English actor
Robert Eddison
|
---|
Born
| Robert Leadam Eddison
(
1908-06-10
)
10 June 1908
|
---|
Died
| 14 December 1991
(1991-12-14)
(aged 83)
|
---|
Nationality
| English
|
---|
Occupation
| Actor
|
---|
Years active
| 1930?1991
|
---|
Robert Leadam Eddison
,
OBE
(10 June 1908 ? 14 December 1991) was an English actor, who despite his lengthy career as a classical stage actor, is probably most widely remembered in the role of the Grail Knight in
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
. He also played
Merlin
in the BBC television series
The Legend of King Arthur
, and the tragic ferryman in
The Storyteller
episode "The Luck Child".
Eddison was an award-winning actor, known for his mellifluously resonant, baritone voice and long, lean 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) figure. Throughout his 60-year career he was constantly in demand as an actor and worked with many of Britain's greatest stage actors, often during the early formative years of their careers including
Ian McKellen
,
Derek Jacobi
and
Maggie Smith
.
Early life
[
edit
]
Eddison was born in
Yokohama
, Japan, to Edwin Eddison and Hilda Muriel Leadham. He had a twin brother,
[
citation needed
]
Talbot Leadam Eddison, who later became a Rear Admiral in the Royal Navy and received the
Distinguished Service Cross
[1]
and
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath
. Another brother became a director of an engineering company, while the youngest brother was
Roger Eddison
.
[
citation needed
]
From the age of five, Eddison knew that he wanted to be an actor. Both of his parents were members of the Yokohama Dramatic Club, where he often saw them both perform on stage. He recalls in his later memoir how "As they bent down to kiss me goodnight...the smell of the make-up and powder totally bewitched me. My father's make-up box had the same smell of spirit-gum and its effect on me was very potent".
[
citation needed
]
His father was a civil engineer and died in 1917. Consequently, his mother decided to return to England with her four sons by way of
British Columbia
, Canada. It was here that Eddison along with his twin brother went to boarding school in
Victoria
for the next few years. After the Armistice in 1919, the family arrived back in England. Although his mother's family originally came from
Leeds
, she settled in
Haywards Heath
,
Sussex
.
[2]
Education
[
edit
]
Eddison, aged 14, along with his three other brothers, were all educated at
Charterhouse School
. He was extremely disappointed to discover that there was no dramatic society, especially considering that its past alumni included such theatre luminaries as
Johnston Forbes-Robertson
,
Cyril Maude
,
Richard Goolden
and
Max Beerbohm
.
[3]
It was anticipated that he would follow in the footsteps of his maternal grandfather and paternal uncle and become a doctor, consequently yet uncertain, Eddison later studied at
Trinity College, Cambridge
where he read medicine. During his time there he developed his passion for acting and the theatre. He was a member of the ADC and of
The Marlowe Society
and from 1929 to 1930 served as President of the
Cambridge Amateur Dramatics Club
. As President, he later recalled how he shamefully blackballed
Alastair Cooke
due to "A very suspect Lancashire accent". During his time there he played Virginia alongside
George Rylands
in
Coriolanus
and as Beatrice opposite
Michael Redgrave
as Florindo in Goldoni's
A Servant of Two Masters
.
[3]
It was whilst at Cambridge that Eddison made his professional debut at the
Festival Theatre, Cambridge
in
Lady Audley's Secret
on 23 June 1930 opposite
Flora Robson
as Lady Audley. Eddison later said he viewed this as his first professional credit, however "In fact, I drew no salary, but a silver cigarette-case at the end of the ten weeks."
[3]
As a result of his passions evidently remaining elsewhere, Eddison later revealed that he "came down" without a degree, but "didn't think it mattered at all, but had my chosen profession failed me, I would probably not have felt in any way light-hearted."
[3]
Early career
[
edit
]
In his early career, he spent a year at the
Westminster Theatre
, making his London debut in
The Anatomist
again with Flora Robson and
Henry Ainley
and directed by
Tyrone Guthrie
. He later spent a long period in weekly rep in Croydon. In 1934 he caught the attention of
Ben Greet
and until 1939 appeared in several productions, over the course of three seasons, at the
Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park
. He was seen and noted by
Noel Coward
whilst performing in a comedy titled
Yes and No
and later invited by
Val Gielgud
to appear in radio productions at the BBC.
[3]
During his varied career he played six seasons with the
Old Vic
. One of his first was taking over the roles of Le Beau and William from
Alec Guinness
with
Edith Evans
as Rosalind.
In 1938, and with war imminent, he "joined up" but soon temporarily postponed, in order to appear in as many plays as possible until he was truly needed. Consequently, in 1939, he was able to appear as Pericles and Oberon in Regent's Park. He was also free to accept an engagement from
H.M. Tennent
to appear alongside and in
Noel Coward
's
This Happy Breed
and his semi-autobiographical stage play
Present Laughter
in the part of Roland Maule. Eddison later recalled how "Sometimes in an actor's life there crops up a part that seems to be his own. Not often with me, but Roland Maule in 'Present Laughter' was one of them (and I think Noel meant it to be)". However the imminent productions were halted mid-rehearsal by the
Second World War
and to his regret he was not able to "create" Roland, this honour was given to
James Donald
. He did later appear in a revival in 1947, but in his own words "Some of the gilt was off the gingerbread." One of his last productions prior to leaving was Shakespeare's
Romeo and Juliet
in 1940, where he played Romeo opposite
Pamela Brown
's Juliet.
[3]
The war really exasperated him, as he had been due to appear in two sure-fire Coward hits in the West End, with a Broadway transfer expected. In 1940 he was called up to the
Royal Navy
, but officially became an enlisted man on 5 May 1941 and was trained at a naval establishment in Fareham, later moving barracks to Portsmouth. It was during a medical X-ray that they discovered that Eddison's heart was on the wrong side of his chest, but it was the view that if it hadn't caused any trouble before that was no reason it should do now. He was drafted to
HMS
King George V
at Rosyth. He soon rose through the ranks, being appointed a temporary sub-lieutenant in the
Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
on 5 June 1942,
[4]
and was sent to
HMS
King Alfred
, which was a training depot for officers. As a result, he was now able to wear the uniform of an officer (he enjoyed the fact that it was tailor-made by
Gieves
). One part of his officer training was to attend a knife and fork course in Greenwich where, as an officer, he would be taught, literally, how to use the utensils. In 1943 he was promoted to temporary lieutenant
[5]
and appointed to the aircraft carrier
HMS
Illustrious
. Upon arriving on board he was greeted by another officer,
Michael Hordern
, who later also became an acclaimed actor. During his time there the ship was attacked by Kamikaze aircraft on Easter Day 1945. Eddison eventually spent three years aboard
Illustrious
, feeling very much "the man the Admiralty forgot" as appointments were usually only for two years.
[3]
Ian McKellen later recalled one anecdote of Eddison's wartime experience when he was performing the
Gertrude Lawrence
part in an officers' performance of Coward's
Red Peppers
and
Fumed Oak
: "After the show, the Petty Officer breathed heavily, what Robert always considered the best notice he ever had: 'You know, Eddison, I never knew you were so f*****g lovely!'"
[6]
Eddison was finally demobbed in March 1946. Not long after, he spent two further seasons at the
Bristol Old Vic
where he played Iago and was noted for his
Hamlet
, opposite
Jane Wenham
as
Ophelia
which later transferred to the
St James' Theatre
in 1948. Eddison eventually got to play the parts he'd hope to create opposite Coward in the revival of Coward's double bill which had been interrupted by the war.
In 1950 he was invited to join the prestigious Old Vic Company and was part of the company who reopened London's
Old Vic Theatre
after it had been severely damaged during the war. The opening production was
Twelfth Night
with
Peggy Ashcroft
as Viola and
Paul Rogers
as
Malvolio
; the production later toured Italy.
Throughout his career, Eddison had a steady stream of work and performed in
Shakespeare
and other classics, later playing the comic roles of
Feste
and
Sir Andrew Aguecheek
in
Twelfth Night
, and
King Lear
on the
New York
stage. He was also a familiar figure in plays by
Ibsen
,
Chekhov
, and
Sophocles
, and played
Canon Chasuble
in
Oscar Wilde
's
The Importance of Being Earnest
again alongside Flora Robson as Miss Prism.
In April 1958 he became an active committee member of the Society for Theatre Research and often gave lectures, later becoming its Chairman and Vice-President.
In 1960, he played Polonius to
Jeremy Brett
's Hamlet at the
Strand Theatre
. He was later to play Captain Hook in
Peter Pan
, as
Alastair Sim
refused to play twice daily.
Later career
[
edit
]
In 1967 he was engaged to play The Player in Tom Stoppard's
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
in New York. The play opened in Washington, with
Variety
saying he was "superb", but after five performances he was replaced, an experience which left him feeling very wounded. "It seemed that the trouble was that I wasn't
Graham Crowden
" he would later remember.
In 1969, he developed a lifelong friendship with
Ian McKellen
whom he first met when they appeared in the since legendary double bill
Prospect Theatre Company
productions of Shakespeare's
Richard II
and Marlowe's
Edward II
, with McKellen playing both leading parts on alternate nights and Eddison playing Lightborn and the Duke of York respectively. Eddison won the 1970
Clarence Derwent Award
for 'Best male in a supporting role' for his performance of Lightborn
[7]
He later recalled that "I was ashamed at how much I enjoyed playing Lightborn in Edward II (surely one of the best small parts in dramaturgy!)"
When being interviewed by McKellen's biographer he reminisced that "It was a wonderful time… At the
Piccadilly Theatre
there were always queues at the Box Office and the younger members of the cast got very excited and I thought, poor things, they have been deprived". Eddison loved being in the company and had "the greatest admiration and affection for Ian. The Duke of York was a dull part, really, but I loved playing it - and
Richard Cottrell
exercised his considerable persuasive powers [as director] on me to do this and Lightborn. I was quite happy to do that as I thought it was the only possible part for me - I couldn't really see myself as one of those Lancastrian barons."
[8]
In 1974, he was invited to join McKellen and
Edward Petherbridge
's democratically run Actor's Company. The aim of the Company, through majority decisions, meant that the collective company of actors would all choose the plays on a democratic basis and to alternate between leading and supporting parts. Eddison later stated "I was very touched when I was asked to join the company. I was so much older than all the others. But it was all the greatest fun, huge fun, though I did find the meetings endless and ghastly. I never knew what to say!"
[8]
During the season he played the title role in
King Lear
, a part he played to great acclaim. Upon being offered the part Eddison later remembered "I was very touched to be asked to play Lear. I had been to do a play at Colchester and on my return I found this note from the rest of the company offering me the part. I wept, amazingly, for I had always wanted to do the part."
[8]
During this period he performed in both the UK and America. McKellen later recalled how when performing Chekhov's 'The Wood Demon' at the
Brooklyn Academy of Music
they shared the stage-level dressing-room where
Enrico Caruso
reputedly died.
[9]
He was part of the company at the National Theatre during its final performance at the Old Vic. On 4 October 1976 he delivered the first speech in the Olivier Theatre at the
Royal National Theatre
as the Prologue in
Christopher Marlowe
's
Tamburlaine the Great
. Eddison was quite proud to be able to say that he was the only actor in the world and forever will be, who opened both the South Bank and (six years later)
The Barbican
.
In 1978, he also won the Society of West End Theatre Award (now
Laurence Olivier Award
) for 'Best Actor in a Supporting Role' for his performances in
Twelfth Night
of
Andrew Aguecheek
/
Feste
, a part he had last played in 1950.
In 1985, he was later asked by his friend McKellen to join the new McKellen/Petherbridge Company at the
Royal National Theatre
, which sadly he was unable to join, but was again "touched to be asked".
Eddison also made his mark in radio, in countless
BBC
dramas through the decades, with some of his last roles including
Death
in
The Canterbury Tales
and parts in an adaptation of Japanese
Noh
plays. His television work included a bravura performance as
Uncle Silas
in a 1968 production for the
Thames Television
series
Mystery and Imagination
. His film career was limited, but included a supporting role in
Peter Ustinov's
1948 comedy
Vice Versa
, the electrical 'Nick' in
The Boy Who Turned Yellow
(1972) and the college president in
American Friends
(1991).
However, Eddison's most notable, albeit small, role was in
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
as the ancient Grail Knight. The part was briefly considered to be played by
Laurence Olivier
, but he was too ill.
[10]
Eddison was 81 at the time of filming. His line "He chose poorly" is one of the film's most famously quoted lines.
Julian Glover
, who played villain Walter Donovan, recalled Eddison was excited and nervous for his return to film, often asking if he had performed correctly. Recalling working with Eddison later on Glover said:
"He was such a wonderful actor, Robert. Fantastic voice too, a wonderful rolling voice. He came in and I thought he lent a tremendous gravitas to that part, but at the same time, he was able to take that wonderful line "He chose poorly" in such a dry way, that it was really funny. When I saw it, it got an absolute belly laugh"
His final production with McKellen was in
Martin Sherman
's
Bent
as Uncle Freddie in 1990, the same part McKellen was later to play in the
1997 film
.
Eddison was awarded the OBE in the 1988 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to drama.
Death
[
edit
]
A lifelong smoker, and despite annually giving up smoking for
Lent
, Eddison died of
bronchial pneumonia
at a London hospital in 1991, aged 83.
[11]
Throughout his lengthy career, Eddison amassed an extensive personal collection of theatrical material. The collection included ceramics, architectural plans and drawings, and watercolours, prints, rare books and wax figures. The majority of the collection was built up following World War II, with acquisitions from well-known London dealers and from country outlets visited while on tour. It was regarded as "One of the finest collections of Georgian theatrical material in private hands, with a high proportion of the material being rare or unique and of national importance". Upon his death, the collection was later acquired by the
Theatre Museum
from the Executors of his estate as an acceptance in lieu of Inheritance Tax. His collection is now curated by the
Victoria and Albert Museum
.
[12]
He was later discovered to have written the beginnings of a memoir titled
Majestic Service: An Autobiographical Memoir
. The 22 pages were later published by the Society for Theatre Research in 1992.
Eddison was the great uncle of the television presenter
Dallas Campbell
. Campbell later said "I remember sitting in the cinema as a ten-year-old in 1981 watching Harrison Ford in the first Indiana Jones film and immediately getting interested in archaeology. I was in my late teens when Uncle Bob was in the third film,
The Last Crusade
, and I was so proud of him. I remember going to the cinema and telling people he was my uncle, but nobody believed me."
Filmography
[
edit
]
Television
[
edit
]
1938
|
Doctor 'My Book'
|
|
TV movie
|
1939
|
The Pilgrim's Progress
|
Faithful
|
TV movie
|
1939
|
The Anatomist
|
Raby
|
TV movie
|
1946
|
The Importance of Being Ernest
|
John Worthing
|
TV movie
|
1946
|
Two Gentlemen of Soho
|
Lord Withers
|
TV movie
|
1951
|
For the Children
|
Hermes
|
Episode:
The Fate of the City
|
1952
|
Sunday Night Theatre
|
Hubert Manning
|
Episode:
Ann Veronica
|
1952
|
Temple Folly
|
George Fitznoshus
|
TV movie
|
1953
|
The Affair at Assino
|
Tibaldi
|
TV movie
|
1953
|
The Wednesday Play
|
John Crestford in
Happiness My Goal
/Gabriel in
Mac and the Atom
|
2 episodes
|
1953
|
The Disagreeable Man
|
Nicholas Drew
|
TV movie
|
1954
|
Sunday Night Theatre
|
Pontius Pilate
|
Episode:
Caesar's Friend
|
1955
|
Sweet Coz
|
Hector Partridge
|
TV movie
|
1956
|
Sunday Night Theatre
|
Prospero
|
Episode: "The Tempest"
|
1957
|
Ordeal by Fire
|
King Charles VII
|
TV movie
|
1958
|
Sunday Night Theatre
|
Duke of Hermanos
|
Episode:
The Noble Spaniard
|
1958
|
ITV Play of the Week
|
Don Pedro de Miura
|
Episode:
The Strong Are Lonely
|
1959
|
ITV Play of the Week
|
Mr. Arcularis
|
Episode:
Mr. Arcularis
|
1959
|
The Eustace Diamonds
|
Lord Thawn
|
5 episodes
|
1960
|
ITV Play of the Week
|
King Priam
|
Episode:
Tiger at the Gates
|
1960
|
They Made History
|
Joseph Lister
|
Episode:
Joseph Lister
|
1963
|
Maupassant
|
Henri d'Apreval
|
Episode:
Fathers and Sons
|
1964
|
Thursday Theatre
|
Alexander MacColgie Gibbs
|
Episode:
The Cocktail Party
|
1964
|
Theatre 625
|
Skuratov in
All the Conspirators: The Just
/Duchemin in
Parade's End: Some Do Not
|
2 Episodes
|
1965
|
Out of the Unknown
|
Tzhilyantsi
|
Episode:
Andover and the Android
|
1966
|
The Wednesday Play
|
Arch-Vicar
|
Episode:
Ape and Essence
|
1967
|
Armchair Theatre
|
|
Episode:
Don't Forget the Basics
|
1967
|
Theatre 625
|
Teacher
|
Episode:
The Memorandum
|
1967
|
The Mock Doctor
|
Geronte
|
2 episodes
|
1968
|
Mystery and Imagination
|
Karswell in
Casting the Runes
/Silas Ruthyn in
Uncle Silas
|
2 episodes
|
1970
|
The Tragedy of King Richard II
|
Duke of York
|
TV movie
|
1970
|
Edward II
|
Lightborn/Archbishop of Canterbury
|
TV movie
|
1973
|
Play of the Month
|
Prince Andronikov
|
Episode:
Rasputin
|
1974
|
Play of the Month
|
Duke
|
Episode:
The Adventures of Don Quixote
|
1975
|
2nd House
|
Actor in Knots
|
Episode:
Toback's Gambler
|
1976
|
Sky
|
Goodchild
|
6 episodes
|
1977
|
The Velvet Glove
|
Father Andrew
|
Episode:
Auntie's Niece
|
1979
|
The Legend of King Arthur
|
Merlin
|
2 episodes
|
1979
|
BBC2 Playhouse
|
Dr. Still
|
Episode:
An Affinity with Dr. Still
|
1979
|
The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth, including his death and the coronation of King Henry the Fifth
|
Justice Robert Shallow
|
TV movie
|
1981
|
Bognor
(TV series)
|
John
|
6 episodes
|
1986
|
The Theban Plays by Sophocles
|
Chorus
|
2 episodes
|
1987
|
Porterhouse Blue
|
Old Master
|
1 episode
|
1987
|
Scoop
|
The Country - Troutbeck
|
TV movie
|
1987
|
The Lady's Not For Burning
|
The Chaplain
|
TV movie
|
1988
|
The Storyteller
|
Ferryman
|
Episode:
The Luck Child
|
1989
|
Campion
|
Robert Skinn
|
Episode:
The Case of the Late Pig: Part 2
|
1990
|
A TV Dante
|
Charon
|
Episode:
Cantos 3 and 4
|
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"No. 37119"
.
The London Gazette
(Supplement). 14 June 1945. p. 2969.
- ^
Beer, Stafford (August 2000).
"Roger Tatham Eddison: an appreciation"
.
Journal of the Operational Research Society
.
51
(8): 1004?1007.
doi
:
10.1057/palgrave.jors.2600989
.
ISSN
0160-5682
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
Eddison, Robert (1992).
Majestic Service: An Autobiographical Memoir
. London, UK: The British Society of Theatre Research.
- ^
"No. 35601"
.
The London Gazette
. 19 June 1942. p. 2710.
- ^
"No. 36016"
.
The London Gazette
. 14 May 1943. p. 2167.
- ^
Rebellato, Dan (1999).
1956 and All That: The Making of Modern British Drama
. London, UK:
Routledge
.
ISBN
978-0-415189392
.
- ^
"Prospect Theatre Company"
.
Ian McKellen
.
- ^
a
b
c
Gibson, Joy Leslie (1986).
Ian McKellen: A Biography
. London, UK:
Weidenfeld & Nicolson
.
ISBN
978-0-297810568
.
- ^
"The Actors' Company"
.
Ian McKellen
.
- ^
Knolle, Sharon (24 May 2014).
"25 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'
"
.
Moviefone
. Archived from
the original
on 31 March 2017
. Retrieved
31 March
2017
.
- ^
Andrews, Deborah; Turner, Roland (1991).
The Annual Obituary
. St. James Press. pp. 730?732.
ISBN
978-1-558621756
.
- ^
"First night present"
.
Victoria and Albert Museum
. 1989.
- Benedick, Adam (16 December 1991). "Obituary: Robert Eddison".
The Independent
.
- Hanson, Norman (1979).
Carrier Pilot
. Cambridge: Patrick Stephens.
ISBN
978-0-850593495
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
1976?1984
| |
---|
1985?1990
| |
---|
1991?1995
| |
---|
1996?2002
| |
---|
2003?2009
| |
---|
2010?present
| |
---|
|
---|
International
| |
---|
National
| |
---|
Other
| |
---|