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Clunes, Alec : ALS to Geoffrey Robinson

Wimbledon, December 7, 1958.

1 p. With tape residue along left front margin. From a collection of letters and papers amassed by illustrator and painter Geoffrey Robinson during his years as a publisher with Rockliff, John Baker, Maclaren, et al.From Wikipedia: Alec Clunes (17 May 1912 Brixton, London-13 March 1970 London) was a British actor-manager. During the 1940's and 1950's, there were few greater classical actors in Britain than Alec Clunes. He was born into a showbusiness family, the son of Alexander and Georgina Clunes. He began his stage career with Ben Greet's company, before playing at the Old Vic theatre. He played numerous Shakespearian roles, before taking over the management of the Arts Theatre, London in 1942, where he remained until 1950. Among the plays he presented were Christopher Fry's famous play The Lady's Not For Burning. He gave the actor and dramatist Sir Peter Ustinov his first break with his production The House of Regrets.He was a matinee idol for much of his life in the theatre. His film career was brief, but varied. He played Hastings in Laurence Olivier's melodramatic Richard III (1956), but he was equally at home in stiff upper lip wartime classics such as One of Our Aircraft is Missing (1942).Clunes later stage work included succeeding Sir Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins in the stage musical My Fair Lady in 1959. His final stage appearance was in 1968.Off stage, he was an intellectual man, widely read with a deep knowledge of theatre tradition. A theatrical great, who was often compared with his contemporaries Sir Laurence Olivier and Sir John Gielgud.He was twice married: 1. Stella Richman; 2. Daphne Alcot (1956-13 March 1970) (one son). He died from lung cancer in 1970, aged 57. He left a widow and a son, the actor Martin Clunes.

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