Leslie French

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Leslie Richard French (born April 23, 1904 in Bromley , Kent , † January 21, 1999 in Ewell , Surrey ) was a British actor .

life and career

theatre

Leslie French has been a child actor on London stages since 1914, where he also gained experience as a singer and dancer. In 1930 he was engaged to the renowned Old Vic Theater , where he received rave reviews that same year with his portrayal of Ariel in Shakespeare's The Tempest alongside John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson . His name remained associated with the character of Ariel, but the puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream also played in over 4,000 performances, so that he was considered "the best puck and Ariel of his generation." At the Old Vic he also played in other Shakespeare plays such as Antonius and Cleopatra , King Lear and Henry IV, Part 1 , predominantly in comedic roles.

French also played regularly at the Open Air Theater in London's Regent's Park , where he also directed several times. In addition to Shakespeare's works, French also appeared in musical comedies, ballets, and pantomime performances. He made particular contributions in the 1950s as a director and actor in the development of the Maynardville Open-Air Theater in Cape Town , for which he received the Key to the City of Cape Town in 1963 .

Movie and TV

In 1935 Leslie French made his cinema debut in the film Radio Pirates , but it was not until the late 1950s that he began working regularly for film and television. He turned to European film in particular and played supporting roles three times under the direction of Luchino Visconti . In The Leopard (1963) he played a friendly envoy who tried in vain to persuade Burt Lancaster to enter politics; in Death in Venice (1971) he explained a cholera epidemic to Dirk Bogarde as the English travel agent . In the films Sommer der Verfluchten (1961) alongside Dirk Bogarde and John Mills as well as Schöne Isabella (1967) alongside Sophia Loren and Omar Sharif , he played the supporting role of a clergyman. On television, he starred in adaptations of classic novels such as Emma (as Mr. Woodhouse), Bleak House (as Mr. Snagsby) and A Tale of Two Cities (as Jarvis Lorry).

Leslie French remained until the age of 90 years worked and played in the late phase of his career alongside Michael Gambon in the television series The Singing Detective (1986) and took a small role as a toilet man in James Bond Strip The Living Daylights (1987) . In 1988 French appeared as a mathematician in the Doctor Who - Serial Silver Nemesis , 25 years earlier he had been considered a candidate for the role of first doctor in the development of Doctor Who , but the role went to William Hartnell . Overall, French, who was unmarried all his life, could look back on an acting career of 80 years when he died in 1999.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Obituary: Leslie French . In: The Independent . January 26, 1999 ( independent.co.uk [accessed October 22, 2017]).
  2. ↑ Obituary: Leslie French . In: The Independent . January 26, 1999 ( independent.co.uk [accessed October 22, 2017]).
  3. ^ Harris M. Lentz III: Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 1999: Film, Television, Radio, Theater, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture . McFarland, 2000, ISBN 978-0-7864-0919-8 ( google.de [accessed October 22, 2017]).
  4. ↑ By Eric Shorter: Shakespeare's impish spirit . In: The Guardian . January 26, 1999, ISSN  0261-3077 ( theguardian.com [accessed October 22, 2017]).
  5. ↑ By Eric Shorter: Shakespeare's impish spirit . In: The Guardian . January 26, 1999, ISSN  0261-3077 ( theguardian.com [accessed October 22, 2017]).
  6. ^ Leslie French Biography (1904-1999). Retrieved October 22, 2017 .
  7. ↑ BBC - Archive - The Changing Face of Doctor Who - Nearly Who. Retrieved October 22, 2017 (UK English).
personal data
SURNAME French, Leslie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES French, Leslie Richard (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British actor
DATE OF BIRTH April 23, 1904
PLACE OF BIRTH Bromley , Kent
DATE OF DEATH January 21, 1999
Place of death Ewell , Surrey