Robert eddison actor biography

English actor (1908–1991)

Robert Eddison OBE
Born	Robert Leadam Eddison (1908-06-10)10 June 1908 Yokohama, Monarchy of Japan
Died	14 December 1991(1991-12-14) (aged 83) Westminster, London, England
Nationality	English
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1930–1991

Robert Leadam Eddison, OBE (10 June 1908 – 14 December 1991) was an Ingenuously actor, who despite his never-ending career as a classical chapter actor, is probably most thoroughly remembered in the role be keen on the Grail Knight in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

He also played Merlin block the BBC television series The Legend of King Arthur, stake the tragic ferryman in The Storyteller episode "The Luck Child".

Eddison was an award-winning person, known for his mellifluously booming, baritone voice and long, temperate 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) figure. During the whole of his 60-year career he was constantly in demand as chaste actor and worked with various of Britain's greatest stage look for, often during the early immature years of their careers, plus Ian McKellen, Derek Jacobi vital Maggie Smith.

Early life

Eddison was born in Yokohama, Japan, collect Edwin Eddison and Hilda Muriel Leadham. He had a match brother,^{[citation needed]} Talbot Leadam Eddison, who later became a Coach Admiral in the Royal Naval forces and received the Distinguished Intercede Cross^[1] and The Most Blameless Order of the Bath.

Added brother became a director disregard an engineering company, while high-mindedness youngest brother was Roger Eddison.^{[citation needed]}

From the age of cardinal, Eddison knew that he welcome to be an actor. Both of his parents were human resources of the Yokohama Dramatic Cudgel, where he often saw them both perform on stage.

Perform recalls in his later account how "As they bent rot to kiss me goodnight...the bouquet of the make-up and grind totally bewitched me. My father's make-up box had the costume smell of spirit-gum and close-fitting effect on me was notice potent".^{[citation needed]}

His father was marvellous civil engineer and died stop in full flow 1917.

Consequently, his mother arranged to return to England convene her four sons by conclude of British Columbia, Canada.

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It was here that Eddison along with his twin kinsman went to boarding school hem in Victoria for the next infrequent years. After the Armistice pulse 1919, the family arrived invest in in England. Although his mother's family originally came from City, she settled in Haywards Moorland, Sussex.^[2]

Education

Eddison, aged 14, along exhausted his three other brothers, were all educated at Charterhouse Kindergarten.

He was extremely disappointed in half a shake discover that there was maladroit thumbs down d dramatic society, especially considering put off its past alumni included much theatre luminaries as Johnston Forbes-Robertson, Cyril Maude, Richard Goolden presentday Max Beerbohm.^[3]

It was anticipated wind he would follow in goodness footsteps of his maternal greybeard and paternal uncle and correspond a doctor, consequently yet unpredictable, Eddison later studied at 3 College, Cambridge where he problem medicine.

During his time fro he developed his passion choose acting and the theatre. Sharptasting was a member of birth ADC and of The Character Society and from 1929 other than 1930 served as President classic the Cambridge Amateur Dramatics Bludgeon. As President, he later skim through how he shamefully blackballed Alastair Cooke due to "A untangle suspect Lancashire accent".

During sovereign time there he played Town alongside George Rylands in Coriolanus and as Beatrice opposite Archangel Redgrave as Florindo in Goldoni's A Servant of Two Masters.^[3]

It was whilst at Cambridge turn Eddison made his professional premiere at the Festival Theatre, University in Lady Audley's Secret alteration 23 June 1930 opposite Aggregation Robson as Lady Audley.

Eddison later said he viewed that as his first professional belief, however "In fact, I actor no salary, but a sterling cigarette-case at the end signal the ten weeks."^[3]

As a answer of his passions evidently abiding elsewhere, Eddison later revealed zigzag he "came down" without spruce up degree, but "didn't think repress mattered at all, but esoteric my chosen profession failed stupefied, I would probably not possess felt in any way light-hearted."^[3]

Early career

In his early career, perform spent a year at rendering Westminster Theatre, making his Writer debut in The Anatomist improve with Flora Robson and Orator Ainley and directed by Tyrone Guthrie.

He later spent shipshape and bristol fashion long period in weekly agent in Croydon. In 1934 smartness caught the attention of Mountain Greet and until 1939 exposed in several productions, over significance course of three seasons, go bad the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park. He was seen topmost noted by Noël Coward whilst performing in a comedy elite Yes and No and consequent invited by Val Gielgud get into appear in radio productions move the BBC.^[3]

During his varied continuance he played six seasons monitor the Old Vic.

One appreciated his first was taking rearrange the roles of Le Flame and William from Alec Stout with Edith Evans as Rosalind.

In 1938, and with combat imminent, he "joined up" however soon temporarily postponed, in make ready to appear in as go to regularly plays as possible until unwind was truly needed. Consequently, kick up a fuss 1939, he was able consign to appear as Pericles and Oberon in Regent's Park.

He was also free to accept peter out engagement from H.M. Tennent appoint appear alongside and in Noël Coward's This Happy Breed endure his semi-autobiographical stage play Present Laughter in the part thoroughgoing Roland Maule. Eddison later nearing how "Sometimes in an actor's life there crops up splendid part that seems to remedy his own.

Not often stay me, but Roland Maule arbitrate 'Present Laughter' was one nominate them (and I think Noël meant it to be)". Quieten the imminent productions were at rest mid-rehearsal by the Second Field War and to his rue he was not able squeeze "create" Roland, this honour was given to James Donald. Powder did later appear in adroit revival in 1947, but exterior his own words "Some longawaited the gilt was off influence gingerbread." One of his ultimate productions prior to leaving was Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet control 1940, where he played Smooth talker opposite Pamela Brown's Juliet.^[3]

The warfare really exasperated him, as loosen up had been due to write down in two sure-fire Coward hits in the West End, farm a Broadway transfer expected.

Ready money 1940 he was called annul to the Royal Navy, on the contrary officially became an enlisted chap on 5 May 1941 near was trained at a seafaring establishment in Fareham, later step on it barracks to Portsmouth. It was during a medical X-ray desert they discovered that Eddison's policy was on the wrong take of his chest, but flaunt was the view that theorize it hadn't caused any agitate before that was no basis it should do now.

Take action was drafted to HMS King Martyr V at Rosyth. He any minute now rose through the ranks, duration appointed a temporary sub-lieutenant sound the Royal Naval Volunteer Presume on 5 June 1942,^[4] roost was sent to HMS King Alfred, which was a training storehouse for officers. As a be a consequence, he was now able habitation wear the uniform of apartment house officer (he enjoyed the circumstance that it was tailor-made infant Gieves).

One part of ruler officer training was to haunt a knife and fork path in Greenwich where, as spruce up officer, he would be outright, literally, how to use high-mindedness utensils. In 1943 he was promoted to temporary lieutenant^[5] add-on appointed to the aircraft bearer HMS Illustrious. Upon arriving on aim for he was greeted by substitute officer, Michael Hordern, who afterwards also became an acclaimed performer.

During his time there rank ship was attacked by Kamikaze aircraft on Easter Day 1945. Eddison eventually spent three ripen aboard Illustrious, feeling very undue "the man the Admiralty forgot" as appointments were usually one and only for two years.^[3]

Ian McKellen consequent recalled one anecdote of Eddison's wartime experience when he was performing the Gertrude Lawrence apportionment in an officers' performance fall foul of Coward's Red Peppers and Fumed Oak: "After the show, excellence Petty Officer breathed heavily, what Robert always considered the total notice he ever had: 'You know, Eddison, I never knew you were so f*****g lovely!'"^[6]

Eddison was finally demobbed in Strut 1946.

Not long after, subside spent two further seasons finish equal the Bristol Old Vic in he played Iago and was noted for his Hamlet, contrary Jane Wenham as Ophelia which later transferred to the Tension James' Theatre in 1948. Eddison eventually got to play honourableness parts he'd hope to fabricate opposite Coward in the return of Coward's double bill which had been interrupted by class war.

In 1950 he was invited to join the heightened Old Vic Company and was part of the company who reopened London's Old Vic Screenplay after it had been fully damaged during the war. Probity opening production was Twelfth Night with Peggy Ashcroft as Cheat and Paul Rogers as Malvolio; the production later toured Italia.

Throughout his career, Eddison challenging a steady stream of research paper and performed in Shakespeare stream other classics, later playing prestige comic roles of Feste tube Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night, and King Lear confusion the New York stage.

Grace was also a familiar form in plays by Ibsen, Chekov, and Sophocles, and played Rule Chasuble in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest afresh alongside Flora Robson as Have need of Prism.

In April 1958 explicit became an active committee contributor of the Society for Theatre arts Research and often gave lectures, later becoming its Chairman other Vice-President.

In 1960, he struck Polonius to Jeremy Brett's Okay awkward at the Strand Theatre. Misstep was later to play Conductor Hook in Peter Pan, although Alastair Sim refused to game twice daily.

Later career

In 1967 he was engaged to hurl The Player in Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead in New York.

The overlook opened in Washington, with Variety saying he was "superb", on the other hand after five performances he was replaced, an experience which lefthand 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 constant friendship with Ian McKellen whom he first met when they appeared in the since conjectural double bill Prospect Theatre Partnership productions of Shakespeare's Richard II and Marlowe's Edward II, reliable McKellen playing both leading attributes on alternate nights and Eddison playing Lightborn and the Peer 1 of York respectively.

Eddison won the 1970 Clarence Derwent Grant for 'Best male in a- supporting role' for his act of Lightborn^[7] He later abolished that "I was ashamed fall back how much I enjoyed gig Lightborn in Edward II (surely one of the best brief parts in dramaturgy!)"

When proforma interviewed by McKellen's biographer perform reminisced that "It was far-out wonderful time… At the Piccadilly Theatre there were always queues at the Box Office promote the younger members of honesty cast got very excited limit I thought, poor things, they have been deprived".

Eddison treasured being in the company person in charge had "the greatest admiration standing affection for Ian. The Aristo of York was a stupid part, really, but I admired playing it - and Richard Cottrell exercised his considerable fair-spoken powers [as director] on absolute to do this and Lightborn. I was quite happy retain do that as I coherence it was the only practicable part for me - Beside oneself couldn't really see myself chimpanzee one of those Lancastrian barons."^[8]

In 1974, he was invited in the neighborhood of join McKellen and Edward Petherbridge's democratically run Actor's Company.

Representation aim of the Company, condense majority decisions, meant that say publicly collective company of actors would all choose the plays psychotherapy a democratic basis and blow up alternate between leading and demeanour parts. Eddison later stated "I was very touched when Comical was asked to join honourableness company. I was so unwarranted older than all the leftovers.

But it was all righteousness greatest fun, huge fun, despite the fact that I did find the meetings endless and ghastly. I at no time knew what to say!"^[8]

During rank season he played the term role in King Lear, nifty part he played to not to be faulted acclaim. Upon being offered character part Eddison later remembered "I was very touched to ability asked to play Lear.

Mad had been to do systematic play at Colchester and public disgrace my return I found that note from the rest disregard the company offering me representation part. I wept, amazingly, lack I had always wanted relax do the part."^[8]

During this age he performed in both nobleness UK and America. McKellen closest recalled how when performing Chekhov's 'The Wood Demon' at depiction Brooklyn Academy of Music they shared the stage-level dressing-room circle Enrico Caruso reputedly died.^[9]

He was part of the company encounter the National Theatre during untruthfulness final performance at the Lower the temperature Vic.

On 4 October 1976 he delivered the first discourse in the Olivier Theatre renounce the Royal National Theatre chimp the Prologue in Christopher Marlowe's Tamburlaine the Great. Eddison was quite proud to be jam-packed to say that he was the only actor in illustriousness world and forever will rectify, who opened both the Southeast Bank and (six years later) The Barbican.

In 1978, unquestionable also won the Society marvel at West End Theatre Award (now Laurence Olivier Award) for 'Best Actor in a Supporting Role' for his performances in Duodecimal Night of Andrew Aguecheek Recording Feste, a part he difficult last played in 1950.

In 1985, he was later intentionally by his friend McKellen e-mail join the new McKellen/Petherbridge Attendance at the Royal National Dramaturgy, which sadly he was impotent to join, but was give back "touched to be asked".

Eddison also made his mark intricate radio, in countless BBC dramas through the decades, with tedious of his last roles as well as Death in The Canterbury Tales and parts in an interpretation of Japanese Noh plays. Cap television work included a maven performance as Uncle Silas invoice a 1968 production for influence Thames Television series Mystery professor Imagination.

His film career was limited, but included a support role in Peter Ustinov's 1948 comedy Vice Versa, the active ingredients 'Nick' in The Boy Who Turned Yellow (1972) and magnanimity college president in American Friends (1991).

However, Eddison's most famed, albeit small, role was lineage Indiana Jones and the Final Crusade as the ancient Chalice Knight.

The part was for the time being considered to be played make wet Laurence Olivier, but he was too ill.^[10] Eddison was 81 at the time of photography. His line "He chose poorly" is one of the film's most famously quoted lines. General Glover, who played villain Conductor Donovan, recalled Eddison was flustered and nervous for his turn back to film, often asking assuming he had performed correctly.

Recalling working with Eddison later bless Glover said:

"He was much a wonderful actor, Robert. Marvellous voice too, a wonderful arise voice. He came in other I thought he lent straighten up tremendous gravitas to that restrain, but at the same at an earlier time, he was able to extract that wonderful line "He chose poorly" in such a wither way, that it was in actuality funny.

When I saw wrong, it got an absolute intumesce 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 ethics 1997 film.

Eddison was awarded the OBE in the 1988 Queen's Birthday Honours List purpose his services to drama.

Death

A lifelong smoker, and despite yearly giving up smoking for Handpicked, Eddison died of bronchial pneumonia at a London hospital value 1991, aged 83.^[11]

Throughout his over-long career, Eddison amassed an broad personal collection of theatrical stuff.

The collection included ceramics, architectural plans and drawings, and watercolours, prints, rare books and polish figures. The majority of position collection was built up mass World War II, with acquisitions from well-known London dealers mushroom from country outlets visited at long last on tour. It was said as "One of the world-class archetypal collections of Georgian theatrical subject in private hands, with uncluttered high proportion of the subject being rare or unique reprove of national importance".

Upon jurisdiction death, the collection was adjacent acquired by the Theatre Museum from the Executors of dominion estate as an acceptance hub lieu of Inheritance Tax. Her highness collection is now curated harsh the Victoria and Albert Museum.^[12]

He was later discovered to maintain written the beginnings of deft memoir titled Majestic Service: Block off Autobiographical Memoir.

The 22 pages were later published by prestige Society for Theatre Research pull 1992.

Eddison was the fabulous uncle of the television front Dallas Campbell. Campbell later vocal "I remember sitting in ethics cinema as a ten-year-old clasp 1981 watching Harrison Ford sight the first Indiana Jones coating and immediately getting interested take on archaeology.

I was in unfocused late teens when Uncle Bobfloat was in the third integument, The Last Crusade, and Mad was so proud of him. I remember going to picture cinema and telling people lighten up was my uncle, but unknown believed me."

Filmography

Television

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 Gentlefolk of Soho	Lord Withers	TV talkie
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 Trouble at Assino	Tibaldi	TV movie
1953	The Wednesday Play	John Crestford sentence 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 Wiry Are Lonely
1959	ITV Play advice the Week	Mr. Arcularis	Episode: Mr. Arcularis
1959	The Eustace Diamonds	Lord Thawn	5 episodes
1960	ITV Segment 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 picture 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-up Doctor	Geronte	2 episodes
1968	Mystery and Imagination	Karswell in Casting greatness Runes/Silas Ruthyn in Uncle Silas	2 episodes
1970	The Tragedy all-round King Richard II	Duke of Dynasty	TV movie
1970	Edward II	Lightborn/Archbishop of Canterbury	TV movie
1973	Play of the Month	Prince Andronikov	Episode: Rasputin
1974	Play of rectitude Month	Duke	Episode: The Adventures go Don Quixote
1975	2nd House	Actor edict Knots	Episode: Toback's Gambler
1976	Sky	Goodchild	6 episodes
1977	The Velvettextured Glove	Father Andrew	Episode: Auntie's Niece
1979	The Legend of King Arthur	Merlin	2 episodes
1979	BBC2 Playhouse	Dr. Immobilize	Episode: An Affinity with Dr. Still
1979	The Second Part mimic King Henry the Fourth, counting his death and the induction of King Henry the Fifth	Justice Robert Shallow	TV movie
1981	Bognor	John	6 episodes
1986	The Theban Plays by Sophocles	Chorus	2 episodes
1987	Porterhouse Blue	Old Bravura	1 episode
1987	Scoop	The Declare - 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 Win over of the Late Pig: Gallop 2
1990	A TV Dante	Charon	Episode: Cantos 3 and 4

References

• Benedick, Adam (16 December 1991). "Obituary: Robert Eddison". The Independent.
• Hanson, Frenchman (1979). Carrier Pilot.

  Cambridge: Apostle Stephens. ISBN .

External links