1. Theatre, Film, and Television Biographies
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Keith Michell Biography (1928-)

Born December 1, 1928 (one source says 1926), in Adelaide, South Australia; son of Joseph (a furniture manufacturer) and Maud Alice (maiden name, Aslat) Michell; married Jeannette Laura Sterke (an actress and art instructor), October 18, 1957; children: Paul Joseph, Helena Elizabeth Anne. Addresses:Agent--London Management and Representation, Ltd., 24 Noel St., London W1V 3RB, England.

Nationality

Australian

Gender

Male

Birth Details

December 1, 1928

Adelaide, Australia

Famous Works

• Credits; Stage Appearances
• Roger, Lover's Leap, Playbox Theatre, Adelaide, South Australia, 1947.
• Charles II, And So to Bed, New Theatre, London, England, 1951.
• Petruchio, The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company,England, Stratford-upon-Avon, 1954.
• Theseus, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company,1954.
• Tybalt, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company, 1954.
• Troilus, Troilus and Cressida, Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company, 1954.
• Macduff, Macbeth, Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company, 1955.
• Master Ford, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company, 1955.
• Orsino, Twelfth Night, Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company, 1955.
• Parolles, All's Well That Ends Well, Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company, 1955.
• Title role, Don Juan, Royal Court Theatre, London, England, 1956.
• Benedick, Much Ado About Nothing, Old Vic Company, London, England, 1956.
• Proteus, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Old Vic Company, 1957.
• Antony, Antony and Cleopatra, Old Vic Company, 1957.
• Aaron, Titus Andronicus, Old Vic Company, 1957.
• Nestor-le-Fripe and Oscar, Irma La Douce, Lyric Theatre, London, England,1958, then National Theatre, Washington, DC, 1960, and Plymouth Theatre, NewYork City, 1960.
• Vicomte de Valmont, The Art of Seduction, Aldwych Theatre, London, England, 1962.
• Don John, The Chances, Chichester Theatre Festival, Chichester, England,1962.
• Ithocles, The Broken Heart, Chichester Theatre Festival, 1962.
• Count, The Rehearsal, Royale Theatre, New York City, 1963.
• Robert Browning, Robert and Elizabeth, Lyric Theatre, 1964.
• The First Four Hundred Years, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Australia, 1964.
• Kain Sutherland, Kain, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, England, 1966.
• Henry VIII, The King's Mare, Garrick Theatre, London, England, 1966.
• The Fire of London, Mermaid Theatre, London, England, 1966.
• Don Quixote, Man of La Mancha, Piccadilly Theatre, London, England, 1968,then Martin Beck Theatre, New York City, 1969.
• Peter Abelard, Abelard and Heloise, Wyndham's Theatre, London, England, 1970, then Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, 1971, later Brooks Atkinson Theatre, New York City, 1971.
• Title role, Hamlet, Bankside Globe Theatre, London, England, 1972.
• Robert Browning, Dear Love, Comedy Theatre, London, England, 1973.
• The director, Tonight We Improvise, Chichester Theatre Festival, 1973.
• Title role, Oedipus Tyrannus, Chichester Theatre Festival, 1973.
• Keith Michell in Concert (solo show), Chichester Theatre Festival, 1973.
• Title role, Cyrano de Bergerac Chichester Theatre Festival, 1975, then Hong Kong Arts Festival, Hong Kong, 1976.
• Iago, Othello, Chichester Theatre Festival, 1975, then Hong Kong Arts Festival, 1976.
• Major Mathieu, Monsieur Perichon's Travels, Chichester Theatre Festival,1976.
• Becket, Murder in the Cathedral, Chichester Theatre Festival, 1977.
• Magnus, The Apple Cart, Chichester Theatre Festival, then Phoenix Theatre, London, England, both 1977.
• Sherlock Holmes, The Crucifer of Blood, Haymarket Theatre Royal, London,England, 1979.
• Oscar Jaffe, On the Twentieth Century, Her Majesty's Theatre, London, England, 1980.
• Pete McGynty, Pete McGynty and the Dreamtime (also known as Pete McGynty), Melbourne Theatre Company, Melbourne, Australia, 1981.
• The Captain Beaky Christmas Show, Lyric Theatre, then Shaftesbury AvenueTheatre, both London, England, 1981-82.
• On the Rocks, Chichester Theatre Festival, 1982.
• Prospero, The Tempest, Brisbane, Australia, 1982.
• Georges, La Cage aux Folles, Palace Theatre, San Francisco, CA, later NewYork City, both 1984.
• Rochester, Jane Eyre, Chichester Theatre Festival, 1986.
• Portraits, Malvern Festival, 1987.
• Sir W. Gordon Cumming, The Royal Baccarat Scandal, Chichester Theatre Festival, 1988, then Haymarket Theatre Royal, 1989.
• Henry VIII, Chichester Theatre Festival, 1991.
• Aspects of Love, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and Toronto, Ontario, Canada,1991-92, then Civic Theatre, Chicago, IL, 1992.
• Scrooge, Melbourne, Australia, 1993.
• Caesar and Cleopatra, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 1994.
• Brazilian Blue, Brisbane, Australia, 1995.
• Monsieur Amilcar (also known as Minerva), Chichester Theatre Festival, 1995.
• Also appeared in a solo show at the Keith Michell Theatre, Port Pirie, Australia, 1982.
• Credits; Major Tours
• Bassanio, The Merchant of Venice, Young Vic Theatre Company, British andEuropean cities, 1950-51.
• Duckworth, Black Arrow, Young Vic Theatre Company, British and European cities, 1950-51.
• Merrythought, Knight of the Burning Pestle, Young Vic Theatre Company, British and European cities, 1950-51.
• Orlando, As You Like It, Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company, Australiancities, 1952-53.
• Hotspur, Henry IV, Part I, Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company, Australian cities, 1952-53.
• Thomas, The Lady's Not for Burning, New Zealand Players Company, New Zealand cities, 1954.
• The First Four Hundred Years, Australian and New Zealand cities, 1964.
• Magnus, The Apple Cart, Chichester Festival Company, European cities, 1977, Australian cities, 1978.
• Title role, Othello, Chichester Festival Company, European cities, 1977,Australian cities, 1978.
• Amadeus, British cities, 1983.
• Georges, La Cage aux Folles, U.S. and Australian cities, including Sydney, Australia, and Melbourne, Australia, 1984-85.
• Augustus John, Portraits, British cities, 1987.
• Credits; Stage Work
• Coproducer, Kain, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, 1966.
• Director, A Month in the Country, Chichester Theatre Festival, 1973.
• Director, The Confederacy, Chichester Theatre Festival, 1973.
• Director and designer, Twelfth Night, Chichester Theatre Festival, 1976.
• Director and designer, Monsieur Perichon's Travels, Chichester Theatre Festival, 1976.
• Director and designer, In Order of Appearance, Chichester Theatre Festival, 1977.
• Director and designer, Murder in the Cathedral, Chichester Cathedral, Chichester, England, 1977.
• Director and designer, Henry VIII, Chichester Theatre Festival, 1991.
• Credits; Film Appearances
• Harry Bell, True As a Turtle, Rank, 1957.
• Colonel St. Gerard, Dangerous Exile, Rank, 1958.
• Sir Paul Deverill, The Gypsy and the Gentleman, Rank, 1958.
• Cass Michaels, All Night Long, Rank, 1961.
• Jason, The Hellfire Club, Embassy, 1963.
• Malcolm Marsh, Seven Seas to Calais (also known as Il Re Dei Sette Mari),Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1963.
• Dr. Alan Hewitt, Prudence and the Pill, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1968.
• Hubert Morillon, House of Cards, Universal, 1969.
• Adam Booth, The Executioner, Columbia, 1970.
• King Henry VIII, Henry VIII and His Six Wives, Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer/EMI,1972.
• Moments, Pemini Organisation, 1974.
• Voice characterization, Grendel, Grendel, Grendel (animated), Victorian Film Corporation, 1981.
• Preston Turner, Cross Creek, Universal, 1983.
• Colonel Wilson, The Deceivers, Cinecom, 1988.
• Credits; Television Appearances; Miniseries
• Mark Antony, "Julius Caesar," Spread of the Eagle, BBC, then broadcast onThe Shakespeare Plays, PBS, 1979.
• Mark Antony, "Antony and Cleopatra," Spread of the Eagle, BBC, 1963.
• "Coriolanus," Spread of the Eagle, BBC, 1963.
• Henry VIII, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, BBC, 1970, then CBS, 1971, laterbroadcast on Masterpiece Theatre, PBS, 1972.
• Captain James Cook, Captain Cook, 1988, then TNT, 1989.
• Credits; Television Appearances; Movies
• Jacob, The Story of Jacob and Joseph, ABC, 1974.
• King David, The Story of David, ABC, 1976.
• Matthew Poole, The Tenth Month, CBS, 1979.
• Pontius Pilate, The Day Christ Died, CBS, 1980.
• The Miracle, 1985.
• Credits; Television Appearances; Specials
• Professor Henry Higgins, Pygmalion, BBC, 1956.
• Rudolph, The Mayerling Affair, BBC, 1956.
• Gaston, Traveller without Luggage, ATV, 1959.
• Paul, Guardian Angel, ITV, 1960.
• Hector, Tiger at the Gates, ITV, 1960.
• Heathcliff, Wuthering Heights, BBC, 1962.
• Clarry, The Shifting Heart, ITV, 1962.
• Cordiner, The Bergonzi Hand, BBC, 1963.
• Ring 'round the Moon, BBC, 1964.
• John Churchill, "Soldier in Love," Hallmark Hall of Fame, NBC, 1967.
• Caliban, The Tempest, 1968.
• Sir Robert Chiltern, An Ideal Husband (also known as The Ideal Husband),1970.
• Keith Michell in Concert at Chichester (also known as Keith Michell at Chichester), 1974.
• Robin Oakapple, Ruddigore, PBS, 1985.
• Backstage at Masterpiece Theatre: A 20th Anniversary Special, PBS, 1991.
• Appeared as Grand Inquisitor, The Gondoliers, PBS; Major General Stanley,The Pirates of Penzance, PBS; and The Story of the Marlboroughs, BBC. Also appeared as Captain Beaky, Captain Beaky and His Band; Captain Beaky, CaptainBeaky Volume 2; Robert Browning, Dear Love; and Kain Sutherland, Kain. Also appeared in The Keith Michell Special; The Keith Michell Christmas Show; KeithMichell at the Shows; Act of Violence, The Great Impersonation; and Loyalties.
• Credits; Television Appearances; Series
• My Brother Tom, {Australia}, 1987.
• Dennis Stanton, Murder, She Wrote, CBS, 1990-91.
• Credits; Television Appearances; Episodic
• Appeared in The Morecambe and Wise Show, British television.
• Credits; Albums
• Albums include Ancient and Modern, Spark; At the Shows, Spark; Words, Words, Words, Spark; Captain Beaky and His Band; Captain Beaky Volume 2; and TheSonnets and the Prophets.
• Writings;Stage Plays
• In Order of Appearance, Chichester Theatre Festival, 1977.
• Pete McGynty and the Dreamtime (also known as Pete McGynty; adapted fromPeer Gynt by Henrik Ibsen), Melbourne Theatre Company, Melbourne, 1981.
• Writings;Cookbooks
• (And illustrator) Practically Macrobiotic: Ingredients, Preparation, andCooking of More Than 200 Delicious Macrobiotic Recipes, Thorsons Publishing Group (Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England, and Rochester, VT), 1987.
• Writings;Poetry
• Editor and illustrator, William Shakespeare, Twelve Shakespeare Sonnets,1981.

Further Reference

Periodicals:

• Los Angeles Magazine, June, 1992, p. 125.
• Variety, May 25, 1992, p. 60.