George Rose (actor)
George Rose | |
---|---|
Born | George Walter Rose 19 February 1920 Bicester,Oxfordshire, England |
Died | 5 May 1988 Sosúa,Puerto Plata,Dominican Republic | (aged 68)
Alma mater | Royal Central School of Speech and Drama |
Occupation(s) | Actor, singer |
Years active | 1935–1988 |
Children | 1 (adopted) |
George Walter Rose(19 February 1920 – 5 May 1988) was an English actor and singer in theatre and film. He won theTony Award for Best Actor in a Musicalfor roles inMy Fair LadyandThe Mystery of Edwin Drood.
Early life
[edit]Born inBicester, Oxfordshire,the son of a butcher, Rose studied at theCentral School of Speech and Drama.[1]After graduation, he was briefly a farmer and secretary. After wartime service and studies atOxford,he made hisOld Vicstage debut in 1946.[2]
Career
[edit]Rose spent four years with the Old Vic company and made hisBroadwaydebut in a 1946 production ofHenry IV, Part Iand continued to play in New York City and London's West End for the remainder of the decade. He spent most of the 1950s appearing in broad comedy roles in the UK, later joining theRoyal Shakespeare Company.[2]He returned to Broadway to portray Dogberry inMuch Ado About Nothingin 1959. Two years later, he co-starred to much acclaim inRobert Bolt'sA Man for All Seasons,first in London and then in New York. This includedVarietynaming him the best supporting actor for his portrayal of the Common Man.[3]From then on, he appeared primarily in American plays and films.
Rose made his screen debut inMidnight Frolicsin 1949 and made more than 30 films. Notable film credits includeThe Pickwick Papers(1952),Track the Man Down(1955),A Night to Remember(1958),The Flesh and the Fiends(1959),Hawaii(1966), andA New Leaf(1971). Rose starred in the 1975 television seriesBeacon Hill,an Americanised version ofUpstairs, Downstairs.Other television credits includeNaked City,Trials of O'Brien,the mini-seriesHolocaust(1978), and several appearances on theHallmark Hall of Fame.
On Broadway, among other roles, he played the First Gravedigger inJohn Gielgud's 1964 production ofHamletstarringRichard Burton,a suspicious storekeeper inWilliam Hanley'sSlow Dance on the Killing Ground(1964), a bitter soldier inPeter Shaffer'sRoyal Hunt of the Sun(1965), and the detective inJoe Orton'sLoot(1968).[3]His firstTony Awardnomination was for his portrayal of Louis Greff,Coco Chanel's friend, in the musicalCocoin 1969. In the 1974 comedyMy Fat Friend,oppositeLynn Redgrave,he won aDrama Desk Awardand received another Tony nomination.[3]In 1976, he finally won a Tony as Alfred P. Doolittle in the 20th anniversary Broadway revival ofMy Fair Lady.He received further acclaim in the role of General Burgoyne inThe Devil's Disciple,[4]as Mr. Darling and Captain Hook inPeter Panand as one ofRex Harrison's co-stars inThe Kingfisher;[5]he won a 1979 Drama Desk Award for the last.
In 1980, he appeared as Major General Stanley in the hitJoe Pappadaptation ofThe Pirates of Penzance,co-starringKevin KlineandLinda Ronstadt,being nominated for another Tony award. He also starred in the film adaptation of the production, released in 1983. Rose won his second Tony in 1986 for Rupert Holmes' musical adaptation ofThe Mystery of Edwin Drood.Rose was appearing in a national tour ofDroodat the time of his death in 1988.[6]His last film role wasPound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw,in which he voiced the villain Marvin McNasty (and also sang one of the film's songs).
Personal life and death
[edit]Rose owned a petlynx,birds, and other exotic creatures. He had a music collection numbering around 17,000 records.[1]
In 1984, he purchased a holiday home inSosúa,Dominican Republic,where he spent much of his time between performances. Rose was homosexual and had no immediate family or permanent partner. He reportedly longed to have an heir. Shortly after moving, he took in a teenage boy whom he supported financially and to whom he planned to leave his estate. He officially adopted the boy in January 1988.[7]
On 5 May 1988, during a two-week hiatus from the national tour ofDrood,Rose was tortured and beaten to death by his adopted son (then 18), the boy's biological father,[8]an uncle, and a friend of the father. The assailants tried to make the death look like a car accident but soon confessed.[7]Though all four were charged and spent time in prison, no trial was ever held; and eventually all were released.[1]
Rose is buried in an unmarked grave in a cemetery near his Sosúa home.[1]
Awards and nominations
[edit]Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1970 | Tony Award | Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical | Coco | Nominated |
1974 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Performance | My Fat Friend | Won |
Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Actor | Won | ||
1975 | Tony Award | Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play | Nominated | |
1976 | Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | My Fair Lady | Won | |
Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Won | ||
1977 | She Loves Me | Nominated | ||
1979 | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | The Kingfisher | Won | |
1981 | Tony Award | Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | The Pirates of Penzance | Nominated |
Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Nominated | ||
1986 | Tony Award | Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | The Mystery of Edwin Drood | Won |
Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Won |
Stage productions
[edit]- A Penny for a Song(1951)
- A Man For All Seasons(1962)
- Richard Burton's Hamlet(1964)
- Slow Dance on the Killing Ground(1964)
- The Royal Hunt of the Sun(1965)
- Walking Happy(1966)
- Loot(1968)
- Canterbury Tales(1969)
- Coco(1969)
- Sleuth(1970)
- Wise Child(1972)
- My Fat Friend(1974)
- My Fair Lady(1976)
- The Kingfisher(1978)
- Peter Pan(1979)
- The Pirates of Penzance(1981)
- You Can't Take It with You(1983)
- Dance a Little Closer(1983)
- Aren't We All?(1985)
- The Mystery of Edwin Drood(1985)
Filmography
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abcdKirsta, Alix (25 May 1997)."The Killing of Mr. George".The Sunday Times.Retrieved7 June2008.
- ^abYarrow, Andrew L. (6 May 1988)."George Rose, 68, Broadway Star And Winner of 2 Tonys, Is Dead; A Versatile Perennial".The New York Times.Retrieved5 July2018.
- ^abcStevens, Christopher (2010).Born Brilliant: The Life of Kenneth Williams.John Murray. p. 380.ISBN978-1-84854-195-5.
- ^Hischak, Thomas S. (2001).American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama, 1969-2000.Oxford University Press, USA. p. 128.ISBN9780195352559.Retrieved11 December2014.
- ^The Broadway League."The Kingfisher | IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information".Internet Broadway Database.Retrieved11 December2014.
- ^"George Rose Biography".filmreference.2008.Retrieved7 June2008.
- ^abHevesi, Dennis (13 May 1988)."Dominican Police Say 4 Men Killed George Rose".The New York Times.Retrieved5 July2018.
- ^Smith, Tim (14 January 2016)."Talent, ignoble end of actor George Rose recalled in new play at Signature Theatre".The Baltimore Sun.Archived fromthe originalon 17 October 2017.Retrieved17 October2017.
External links
[edit]- 1920 births
- 1988 deaths
- 1988 crimes in the Dominican Republic
- 1988 murders in North America
- 1980s murders in the Dominican Republic
- 20th-century English male actors
- Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
- Drama Desk Award winners
- Deaths by beating
- English male film actors
- English male stage actors
- English male television actors
- English people murdered abroad
- English gay actors
- Male actors from Oxfordshire
- Murder in the Dominican Republic
- People from Bicester
- Royal Shakespeare Company members
- Tony Award winners
- English torture victims
- British Army personnel of World War II