Donald Wolfit

Appeared in three films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Room at the Top (1959), Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Becket (1964). Of those, Lawrence of Arabia (1962) is a winner in the category.

One of the great British stage actors of his era Donald Wolfit was noted for his magnificent portrayals of King Lear and Tamburlaine. Yet no actor of his generation was surrounded by more controversy. He was temperamental and difficult to deal with, enraged by criticism and tyrannical with the companies he led. Although his talent was never in any doubt, critics often condemned his companies' poor supporting players and tasteless costumes. Even in death he had his critics. Wolfit appeared in numerous theatre seasons at the Old Vic and Stratford-upon-Avon but preferred the life of a touring player and as the star of a vagabond troupe. He also appeared in many films and television plays. One of his most barnstorming performances was in the title role of the film Svengali (1954) in which, with his hypnotic real-life stare, he puts Hildegard Knef into a permanent trance. The money from his film work helped to finance many of his stage productions.

Often derided as a ham actor because, although he was good, his company was full of nondescript actors, none of whom would be able to outshine the star. He gave his name to the character "Wolfit" in the ground-breaking 1950s radio comedy "The Goon Show" played by Spike Milligan who reprised the character in the 1956 film The Case of the Mukkinese Battle-Horn (1956) where a 'resting' silent actor accidentally goes into the Police station instead of the Labour Exchange.

In 1948, Donald finally married his longtime co-star, actress Rosalind Iden, who was the daughter of British director, actor and educator B. (Ben) Iden Payne (1881-1976) and Edwardian actress Mona Limerick. Dr. Payne was internationally known as a Shakespearean director and for his modified Elizabethan staging. He directed both Donald and his daughter in Stratford Festival productions of "Troilus and Cressida" and "Much Ado About Nothing" in 1936. Dr. Payne was also the source of inspiration for the character of "The Old Actor" in Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt's long-running musical "The Fantasticks".

Third wife Rosalind co-starred on Broadway with Donald in 1947 playing Cordelia to his Lear, Rosalind to his Touchstone, Portia to his Shylock, and Ophelia to his Hamlet.

At the time that Laurence Olivier first played Richard III onstage in 1944, Wolfit's Richard had set the standard and was considered definitive, but Olivier's portrayal easily surpassed Wolfit's, and became the new standard by which other performances of the role have been judged.

Sir Donald's first professional acting work was done in the 1920s, in the company of a now-forgotten actor-manager named Charles Doran. Sir Ralph Richardson got his start in the same company and at the same time. The two future actor-knights were not friends.