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Ralph Richardson: An Actor's Life
A witty, sensitive and exemplary biography on Sir Ralph Richardson, a prominent acting figure of the 20th Century. Proof-read and edited by Richardson himself, this provides an otherwise unknown insight into Sir Ralph's background and acting career.
- GenresNonfictionBiography
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1980
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 4, 2023
Ralph Richardson was such a fascinating person and led such a fascinating life that this biography cannot help but be interesting. Unfortunately there are several sections of this book where I really felt that something was missing. Richardson very deliberately made himself a difficult man to know intimately, and Garry O'Connor, his biographer, tried to walk a line between respecting Richardson's privacy and trying to understand him. This is a challenge that might vex even the most thorough biographer. Still, O'Connor might have made up for this had he made a greater effort to present the historical context in which Richardson operated. Unfortunately, he assumes that his audience has knowledge not only of the personages but also of their historical conditions which no longer exist. O'Connor also lacks a distinctive or especially interesting literary style which might otherwise make his book worth reading. As a result, Richardson's life story comes dangerously close to a recitation of facts. This book is only for people who already know about the history of the English theatre long past.
August 14, 2022
More of a perspective of the actors work than a biography of his work.the actor always playing the vague card like John le mesurier.very obtuse to the author purposly to not give too much away.not a bad read.
July 1, 2025
This is a mighty effort - Garry O’Connor achieves the near impossible, a satisfactory theatrical biography of a legendary stage performer.
He comes to terms, not without a struggle, with a subject eager to distract, dissemble and mystify. Anyone who has seen Michael Parkinson’s first interview with Sir Ralph Richardson (he almost never allowed himself to be interviewed by the same interlocutor more than once), will recall Richardson waxing enthusiastic about motorbikes with fellow guest Barry Sheene. Richardson once startled the organisers of a reception at Sydney airport promoting Honda machines, by getting on the exhibition bike and riding off down the street.
My problem with a stage biography is that I never saw Richardson in a play but know him from many film roles and television appearances (including a funny Morecambe and Wise Christmas show), so the power and charisma of the man on stage has to be conveyed, to me at least, through the author’s account and that in turn relies on critics’ reviews. There is a lot of remove operating here. This is where Garry O’Connor is intrepid because he uses, as a structural device, exchanges with his subject when interviewing Richardson in the latter’s home in Regents Park, London. These enlightening vignettes, placed through the book, reveal Richardson’s bonhomie, eccentricity and his presence.
We hear accounts of the roles he made his own; Peer Gynt, Falstaff, Sir Toby Belch and later, Hirst in Harold Pinter’s No Man’s Land, with his lifelong friend John Gielgud; as well as the roles he didn’t make his own, notably Othello and Macbeth. His friendship with Laurence Olivier is significant especially at the Old Vic in the thirties and forties, including co-directing the company.
I have two favourite moments, both about Richardson’s friendship with Olivier. The first is a photo of them both in ENSA uniforms in a jeep in Berlin in 1945, with Richardson looking skyward. The second is the apocalyptic reaction of Olivier when he found out Richardson had been knighted and Olivier missed out (Olivier received his six months later).
There are discreet clues about Richardson’s personal life, notably his tragic first marriage: his young wife was struck down by encephalitis lethargicea. There is little about his second wife Meriel Forbes beyond the longevity of the union and nothing concerning complaints by three ambassadors and the Greek government about the boorish behaviour of the Richardsons during a British Council goodwill tour of Europe in 1964. But the documents confirming this low point only came to light well after the book was written.
He comes to terms, not without a struggle, with a subject eager to distract, dissemble and mystify. Anyone who has seen Michael Parkinson’s first interview with Sir Ralph Richardson (he almost never allowed himself to be interviewed by the same interlocutor more than once), will recall Richardson waxing enthusiastic about motorbikes with fellow guest Barry Sheene. Richardson once startled the organisers of a reception at Sydney airport promoting Honda machines, by getting on the exhibition bike and riding off down the street.
My problem with a stage biography is that I never saw Richardson in a play but know him from many film roles and television appearances (including a funny Morecambe and Wise Christmas show), so the power and charisma of the man on stage has to be conveyed, to me at least, through the author’s account and that in turn relies on critics’ reviews. There is a lot of remove operating here. This is where Garry O’Connor is intrepid because he uses, as a structural device, exchanges with his subject when interviewing Richardson in the latter’s home in Regents Park, London. These enlightening vignettes, placed through the book, reveal Richardson’s bonhomie, eccentricity and his presence.
We hear accounts of the roles he made his own; Peer Gynt, Falstaff, Sir Toby Belch and later, Hirst in Harold Pinter’s No Man’s Land, with his lifelong friend John Gielgud; as well as the roles he didn’t make his own, notably Othello and Macbeth. His friendship with Laurence Olivier is significant especially at the Old Vic in the thirties and forties, including co-directing the company.
I have two favourite moments, both about Richardson’s friendship with Olivier. The first is a photo of them both in ENSA uniforms in a jeep in Berlin in 1945, with Richardson looking skyward. The second is the apocalyptic reaction of Olivier when he found out Richardson had been knighted and Olivier missed out (Olivier received his six months later).
There are discreet clues about Richardson’s personal life, notably his tragic first marriage: his young wife was struck down by encephalitis lethargicea. There is little about his second wife Meriel Forbes beyond the longevity of the union and nothing concerning complaints by three ambassadors and the Greek government about the boorish behaviour of the Richardsons during a British Council goodwill tour of Europe in 1964. But the documents confirming this low point only came to light well after the book was written.
March 20, 2007
O'Connor comes pretty close to cornering Richardson a few times but the old rascal slipped him up at every turn. This book provides a glimpse into the secrets of this great magician of an actor. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews