Donald Seawell
Encyclopedia
Donald R. Seawell was born in Jonesboro, North Carolina
. His father was Aaron A. F. Seawell
, a Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court
. He graduated from the University of North Carolina
, and UNC Law School
. In 1941 he married Broadway
actress, Eugenia Rawls
, who played Tallulah Bankhead
's daughter in The Little Foxes
. They had two children.
During World War II
, Donald Seawell worked on General Dwight D. Eisenhower
's SHAEF
staff in counterintelligence. After the war, he served briefly as assistant Ambassador
to France
.
Entering private law practice
in New York
, he gathered many theatrical clients including, Tallulah Bankhead
, Alfred Lunt
and Lynn Fontanne
. He also maintained law offices in London
and Tel Aviv
, and was involved in writing the charter for the State of Israel
. Seawell's theatrical clients led to his becoming a Broadway producer, and his shows included: Noel Coward
's Sail Away
, The Affair, and A Thurber Carnival
. He was the first producer to bring the Royal Shakespeare Company
(RSC) to the United States
in a 1962 production of The Hollow Crown
. He later became a Governor of the RSC as well as Chairman of the American National Theatre and Academy. In 2002 he was awarded the honorary title, Order of the British Empire (OBE), by Queen Elizabeth II.
Seawell was one of three producers of Bonard Productions, the others being the actress Haila Stoddard
, and The Denver Post
owner Helen Bonfils. In the 1960s he joined forces with Ms. Bonfils to become Secretary-Treasurer of the Denver Post. After Helen Bonfils' death, he became Publisher of the paper.
Using funds from the Bonfils Foundation, he created The Denver Center for the Performing Arts
in the late 1970s. He retired as active chairman of the center in 2007 at the age of 94.
Lee County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 49,040 people, 18,466 households, and 13,369 families residing in the county. The population density was 191 people per square mile . There were 19,909 housing units at an average density of 77 per square mile...
. His father was Aaron A. F. Seawell
Aaron A. F. Seawell
Aaron Ashley Flowers Seawell was a North Carolina politician and jurist. The son of A. A. F. and Jeannette L. Seawell, he graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1884 and later studied law there....
, a Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court
North Carolina Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of North Carolina is the state's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists of six associate justices and one chief justice, although the number of justices...
. He graduated from the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
, and UNC Law School
University of North Carolina School of Law
The University of North Carolina School of Law is a professional school within the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Established in 1845, Carolina Law is among the oldest law schools in the nation and is the oldest law school in North Carolina. It is consistently ranked in the top-tier...
. In 1941 he married Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
actress, Eugenia Rawls
Eugenia Rawls
Eugenia Rawls was an American actress.After attending the University of North Carolina, she moved to New York and made her Broadway debut in 1934 as Peggy Rogers in Lillian Hellman's The Children's Hour...
, who played Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Brockman Bankhead was an award-winning American actress of the stage and screen, talk-show host, and bonne vivante...
's daughter in The Little Foxes
The Little Foxes
The Little Foxes is a 1939 play by Lillian Hellman. Its title comes from Chapter 2, Verse 15 in the Song of Solomon in the King James version of the Bible, which reads, "Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes." Set in a small town in Alabama in...
. They had two children.
Career
Seawell was hired to work at the Securities and Exchange Commission by the newly appointed head of the organization, Joseph P. Kennedy. Kennedy had heard Donald Seawell's unflattering comment about him on the radio, where the young lawyer said, "It takes a thief to catch a thief." He was impressed by Seawell's candor, if not his character assessment, and wanted him on his team.During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Donald Seawell worked on General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
's SHAEF
Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force
Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force , was the headquarters of the Commander of Allied forces in north west Europe, from late 1943 until the end of World War II. U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was in command of SHAEF throughout its existence...
staff in counterintelligence. After the war, he served briefly as assistant Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Entering private law practice
Practice of law
In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the professional services of a lawyer or attorney at law, barrister,...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, he gathered many theatrical clients including, Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Brockman Bankhead was an award-winning American actress of the stage and screen, talk-show host, and bonne vivante...
, Alfred Lunt
Alfred Lunt
Alfred Lunt was an American stage director and actor, often identified for a long-time professional partnership with his wife, actress Lynn Fontanne...
and Lynn Fontanne
Lynn Fontanne
Lynn Fontanne was a British actress and major stage star in the United States for over 40 years. She teamed with her husband Alfred Lunt.She lived in the United States for more than 60 years but never relinquished her British citizenship. Lunt and Fontanne shared a special Tony Award in 1970...
. He also maintained law offices in London
London
London 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...
and Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, and was involved in writing the charter for the State of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Seawell's theatrical clients led to his becoming a Broadway producer, and his shows included: Noel Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
's Sail Away
Sail Away (musical)
Sail Away is a musical with a book, music and lyrics by Noël Coward. The show was the last musical for which Coward wrote both the book and music, although he wrote the music for one last "book" musical in 1963. The story centers around brash, bold American divorcee Mimi Paragon, working as a...
, The Affair, and A Thurber Carnival
A Thurber Carnival
A Thurber Carnival is a revue by James Thurber, adapted by the author from his stories, cartoons and casuals , nearly all of which originally appeared in The New Yorker. It was directed by Burgess Meredith...
. He was the first producer to bring the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
(RSC) to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in a 1962 production of The Hollow Crown
The Hollow Crown
The Hollow Crown is an anthology, devised by John Barton in 1961, which presents in dramatic form, speeches, documents, gossip and music, associated with the British monarchy from William the Conqueror up to Queen Victoria. A videotape of a broadcast can be seen at The Paley Center for Media in...
. He later became a Governor of the RSC as well as Chairman of the American National Theatre and Academy. In 2002 he was awarded the honorary title, Order of the British Empire (OBE), by Queen Elizabeth II.
Seawell was one of three producers of Bonard Productions, the others being the actress Haila Stoddard
Haila Stoddard
Haila Stoddard was an American actor, producer, writer and director. During her career as an actress, Stoddard appeared in a number of plays, movies, and television series, including sixteen years as Pauline Rysdale in The Secret Storm from 1954 to 1970...
, and The Denver Post
The Denver Post
-Ownership:The Post is the flagship newspaper of MediaNews Group Inc., founded in 1983 by William Dean Singleton and Richard Scudder. MediaNews is today one of the nation's largest newspaper chains, publisher of 61 daily newspapers and more than 120 non-daily publications in 13 states. MediaNews...
owner Helen Bonfils. In the 1960s he joined forces with Ms. Bonfils to become Secretary-Treasurer of the Denver Post. After Helen Bonfils' death, he became Publisher of the paper.
Using funds from the Bonfils Foundation, he created The Denver Center for the Performing Arts
Denver Center for the Performing Arts
The Denver Center for the Performing Arts ' is an organization in Denver, Colorado which provides a showcase for live theatre, a nurturing ground for new plays, a preferred stop on the Broadway touring circuit, a graduate-level training school for actors, acting classes for the community and rental...
in the late 1970s. He retired as active chairman of the center in 2007 at the age of 94.
Awards
- B'nai B'rithB'nai B'rithB'nai B'rith International |Covenant]]" is the oldest continually operating Jewish service organization in the world. It was initially founded as the Independent Order of B'nai B'rith in New York City, on , 1843, by Henry Jones and 11 others....
Anti-Defamation League Heritage Award 1973 - Distinguished Eagle Award, Boy Scouts of AmericaBoy Scouts of AmericaThe Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
1976 - Tony AwardTony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
1983 - Arts & Entertainment Cable Network Award 1987
- Third Millennium Leadership Award, American Diabetes AssociationAmerican Diabetes AssociationThe American Diabetes Association is a United States-based association working to fight the consequences of diabetes, and to help those affected by diabetes...
1995 - Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame Award 1999
- Mayor's Millennium Award 2000
- In 2002 Queen ElizabethElizabeth II of the United KingdomElizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
awarded Donald Seawell The Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
. - Colorado Festival of World Theatre Donald Seawell Award recipient 2005
- In 2005 he became the 11th recipient of the National Theatre Hall of Fame's Founder's Award
- Mayor's 2007 Cultural Legacy Award, Denver