Sir Donald Wolfit, CBE (20 April 1902 – 17 February 1968) was an English actor-manager, known for his touring wartime productions of Shakespeare. He was especially renowned for his portrayal of King Lear.
Personal life
Wolfit was born Donald Woolfitt at New Balderton, near Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, and attended the Magnus Grammar School. He made his stage début in 1920 and first appeared in the West End in 1924, playing in The Wandering Jew. He was married three times. His first wife was the actress Chris Castor, and their daughter Margaret Wolfit (1929–2008) was also an actress. He also had two children by his second marriage - Harriet Graham, actress and children's author and Adam Wolfit, photographer. An active Freemason, he became Master of Green Room Lodge in 1965.
He played some major supporting roles at the Old Vic Theatre in 1930, appearing in Richard of Bordeaux with John Gielgud, and finally gained prominence at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in 1936 as Hamlet, whereupon he tried to persuade the management to finance him on a tour of the provinces. They declined the invitation, so he withdrew his savings and in 1937 started his own touring company, which he would lead for many years, prompting Hermione Gingold's bon mot: "Olivier is a tour-de-force, and Wolfit is forced to tour."
5 ... Harwood worked as dresser to Donald Wolfit for five years in the 1950s, and drew inspiration from that period for “The Dresser,” illustrating the symbiotic relationship between two men with an intimate working relationship ... If You Go.
This is big business ...The National Theatre has virtually given up on ‘natural’ sound ... In theatres, it’s a different story. the magnificent roar of a Donald Wolfit or Alan Howard, organically generated and projected, is a thing of the past ... Most popular ... .
Whenever the great Shakespearean actor Sir Donald Wolfit had to exit the stage during a performance, he would always take a step back, showing the audience that he was reluctant to leave, before ...
Better known for his stage roles than his singing, Johnson gave several acclaimed performances in Shakespearean productions, taking comic roles alongside the famous (and famously histrionic) actor-director Sir Donald Wolfit.
If, in his later years, he was more honoured abroad than in the UK, it was for a variety of reasons ... Read more ... He was drawn to theatre by seeing Donald Wolfit play Macbeth and by watching music-hall performances at the theatre where his sister worked.
Ashley Jensen in 1990 and 2023. Ashley Jensen in 1990 and 2023. Later photograph. Simon Webb... At drama school, my friends gave me the nickname Donald Wolfit – he was this old theatrical actor from a time when thick panstick makeup was all the rage ... ... .
His more overwrought screen performances seemed like a living connection to the high theatrics of old stage hams like the Shakespearean actorDonald Wolfit, but then O’Toole himself had said ...
‘Make him read the lines the way they’re written!’ Raymond Massey snarled at Elia Kazan during the East of Eden shoot ... Most popular ... Talking of Richardson, he ‘was born in the same year as Donald Wolfit, but two actors could not be more different’ ... .
Sign Up ... “Sir is struggling to perform,” Neary McClure said ... Harwood based his plot on his experiences as a dresser to EnglishShakespearian actor-manager Sir Donald Wolfit, the model for the character “Sir.” ... WHERE ... NW. WHEN ... 29 ... .
Former Britain’s Got Talent contestant AudreyLeybourne has died aged 95 ... “She was a remarkable person, a real ‘trouper’ of an actress (starting her career with Sir Donald Wolfit, no less) and a much loved member of St. Paul’s ... “Quite a statement ... PA. / ... .
Former Britain's Got Talent contestant AudreyLeybourne has died aged 95 ... "She was a remarkable person, a real 'trouper' of an actress (starting her career with Sir Donald Wolfit, no less) and a much loved member of St. Paul's ... "Quite a statement ... ITV.
AudreyLeybourne wowed the panel with her singing (Picture. REX) ... Facebook) ... ‘She was a remarkable person, a real ‘trouper’ of an actress (starting her career with Sir Donald Wolfit, no less) and a much loved member of St. Paul’s.’ ... Facebook) ... Amen.’ ... More.
Andwilson58. The best way to describe it is to cite the one exception to the rule. Laurence Olivier... They just do it ... VerulamiumParkRanger ... no ... raphph ... We did a BBC play in 1968, Ghosts, with Donald Wolfit and Fulton Mackay, but the silly buggers wiped it ... .
