Ralph Richardson

Lore & Background

Richardson was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, the third son and youngest child of Arthur Richardson and his wife Lydia. He had no thought of a stage career until a production of Hamlet in Brighton inspired him to become an actor. He learned his craft in the 1920s with a touring company and later the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. In 1931 he joined the Old Vic, playing mostly Shakespearean roles. He led the company the following season, succeeding Gielgud. In the 1940s, together with Olivier and John Burrell, Richardson was the co-director of the Old Vic company. His most celebrated roles there included Peer Gynt and Falstaff. He and Olivier led the company to Europe and Broadway in 1945 and 1946, before their success provoked resentment among the governing board, leading to their dismissal in 1947. In the 1950s, in the West End and occasionally on tour, Richardson played in modern and classic works including The Heiress, Home at Seven, and Three Sisters. He continued on stage and in films until shortly before his death at age eighty. He was celebrated in later years for his work with Peter Hall's National Theatre and his frequent stage partnership with Gielgud. He was not known for his portrayal of the great tragic roles, preferring character parts. His film career began as an extra in 1931. He was soon cast in leading roles in British and American films including Things to Come (1936), The Fallen Idol (1948), Long Day's Journey into Night (1962) and Doctor Zhivago (1965). He received nominations and awards in the UK, Europe and the US for his stage and screen work from 1948 until his death. Richardson was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, first for The Heiress (1949) and again posthumously for his final film, Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984). Throughout his career, and increasingly in later years, Richardson was known for his eccentric behaviour on and off stage.

Reader's Guide

Richardson’s stage career began in earnest after he was inspired by a production of *Hamlet* in Brighton. He learned his craft during the 1920s with a touring company and later at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. In 1931 he joined the Old Vic, where he played mostly Shakespearean roles, and led the company the following season after succeeding John Gielgud, who had taught him much about stage technique. After leaving the Old Vic, a series of leading roles brought him stardom in the West End and on Broadway. During the 1940s, he co-directed the Old Vic company with Laurence Olivier and John Burrell, where his most celebrated roles included Peer Gynt and Falstaff. He and Olivier led the company to Europe and Broadway in 1945 and 1946, but their success provoked resentment from the governing board, leading to their dismissal in 1947. In the 1950s, he performed in modern and classic works in the West End and on tour, including *The Heiress*, *Home at Seven*, and *Three Sisters*. He continued on stage and in films until shortly before his death at age eighty, and was celebrated in later years for his work with Peter Hall’s National Theatre and his frequent stage partnership with Gielgud. He was not known for great tragic roles, preferring character parts in old and new plays. Throughout his career, and increasingly in later years, Richardson was known for his eccentric behaviour on and off stage, often seen as detached from conventional ways of looking at the world, and his acting was regularly described as poetic or magical. His film career began as an extra in 1931, and he was soon cast in leading roles in British and American films including *Things to Come* (1936), *The Fallen Idol* (1948), *Long Day’s Journey into Night* (1962), and *Doctor Zhivago* (1965). He received nominations and awards in the UK, Europe, and the US for his stage and screen work from 1948 until his death, including two Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor, for *The Heiress* (1949) and posthumously for his final film, *Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes* (1984). Along with Gielgud, Redgrave, Olivier, and Alec Guinness, he formed a quintet of male actors who dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century.

Did You Know?

• Richardson was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, first for The Heiress (1949) and posthumously for Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984).
• He served as an altar boy in Brighton and was sent to Xaverian College, a seminary for trainee priests, but ran away.
• His paternal grandmother left him £500, which he later said transformed his life and allowed him to pursue acting.