Sir Ralph Richardson (1902–1983) was an English actor who appeared on radio, film, television and stage. Described by The Guardian as "indisputably our most poetic actor", and by the director David Ayliff as "a natural actor ... [who] couldn't stop being a perfect actor", Richardson's career lasted over 50 years. He was—in the words of his biographer, Sheridan Morley—one "of the three great actor knights of the mid-twentieth century", alongside Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud.

After seeing a production of Hamlet starring Sir Frank Benson, Richardson decided to become an actor and made his stage debut, playing a gendarme in The Bishop's Candlesticks in December 1920. After touring and appearing in rep, he made his London debut in July 1926 as the stranger in Oedipus at Colonus. In 1930 he joined the Old Vic where he first met Gielgud, staying with the company until the following year. After service during the Second World War with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, he returned to acting, preferring the works of the more modern authors Luigi Pirandello, Joe Orton, Harold Pinter, George Bernard Shaw and J. B. Priestley to the classic plays of Shakespeare. A radio career ran in parallel to that on the stage, and Richardson was first broadcast in The City in 1929.

Richardson's film career began in 1931 as an uncredited extra in Dreyfus; he did not take film seriously as a medium, but undertook the work for money. His career in film was described by the film historian Brian McFarlane, writing for the British Film Institute, as "prolific and random"; McFarlane considered that in Richardson's performances, "he would remind one that he had few peers and no superiors in his particular line". Richardson won many awards for his performances on stage and screen before his death, including a BAFTA award for The Sound Barrier; an Evening Standard Award for Home, which he shared with John Gielgud; and a special Laurence Olivier Award. His final film, Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes—for which he received further critical plaudits and award nominations—was released after his death.

Stage roles

+ Richardson's stage credits Production Date Role Theatre(London, unless otherwise noted) 1920 Gendarme St Nicholas Hall, Brighton Cuthbert St Nicholas Hall, Brighton Macbeth Macduff and Banquo St Nicholas Hall, Brighton Father St Nicholas Hall, Brighton Tranio St Nicholas Hall, Brighton Twelfth Night Malvolio St Nicholas Hall, Brighton Oliver Twist Mr Bumble and Bill Sikes St Nicholas Hall, Brighton Lorenzo Marina Theatre, Lowestoft and touring Hamlet Bernardo and Guildenstern touring Pedant touring Julius Caesar Soothsayer and Strato touring As You Like It Oliver touring Henry V Scroop and Gower touring Macbeth Angus and Macduff touring Francisco touring Lysander touring Twelfth Night Curio and Valentine touring Macbeth Banquo touring Lysander touring Hamlet Horatio touring Julius Caesar Decius Brutus and Octavius touring Twelfth Night Fabian touring Vincentio touring Lucentio touring Othello Cassio touring Antonio and Gratiano touring Julius Caesar Antony touring Abbey Theatre, Dublin Bobby Abbey Theatre, Dublin Outward Bound Henry touring Fainall touring 1925 touring Birmingham Repertory Theatre Birmingham Repertory Theatre Birmingham Repertory Theatre Lane Birmingham Repertory Theatre He Who Gets Slapped Gentleman Birmingham Repertory Theatre Devonshire Cream Birmingham Repertory Theatre Hobson's Choice Birmingham Repertory Theatre Birmingham Repertory Theatre Birmingham Repertory Theatre Dear Brutus Dearth Birmingham Repertory Theatre Oedipus at Colonus Scala Yellow Sands Haymarket Back to Methuselah Zazim and Pygmalion Court Harold Gurth Court Tranio Court Prejudice Arts Aren't Women Wonderful? Court Garrick David Little Theatre, Epsom Monsieur Beaucaire touring in South Africa touring in South Africa David Garrick touring in South Africa Silver Wings Dominion and touring Othello Roderigo Savoy Henry IV, Part 1 Sir Harry Beagle Caliban Richard II Bolingbroke Antony and Cleopatra Enobarbus Twelfth Night Sadler's Wells Arms and the Man Bluntschli and Sadler's Wells Much Ado About Nothing and Sadler's Wells King Lear Kent and Sadler's Wells Nicholas Festival Theatre, Malvern She Would If She Could Courtall Festival Theatre, Malvern Festival Theatre, Malvern King John Faulconbridge Petruchio Bottom Henry V Henry V Ralph Julius Caesar Brutus Abraham Lincoln Othello Iago Hamlet Ralph Roister Doister Festival Theatre, Malvern Face Festival Theatre, Malvern Oroonoko Oroonoko Festival Theatre, Malvern Too True to Be Good Festival Theatre, Malvern Too True to Be Good New For Services Rendered Globe Head-on Crash Queen's Theatre Wild Decembers Apollo Sheppey Sheppey Wyndham's Peter Pan Palladium Marriage is No Joke Globe Eden End DuchessCornelius Cornelius Duchess Romeo and Juliet Mercutio and Chorus Martin Beck Theatre, New York, and on US tour Promise Shaftesbury Bees on the Boat Deck Lyric The Amazing Dr Clitterhouse Haymarket St James's Bottom Othello 1938 Othello Johnson Over Jordan 1939 New Peer Gynt Peer New and touring in Germany and France Arms and the Man Bluntschli New and touring in Germany and France Richard III Richmond New and touring in Germany and France Uncle Vanya New Henry IV, Part 1 New and Century, New York Henry IV, Part 2 New and Century, New York Oedipus Rex Tiresias New and Century, New York New and Century, New York -47 New Cyrano de Bergerac -47 Cyrano New -47 Face New Richard II -47 New Royal Circle1948 Marcus Wyndham's 1949 Haymarket Home at Seven 1950 Wyndham's Three Sisters 1951 Vershinin Aldwych Prospero Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-on-Avon Macbeth Macbeth Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-on-Avon Volpone Volpone Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-on-Avon Globe A Day by the Sea Haymarket Separate Tables Australasian tour Grand Duke Australasian tour Timon of Athens 1956 Timon Coronet, New York Flowering Cherry Cherry Haymarket and UK tour 1959 Globe 1960 Phoenix 1962–63 Haymarket, Majestic, New York and US tour Six Characters in Search of an Author 1963 Father May Fair Shylock Theatre Royal, Brighton, and tour to South America and Europe Bottom Theatre Royal, Brighton, and tour to South America and Europe Carving a Statue Father Haymarket You Never Can Tell Waiter Haymarket Haymarket 1967 Shylock Haymarket What the Butler Saw 1969 Queen's Theatre Home 1970 Jack Royal Court, Apollo and Morosco, New York West of Suez 1971 Royal Court and Cambridge Lloyd George Knew My Father 1972 Savoy and tour of Australia and North America John Gabriel Borkman Borkman No Man's Land Hirst , and Longacre, New York 1977 Cecil Lyric Firs National Alice's Boys Savoy National 1979 National 1979 Old Ekdal National Early Days 1980 Kitchen National and North American tour 1982 Leonard Strand Inner Voices 1983 National

Radio plays + Richardson's radio plays Play Year Scenes from Julius Caesar Twelfth Night Captain Brassbound's Conversion Scenes from King Lear 1930 Romeo and Juliet 1932 Macbeth Julius Caesar 1934 Through the Looking-Glass 1935 In Memoriam Candida 1937 Johnson Over Jordan 1940 Job 1941 Doctor Faustus Don Quixote 1943 Peer Gynt 1944 Cyrano de Bergerac Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2 Victory Programme Moby-Dick 1946 1947 Brand 1949 Home at Seven 1951 Play 1958 Richard II 1960 Hamlet Arms and the Man 1964 Cyrano de Bergerac 1966 Heartbreak House 1968 When We Dead Awaken Much Ado About Nothing John Gabriel Borkman 1974 Programme on William Blake 1977 Readings from Andrew Marvell 1978 Notes on a Cellar Book 1980 Little Tich – Giant of the Halls 1982

Film roles

+ Richardson's filmography Film Year Role Dreyfus 1931 Uncredited extra Friday the Thirteenth Java Head Thunder in the Air Family member Bulldog Jack 1935 Morelle Things to Come Thunder in the City 1937 South Riding 1938 Wing Commander Q Planes On the Night of the Fire 1943 1944 propaganda short film (44 minutes) for the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm — blu-ray extra School for Secrets 1946 Anna Karenina Karenin Baines 1949 Outcast of the Islands 1951 Home at Seven Richard III 1955 Buckingham and Sir Clement Hathaway Smiley Lambeth 1959 C Oscar Wilde Exodus Long Day's Journey into Night Themistocles Woman of Straw 1964 Chimes at Midnight 1965 Narrator Doctor Zhivago 1965 Khartoum Midas Run 1969 Henshaw Oh! What a Lovely War Battle of Britain Leclerc David Copperfield Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? 1971 Eagle in a Cage Lady Caroline Lamb George IV Tales from the Crypt The Crypt Keeper Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Caterpillar O Lucky Man! Monty and Sir James Burgess Rollerball 1975 Head Librarian Colbert Jesus of Nazareth Simeon Watership Down 1978 Chief rabbit (voice only) Dragonslayer 1981 Ulrich Time Bandits 1981 Invitation to the Wedding Give My Regards to Broad Street Jim Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes

Television

+ Richardson's television appearances Programme Date Channel Role Bees on the Boatdeck Everyman Voice of God Fireside Theater: A Christmas Carol NBC (USA) Alexander Korda, Kt. BBC Television On-screen Participant Salute to Show Business On-screen Participant On-screen Participant British Art and Artists: A Sculptor's Landscape BBC Television On-screen Participant Here and Now: City of London Festival ITV On-screen Participant Here and Now: Lord Mayor ITV On-screen Participant BBC Television Hedda Gabler BBC Television Voices of Man  – 22 November 1964 BBC Television Thursday Theatre: Johnson Over Jordan BBC Television  – 13 March 1967 BBC Television Twelfth Night ITV BBC Television On-screen Participant Narrator Narrator ITV on-screen participant Hassan Hassan She Stoops to Conquer Weekend Play: Twelfth Night ITV Carol Channing's Mad English Tea Party Play for Today: "Home" BBC Television Jack Frankenstein: The True Story NBC (USA) Lacey ITV Your National Theatre ITV On-screen Participant This Is Your Life ITV Guest No Man's Land ITV Hirst Tonight in Town BBC Television On-screen Participant Pot Black BBC Television Awards presenter Parkinson BBC Television On-screen Participant Charlie Muffin ITV Chaos Supersedes ENSA ITV Cast Member Frank and Polly Muir's Big Dipper ITV On-screen Participant ITV Cast Member Early Days ITV Cast Member ITV Cast Member Witness for the Prosecution CBS Wagner  – 11 December 1983 Pfordten

Sound recordings Richardson made multiple sound recordings, primarily during the 1950s and 1960s. Among these were adaptations of twelve Sherlock Holmes stories in which he played Dr. Watson opposite John Gielgud's Holmes, adaptations of A Christmas Carol and Swann's Way, poetry by Keats, Blake and Coleridge, and complete audio productions of Julius Caesar, Measure for Measure, Cyrano de Bergerac and The School for Scandal.

Awards and honours