1. Overview
Sir John Anthony Quayle (7 September 1913 - 20 October 1989) was a celebrated British actor, theatre director, and novelist. He gained international recognition for his supporting role as Thomas Wolsey in the 1969 film Anne of the Thousand Days, which earned him nominations for an Oscar and a Golden Globe. Quayle also played significant roles in major studio productions such as The Guns of Navarone (1961), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), Operation Crossbow (1965), QB VII (1974), and The Eagle Has Landed (1976). For his extensive contributions to the arts, he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1952 and subsequently knighted in the 1985 New Year Honours List.
2. Early Life and Education
John Anthony Quayle was born on 7 September 1913 in Ainsdale, Southport, Lancashire, which is now part of Merseyside. His father, Arthur Quayle, was a solicitor from a Manx family, and his mother was Esther Kate Quayle (née Overton). He received his early education at Abberley Hall School, a preparatory school located in Abberley, Worcestershire. He then attended Rugby School, an all-boys independent boarding school. Following his secondary education, he pursued formal training for one year at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. His first professional stage appearance occurred in The Ghost Train at the Q Theatre, which he undertook while on holiday from RADA. After gaining experience performing in music halls, he joined the renowned Old Vic theatre company in 1932.
3. Second World War Service
During the Second World War, Anthony Quayle served in the Royal Artillery, initially joining the military as a gunner. He underwent training at the 70th Coast Defence Training Regiment and was commissioned as a second lieutenant on 7 January 1940. He was subsequently appointed as one of the area commanders for the Auxiliary Units in Northumberland. These units were established as "stay-behind forces" within the United Kingdom to operate in the event of a German invasion. Later in the war, Quayle joined the Special Operations Executive (SOE), where he served as a liaison officer working with partisans in Albania. His experiences during his service with the SOE reportedly had a profound impact on him, and he found it difficult to discuss them openly. He later channeled these experiences into a fictionalized account in his 1945 novel, Eight Hours from England. Additionally, he served as an aide to the Governor of Gibraltar during the time of the tragic air crash involving General Władysław Sikorski's aircraft on 4 July 1943. He documented his time in Gibraltar in his second novel, On Such a Night. By the conclusion of the war, Quayle had attained the rank of temporary major. In May 1946, he was officially mentioned in despatches in recognition of his gallant and distinguished services in the Mediterranean Theatre.
4. Career
Sir Anthony Quayle's career spanned various facets of the performing arts and literature, encompassing significant contributions as an actor and director in theatre, a prominent presence in film and television, and an author of novels and an autobiography.
4.1. Theatre
From 1948 to 1956, Anthony Quayle held a directorial position at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, where his work was instrumental in laying the groundwork for the eventual establishment of the Royal Shakespeare Company. As an actor, his performances in Shakespearean roles were highly acclaimed, including portrayals of Falstaff, Othello, Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, Henry VIII, and Aaron in Titus Andronicus, a production in which he notably performed alongside Laurence Olivier. Beyond Shakespeare, he also appeared in contemporary plays, taking on the role of Mosca in Ben Jonson's Volpone and Moses in Christopher Fry's play The Firstborn, where he starred opposite Katharine Cornell. He further collaborated with Cornell on an LP record, in which he played the role of poet Robert Browning in The Barretts of Wimpole Street.
Quayle made his Broadway debut in The Country Wife in 1936. Decades later, in 1970, he garnered significant critical acclaim for his starring role in Anthony Shaffer's highly successful play Sleuth, for which he was honored with a Drama Desk Award. In 1958, Quayle played James Tyrone in the first UK production of Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night at the Globe Theatre in London.
In the mid-1970s, he served as artist-in-residence at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He arrived in spring 1974 through a partnership with the Kennedy Center, starring in Henry Denker's The Headhunters, which rehearsed and premiered at the Clarence Brown Theatre before moving to the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theatre. Quayle was appointed professor in theatre in 1974, teaching classes as an artist-in-residence and serving as artistic director of the Clarence Brown Company, a professional theatre company in residence at the university. He also performed in Everyman that same year. In 1984, he founded the Compass Theatre Company, inaugurating it with a tour of The Clandestine Marriage, where he directed and played the part of Lord Ogleby. This production later had a run at the Albery Theatre in London. With the same company, he subsequently toured with several other plays, including Saint Joan, Dandy Dick, and King Lear, in which he took on the title role.
4.2. Film and Television
Quayle's film career commenced with an uncredited brief appearance as an Italian wigmaker in Pygmalion (1938). He went on to appear in numerous notable films, including Alfred Hitchcock's The Wrong Man and Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's The Battle of the River Plate (both 1956). Other significant roles include parts in Ice Cold in Alex (1958), Tarzan's Greatest Adventure (1959), The Guns of Navarone (1961), H.M.S. Defiant, and David Lean's epic Lawrence of Arabia (both 1962). He also featured in The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964). Quayle received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination for his portrayal of Cardinal Wolsey in Anne of the Thousand Days (1969). Often cast as a decent British officer, Quayle drew upon his own wartime experiences, bringing a degree of authenticity to these parts that distinguished his performances. He was a close friend of fellow actors Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, and Jack Gwillim; all four appeared together in Lawrence of Arabia.
His television appearances were extensive, including the Armchair Theatre episode "The Scent of Fear" (1959) for ITV, and the title role in the drama series Strange Report (ITC, 1969). He also played French General Villers in the television film adaptation of The Bourne Identity (1988). Quayle starred as Rubrius Gallius in the miniseries Masada (1981). Additionally, he served as the narrator for the BBC drama serial The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970) and the acclaimed aviation documentary series Reaching for the Skies (1988). He also appeared in the "Last Bottle in The World" episode of Tales of the Unexpected.
- Filmography**
| Year | Film | Role | Director | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | Moscow Nights | Soldier dictating letter | Anthony Asquith | Uncredited | |
| 1938 | Pygmalion | Eliza's Hairdresser | Leslie Howard | Uncredited | |
| 1948 | Hamlet | Marcellus | Laurence Olivier | ||
| 1948 | Saraband for Dead Lovers | Durer | Basil Dearden | ||
| 1949 | Train of Events | Violinist | Basil Dearden | Uncredited | |
| 1955 | Oh... Rosalinda | Gen. Orlovsky | Emeric Pressburger | ||
| 1956 | The Battle of the River Plate | Commodore Harwood | Emeric Pressburger | ||
| 1956 | The Wrong Man | Frank D. O'Connor | Alfred Hitchcock | ||
| 1957 | Woman in a Dressing Gown | Jim Preston | J. Lee Thompson | ||
| 1957 | No Time for Tears | Dr. Graham Seagrave | Cyril Frankel | ||
| 1958 | The Man Who Wouldn't Talk | Dr. Frank Smith | Herbert Wilcox | ||
| 1958 | Ice Cold in Alex | Captain van der Poel | J. Lee Thompson | ||
| 1959 | Serious Charge | Howard Phillips | Terence Young | ||
| 1959 | Tarzan's Greatest Adventure | Slade | John Guillermin | ||
| 1960 | The Challenge | Jim | John Gilling | ||
| 1961 | The Guns of Navarone | Maj. Roy Franklin | J. Lee Thompson | ||
| 1962 | H.M.S. Defiant | Vizard | Lewis Gilbert | ||
| 1962 | Lawrence of Arabia | Colonel Brighton | David Lean | ||
| 1964 | The Fall of the Roman Empire | Verulus | Anthony Mann | ||
| 1964 | East of Sudan | Private Baker | Nathan H. Juran | ||
| 1965 | Operation Crossbow | Bamford | Michael Anderson | ||
| 1965 | A Study in Terror | Doctor Murray | James Hill | ||
| 1966 | The Poppy Is Also a Flower | Captain Vanderbilt | Terence Young | ||
| 1966 | Misunderstood | Sir John Edward Duncombe | Luigi Comencini | ||
| 1969 | Mackenna's Gold | Older Englishman | J. Lee Thompson | ||
| 1969 | Before Winter Comes | Brigadier Bewley | J. Lee Thompson | ||
| 1969 | Anne of the Thousand Days | Thomas Wolsey | Charles Jarrott | ||
| 1972 | Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) | The King | Woody Allen | ||
| 1973 | Bequest to the Nation | Lord Minto | James Cellan Jones | ||
| 1974 | The Tamarind Seed | Jack Loder | Blake Edwards | ||
| 1976 | The Eagle Has Landed | Admiral Canaris | John Sturges | ||
| 1977 | Holocaust 2000 | Griffith | Alberto De Martino | ||
| 1979 | Murder by Decree | Sir Charles Warren | Bob Clark | ||
| 1988 | The Legend of the Holy Drinker | The Distinguished Gentleman | Ermanno Olmi | ||
| 1988 | Buster | Sir James McDowell | David Green | ||
| 1989 | Magdalene | Father Noessler | Monika TeuberGerman | Posthumous release | |
| 1990 | King of the Wind | Lord Granville | Peter Duffell | Posthumous release | |
| 1993 | The Thief and the Cobbler | King Nod | Richard Williams | Posthumous release, original version, voice |
- Television**
| Year | Film / Series | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Sunday Night Theatre | Othello | TV series, 1 episode: "We Live to Please" | |
| 1956 | Producers' Showcase | Various | Various | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1958 | Suspicion | Graham | Jack Smight | TV series, 1 episode: "The Man with the Gun" |
| 1959-61 | Armchair Theatre | Various | Various | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 1961 | BBC Sunday-Night Play | The General | Leo Lehmann | TV series, 1 episode: "A Reason for Staying" |
| 1961-65 | ITV Play of the Week | Various | Various | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 1963 | Man of the World | Dr. Moretti | John Llewellyn Moxey | TV series, 1 episode: "The Enemy" |
| 1964 | Drama 64 | Samurai | James Ferman | TV series, 1 episode: "Miss Hanago" |
| 1964 | Espionage | Philip | Michael Powell | TV series, 1 episode: "A Free Agent" |
| 1964 | The Saint | Lord Thornton Yearley | Peter Yates | TV series, 1 episode: "The Noble Sportsman" |
| 1966 | Court Martial | Colonel Julian Rodney | Peter Maxwell | TV series, 1 episode: "The House Where He Lived" |
| 1966 | Barefoot in Athens | Pausanias | George Schaefer | TV movie |
| 1967 | Playhouse | Daniel Bloch | John Gorrie | TV series, 1 episode: "The Waste Spaces" |
| 1968 | A Case of Libel | Colonel Douglas | Charles Jarrott | TV movie |
| 1969 | Destiny of a Spy | Colonel Malendin | Boris Sagal | TV movie |
| 1969 | Red Peppers | Mr. Edwards | Michael Mills | TV movie |
| 1969-70 | Strange Report | Adam Strange | Various | TV series |
| 1970 | The Six Wives of Henry VIII | Narrator | Naomi Capon John Glenister | TV series |
| 1973 | Jarrett | Cosmo Bastrop | Barry Shear | TV movie |
| 1974 | QB VII | Tom Banniester | Tom Gries | Miniseries |
| 1974 | Moses the Lawgiver | Aaron | Gianfranco De Bosio | Miniseries |
| 1974 | Great Expectations | Jaggers | Joseph Hardy | TV movie |
| 1974-75 | The Lives of Benjamin Franklin | Dartmouth | Glenn Jordan | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 1976 | The Story of David | King Saul | Alex Segal | TV movie |
| 1976 | 21 Hours at Munich | General Zvi Zamir | William A. Graham | TV movie |
| 1978 | BBC2 Play of the Week | The Old Man | David Jones | TV series, 1 episode: "Ice Age" |
| 1979 | The First Part of King Henry the Fourth | Sir John Falstaff | David Giles | TV movie |
| 1979 | The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth | Sir John Falstaff | David Giles | TV movie |
| 1981 | Manions of America | Lord Montgomery | Charles S. Dubin Joseph Sargent | Miniseries |
| 1981 | Masada | Rubrius Gallus | Boris Sagal | Miniseries |
| 1981 | Tales of the Unexpected | Kyros Kassoulas | John Gorrie | TV series, 1 episode: "The Last Bottle in the World" |
| 1981 | Dial M for Murder | Insp. Hubbard | Boris Sagal | TV movie |
| 1984 | Lace | Dr. Geneste | William Hale | Miniseries |
| 1984 | The Last Days of Pompeii | Quintus | Peter R. Hunt | Miniseries |
| 1984 | The Testament of John | John Douglas | Don Taylor | TV movie |
| 1985 | The Key to Rebecca | Abdullah | David Hemmings | TV movie |
| 1986 | The Theban plays, by Sophocles | Oedipus | Don Taylor | Miniseries, 1 episode: "Oedipus at Colonus" |
| 1988 | The Bourne Identity | Gen. François Villiers | Roger Young | TV movie |
| 1988 | Reaching for the Skies | Narrator | TV series, documentary | |
| 1989 | The Endless Game | Glanville | Bryan Forbes | Miniseries, 1 episode |
| 1989 | Confessional | The Pope | Gordon Flemyng | Posthumous release, miniseries, 2 episodes |
4.3. Writing Career
Anthony Quayle was also an accomplished author, publishing two novels and an autobiography. His first novel, Eight Hours from England, published in 1945, is a semi-fictional account of his wartime service with the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in Albania. His second novel, On Such a Night, released in 1947, draws on his experiences in Gibraltar. His autobiography, A Time to Speak, which provides insights into his life and career, was published posthumously in 1990.
5. Personal Life
Anthony Quayle was married twice during his lifetime. His first marriage was to the actress Hermione Hannen (1913-1983), and their union lasted from 1935 to 1941. In 1947, he married American-born actress Dorothy Hyson (1914-1996), who was affectionately known as "Dot" by her family and friends. Anthony and Dorothy had three children together: two daughters named Jenny and Rosanna, and a son named Christopher.
6. Awards and Honours
Sir Anthony Quayle received numerous accolades and state honours throughout his distinguished career, recognizing his significant contributions to the performing arts.
- Awards (nominations)**
- Awards (won)**
- Honours**
Quayle was mentioned in despatches during the Second World War for his gallant and distinguished services. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1952 Birthday Honours. In the 1985 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Knight Bachelor for his dedicated services to the Theatre. He was formally knighted by Queen Elizabeth II during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 5 March 1985.
7. Death
Sir Anthony Quayle died at his home in Chelsea, London, on 20 October 1989. He was 76 years old. The cause of his passing was liver cancer.
8. Legacy and Assessment
Sir Anthony Quayle left a significant and lasting influence on both theatre and film. His tenure as director at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre was pivotal in shaping the future trajectory of the Royal Shakespeare Company, laying crucial foundations for its development. On stage, he was widely celebrated for his commanding presence, remarkable versatility, and ability to excel in a diverse range of roles, from classical Shakespearean characters to contemporary dramas. In his film career, his distinctive ability to portray authoritative and often military figures with a compelling authenticity, drawing from his own wartime experiences, made him a memorable presence in major productions. His critical acclaim, highlighted by nominations for an Oscar and a Golden Globe, and his knighthood, collectively underscore his profound impact and highly respected standing within the performing arts industry.