Tom Courtenay
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Acting chameleon Sir Tom Courtenay, along with Sir
Alan Bates and
Albert Finney, became a front-runner in an
up-and-coming company of rebel upstarts who created quite a stir in
British "kitchen sink" cinema during the early '60s. An undying love for
the theatre, however, had Courtenay channeling a different course from
the aforementioned greats and he never, by his own choosing, attained
comparable cinematic stardom.
The gaunt and glum, fair-haired actor was born Thomas Daniel Courtenay
into modest surroundings on February 25, 1937, in Hull, East Yorkshire,
England, the son of Thomas Henry Courtenay, a ship painter, and his
wife, Anne Eliza (née Quest). Graduating from Kingston High School
there, he trained in drama at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.
His reputation as an actor grew almost immediately with his
professional debut in 1960 as Konstantin in "The Seagull" at the Old
Vic. Following tours in Scotland and London with the play, Tom
performed in "Henry IV, Part I" and "Twelfth Night" (also at the Old
Vic) before assuming the title role of Billy from
Albert Finney in the critically acclaimed
drama "Billy Liar" at the Cambridge Theatre in 1961. The story, which
tells of a Yorkshire man who creates a fantasy world to shield himself
from his mundane middle-class woes, was the initial spark in Tom's rise
to fame.
The recognition he received landed him squarely into the heap of things
as a new wave of "angry young men" were taking over British cinema
during the swinging '60s. Singled out for his earlier stage work at
RADA, he was eventually handed the title role in the war film
Private Potter (1963), but it was
his second movie that clinched stardom. Winning the role of Colin Smith
in
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962),
Courtenay invested everything he had in this bruising portrayal of
youthful desolation and rebellion. As a reform school truant whose
solitary sentencing for robbing a bakery leads to a reawakening and
subsequent recognition as a long distance runner, he was awarded a
"Promising Newcomer" award from the British Film Academy, It was
Courtenay then, and not Finney, who recreated his stage triumph as
Billy Fisher in the stark film version of
Billy Liar (1963). British Film
Academy nominations came his way for this and for his fourth movie role
in King & Country (1964). Vivid
contributions to the films
King Rat (1965), the ever-popular
Doctor Zhivago (1965), which
earned him his first Oscar nomination, and
The Night of the Generals (1967)
followed.
Despite all this cinematic glory, Courtenay did not enjoy the process
of movie-making and reverted to his first passion -- the theatre -- beginning in 1966. Displaying his versatility with roles in such
classic works as "The Cherry Orchard," "Macbeth" (as Malcolm),
"Charley's Aunt," "The Playboy of the Western World," "Hamlet," "She
Stoops to Conquer," "Peer Gynt" and "Arms and the Man," he still found
scattered work in films, including
The Day the Fish Came Out (1967),
A Dandy in Aspic (1968) and
Otley (1969), but none matched his earlier
brilliance. In 1971 he took a self-imposed, decade-long sabbatical from
filming.
Forming a sturdy association with the Royal Exchange Theatre in
Manchester that would last over a decade, he continued to impress with
lead roles in "The Rivals" and "The Prince of Homburg". Following his
huge success as the libidinous Norman in "The Norman Conquests" in
London, he made his Broadway debut with "Otherwise Engaged" (1977) and
earned a Tony nomination and Drama League Award in the process. It was
his second Tony-nominated triumph in "The Dresser" in 1980-1981,
however, that lured Courtenay back to films when he was asked to
recreate the role for the large screen.
The Dresser (1983) co-starred Tom as
the mincing personal assistant to an appallingly self-destructive stage
star played by Albert Finney
(Paul Rogers played the role with
Tom on Broadway) who struggles to get the actor through a rigorous
performance of "King Lear". Both British actors received Oscar
nominations but lost the 1984 "Best Actor" award to American
Robert Duvall.
Since then Tom has appeared on occasion in TV and film roles -- usually
in support. A few standouts include the films
Let Him Have It (1991),
Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? (1999),
Last Orders (2001) and
Nicholas Nickleby (2002), as well as the TV mini-series
A Rather English Marriage (1998),
for which he earned a British Television Award, Little Dorrit (2008) and the series Unforgotten (2015) for which he won a BAFTA award.
Over the years Sir Tom has excelled in solo stage shows as well. As a
chronic alcoholic in "Moscow Stations," he won the 1994 London Critics
Circle Theatre and London Evening Standard Theatre awards for "Best
Actor." In 2002, he wrote the one-man show "Pretending To Be Me," based
on the letters and writings of poet Philip Larkin. In the past decade
he has continued to distinguish himself on both the classical ("King
Lear," "Uncle Vanya") and contemporary ("Art") stages.
Courtenay's marriage to actress
Cheryl Kennedy lasted about a decade
(from 1973 to 1982). In 1988 he married Isabel Crossley, a stage
manager at the Royal Exchange Theatre in London. He has no children
from either marriage. In 1999, Sir Tom Courtenay was awarded an
honorary doctorate from Hull University and in 2000 published his
memoir "Dear Tom: Letters From Home", which earned strong reviews.
Knighthood came a year after that.
Alan Bates and
Albert Finney, became a front-runner in an
up-and-coming company of rebel upstarts who created quite a stir in
British "kitchen sink" cinema during the early '60s. An undying love for
the theatre, however, had Courtenay channeling a different course from
the aforementioned greats and he never, by his own choosing, attained
comparable cinematic stardom.
The gaunt and glum, fair-haired actor was born Thomas Daniel Courtenay
into modest surroundings on February 25, 1937, in Hull, East Yorkshire,
England, the son of Thomas Henry Courtenay, a ship painter, and his
wife, Anne Eliza (née Quest). Graduating from Kingston High School
there, he trained in drama at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.
His reputation as an actor grew almost immediately with his
professional debut in 1960 as Konstantin in "The Seagull" at the Old
Vic. Following tours in Scotland and London with the play, Tom
performed in "Henry IV, Part I" and "Twelfth Night" (also at the Old
Vic) before assuming the title role of Billy from
Albert Finney in the critically acclaimed
drama "Billy Liar" at the Cambridge Theatre in 1961. The story, which
tells of a Yorkshire man who creates a fantasy world to shield himself
from his mundane middle-class woes, was the initial spark in Tom's rise
to fame.
The recognition he received landed him squarely into the heap of things
as a new wave of "angry young men" were taking over British cinema
during the swinging '60s. Singled out for his earlier stage work at
RADA, he was eventually handed the title role in the war film
Private Potter (1963), but it was
his second movie that clinched stardom. Winning the role of Colin Smith
in
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962),
Courtenay invested everything he had in this bruising portrayal of
youthful desolation and rebellion. As a reform school truant whose
solitary sentencing for robbing a bakery leads to a reawakening and
subsequent recognition as a long distance runner, he was awarded a
"Promising Newcomer" award from the British Film Academy, It was
Courtenay then, and not Finney, who recreated his stage triumph as
Billy Fisher in the stark film version of
Billy Liar (1963). British Film
Academy nominations came his way for this and for his fourth movie role
in King & Country (1964). Vivid
contributions to the films
King Rat (1965), the ever-popular
Doctor Zhivago (1965), which
earned him his first Oscar nomination, and
The Night of the Generals (1967)
followed.
Despite all this cinematic glory, Courtenay did not enjoy the process
of movie-making and reverted to his first passion -- the theatre -- beginning in 1966. Displaying his versatility with roles in such
classic works as "The Cherry Orchard," "Macbeth" (as Malcolm),
"Charley's Aunt," "The Playboy of the Western World," "Hamlet," "She
Stoops to Conquer," "Peer Gynt" and "Arms and the Man," he still found
scattered work in films, including
The Day the Fish Came Out (1967),
A Dandy in Aspic (1968) and
Otley (1969), but none matched his earlier
brilliance. In 1971 he took a self-imposed, decade-long sabbatical from
filming.
Forming a sturdy association with the Royal Exchange Theatre in
Manchester that would last over a decade, he continued to impress with
lead roles in "The Rivals" and "The Prince of Homburg". Following his
huge success as the libidinous Norman in "The Norman Conquests" in
London, he made his Broadway debut with "Otherwise Engaged" (1977) and
earned a Tony nomination and Drama League Award in the process. It was
his second Tony-nominated triumph in "The Dresser" in 1980-1981,
however, that lured Courtenay back to films when he was asked to
recreate the role for the large screen.
The Dresser (1983) co-starred Tom as
the mincing personal assistant to an appallingly self-destructive stage
star played by Albert Finney
(Paul Rogers played the role with
Tom on Broadway) who struggles to get the actor through a rigorous
performance of "King Lear". Both British actors received Oscar
nominations but lost the 1984 "Best Actor" award to American
Robert Duvall.
Since then Tom has appeared on occasion in TV and film roles -- usually
in support. A few standouts include the films
Let Him Have It (1991),
Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? (1999),
Last Orders (2001) and
Nicholas Nickleby (2002), as well as the TV mini-series
A Rather English Marriage (1998),
for which he earned a British Television Award, Little Dorrit (2008) and the series Unforgotten (2015) for which he won a BAFTA award.
Over the years Sir Tom has excelled in solo stage shows as well. As a
chronic alcoholic in "Moscow Stations," he won the 1994 London Critics
Circle Theatre and London Evening Standard Theatre awards for "Best
Actor." In 2002, he wrote the one-man show "Pretending To Be Me," based
on the letters and writings of poet Philip Larkin. In the past decade
he has continued to distinguish himself on both the classical ("King
Lear," "Uncle Vanya") and contemporary ("Art") stages.
Courtenay's marriage to actress
Cheryl Kennedy lasted about a decade
(from 1973 to 1982). In 1988 he married Isabel Crossley, a stage
manager at the Royal Exchange Theatre in London. He has no children
from either marriage. In 1999, Sir Tom Courtenay was awarded an
honorary doctorate from Hull University and in 2000 published his
memoir "Dear Tom: Letters From Home", which earned strong reviews.
Knighthood came a year after that.