Robert Helpmann

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert Helpmann

Sir Robert Murray Helpmann (born April 9, 1909 in Mount Gambier , South Australia , † September 28, 1986 in Sydney ) was an Australian stage and character actor in film, television and theater. He became internationally known for his roles in films such as The Red Shoes , 55 Days in Beijing , The Quiller Memorandum - Danger from the Dark , Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Alice in Wonderland . Robert Helpmann was also successful in England as a dancer and choreographer and in his native Australia as the director of the Australian Ballet Company.

life and career

Robert Murray Helpmann was born as the son of James Murray Helpmann & Mary (Gardiner) in 1909 in Mount Gambier in the Australian state of South Australia. Helpmann received his training at Prince Alfred College in Adelaide. In 1922 he danced his first solo part in Adelaide at the Theater Royal in the stage version of The Ugly Duckling . From 1933 to 1950 he made a career as a solo dancer in Sadler's Wells Ballet in England. In addition to stars like Katharine Hepburn , he also played leading roles in Shakespearean dramas with the Old Vic Company .

In 1942, the English directing duo Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger discovered him for the cinema. He played his first supporting role on screen in the war drama One of Our Aircraft Is Missing . This was followed in the 1940s in films such as Heinrich V (1944), in Dangerous Journey (1946) alongside Stewart Granger and Anne Crawford and as Ivan Boleslawsky in the Oscar-winning classic The Red Shoes (1948), in which he was also involved in choreography . In the 1950s, Helpmann was seen in other cinema roles, including the music film Hoffmann's Stories and the comedy Der Eiserne Unterrock .

In the 1960s, Robert Helpmann played Prince Tuan in Nicholas Ray's prominent historical film 55 Days in Beijing alongside actors such as Charlton Heston , Ava Gardner and David Niven . In 1966 he was cast by director Michael Anderson for his thriller The Quiller Memorandum - Danger from the Dark . In 1968 the director Ken Hughes engaged him in one of his most famous roles on the screen, that of the child catcher in Ian Fleming's musical classic Tschitti Tschitti Bang Bang alongside Dick Van Dyke , Sally Ann Howes , Lionel Jeffries or Gert Fröbe . In 1972 he played the part of the mad hatter in the film adaptation of Lewis Carroll's classic Alice in Wonderland . A year later he played the title role in Don Quixote and directed alongside his colleague Rudolf Nureyev . At the end of the 1970s he was seen in Australian cinema productions such as Der Verbotene Baum and Patrick . In 1984 he played his last film role in the New Zealand production Second Time Lucky , directed by Michael Anderson.

When Robert Helpmann died in Sydney on September 28, 1986 at the age of 77, he was involved in almost 30 film and television productions.

The Sir Robert Helpmann Theater in his hometown Mount Gambier is named after him.

Awards

Filmography (selection)

Burial place of Sir Robert Helpmann

movie theater

watch TV

  • 1936: job
  • 1937: Le lac des cygnes
  • 1939: Arlecchino
  • 1953: Wednesday Theater (TV series, episode)
  • 1962: The Ghost Sonata
  • 1963: Checkmate (TV movie)
  • 1964: The Wednesday Play (TV series, episode)
  • 1964: French Cricket (TV movie)
  • 1968: Contrabandits (TV series, an episode)
  • 1969: Cinderella (TV movie)
  • 1978: Puzzle - The Secret of the Buddha (Reeker) (TV movie)
  • 1985: A Country Practice (TV series, two episodes)
  • 1987: Don Quixote of La Mancha (TV movie)

literature

  • Robert Helpmann . In: Katherine Brisbane, Ravi Chaturvedi, Ramendu Majumdar: The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theater: Volume 5: Asia / Pacific . Taylor & Francis, 2001, p. 76.

Web links

Commons : Robert Helpmann  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Robert Helpmann . In: Barry York: Speaking of Us: Voices from Twentieth-century Australia . National Library Australia, 1999, p. 73.
  2. ^ Robert Helpmann . In: Emily Holmes Coleman, Elizabeth Podnieks: Rough Draft: The Modernist Diaries of Emily Holmes Coleman, 1929–1937 . Lexington Books, 2012, p. 261.
  3. ^ Obituary for Robert Helpmann in: The New York Times
personal data
SURNAME Helpmann, Robert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Helpmann, Robert Murray (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Australian actor
DATE OF BIRTH April 9, 1909
PLACE OF BIRTH Mount Gambier , South Australia , Australia
DATE OF DEATH September 28, 1986
Place of death Sydney , Australia