![]() ![]() David Warner’s cinematic credits see him appearing in many genres: westerns, war films, romances, comedies, drama, fantasy, sci-fi, Shakespeare adaptations, children’s films, historical epics, and many many more. Most people will know him from the horror classic The Omen (1976) in which he played the ill fated photographer Keith Jennings never has the phrase “just a little off the top, please” been more appropriate! However, just because he is most recognised from that role doesn’t mean he was limited to the genre. He focused on film acting and it was just short of thirty years before he returned to the stage. I wanted to make them come back again, of their own free will.” Unfortunately, a disastrous production of I, Claudius in 1973 meant that Warner developed stage fright. He said “I thought surely kids today were the same as I was, not wanting Shakespeare shoved down their throats. Warner played Shakespeare’s prince as a student radical while it may have ticked off the older generation it resonated with the younger theatre goers. He spent most of his time on the stage during the sixties and took his Hamlet in a direction which may have upset some of the traditionalists. ![]() 1966 – Morgan, A Suitable Case For Treatment The following year saw him getting the title role in Karel Reisz’s Morgan, A Suitable Case For Treatment for which he was nominated for a best actor BAFTA. However, this didn’t stop him being cast as the lead in a 1965 RSC production of Hamlet and he rapidly became regarded as the finest stage Hamlet of his generation. Breaking ThroughĪt the beginning he wasn’t confident of his success as an actor as he was tall, and unsure of his looks and ability. Despite all this upheaval, he managed to get himself a place at RADA and eventually went on to join the RSC. His Russian-Jewish father packed him off to a variety of boarding schools and his mother disappeared altogether during his teens. Warner himself described his childhood as “troubled” and “messy”. Rather scandalously for the time, his parents were unmarried and he spent time between them. He is survived by his son Luke and daughter Melissa from his second marriage, to Sheilah Kent, and by his partner, Lisa Bowerman.Download the RunPee app for free: Read more about the RunPee app.ĭavid Warner – Early Days In 1963 at the RST in Stratford on Avon with Ian Holm and Ian Richardson – so much talent in such a small place.īorn in Manchester in 1941 his early life could generously be described as unsettled. He was married twice, first to Harriet Lindgren. Warner’s family said in tribute: “He will be missed hugely by us, his family and friends, and remembered as a kind-hearted, generous and compassionate man, partner and father whose legacy of extraordinary work has touched the lives of so many over the years.” The actor and writer Reece Shearsmith, who appeared with Warner in the comedy horror The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse (2005), described him as “immaculate and singular in every part he played”, adding that Werner was “always patient with me when I discussed his head coming off in The Omen”. In his later life, he lived at Denville Hall, a care home for retired thespians in Northwood, Hillingdon. Strange things happen, but it’s got the mood and the music and everything.” Peck, before one scene, just said: ‘If we can convince them with this, we all deserve Oscars.’” Elsewhere, he said of the movie: “What was so good about that picture was that there was no blood in it, really. Interviewed by Mark Gatiss for the BBC in 2010 and asked about the atmosphere on the set of The Omen, Warner replied: “There was no tongue in cheek, there was no sending up, it was played absolutely for real. He went on to join the Royal Shakespeare Company, making his professional stage debut at the Royal Court Theatre the following year, playing Snout in the Bard’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He had what he described as a “messy childhood”, during which his parents split up, and did not enjoy school, saying later that he “failed his exams” at all eight schools he attended.ĭespite a lack of interest in academic subjects, Warner found a passion for drama, attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (Rada), where he studied alongside a young John Hurt and graduated in 1961. ![]() Warner, who has died aged 80, had appeared in more than 200 plays, films and television dramas during a successful career spanning six decades.īorn in Manchester in 1941, Warner was the son of Ada Doreen Hattersley and Herbert Simon Warner, the owner of a nursing home. ![]() David Warner was a prolific actor, equally at ease on stage, television or on the silver screen, a star whose wide repertoire ranged from Shakespeare to Doctor Who and to films such as Tron and The Omen. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |