Robert Atkins (actor)
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Ethel Davey
Robert Atkins | |
|---|---|
 "Old Vic" Shakespeare Co. photo | |
| Born | Robert Alexander Atkins Jr. 10 August 1886 |
| Died | 9 February 1972 (aged 85) London, England, UK |
| Occupations | Actor, producer, director |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Sumner Ethel Davey |
Robert Alexander Atkins Jr. CBE (10 August 1886 – 9 February 1972) was an English actor, producer and director.[1]
Robert Alexander Atkins Jr. was born in Dulwich, London, England, to Annie Evans and Robert Atkins Sr. He had a brother, Lawrence. Atkins was most famous for his association with the theatre.[2] An early graduate of Beerbohm Tree's Academy of Dramatic Art, he joined the Old Vic company in 1915, and became Director of Productions for Lilian Baylis from 1921 to 1926.[2][3][4] He also appeared many times on film and in television, although not with the success of his theatre career.
His first film was a 1913 production of Hamlet, as the First Player, with Johnston Forbes-Robertson in the title role.[5] Atkins went on to appear in several other film and television roles over the next 50 years with the most famous production possibly being A Matter of Life and Death.[6] He also produced and/or directed several adaptations of William Shakespeare plays during the 1940s and 1950s for British TV.[7][8] He was director of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford, and along with Sydney Carroll, also founded Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.[4][9][10]
Personal life and death
Robert Atkins was married twice: to Mary Sumner whom he divorced, and to Ethel Davey, a film editor. He died in London, England in 1972.[2]
