Michael Scudamore Redgrave
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Michael Redgrave, born in Bristol in 1908, helped define post-war British theatre and headed the Redgrave acting dynasty. Knighted in 1959, he also won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. His film career included The Lady Vanishes 1938, The Innocents 1961, and The Hill 1965.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Michael Redgrave — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Michael Redgrave by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Michael Redgrave — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
The son of actors Margaret Scudamore and Roy Redgrave, Michael Redgrave was born in Bristol in 1908. He was educated at Clifton College and Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he began performing on stage. After Cambridge, he taught at Cranleigh School from 1931 to 1934 before joining the Liverpool Repertory Theatre in 1934, beginning his professional acting career.
In 1938, Michael Redgrave starred in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes, launching his film career as Gilbert Redman. He later played in The Browning Version 1951, The Innocents 1961, and The Hill 1965 directed by Sidney Lumet. On stage, he earned a Tony nomination for Tiger at the Gates in 1956. He was knighted in 1959 for his services to drama and won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor.
Michael Redgrave married actress Rachel Kempson on July 20, 1935, and they had three children: Vanessa, Corin, and Lynn, all of whom became actors. His bisexuality tormented him, a fact he kept private despite his marriage and family. The couple lived in a cottage in Hampshire. Redgrave served in the Royal Navy briefly in 1941 before being discharged in 1942.
Fellow thespian Simon Callow praised Michael Redgrave as one of the greatest classical actors of the 20th century. His children Vanessa, Corin, and Lynn Redgrave formed a theatrical dynasty that includes grandchildren such as Natasha Richardson, Joely Richardson, and Jemma Redgrave. His knighthood and Cannes award solidify his legacy as a benchmark for British stage and screen acting.
The complete filmography of Michael Redgrave — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Michael Redgrave — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
A wall of memorable lines from Michael Redgrave — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
I Didn’t Think I’d Be Any Good in Films… I Couldn’t Imagine Myself on the Screen. Besides, There Were Such Exciting Things to Do in the Theatre, so Much to Learn.
Little-known facts about Michael Redgrave — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
Sir Michael’s favourite film roles, according to his children Vanessa and Corin, included The Browning Version 1951, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner 1962, and The Dam Busters 1955. They spoke at a screening at the Barbican Centre in London on February 7, 2008, marking the centenary of his birth.
He, his daughter Lynn Redgrave, and his son Corin Redgrave all appeared in adaptations of Henry James’s novella The Turn of the Screw: Michael played the Uncle in The Innocents 1961, Lynn played Miss Jane Cubberly in The Turn of the Screw 1974, and Corin played the Professor in The Turn of the Screw 2009.
Father of Lynn Redgrave, Corin Redgrave, and Vanessa Redgrave. Grandfather of Natasha Richardson, Joely Richardson, Carlo Gabriel Nero, and Jemma Redgrave.
He and his three children all appeared in films directed by Sidney Lumet: Michael in The Hill 1965, Corin in The Deadly Affair 1967, Lynn in The Deadly Affair 1967 and The Last of the Mobile Hot Shots 1970, and Vanessa in The Sea Gull 1968 and Murder on the Orient Express 1974.
He was awarded the CBE in the 1952 Queen’s Birthday Honours List and created a Knight Bachelor in the 1959 Queen’s Birthday Honours List, both for services to drama.
After their success with The Lady Vanishes 1938, he and Margaret Lockwood were meant to star in film versions of Rob Roy and The Blue Lagoon for Gainsborough, but both projects were canceled with the advent of World War II.
In Britain, Redgrave’s autobiography was titled In My Mind’s Eye; in the U.S., the title was changed to In My Mind’s I.
Fellow thespian Simon Callow regarded him as the greatest classical actor of the theatre.
The actor was tormented by the fact that he was bisexual, despite being married and raising children.
He was a teacher at Cranleigh School in Surrey.
He was once considered for the dual role of Cervantes and Don Quixote when the stage production of Man of La Mancha was undergoing preliminary drafts and its composer and lyricist had not yet joined.
A memorial service was held for him at St. Paul’s Church, Covent Garden on July 18, 1985.
Educated at Clifton College and Magdalen College, Cambridge.
Served in the Royal Navy in 1941 but discharged in 1942.
Was a public schoolmaster at Cranleigh School.
In 1942, voted among the top 10 money-making stars in British production.
Nominated for Broadway’s 1956 Tony Award as Best Actor Dramatic for portraying Hector in Jean Giraudoux’s Tiger at the Gates.
He started filming The Astonished Heart and agreed to Noel Coward replacing him.
Author of The Actor’s Ways and Means 1955, Mask or Face 1958, and The Mountebank’s Tale 1959.
In 1934, spent 3 years at Liverpool Rep.
Author of at least two plays.
He played Sergey Sazonov in Nicholas and Alexandra 1971. His daughter Vanessa Redgrave was considered for the role of Tsarina Alexandra before Janet Suzman was cast.
Autobiography 1983: In My Mind’s Eye.
Although his surname appears as Redgraves in the opening titles of Kipps, the mistake was corrected and he is named correctly in the cast list.
Educated at Clifton College and Magdalen College, Cambridge. He was a schoolmaster at Cranleigh Public School from 1931 to 1934.
1934 at Liverpool Repertory.
1938 under contract to Gainsborough.
Lived with his wife Rachel Kempson in a cottage in Hampshire.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Michael Redgrave.
Celebrities similar to Michael Redgrave — same craft, ranked by reach.
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