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Alec Clunes

 

 
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Alec Clunes (born Alexander De M. S. Clunes; 17 May 1912 Brixton
Brixton

Brixton is an area of the London Borough of Lambeth, in inner London-South London. It is bordered by Stockwell, Clapham Common, Streatham, Camberwell, Tulse Hill and Herne Hill....
, London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 – 13 March 1970 London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
) was an English
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
 actor-manager
Actor

An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
.

He was born into a showbusiness family, the son of Alexander Sydenham Sherriff Clunes and Georgina Ada Sumner. He began his stage career with Ben Greet's company, before playing at the Old Vic
Old Vic

The Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road, London. It became a Grade II* listed building in 1951....
 theatre. He played numerous Shakespearian roles, before taking over the management of the Arts Theatre
Arts Theatre

The Arts Theatre is a club theatre in Great Newport Street, in City of Westminster, Central London. It is currently closed for refurbishment, and is due to reopen in January 2009....
, London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 in 1942, where he remained until 1950.






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Alec Clunes (born Alexander De M. S. Clunes; 17 May 1912 Brixton
Brixton

Brixton is an area of the London Borough of Lambeth, in inner London-South London. It is bordered by Stockwell, Clapham Common, Streatham, Camberwell, Tulse Hill and Herne Hill....
, London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 – 13 March 1970 London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
) was an English
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
 actor-manager
Actor

An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
.

He was born into a showbusiness family, the son of Alexander Sydenham Sherriff Clunes and Georgina Ada Sumner. He began his stage career with Ben Greet's company, before playing at the Old Vic
Old Vic

The Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road, London. It became a Grade II* listed building in 1951....
 theatre. He played numerous Shakespearian roles, before taking over the management of the Arts Theatre
Arts Theatre

The Arts Theatre is a club theatre in Great Newport Street, in City of Westminster, Central London. It is currently closed for refurbishment, and is due to reopen in January 2009....
, London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 in 1942, where he remained until 1950. Among the plays he presented were Christopher Fry
Christopher Fry

Christopher Fry was a England playwright. He is best known for his verse dramas, notably The Lady's Not for Burning, which made him a major force in theatre in the 1940s and 1950s....
's famous play The Lady's Not For Burning
The Lady's Not for Burning

The Lady's Not for Burning is a 1948 play by Christopher Fry.A romantic comedy in three acts, set in verse, it is set in the Middle Ages, it reflects the world's "exhaustion and despair" following World War II, with a war-weary soldier who wants to die, and an accused witch who wants to live....
. He gave the actor
Actor

An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
 and dramatist Sir Peter Ustinov
Peter Ustinov

Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov CBE or ;, born Peter Alexander Baron von Ustinow, was a British actor, writer and dramatist.Ustinov was also renowned as a filmmaker, theatre director and opera director, film director, stage designer, screenwriter, comedian, humorist, newspaper and magazine columnist, radio broadcaster and television pres...
 his first break with his production The House of Regrets.

His film career was brief, but varied. He played Hastings in Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier

Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, Order of Merit was an English people Stage actor, Theatre director, and Theatrical producer. He is one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century, along with his contemporaries John Gielgud, Peggy Ashcroft and Ralph Richardson....
's Richard III
Richard III (1955 film)

Richard III is a 1955 in film Cinema of the United Kingdom Shakespeare on screen#Richard III of William Shakespeare's Shakespearean history Richard III , including elements of Henry VI, Part 3....
 (1956), and also appeared in wartime films such as One of Our Aircraft is Missing
One of Our Aircraft is Missing

One of Our Aircraft is Missing is a British war film, the fourth collaboration between the Cinema of the United Kingdom writer-director-producer team of Powell and Pressburger and the first film they made under the banner of Powell and Pressburger....
 (1942).

Clunes later stage work included succeeding Sir Rex Harrison
Rex Harrison

Sir Reginald ?Rex? Carey Harrison was an England actor of theatre and film, who won both an Academy Award and Tony Award....
 as Henry Higgins in the stage musical My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady

My Fair Lady is a musical theater based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe....
 in 1959. His final stage appearance was in 1968.

Off stage, he was an intellectual
Intellectual

An intellectual is a person who uses his or her intelligence and Critical thinking, either in their profession or for the benefit of personal pursuits....
 man, widely read with a deep knowledge of theatre tradition. A theatrical great, he was often compared with his contemporaries Sir Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier

Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, Order of Merit was an English people Stage actor, Theatre director, and Theatrical producer. He is one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century, along with his contemporaries John Gielgud, Peggy Ashcroft and Ralph Richardson....
 and Sir John Gielgud
John Gielgud

Sir Arthur John Gielgud, Order of Merit , Companion of Honour was an England actor and singer, particularly known for his warm and expressive voice, which his colleague Alec Guinness likened to "a silver trumpet muffled in silk"....
.

He was twice married:
  1. Stella Richman
  2. Daphne Alcot (married 1956-13 March 1970) (one son)


He died from lung cancer
Lung cancer

Lung cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell growth in tissue of the lung. This growth may lead to metastasis, which is the invasion of adjacent tissue and infiltration beyond the lungs....
 in 1970, aged 57. He left a widow and a son, the actor
Actor

An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
 Martin Clunes
Martin Clunes

Alexander Martin Clunes is a BAFTA Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards award-winning England actor and comedian....
. His granddaughter was born in 1999.

Notable TV Guest Appearances

  • Undermind
    Undermind

    Undermind is Phish's thirteenth and most recent album, released on June 15, 2004. Phish collaborated with producer Tchad Blake on the album, their first time with a producer since 1998's The Story of the Ghost....
     playing "Police Sergeant" in episode: "Onset of Fear" (episode # 1.1) 24 April 1968
  • The Ronnie Barker Playhouse
    The Ronnie Barker Playhouse

    The Ronnie Barker Playhouse was a series of six comedy half hours showcasing the talents of Ronnie Barker. All were broadcast by Associated-Rediffusion in 1968....
     playing "Peregrine" in episode: "The Incredible Mister Tanner" (episode # 1.4) 24 April 1968


In addition to these, Clunes was offered the lead part of Professor Bernard Quatermass
Bernard Quatermass

Professor Bernard Quatermass is a fictional character, originally created by the writer Nigel Kneale for BBC One. Quatermass appeared in three influential BBC science fiction on television of the 1950s, and returned in a final serial for Thames Television in 1979....
 in the famous BBC science-fiction serial Quatermass and the Pit
Quatermass and the Pit

Quatermass and the Pit is a United Kingdom television Science fiction on television Serial , originally transmitted by BBC One in December and January 1958–59....
 in 1958. He declined the offer, and André Morell
André Morell

Andr? Morell was a United Kingdom actor. He appeared frequently in theatre, film and on television from the 1930s to the 1970s. His best known screen roles were as Bernard Quatermass in the BBC Television serial Quatermass and the Pit , and as John Watson in the Hammer Film Productions version of The Hound of the Baskervilles ....
 was cast instead.

External links