Johnston Forbes-Robertson

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Johnston Forbes-Robertson as Hamlet, 1897.

Sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson (born January 16, 1853 in London , † November 6, 1937 in St. Margaret's Bay, Dover ) was an important English theater actor and manager. He was considered the best Hamlet actor of the 19th century.

Life

Johnston Forbes-Robertson was born the eldest of eleven children to John Forbes-Robertson, a theater critic and journalist from Aberdeen , and his wife Frances. One of his sisters and two of his brothers also became actors. The famous actress Maxine Elliott was his sister-in-law.

Forbes-Robertson attended Charterhouse, an independent school . Since he originally wanted to be a visual artist, he initially studied for three years at the Royal Academy of Arts until Samuel Phelps (1804–1878), a leading Shakespeare actor, invited him to come to him. His theater career began when William Gorman Wills saw him in a private theater performance and in 1874 offered him a role as Chastelard in his play Mary Queen of Scots . The numerous engagements led Forbes-Robertson to the USA in 1885, where he worked with Henry Irving and initially played the second leading role in a series of plays until he established himself as a Hamlet actor.

May Gertrud (1874–1950), actress and Johnston Forbes-Robertson's wife.

Forbes-Robertson was married to May Gertrud Elliot Dermot (1874–1950). She was also an actress and first appeared on stage in 1895 at the age of 20. In 1899 the two met at Nat Goodwin's English theater company. They married a year later. From now on they toured together, and May played Forbes-Robertson's partner in many Shakespeare plays, most recently in his farewell performance in 1913 at London's Drury Lane Theater . However, May has not retired yet, but has made guest appearances in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. Her last important role was in 1936 as Gertrude in a Hamlet production at New York's Imperial Theater .

Forbes-Robertson was considered one of the most individual and sophisticated British actors. Tall and lean, he had a great speaking voice and a beautiful, elegant way of playing. He was friends with George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower , 5th Duke of Sutherland. Most recently he produced pieces by George Bernard Shaw and Jerome K. Jerome .

The following children emerged from the marriage with May Gertrude Dermot:

Filmography

  • 1898: Macbeth
  • 1913: Hamlet
  • 1915: Hamlet
  • 1917: Masks and Faces
  • 1918: The Passing of the Third Floor Back
  • 1938: Kathleen Mavourneen (first performance in January 1938)

literature

  • Ralph Berry: Robertson, Sir Johnston Forbes (1853–1937) , in: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2004.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Obituary in The Times, November 8, 1937.
  2. ↑ Mills / Rushton Family History , accessed May 18, 2010.
personal data
SURNAME Forbes-Robertson, Johnston
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British stage actor
DATE OF BIRTH January 16, 1853
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH November 6, 1937
Place of death St. Margaret's Bay, Dover