Leslie French
Leslie French | |
---|---|
UK | |
Occupation(s) | Stage and screen actor |
Years active | 1914–1994 |
Leslie Richard French (23 April 1904 – 21 January 1999) was a British actor of stage and screen.
French was primarily a theatre actor, as well as a director, singer and dancer, with a varied career that included the classics, musical revue, pantomime and ballet. He became most associated with the role of Ariel in William Shakespeare's The Tempest, and over the years he essayed many of Shakespeare's spirits and clowns, such as Puck, Feste and Touchstone.
Early life
French was born in Bromley, Kent, in 1904 and was educated at the London School of Choristers.[1] He made his first appearance as a child actor in a 1914 Christmas show at the Little Theatre and left school the same year to join the touring Ben Greet Company as a stagehand and prompter.[1] Hired as an understudy in the West End to Bobby Howes in the musical Mr. Cinders, French played the title role when the play went on regional tour.[1]
Theatre
In 1930, he joined the
French continued his stage career at the Old Vic and later the
Maynardville open-air theatre
In 1955 he helped to establish the new Shakespearean seasons at the Maynardville Open-Air Theatre in Cape Town, South Africa. This theatre, which had opened a short while before, on 1 December 1950,[4] had multi-racial casts performing to multi-racial audiences.[3] In 1963 he was awarded the key to the city for his work with the theatre.[3]
Film and television
French made the occasional foray into film, appearing in two Luchino Visconti films, The Leopard (1963) and Death in Venice (1971), as well as many British television programmes. These included Dixon of Dock Green, Armchair Theatre, Z-Cars, The Avengers (the episode You Have Just Been Murdered), Jason King and The Singing Detective. His role as Mr. Woodhouse in a BBC serial of Jane Austen's Emma (1960) is considered one of his most memorable screen performances.[1] French was also considered for the role of the First Doctor in the science fiction series Doctor Who; William Hartnell was cast.[5] He finally appeared in the programme in its 1988 serial, Silver Nemesis, playing the Mathematician.[6]
Selected filmography
- Radio Pirates (1935) – Leslie
- Peg of Old Drury (1935) – Alexander Pope
- This England (1941) – Johnny
- The Wallet (1952)
- Orders to Kill (1958) – Marcel Lafitte
- The Scapegoat (1959) – Lacoste
- The Singer Not the Song (1961) – Father Gomez
- The Leopard (1963) – Cavalier Chevally
- The Rescue Squad (1963) – Mr. Manse
- More Than a Miracle (1967) – Brother Giuseppe de Coopertino
- Death in Venice (1971) – Travel Agent
- Invitation to the Wedding (1983) – Hobbs
- The Living Daylights (1987) – Lavatory Attendant
- Young Toscanini (1987) – Comparsa (uncredited)
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Strachan, Alan (26 January 1999). "Obituary: Leslie French". The Independent. London: Independent Print Limited. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
- ^ "Fritzi a London Hit; New Musical Comedy Hailed as a Dashing Affair". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ a b c "Leslie French Biography (1904–1999)". NetIndustries, LLC. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
- ^ Maynardville - History Archived 8 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Nearly Who". BBC Archive. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
- ISBN 0-563-40588-0. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
External links
- Leslie French at IMDb