In the 1940s and 50s, there were few greater classical actors in
Britain than Alec Clunes. Born into a show business family, he began
his career with Ben Greet's company and,
later, he worked at the Old Vic Theatre. He played numerous
Shakespearian roles and, in 1942, took over the Arts Theatre in London
where he remained until 1950. Among the plays he presented were "The
Lady's Not For Burning" by
Christopher Fry, and he gave the
actor-playwright Peter Ustinov his first
break with his production of "The House of Regrets".
A matinée idol for much of his life in the theatre, his film career was
brief but varied. He played "Hastings" to
Laurence Olivier's
Richard III. (1955), but he was
equally at home in stiff upper lip wartime classics such as
One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942).
In 1956, Clunes married Daphne Alcot and their son Martin was born six
years later. Clunes's last work in the theatre included taking over
from Rex Harrison in the role of
"Henry Higgins" in the musical "My Fair Lady" (1959). His last stage
appearance was in 1968. Off-stage, Clunes was an intellectual man,
widely read with a deep knowledge of theatre tradition. A theatrical
great, he was sometimes compared with
Laurence Olivier and
John Gielgud.
