
  7. ^ a b c Coveney, Michael (21 November 2011). "John Neville Obituary". The Guardian.
  8. ^ McMillan, Nancy Pomerene (21 September 1980). "A 10th Birthday for Masterpiece Theatre of John Neville and Susan Hampshire in 'The First Churchills'". The New York Times. p. 35.
  9. ^ King, Susan (13 January 1991). "British exports now a staple on U.S. TV". Austin American-Statesman. p. 37.
  10. ^ King, Susan (8 October 1995). "'Buccaneers' Kicks Off 'Masterpiece' Anniversary". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 11. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016.
  11. ^ Nestruck, J. Kelly (23 November 2011). "John Neville was at home on the stage and on screens large and small". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  12. Under the Influence. CBC Radio One
    . Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  13. The Chicago Tribune
    . Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  14. ^ "Governor General to Invest 41 Recipients into the Order of Canada" (Press release). Governor General of Canada. 2 May 2007. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  15. ^ "Actor John Neville dies at 86". Variety. Associated Press. 21 November 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  16. ^ "John Neville obituary". the Guardian. 21 November 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2022.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Neville (actor).
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