Cornelius was sure More was the Claverhouse he needed for 'Genevieve' and he was not disappointed. Kenneth More was born at 'Raeden', Vicarage Way, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire,[3] the only son of Charles Gilbert More, a Royal Naval Air Service pilot, and Edith Winifred Watkins, the daughter of a Cardiff solicitor. I won't change that - I'm 'A More' [as in 'amour', the French word for love]. He also got on well with his shipmates by helping them to write wonderfully romantic love letters home to their ladies. On the anniversary of his birthday, Kenneth More is remembered by his wife Angela Douglas and Nick Pourougides, founder … I believe we (the British film industry) should hit these hard.[17]. More went into 'The Crimson Harvest' (1946) at the Gateway Theatre in Notting Hill, and it was there that BBC producer Michael Barry saw him and offered him a contract to play in small television roles at the Alexandra Palace to help restart the BBC.Jenny Laird and John Fernald's 'And No Birds Can Sing' (1946) marked More's West End debut at the Aldwych Theatre, playing the part of the Reverend Arthur Platt. [33] Another memorial plaque was installed at the Duchess Theatre in London's West End (where More gave his acclaimed performance as Freddie Page in a production of Terence Rattigan's The Deep Blue Sea), at the instigation of the Kenneth More estate; the plaque was unveiled in 2019. Further honours were bestowed by the Variety Club of Great Britain as Most Promising International Star of 1955. In 2019, in collaboration with Talking Pictures TV, the Kenneth More estate helped to create and promote the first Kenneth More Day, marking the actor's passing on 12 July.[34]. It was the tenth most-popular movie at the British box office in 1958. It takes a little back. Roland Culver recommended More audition for a part in a new play by Terence Rattigan, The Deep Blue Sea (1952); he was successful and achieved tremendous critical acclaim in the role of Freddie. After leaving school at 17 he followed a family tradition and became an engineering apprentice with Sentinel-Cammell in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, earning one pound a week. [35] Stephen Fry called the book "informative and deeply touching". Kenneth More passed away on July 12th, 1982. Kenneth Gilbert More, CBE (20 September 1914 – 12 July 1982) was an English film and stage actor. It was so well received that it led to a live version being broadcast on the BBC. More received offers to go to Hollywood, but turned them down, unsure his persona would be effective there. More received a commission as a lieutenant in the Royal Navy, and saw active service aboard the cruiser HMS Aurora and the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious. Long time film star Kenneth More, who played Jolyon Forsyte, went on to star in various British films including the romantic fairytale The Slipper And The Rose (1976), and the Second World War classics Oh! A memorial service was held for him at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London on 20 September 1982. he is ranked in the list of 5287 most popular Movie Actor. Kenneth More : biography 20 September 1914 – 12 July 1982 More appeared in a 35 minute prologue to The Collector (1965) at the special request of director William Wyler however it ended up being removed entirely from the final film. Kenneth More recalled the production of the film in his autobiography, published 20 years later in 1978. He joined the "MV Lobus" and his naval career, which would progress to the Royal Navy, was finally underway. Muriel Pavlow as Thelma Bader, the wife of the war hero Douglas Bader, played by Kenneth More, in the 1956 film Reach for the Sky. More married his second wife Mabel Barkby in 1952, but … I thought they would be welcoming men into the services, but it wasn't like that at all. It's just the one that comes along. Producer Daniel M. Angel successfully sued More for libel in 1980, over comments made in his second autobiography. In 1960, Rank's Managing Director John Davis gave permission for More to work outside his contract to appear in The Guns of Navarone (1961). He had finally made his mark.It was a serious leading role initially turned down by Richard Burton which would make More a major star. [29], More and Douglas separated for several years during the 1970s, but reunited when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He was "demobbed" in 1946 as a lieutenant, having served on the light cruiser HMS Aurora as a Watch Keeping Officer and the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious as a Fighter Directions Officer. He was now established as one of Britain's biggest stars and Korda announced plans to feature him in two films based on true stories, one about the Transatlantic flight of Alcock and Brown in 1919 also featuring Denholm Elliott,[10] and the other Clifton James, the double for Field Marshal Montgomery. Determined to do his bit, he then volunteered to drive ambulances; this time he was successful. [12] He also did the narration for Korda's The Man Who Loved Redheads (1955). Like many stars of the 1950s, More had a regular stand-in--. Future plans by the Kenneth More estate include a retrospective and exhibition of More's awards, film-related material and personal papers, which are contained in the actor's archive. He then travelled to Canada, intending to work as a fur trapper, but was sent back because he lacked immigration papers. [5], More's popularity recovered in the 1960s through West End stage performances and television roles, especially following his success in The Forsyte Saga (1967). 'Genevieve' was the second most popular movie that year and went onto become a British comedy classic, winning Best British Film at the British Film Academy Awards.More channelled the same energy and zest for life he had shown as Claverhouse in his next performance as student Doctor Richard Grimsdake in the first of the much-loved Doctor in the House (1954) film series. [2], More wrote two autobiographies, Happy Go Lucky (1959) and More or Less (1978). However, at the end of his two-year "privileged apprenticeship" he chose instead to apply to the RAF along with a close friend, John Hulton-Harrop. On screen More had a small role in Dark of the Sun (1968) and a bigger one in Fräulein Doktor (1969). 1941) from his first marriage to. It would be More's last leading role on the silver screen. Who is the most beautiful Italian actress of all time? Several years late More took on another famous literary character playing the part of a Catholic priest who was adept at solving mysteries in G.K. Chesterton's Father Brown (1974). However, he started working with American co-stars and directors more often. The Kenneth More Theatre, named in honour of the actor, was founded in 1975, in Ilford, east London.[32]. Terence Rattigan's 'The Winslow Boy' (1970), Alan Bennett's award-winning 'Getting On' (1971), Jeremy Kingston's 'Sign of the Times' (1973) and Frederick Lonsdale's 'On Approval' (1977) followed, all of which reinforced More's popularity in his later years.He was made a CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in the Queen's New Year's Honours list of 1970. More tried to change his image with The Comedy Man (1963), which the public did not like, although it became his favourite role. As ship's Action Commentator he found an opportunity to hone his craft as an actor, keeping steady nerves when reporting action during conflict to the crew below decks. He appeared in a 35-minute prologue to The Collector (1965) at the special request of director William Wyler, but it ended up being removed entirely from the final film. Apparently, Kenneth Branagh's former lover Helena Bonham Carter was the one who introduced him to Lindsay Brunnock. Kenny, this'll probably be a huge commercial success, but don't go patting yourself on the back, because it's just like falling off a bloody log for you". However More did accept Korda's offer to appear in a film adaptation of The Deep Blue Sea (1955) gaining the Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival for his performance. Real love never dies. Financially all's well. More's earliest bit parts in films date from before the war, but around this time, he began to appear regularly on the big screen. [7][8] More recalls "the shooting of the picture was hell. On 20 September 2018, an official website was established by the Kenneth More Estate on the 104th anniversary of his birth. (1937), Stage Hands Never Lie (1937) and Distinguished Gathering (1937). Her father was born in Scotland in 1882, while her mother, a devout Roman Catholic , was born in Darjeeling in 1888 and may have been of Irish and either Armenian [4] [5] or Indian ancestry. In later years More called several of his films 'favourites' in the press, but it is the belief that 'Reach for the Sky' remained his preferred choice and greatest accomplishment on screen.Hugely popular films The Admirable Crichton (1957), A Night to Remember (1958), The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw (1958), North West Frontier (1959) and The 39 Steps (1959) galvanized his status as one of Britain's most sought-after actors of the decade. She was the only child of Ernest Richard Hartley, a British broker, and his wife, Gertrude Mary Frances (née Yackjee; she also used her mother's maiden name of Robinson). The first was how it represented the experiences he had as a struggling young actor, the second was how he was coming to terms with the present, his own age and the shifting trends of the industry. Douglas Bader who More had remained friends with throughout the years.1978 saw the release of his autobiography 'More or Less', reported to have sold 100,000 copies almost immediately upon release. More continued his theatre work until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. One face that became very familiar in our household was actor Kenneth More (1914-1982). It was a winning formula becoming the most popular film at the box office in 1954 securing More Best Actor at the British Film Academy Awards.1955 saw Kenneth More returning to the role of Freddie Page in a big screen version of Terence Rattigan's The Deep Blue Sea, playing alongside Vivien Leigh. However, nothing clicked between them during their first encounter. [21], He followed it for another with Ralph Thomas, a remake of The 39 Steps (1959), with a Hollywood co star (Taina Elg). No other British actor had come so close to that dependable, reliable quality of the great Hollywood stars – you would trust him through thick and thin. More had a good part as a British agent in The Clouded Yellow (1950) for Ralph Thomas.[6]. [24] He was one of many stars in The Longest Day (1962) and played the lead in a comedy We Joined the Navy (1962), which was poorly received. Kenneth More is one of the most successful Movie Actor. He had an American director (Raoul Walsh) and co-star (Jayne Mansfield), although the film was shot in Spain. The production was an enormous success and Kenneth More received great critical acclaim. His whole attitude to life was mine." In 1980, when he was being sued by producer Danny Angel for comments in his memoirs, he told the court he was retired. On demobilisation in 1946 he worked for the Wolverhampton repertory company, then appeared on stage in the West End in And No Birds Sing (1946). Official Sites, He fathered two daughters, Susan Jane More (b. One day he was called upon to help comic Ken Douglas on stage with a sketch, More playing the small part of a Policeman. I'm now in the last stages of playing the romantic fellow caught up with the girls. When the actor Kenneth More introduced the couple at a charity event as "Mr Roger Moore and his wife", she sued him too, for libel. Why would I want to change something as lovely as that?" The service was packed with family and friends alike, including Lauren Bacall, Dame Anna Neagle and Lady Joan Bader, widow of Sir Douglas Bader who had passed away the same year. Spent part of his childhood in the Channel Islands, where his father was general manager of Jersey Eastern Railways. It was an evening of poetry, prose and music entitled "Kenneth More Requests the Pleasure of Your Company". More also offered to send his fee to Bernard. New Zealand born Nyree Dawn Porter, who played Soames’s first wife, Irene, went on to star in several horror films and the crime-fighting TV series The Protectors (1972-73) with Robert Vaughn. More died on 12 July 1982, aged 67. A plaque commemorates More at 27 Rumbold Road, Fulham, his home at the time of his death. He married Mabel Edith "Bill" Barkby in 1952 (one daughter, Sarah, born 1954) but left her in 1968 for Angela Douglas, an actress (born, like More, in Gerrards Cross) 26 years his junior, causing considerable estrangement from friends and family. Some felt More's popularity declined when he left his second wife to live with Angela Douglas. More was not a trained actor and had not gone into show business to tread the boards. In 1971, she filed the first of 30 court cases over the next 15 years. My wife is well aware. [25] Film writer Andrew Spicer thought that "More's persona was so strongly associated with traditional middle class values that his stardom could not survive the shift towards working class iconoclasts" during that decade. More says he accepted the lead in the low-budget youth film, Some People (1962), because he had no other offers at the time. [20], In 1957, More had announced that he would play the lead role of a captain caught up in the Indian Mutiny in Night Runners of Bengal but the film was never made. He returned to the stage, following his "demob" from the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, in November 1946 at the Aldwych. It was another success in Britain but not in the US.[23]. Kenneth More was Jolyon Forsyte who left his pregnant wife for a lover, while Eric Porter was lawyer Soames who wed Irene (Nyree Dawn Porter).Their on-screen chemistry was the secret of its success. His easy-going appearance concealed nervousness which would cause him to have eczema on his legs. For this article, for the excerpt from the film, for your comments. Incidentally, he had brought the role back to life the previous year for BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1950) series. British actor Roger Moore with his wife Luisa Mattioli, Germany, 1970s. (1960), Loss of Innocence (1961) and We Joined the Navy (1962). In 1972 he took part in a protest at the House of Commons against the proposed introduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) into the United Kingdom. His first male part at the school was in. Read the address at the memorial service for, Despite the fact that his film career had stalled by 1962, he played the lead in. She was an actress, known for Crossroads (1964). But I have no ambition, you see, to play any particular part. [1958]. Why did he fall from view? More achieved a notable stage success in The Way Things Go (1950) with Ronald Squire, from whom More later claimed he learned his stage technique. |  It is of these films that Leslie Halliwell would appear to be writing, “Breezy British leading actor, a recognisable World War II type…” My late first wife, Jacqueline Hilll, played a significant role as the partner of a suicidal actor (Alan Dobie). It was in the fifties that Kenneth More’s film career took off, first in the situation comedies like Genevieve (1953) and the Doctor series, then in the more serious war films which were, though, still played for the occasional laugh or light relief. More's performance was once again praised by audiences and critics alike, leading to being awarded the prestigious Volpi cup for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival, as well as nominations for Best Actor at the British Film Academy Awards. 1946) ( divorced) ( 1 child). He could also be seen in The Franchise Affair (1951) and The Galloping Major (1951). - IMDb Mini Biography By: Korda also wanted More to star in a new version of The Four Feathers, Storm Over the Nile (1956) but he turned it down. He was educated at Victoria College, Jersey. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1970 New Year Honours. British exhibitors regularly voted More one of the most popular stars at the local box office in an annual poll conducted by the Motion Picture Herald:[5], Thompson, Harold. One of the few English performers to have a theatre named after him during his lifetime--Ilford's civic theatre, The Kenneth More Theatre, opened on the very last day of 1974--More made his first appearance at the theatre in April 1977. I just thought that defending my country was more important than being an actor, and I wanted to join the navy because my father had been in the navy. Neither of these momma’s are good/bad or right/wrong. I have a lot of time with my thoughts these days and sometimes they hurt so much I can hardly bear it. The TV Times awarded him Best Actor for his performance.Kenneth More had returned to the theatre as early as 1963, playing the part of Peter Pounce alongside Celia Johnson in Giles Cooper's 'Out of the Crocodile' at the Phoenix Theatre. More was unsuccessful, while Hulton-Harrop, who qualified as a first-rate fighter pilot, was shot down and killed by his own coastal defenses in one of the RAF's earliest sweeps over France. Served during World War II in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR). More would have been the first to admit there were other actors that could better perform the works of Shakespeare than he. Sean Connery with his first wife Diane Cilento DIANE CILENTO, KENNETH MORE, THE ADMIRABLE CRICHTON, 1957 DIANE CILENTO, KENNETH MORE, THE ADMIRABLE CRICHTON, 1957 https://www.alamy.com/licenses-and-pricing/?v=1 https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-diane-cilento-kenneth-more-the-admirable-crichton-1957-30963375.html It was the most popular British film of the year. This character resonated with him on two levels. Announced his retirement from acting in 1980 due to the onset of Parkinson's disease. Sir Roger George Moore KBE (14 October 1927 – 23 May 2017) was an English actor. Kenneth More's memorial service was held at St Martin-in-the-Fields on 20 September 1982, which also marked his birthday. ", Kenneth More's appearance on This Is Your Life, Remembering Kenneth More at A Gentleman's Jotter, BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kenneth_More&oldid=1018233648, People educated at Victoria College, Jersey, Commanders of the Order of the British Empire, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with Trove identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 1953 Nominated as Best British Actor (BAFTA) for, 1955 Won Best Actor at Venice Film Festival for, 1955 Won Most Promising International Star (Variety Club), 1955 Nominated Best British Actor (BAFTA) for, 1956 Nominated Best British Actor (BAFT) for, 1975 Recipient of silver heart for 40 Years in Showbusiness (Variety Club), 1957 – 2nd most popular international star, 1958 – 3rd most popular international star, 1961 – 3rd most popular international star, 1962 – 4th most popular international star, This page was last edited on 16 April 2021, at 23:14. He was made a CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in the 1970 Queen's New Year Honours List for services to drama. More's later stage appearances included Signs of the Times (1973) and On Approval (1977). He felt the part of Bader was one he was born to play as he mentioned in his autobiography, 'More or Less': "Bader's philosophy was my philosophy. Thank goodness my wife, who holds nothing of the past over my head, is constantly at my side. His first marriage in 1940 to actress Mary Beryl Johnstone (one daughter, Susan Jane, born 1941) ended in divorce in 1946. [26] Another writer, Christopher Sandford, felt that "as the sixties began and the star of the ironic, postmodernist school rose, More was derided as a ludicrous old fogey with crinkly hair and a tweed jacket."[27]. There was only one Mrs Roger Moore, Dorothy raged, and that was her. [28] Critic David Shipman said More's personal notices for his performance on stage in The Secretary Bird (1968) "must be among the best accorded any light comedian during this century".[19]. He had the occasional bit part in films such as Look Up and Laugh (1935). Kenneth More managed to embody courage and a sense of moral certitude with a relaxed, informal manner that made audiences warm to him immediately.From very early on in his career More was very conscious of his talents, what parts suited him as an actor and what did not. That same year Noël Coward cast More as a British Resistance Leader in 'Peace in Our Time' at the Lyric Theatre; a story of what might have happened if Britain had lost the Second World War. Initially achieving fame in the comedy Genevieve (1953), he appeared in many roles as a carefree, happy-go-lucky gent. The first was The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw (1958), a Western spoof originally written for Clifton Webb. For a small role in Scott of the Antarctic (1948) as Edward Evans, 1st Baron Mountevans, he was paid £500. An … We did not even have an exchange of letters between us, only what lawyers like to call "mutual trust", and the feeling that we could work together and achieve something worthwhile together. What he could do, he did very well. This was short-lived, however, as he received a letter in the spring of 1940 to join Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships. Raised to stardom by the veteran car based film-comedy Genevieve (1953), he appeared in many roles as a carefree, happy-go-lucky gent. Once he was a £5 a week actor in rep, now he was commanding £50,000 a film.At the height of his fame More was offered several opportunities to go to Hollywood but with the success he was enjoying at home he did not see the point, or even what he had to offer Tinseltown at this juncture.The 1960s saw More continue as a leading man in Sink the Bismarck! Kenneth More's memorial was held at St Martin-in-the-Fields on 20 September 1982, which also marked his birthday. Kenneth Gilbert More, CBE (20 September 1914 – 12 July 1982) was an English film and stage actor. His sister Kate was 18 months his senior. More was considered an 'institution in British entertainment' according to presenter Michael Parkinson whilst introducing him on his chat show in 1978.More announced his retirement in 1980 due to illness, at the time he was diagnosed with Parkinson's. [recalling his failed attempt to join the military in 1939, having been told that the navy had all the men it needed] I left feeling very puzzled and very disappointed. I strive to remember the ups rather than the downs. It was there that he took part in his first school play, "The Sport of Kings", playing the part of a red-haired girl. 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