Cultural depictions of Henry IV of England
Encyclopedia
Literature
Almost two hundred years after his death, Henry became the subject of two plays (or one two-part play) by William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
, Henry IV, Part 1
Henry IV, Part 1
Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
and Henry IV, Part 2
Henry IV, Part 2
Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
, as well as featuring prominently (as Bolingbroke) in Richard II
Richard II (play)
King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
. As the Earl of Derby, he is also a character in Gordon Daviot's play Richard of Bordeaux
Richard of Bordeaux (play)
Richard of Bordeaux is a play by Gordon Daviot that depicts the story of Richard II of England in a romantic fashion, emphasizing the relationship between Richard and his queen Anne of Bohemia. Daviot wrote the play after seeing John Gielgud play Shakespeare's Richard II at the Old Vic Theatre,...
.
He is also a main character in Sara Douglass's The Crucible Trilogy, a work of historical fiction.
Film
Henry has been portrayed on screen by:- Ian KeithIan Keith-Life and career:Born Keith Ross in Boston, Massachusetts, Ian Keith was a veteran character actor of the legitimate theater, and appeared in a variety of colorful roles in silent features of the 1920s. His stage training made him a natural choice for the new "talking pictures"; he played John...
in The Black Shield of FalworthThe Black Shield of FalworthThe Black Shield of Falworth is a 1954 film made by Universal Studios, produced by Robert Arthur and Melville Tucker and directed by Rudolph Maté...
(1954), with Tony CurtisTony CurtisTony Curtis was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama... - John GielgudJohn GielgudSir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH was an English actor, director, and producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937...
in Chimes at MidnightChimes at MidnightChimes at Midnight, also known as Falstaff and Campanadas a medianoche , is a 1965 film directed by and starring Orson Welles. Focused on William Shakespeare's recurring character Sir John Falstaff, the film stars Welles himself as Falstaff, Keith Baxter plays Prince Hal , and John Gielgud plays...
(1965), a merger of several Shakespeare plays
Television
Henry has been portrayed a number of times on television, mainly in versions of Shakespeare's plays. In this context he has been played by:- Clement McCallinClement McCallin-Selected filmography:* Stolen Life * Edward, My Son * The Queen of Spades * Murder in the Cathedral * The Rossiter Case * The Lady with the Lamp * The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men...
in a BBC version of The Tragedy of King Richard II (1950) - Kent SmithKent SmithKent Smith was an American actor who had a lengthy career in film, theater, and television.Born Frank Kent Smith in New York, New York, Smith made his acting debut on Broadway in 1932 in and, after spending a few years there, moved to Hollywood, California, where he made his film debut in The...
in an American version of Richard II (1954) - Tom Fleming in the BBC series An Age of Kings (1960), which contained all the history plays from Richard II to Richard IIIRichard III (play)Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
- Erik Hell in Henrik IV (1964), a Swedish version of Henry IV
- Hartmut Reck in König Richard II (1968), a West German version of Richard II
- Timothy WestTimothy WestTimothy Lancaster West, CBE is an English film, stage and television actor.-Career:West's craggy looks ensured a career as a character actor rather than a leading man. He began his career as an Assistant Stage Manager at the Wimbledon Theatre in 1956, and followed this with several seasons of...
in another BBC version of The Tragedy of King Richard II (1970) - Sándor Lukács in II. Richárd (1976), a Hungarian version of Richard II
- Jon FinchJon FinchJon Finch is an English actor noted for many Shakespearean roles. Perhaps his most notable role was the title role in Roman Polanski's 1971 film adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth. His other famous role was as a down-and-out ex-RAF pilot wrongly accused of murder in Alfred Hitchcock's...
in the BBC Shakespeare version of King Richard the Second (1978) and both parts of Henry IV (1979) - Michael Cronin in the BBC series The Wars of the Roses (1989), which included all of Shakespeare's history plays performed by the English Shakespeare CompanyEnglish Shakespeare CompanyThe English Shakespeare Company was an English theatre company founded in 1986 by Michael Bogdanov and Michael Pennington to present and promote the works of William Shakespeare on both a national and an international level....
- Nikolai Lavrov in Richard Vtoroi (1992), a Russian version of Richard II
- Ronald PickupRonald Pickup-Life and career:Pickup was born in Chester, England, the son of Daisy and Eric Pickup, who was a lecturer. Pickup was educated at The King's School, Chester, trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and became an Associate Member of RADA.His television work began with an episode...
in a BBC film, Henry IV (1995), a version of Henry IV, Part 1 - Richard BremmerRichard BremmerRichard Bremmer is a British actor. He played Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and played Skeld in The 13th Warrior. He also had a role in the 2004 movie :Vipere au poing.-External links:...
in a British TV film, Richard II (1997) - Veit Schubert in another German version of Richard II (2001)
- Liam Brennan in another BBC film, Richard II (2003), broadcast live from the Globe TheatreGlobe TheatreThe Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613...
in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Henry has also been played on television by:
- Ralph TrumanRalph TrumanRalph Truman was an English actor, usually cast as either a villain or an authority figure. He possessed a distinguished speaking voice...
in a BBC adaptation of Richard of Bordeaux (1938) - John ArnattJohn Arnatt- Biography :John Arnatt was born in Petrograd on 9 May 1917. His parents were Francis Arnatt and Ethel Marion Arnatt . He attended Epworth College. Arnatt trained for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art...
in another BBC adaptation of Richard of Bordeaux (1955)
Video
- Henry was played by Barry Smith in a straight-to-video film adaptation of Shakespeare's Richard the Second (2001).
- Paul ShenarPaul ShenarPaul Shenar was an American actor.-Career:Shenar became involved in theater at an early age, partaking in the local Milwaukee playhouse productions. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United States Air Force. Following his military career he began acting again...
played him in an American video Richard II (1982), in an Elizabethan style stage production of the play.