Secret Dreams
A BIOGRAPHY OF MICHAEL REDGRAVE
Published on 7. July 2005
Book
Paperback/Softback
560 pages
978-0-7528-6548-5 (ISBN)
Description
Michael Redgrave ranks with Olivier, Gielgud and Richardson as one of the great British actors of the 20th century. Married to the actress Rachel Kempton, he also fathered a dynasty of actors, Vanessa, Corin and Lynn Redgrave and their children including actors Joely and Natasha Richardson. Redgrave played all the great Shakespearean roles, was considered the greatest English actor in Chekhov, and had an impressive film career (that included his debut in Hitchcock's celebrated THE LADY VANISHES). Then, in his prime, he contracted Parkinson's disease and was no longer able to learn new roles. He wrote his memoirs, but these were noted as much for what he left out, including details of his complex and unconventional private life. Strachan had exclusive access to the papers recently sold to the Theatre Museum, enabling him to write this 'splendid, thorough and insightful biography' [Literary Review]
Reviews / Votes
'When wrting this masterful biography of Michael Redgrave, author Alan Strachan was allowed access to the actor's diaries and papers. Consequently, the results are both detailed and fascinating.' -- Howard Maxford FILM REVIEWMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Orion Publishing Co
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 39 mm
Weight
510 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7528-6548-5 (9780752865485)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Alan Strachan is a noted theatre director (Noel Coward, Simon Gray as well as work at the National). He is also a writer on acting and contributes most of the theatrical obits to The Independent. Alan Strachan was born in Dundee and educated at Morgan Academy, St Andrews University and Merton College, Oxford. Although Secret Dreams is his first book he has written extensively on theatre and acting for newspapers and magazines. In the theatre he was associate director and literary editor at the Mermaid Theatre during Bernard Miles's tenure, where he directed Michael Redgrave's last appearance in a play, The Old Boys by William Trevor. The musical compilations he devised include Cowardy Custard and Cole. His theatrical productions include Julian Mitchell's adaptation of Ivy Compton-Burnett's novel, A Family and a Fortune, with Alec Guinness, and a revival of Noel Coward's Present Laughter with Donald Sinden. He is married to the actress Jennifer Piercey.