Noel Willman(4 August 1918 – 24 December 1988) was an Irish actor andtheatre director.Born inDerry,Ireland,Willman died aged 70 inNew York City,United States.[1]
Noel Willman | |
|---|---|
 inThe Reptile(1966) | |
| Born | 4 August 1918 |
| Died | 24 December 1988 (aged 70) |
| Occupation(s) | Theatre director, actor |
| Years active | 1953–1976 |
Career
editWillman's films includedThe Man Who Knew Too Much(1956),Across the Bridge(1957),Carve Her Name with Pride(1958),The Kiss of the Vampire(1963),Doctor Zhivago(1965),The Reptile(1966), andThe Odessa File(1974).[2]
He was also atheatre directorand actor, and won aTony Awardin 1962 for his direction of the original Broadway production ofRobert Bolt'sA Man For All Seasons.[3]According to Bolt, he was instrumental in many aspects of the play's development, including the casting ofPaul ScofieldasThomas More.In 1966 he was nominated in the same category forJames Goldman'sThe Lion in Winter.[4]He later directedKatharine HepburnandChristopher ReeveinA Matter of Gravityin 1976.[5]
He frequently collaborated with Bolt, directingThe Tiger and the HorseandGentle Jack(and appearing inZhivago,which Bolt scripted). One of his most famous theatrical roles was oppositeAlec Guinnessin the stage production ofBridget Boland'sThe Prisoner,for which he won theClarence Derwent Award,and which was latermade into a film,starring Guinness andJack Hawkins.[6][7]
Willman studied for the stage at theLondon Theatre Studio,which had been set up byMichel Saint-DenisandGeorge Devinein 1936. Working as stage manager forJohn Gielgud's touring production ofThe Beggar's Opera,he took over the role of Macheath at short notice fromMichael Redgrave,who had fallen ill and whose usual understudy had suffered a bout of laryngitis.[8]
During the war he toured with the Old Vic Company, then directed byTyrone Guthrie,playing inThe Merchant of Venicein 1941, and taking part in several productions at the Vic's Liverpool Playhouse base, including Shaw'sAndrocles and the Lion.Prompted by Guthrie, he became a director. In 1942, he presented his debut productionAh, Wilderness!byEugene O'Neill.[9]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | The Pickwick Papers | Mr. Perker | |
| 1952 | Androcles and the Lion | Spintho | |
| 1953 | The Net | Dr. Dennis Bord | |
| 1953 | Malta Story | Hobley, Navy Pilot | Uncredited |
| 1954 | Beau Brummell | Lord Byron | |
| 1955 | The Dark Avenger | Du Guesclin | |
| 1956 | The Man Who Knew Too Much | Woburn | |
| 1957 | Seven Waves Away | Aubrey Clark | |
| 1957 | Across the Bridge | Chief of Police | |
| 1958 | Carve Her Name with Pride | Interrogator | |
| 1960 | Cone of Silence | Nigel Pickering | |
| 1960 | Never Let Go | Inspector Thomas | |
| 1960 | The Criminal | Prison Governor | |
| 1961 | Two Living, One Dead | Johnson | |
| 1961 | The Girl on the Boat | Webster | |
| 1963 | The Kiss of the Vampire | Dr. Ravna | |
| 1965 | Doctor Zhivago | Razin | |
| 1966 | The Reptile | Dr. Franklyn | |
| 1968 | The Vengeance of She | Za-Tor | |
| 1974 | The Odessa File | Franz Bayer | |
| 1976 | 21 Hours at Munich | Interior Minister Bruno Merk | (final film role) |
References
edit- ^"Noel Willman Biography (1918-1988)".filmreference.Retrieved9 July2020.
- ^"Noel Willman".BFI.Archived fromthe originalon 11 July 2012.Retrieved9 July2020.
- ^"Tony Winner: Noel Willman".Los Angeles Times.27 December 1988.Retrieved9 July2020.
- ^The Broadway League."The Lion in Winter".ibdb.Retrieved9 July2020.
- ^"A Matter of Gravity".ibdb.Retrieved9 July2020.
- ^"Noel Willman profile".derryjournal.Retrieved9 July2020.
- ^K-Point Internet Solutions - Warrenpoint, Newry, County Down."The Dictionary of Ulster Biography".newulsterbiography.co.uk.Retrieved9 July2020.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^"Success of Young Derryman",Londonderry Journal,29 February 1940.
- ^Theatre Programme, Liverpool Playhouse (12 October 1943). "Ah, Wilderness!".
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