Roger Rees

2.1. Childhood and education

Roger Rees was born on 5 May 1944, in Aberystwyth, Cardiganshire, Wales. His mother, Doris Louise (née Smith), worked as a shop clerk, and his father, William John Rees, was a police officer. The family later relocated to Balham, London, where Rees spent his formative years. Initially, Rees pursued studies in art, attending the prestigious Camberwell College of Arts and the Slade School of Fine Art. His transition into acting was somewhat serendipitous; while painting backdrops at the Wimbledon Theatre, he was asked to fill a part in a play, which marked his unexpected entry into the world of performance.

2.2. Early career

Rees's acting career began with significant engagements that quickly established his presence in the theatre. He continued his work with the esteemed Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), where he honed his craft. A notable early role was his portrayal of Malcolm in the critically acclaimed 1976 stage production and subsequent 1978 television adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, directed by Trevor Nunn. These early experiences with the RSC proved foundational to his development as a prominent stage actor.

3.1. Theatre career

Rees's theatre career was extensive and highly celebrated, earning him numerous accolades. He originated the title role in the landmark production of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, David Edgar's stage adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel. For this performance, he received the Laurence Olivier Award for Actor of the Year in a New Play in 1980 and the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1982. A recorded version of the play also garnered him an Emmy nomination in 1983.

His other significant stage roles include Henry in the original London production of The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard at the Strand Theatre in 1982. He was awarded an Obie Award for his 1992 performance in the Off-Broadway play The End of the Day. In 1995, he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play for his role as George in Indiscretions.

Rees continued his work in theatre throughout the 1990s and 2000s. He played Alfie Byrne in A Man of No Importance, an Off-Broadway musical, in 2002. In 2010, he took on the role of Vladimir in Waiting for Godot, performing in London's Haymarket Theatre and later touring in Australia, including performances at His Majesty's Theatre in Perth, Her Majesty's Theatre in Adelaide, and the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne. In 2011, he joined the Broadway musical adaptation of The Addams Family, replacing Nathan Lane as Gomez Addams and remaining with the production until its closing on 31 December 2011.

In 2012, Rees brought his one-man Shakespeare show, What You Will, to London's West End for a three-week engagement at the Apollo Theatre. He returned to Broadway in 2013 as Arthur Winslow in The Winslow Boy at the American Airlines Theatre. His final Broadway role was as Anton Schell in the musical version of The Visit, opposite Chita Rivera, which opened on 23 April 2015. He was forced to leave the production in May 2015 due to his illness.

Earlier in his career with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Rees also performed as Antipholus of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors (1976), Tusenbach in Three Sisters (1979), Semyon Semyonovich in The Suicide (1979), and Posthumus in Cymbeline (1979 for RSC, 1980 for Royal National Theatre). He also played Hamlet with the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1984.

3.2. Television career

Rees ventured into television in the 1980s, showcasing his versatility across various genres. In 1984, he appeared alongside Laurence Olivier in The Ebony Tower. That same year, he portrayed Fred Hollywell and served as the narrator in the television film A Christmas Carol, starring George C. Scott as Scrooge. In 1986, he played William Tyndale in God's Outlaw. From 1988 to 1991, he starred in the British sitcom Singles with Judy Loe.

He gained significant recognition in the United States for his recurring role as the English business tycoon Robin Colcord, a love interest for Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley), in the long-running American television series Cheers from 1989 to 1993. Another prominent role was that of British Ambassador Lord John Marbury in several episodes of The West Wing between 2000 and 2005.

His later television appearances included a role as substitute teacher Mr. Racine in My So-Called Life and James MacPherson in Warehouse 13. He also appeared in the miniseries Titanic as J. Bruce Ismay in 1996, and had roles in Boston Common (1997), Grey's Anatomy (2007), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2009), The Good Wife (2010), and Elementary (2012-2014). His final television role was as Governor Bradford in American Experience - The Pilgrims (2015), with a posthumous release in The Mayflower Pilgrims: Behind the Myth (2016).

3.3. Film career

Rees's film career began in the 1980s, featuring him in a variety of roles. He played Aram Nicholas in Star 80 (1983) and Fred - Scrooge's nephew in A Christmas Carol (1984). He is widely recognized for his comedic performance as the Sheriff of Rottingham in Mel Brooks' parody film Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993).

His later film appearances include roles in Frida (2002) as Guillermo Kahlo, The Prestige (2006) as Owens, and The Pink Panther (2006) as Raymond Larocque. Other notable film credits include If Looks Could Kill - Teen Agent (1991), Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992), Next Stop Wonderland (1998), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999), Return to Never Land (2002) as the voice of Edward, The Scorpion King (2002) as King Pheron, and The New World (2005). His final film role was Dr. Emil Balan in Survivor (2015).

3.4. Directorial work

Beyond his acting prowess, Roger Rees also made significant contributions as a director. From November 2004 to October 2007, he served as the artistic director of the Williamstown Theatre Festival, becoming only the fourth person to hold this position in the festival's half-century history.

As a director, he helmed Crispin Whitell's play, The Primrose Path, at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis in 2013. In 2014, Rees directed Dog and Pony, a musical written by his husband Rick Elice and Michael Patrick Walker, which premiered at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. He also directed Herringbone in 2012. Furthermore, Rees was the co-director (with Alex Timbers) of Peter and the Starcatcher, for which he received an Obie Award and a Tony Award nomination in 2012. He was slated to direct a new musical titled Magnificent Climb, written by Elice and Will Van Dyke, at MCC Theater in New York City in the fall of 2016, but his illness prevented this.

4.1. Citizenship and marriage

Rees resided in the United States for over 25 years, becoming a naturalized American citizen in 1989. He also converted to Judaism in the 1980s. In 2011, shortly after same-sex marriage in New York was legalized, Rees married his partner of 33 years, playwright Rick Elice.

4.2. Collaborations and personal recollections

Rees and Elice not only shared a personal life but also collaborated professionally. They co-wrote the comedic thriller Double Double. Elice also co-wrote (with Marshall Brickman) the libretto for The Addams Family musical, a production that Rees joined in 2011. In 2012, both Elice and Rees received Tony Award nominations: Elice for his stage adaptation of Peter and the Starcatcher and Rees for his co-direction of the same play. In October 2017, Elice published a memoir about his life with Rees, titled Finding Roger: An Improbably Theatrical Love Story, offering personal reflections on their life together.

5.1. Diagnosis and final performances

In October 2014, Roger Rees was diagnosed with brain cancer. Despite his diagnosis, he remained committed to his work, particularly his role opposite Chita Rivera on Broadway in The Visit, the final musical written by John Kander and Fred Ebb. While undergoing two brain surgeries, two courses of radiation, and ongoing chemotherapy, Rees managed to rehearse, preview, and open in The Visit on 23 April 2015. However, by mid-May, his condition made it too difficult for him to speak, and he had to leave the show.

5.2. Death and tributes

Roger Rees died at the age of 71 at his home in New York City on 10 July 2015. In his honor, on Wednesday, 15 July 2015, the marquee lights at all Broadway theatres were dimmed. His ashes were later scattered in the Atlantic Ocean. Two months after his death, a memorial service was held for him at Broadway's New Amsterdam Theatre.

6.1. Posthumous recognition

On 16 November 2015, Roger Rees was posthumously inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame on Broadway, acknowledging his enduring impact on American theatre. Prior to his death, he had also planned to perform his one-man Shakespeare show, What You Will, in New York in the autumn of 2015, and had hoped to return to the Royal Shakespeare Company for a stint in Don Quixote in 2016. He was also inducted as a full member into the exclusive entertainment fraternity, the Grand Order of Water Rats.

7.1. Film

7.2. Television

7.3. Theatre

• The Comedy of Errors (as Antipholus of Syracuse), Stratford-on-Avon and London, 1976
• Macbeth (as Malcolm), 1976
• Three Sisters (as Tusenbach) Stratford-upon-Avon London and tour, 1979
• "The Suicide" by Nikolai Erdman (as Semyon Semyonovich). Royal Shakespeare Company. 1979.
• Cymbeline (as Posthumus), Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-on-Avon 1979
• Cymbeline (as Posthumus), Royal National Theatre, 1980
• The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (as Nicholas Nickleby), Royal Shakespeare Company
  • Aldwych Theatre, London, June 1980 - June 1981
  • Plymouth Theatre, Broadway, September 1981 - March 1982
• The Real Thing (as Henry), London, 1982
• Hamlet as Hamlet, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford upon Avon, 1984
• Hapgood by Tom Stoppard as Kerner, London March 1988
• The End of the Day (as Graydon Massey), Playwrights Horizons, off-Broadway, 1992
• Indiscretions (as George), Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway, 1995
• A Man of No Importance (as Alfie Byrne), Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, off-Broadway, 2002
• Waiting for Godot (as Vladimir, replacing Patrick Stewart), Haymarket Theatre, London, 2010
• Waiting for Godot (as Vladimir), His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, 2010
• Waiting for Godot (as Vladimir), Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, 2010
• Waiting for Godot (as Vladimir), Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, 2010
• The Addams Family (as Gomez [Replaced Nathan Lane]), Broadway, 2011
• Peter and the Starcatcher (co-director with Alex Timbers), Broadway, 2012 (moved to an Off-Broadway theatre in 2013)
• What You Will (Actor, Writer, Director) Apollo Theater, London 2012
• Herringbone (Director) 2012
• The Primrose Path (Director), Guthrie Theater, 2013
• The Winslow Boy (as Arthur Winslow), American Airlines Theatre, Broadway, 2013
• Dog and Pony (Director) Old Globe Theater 2014
• The Visit (musical version; as Anton Schell), Broadway, 2015