Michael Hordern (3 October 1911 — 2 May 1995) was an English actor whose career spanned seven decades. He made more than 160 film appearances, usually in supporting character roles, and appeared in over 100 theatrical productions, most of them Shakespeare.

Stage credits

Hordern appeared as an amateur for several seasons at the St Pancras People's Theatre, while working at the Educational Supply Association, before he turned professional in 1937.[1][2]

Hordern's stage credits
Production[1][2] Date Theatre Role Notes
Othello March 1937 People's Palace, Mile End Lodovico
Arms and the Man 1937 Tour of Scandinavia and the Baltic capitals Sergius With Westminster Productions
Outward Bound 1937 Tour of Scandinavia and the Baltic capitals Henry With Westminster Productions
Various 1937–1939 Little Theatre, Bristol Various In repertory theatre
Without the Prince April 1940 Whitehall Theatre PC James Hawkins
A Doll's House January 1946 Intimate Theatre Torvald Helmer
Dear Murderer July 1946 Aldwych Theatre Richard Fenton
The Fairy-Queen December 1946 Covent Garden Theatre Bottom
Noose June 1947 Saville Theatre Captain Hoyle
Toad of Toad Hall December 1948 Memorial Theatre, Stratford-on-Avon Mr. Toad
A Woman in Love April 1949 Embassy Theatre Pascal
Stratton October 1949 Touring Rev John Courtenay
Toad of Toad Hall December 1949 Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-on-Avon Mr. Toad
Ivanov April 1950 Arts Theatre Nikolai Ivanov
Macbeth June 1950 Arts Theatre Macduff
Party Manners October 1950 Prince's Theatre Christopher
Saint's Day September 1951 Arts Theatre Paul Southman
Coriolanus 1952 season Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-on-Avon Menenius With the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company
As You Like It 1952 season Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-on-Avon Jaques With the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company
Volpone 1952 season Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-on-Avon Sir Politic Would-Be With the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company
Hamlet 1953 Edinburgh Festival Polonius
Hamlet 1953–1954 The Old Vic Polonius with the Old Vic Company
All's Well That Ends Well 1953–1954 The Old Vic Parolles with the Old Vic Company
Twelfth Night 1953–1954 The Old Vic Malvolio with the Old Vic Company
The Tempest 1953–1954 The Old Vic Prospero with the Old Vic Company
Nina July 1955 Haymarket Theatre Georges de Fourville
The Doctor's Dilemma October 1955 Saville Theatre Sir Ralph Bloomfield Bonington
What Shall We Tell Caroline? April 1958 Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith Tony Peters On a double bill with The Dock Brief; transferred to the Garrick Theatre in May 1958
The Dock Brief April 1958 Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith Morgenhall On a double bill with What Shall We Tell Caroline?; transferred to the Garrick Theatre in May 1958
Julius Caesar Oct 1958 The Old Vic Cassius with the Old Vic Company
Ghosts Oct 1958 The Old Vic Pastor Manders with the Old Vic Company
Macbeth Oct 1958 The Old Vic Macbeth with the Old Vic Company
The Magistrate Oct 1958 The Old Vic Mr Posket with the Old Vic Company
Moonbirds October 1959 Cort Theatre, New York Alexander Chabert
Oedipus Rex April 1960 Sadler's Wells Theatre Narrator
Playing With Fire June 1962 Aldwych Theatre Father with the Royal Shakespeare Company
The Collection June 1962 Aldwych Theatre Harry with the Royal Shakespeare Company
Troilus and Cressida October 1962 Aldwych Theatre Ulysses with the Royal Shakespeare Company
The Physicists January 1963 Aldwych Theatre Herbert Georg Beutler with the Royal Shakespeare Company
Saint's Day May 1965 Royal Theatre Paul Southman
Relatively Speaking March 1967 Duke of York's Theatre Philip
Enter a Free Man March 1968 St Martin's Theatre George Riley
A Delicate Balance January 1969 Aldwych Theatre Tobias with the Royal Shakespeare Company
King Lear October 1969 Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham King Lear Production visited The Old Vic, February 1970
Flint May 1970 Criterion Theatre
Jumpers 1972 The Old Vic George Moore with the National Theatre company
Richard II 1972 The Old Vic John of Gaunt with the National Theatre company
The Cherry Orchard May 1973 The Old Vic Leonid Gayev with the National Theatre company
Stripwell October 1975 Royal Court Theatre Graham Stripwell
Once upon a Time 1976 Bristol Old Vic Fedya
The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold 1977 Round House Theatre, Manchester Gilbert Pinfold then Round House Theatre, London, 1979
The Tempest 1978 Royal Shakespeare Theatre Prospero with the Royal Shakespeare Company
Love's Labour's Lost 1978 Royal Shakespeare Theatre Don Adriano de Armado with the Royal Shakespeare Company
The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold 1979 Round House Theatre Gilbert Pinfold
The Rivals 1983 National Theatre Sir Anthony Absolute
You Never Can Tell 1987 Haymarket Theatre William the waiter
Bookends 1990 Apollo Theatre
Trelawny of the 'Wells' 1992 Comedy Theatre


Filmography

Filmography of Hordern
Film[3][4][5] Year Role Notes
A Girl Must Live 1939 Cast member
Band Waggon 1940 Minor Role Uncredited
The Girl in the News 1940 Assistant Prosecuting Counsel Uncredited
The Years Between 1946 MP in the House of Commons Uncredited
A Girl in a Million 1946 Divorce counsel
School for Secrets 1946 Lieutenant-Commander Lowther
Mine Own Executioner 1947 Co-counsel at Felix's Hearing Uncredited
Night Beat 1947 Cast member Uncredited
Good-Time Girl 1948 Seddon, detective
The Small Voice 1948 Dr. Mennell
Third Time Lucky 1949 Second doctor Uncredited
Portrait from Life 1949 Johnson
Passport to Pimlico 1949 Bashford
Train of Events 1949 First plain clothes man (segment "The Actor")
The Astonished Heart 1950 Ernest
Trio 1950 Vicar (in segment The Verger)
Highly Dangerous 1950 Rawlings, director of laboratory
Flesh and Blood 1951 Webster
Scrooge 1951 Jacob Marley
Tom Brown's Schooldays 1951 Wilkes
The Magic Box 1951 Official receiver
The Card 1952 Bank manager Uncredited
The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men 1952 Scathelock
The Hour of 13 1952 Sir Herbert Frensham
Street Corner 1953 Detective Inspector Heron
Grand National Night 1953 Inspector Ayling
Personal Affair 1953 Headmaster Griffith
The Heart of the Matter 1953 Commissioner of Police
You Know What Sailors Are 1954 Captain Hamilton
Forbidden Cargo 1954 Director
The Beachcomber 1954 Headman
Svengali 1954 Billy's Uncle Uncredited
The Night My Number Came Up 1955 Commander Lindsay
The Dark Avenger 1955 King Edward III
The Constant Husband 1955 Judge
Storm Over the Nile 1955 General Faversham
The Man Who Never Was 1956 General Coburn
Alexander the Great 1956 Demosthenes
Pacific Destiny 1956 Gregory, resident commissioner
The Baby and the Battleship 1956 Captain Hugh
The Spanish Gardener 1956 Harrington Brande
No Time for Tears 1957 Surgeon
Windom's Way 1957 Patterson
The Dock Brief 1957 Barrister Wilfred Morganhall BBC - TV film
I Accuse! 1958 Prosecutor
The Spaniard's Curse 1958 Mr Justice Manton
Girls at Sea 1958 Admiral Hewitt
I Was Monty's Double 1958 Rusty
Sink the Bismarck! 1960 Admiral Sir John Tovey
Moment of Danger 1960 Inspector Farrell
Man in the Moon 1960 Dr Davidson
El Cid 1961 Don Diego
The Scales of Justice 1962 Opening Credits Narrator uncredited
The V.I.P.s 1963 Airport director
Cleopatra 1963 Cicero
Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow 1963 Sir Thomas Banks
The Yellow Rolls-Royce 1964 Harmsworth
Genghis Khan 1965 Geen
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold 1965 Ashe
Cast a Giant Shadow 1966 British Ambassador
Khartoum 1966 Lord Granville
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum 1966 Senex
The Taming of the Shrew 1967 Baptista
The Jokers 1967 Sir Matthew
How I Won the War 1967 General Grapple
I'll Never Forget What's'isname 1967 Headmaster
Prudence and the Pill 1968 Dr Morley Uncredited
Where Eagles Dare 1968 Vice-Admiral Rolland
The Bed Sitting Room 1969 Captain Bules Martin
Anne of the Thousand Days 1969 Thomas Boleyn
Futtocks End 1970 Butler
Some Will, Some Won't 1970 James Deniston Russell
Up Pompeii 1971 Ludicrus Sextus
A Christmas Carol 1971 Jacob Marley
The Possession of Joel Delaney 1972 Justin Lorenz
The Pied Piper 1972 Melius
Demons of the Mind 1972 Priest
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland 1972 Mock Turtle
Theatre of Blood 1973 George William Maxwell
The Mackintosh Man 1973 Brown
England Made Me 1973 F. Minty
The Three Musketeers 1973 Treville Voice, Uncredited
Girl Stroke Boy 1973 George Mason
Juggernaut 1974 Baker Uncredited
Royal Flash 1975 Headmaster
Mister Quilp 1975 Grandfather
Barry Lyndon 1975 Narrator Voice
Lucky Lady 1975 Captain Rockwell
The Slipper and the Rose 1976 King
Joseph Andrews 1977 Parson Adams
The Medusa Touch 1978 Fortune teller
Watership Down 1978 Narrator/Frith Voice
The Talking Parcel 1978 Oswald, the Sea Serpent Voice
The Wildcats of St Trinian's 1980 Sir Charles Hackforth
Ivanhoe 1982 Cedric
The Missionary 1982 Slatterthwaite
Gandhi 1982 Sir George Hodge
Oliver Twist 1982 Mr. Brownlow
Yellowbeard 1983 Dr Gilpin
The Wind in the Willows 1983 Badger Voice
The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood 1984 Rupert
Young Sherlock Holmes 1985 Older John Watson Voice
Comrades 1986 Mr Pitt
Lady Jane 1986 Dr Feckenham
Labyrinth 1986 Wiseman Voice
Suspicion 1987 Lord McLaidlaw
The Trouble with Spies 1987 Jason Locke
The Secret Garden 1987 Ben Weatherstaff
Diamond Skulls 1989 Lord Crewne
The Fool 1990 Mr Tatham
Beauty and the Beast 1992 Monsieur De Bois Voice
Freddie as F.R.O.7 1992 King Voice

Television

Filmography of Hordern
Programme Year Role Notes
Edward the Seventh 1975 William Ewart Gladstone Prime Minister during the later reign of Queen Victoria.
Tales of the Unexpected 1979 Cyril Bixby 1 episode[6]
Shōgun 1980 Friar Domingo 5 episodes
Gauguin the Savage 1980 Durand-Huel
Rod and Line 1982 monologues on fishing and philosophy Produced by Granada[7]
Sir Michael's House Party 1993 Himself Temporary host of Noel's House Party for one episode.[8]

Radio broadcasts

Radio broadcasts of Michael Hordern
Broadcast Date Role Notes Refs.
The Sunday Play: "Abraham Lincoln" 14 June 1947 Abraham Lincoln tbc [9]
Third Programme: "The Dock Brief" 16 May 1957 Wilfred Morganhall [10]

Radio drama series: Jeeves & Wooster

1973–1981 Jeeves 8 series and 1 short story
The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series) March-August 1981 Gandalf
Saturday Night Theatre: "Leave It to Psmith" 3 October 1981 Lord Emsworth [11]
Globe Theater: "The Miser" 28 September 1986 Harpagon [12]
Cadfael: "Monk's Hood" 1991 Narrator [13]
Cadfael: "The Virgin in the Ice" 1992 Narrator [14]
Drama on 3: "Hamlet, Prince of Denmark" 26 April 1992 Player King [15]
The Monday Play: "The Importance of Being Earnest" 13 February 1995 Lane [16]

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b Herbert 1978, p. 745.
  2. ^ a b Who Was Who 2014.
  3. ^ Pettigrew 1982, pp. 94–95.
  4. ^ "Michael Hordern". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  5. ^ Monaco 1991, p. 263.
  6. ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0717459/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm
  7. ^ "Rod and Line (1982)". BFI. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021.
  8. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Noel's house party. YouTube.
  9. ^ "The Sunday Play". BBC Genome Project. BBC. 6 October 1968. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  10. ^ "Broadcast - BBC Programme Index". 16 May 1957.
  11. ^ "BBC Programme Index". 3 October 1981.
  12. ^ "Broadcast - BBC Programme Index". 28 September 1986.
  13. ^ "BBC Radio 4 Extra - Cadfael, Monk's Hood".
  14. ^ "BBC Radio 4 Extra - Cadfael, the Virgin in the Ice, 5. Discoveries".
  15. ^ "Broadcast - BBC Programme Index". 26 April 1992.
  16. ^ "Broadcast - BBC Programme Index". 13 February 1995.

Sources

External links

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