The outstanding director and actor John Neville is known not only in his native England. Films with his participation are loved and known all over the world. After training at the London Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, he first appeared in the role of King Richard II in the eponymous theater production of 1947 at the New Theater in the capital of Great Britain.
John Neville: actor, director, producer
Born in London on May 2, 1925, John from a young age was distinguished by unique aristocracy and elegance and had a surprisingly flexible and sonorous voice. John Neville was one of the most prominent theater actors of his generation. In the early 1950s, he established himself as one of the best performers.
On his account a number of Shakespearean and other classic roles, especially during his six-year stay at the Old Vic Theater in London. It was here that in 1955-1956 he and Richard Burton, alternating the roles of Othello and Iago, attracted the attention of the world community.
Honored Artistic Director
In 1956, John Neville made his Broadway debut in Romeo and Juliet, and two years later toured the United States with the world-famous Hamlet. He also worked as artistic director at Nottingham Playhouse and received the Order of the British Empire in 1965.
After moving to Canada in 1971, he starred in Lolita, a musical version of the novel by Vladimir Nabokov. He was later offered the post of artistic director at the Citadel Theater in Edmonton, where he subsequently worked from 1973 to 1978. The next five years (from 1978 to 1983), John Neville showed himself to be an excellent administrator in the Neptune Theater in Halifax.
From theater to cinema
From 1986 to 1989, John was the artistic director of the festival in Stratford in Canada. Having conquered the theatrical stages and controlling them on two continents, John Neville began to gradually make his way onto the wide screen and conquer television. In 1988, he starred in the iconic "Adventures of Baron Munchausen" by Terry Gilliam .
The son of a British truck driver played the monarchs
The actor, who played the roles of the monarchs of Richard II and Henry V, was actually the son of a British truck driver. And despite the fact that he became famous, he was not visited by star fever. A faithful husband and loving husband who never looked left, he lived for 62 years in a marriage with Caroline Hooper, cherishing and valuing above all her, their six children (three boys and three girls) and six grandchildren .
Filmography
Neville John and films with his participation were warmly received by viewers. The most recognizable are his following paintings:
- "Sherlock Holmes in the study of horror" (1965).
- "Benjamin Franklin" (1974).
- "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" (1988).
- The television series The X-Files (1993).
- "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (1993).
- "Baby for a walk" (1994).
- "Sabotage" (1996).
- "Johnny 2000" (1997).
- The Fifth Element (1997).
- The X-Files: The Struggle for the Future (1998).
- "City Legends" (1998).
- "The Taste of Sunlight" (1999).
- Dark Waters (1999).
- Crime and Punishment (2002).
- Thriller by David Cronenberg "The Spider" (2002).
- "Time of the Wolves" (2002).
- "Touching Malcolm" (2003).
- "Control of the mind" (2003).
- The Sentence (2003).
- "Bodyguard for hire" (2005).
Interesting facts from the biography
Some interesting facts from the life of a talented actor are known, among them:
- As a native of the working class, John at birth was endowed with an amazing talent for reincarnation. He easily managed to play both majestic royal persons, and arrogant comedians, as well as mysterious influential personalities.
- Tall and slender, he was 187 cm tall.
- The financially unsuccessful film "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" was a real breakthrough for Neville on the television screen.
- In recent years, he suffered from Alzheimer's disease.
- His full name is John Reginald Neville.
- A charismatic actor and director with a capital letter died in Toronto on November 19, 2011 at the age of 86.