John Merivale
Encyclopedia
John Herman Merivale also known as Jack Merivale, was a British theatre actor
, and occasional supporting player in British films.
, and was educated in England, at Rugby and New College, Oxford
. His stepmother was the renowned English actress Gladys Cooper
.
Merivale made his acting debut at age 15, playing the small role of a newsboy in James Whale
's The Invisible Man
(1933), while his stage career started when he was 21, as an understudy in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream
, where he first met Vivien Leigh
. He later worked in the production of Romeo and Juliet
by Leigh and her husband, Laurence Olivier
.
His career was put on hold while he served as a pilot with both the British and Canadian air forces during World War II
, and he resumed his career in 1946, when he had a starring role in a successful U.S. production of Oscar Wilde
's Lady Windermere's Fan
.
In 1956 he made his second film appearance, in The Battle of the River Plate
, and went onto have supporting roles in films such as A Night to Remember (1958), Circus of Horrors
(1960), The List of Adrian Messenger
(1963), in which he played the title character, who gets killed thirteen minutes into the film, King Rat
(1965), and Arabesque
(1966).
Although he had the leading role in the Italian horror film Caltiki - il mostro immortale
(1959), he tended to concentrate on theatre work, earning great notices in such productions as Venus Observed, Anne of a Thousand Days, The Reluctant Debutante
, and The Last of Mrs. Cheyney.
He was married to the U.S. actress Jan Sterling
from 1941 until 1948, and lived with Vivien Leigh from 1958 until her death in 1967, becoming her dedicated caretaker in her final years as her manic depression and prolonged illnesses grew more severe. The roles were reversed when long-time friend and actress Dinah Sheridan
helped him through a kidney condition diagnosed in 1970. They were married from 1986 until his death from renal failure
four years later, having stretched his life from ten to twenty years.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, and occasional supporting player in British films.
Biography
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, he was the son of English actor Philip MerivalePhilip Merivale
Philip Merivale was an English film and stage actor and screenwriter....
, and was educated in England, at Rugby and New College, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. His stepmother was the renowned English actress Gladys Cooper
Gladys Cooper
Dame Gladys Constance Cooper, DBE was an English actress whose career spanned seven decades on stage, in films and on television....
.
Merivale made his acting debut at age 15, playing the small role of a newsboy in James Whale
James Whale
James Whale was an English film director, theatre director and actor. He is best remembered for his work in the horror film genre, having directed such classics as Frankenstein , The Old Dark House , The Invisible Man and Bride of Frankenstein...
's The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man is a science fiction novella by H.G. Wells published in 1897. Wells' novel was originally serialised in Pearson's Weekly in 1897, and published as a novel the same year...
(1933), while his stage career started when he was 21, as an understudy in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
, where he first met Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh, Lady Olivier was an English actress. She won the Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire , a role she also played on stage in London's West End, as well as for her portrayal of the southern belle Scarlett O'Hara, alongside Clark...
. He later worked in the production of Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
by Leigh and her husband, Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
.
His career was put on hold while he served as a pilot with both the British and Canadian air forces 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...
, and he resumed his career in 1946, when he had a starring role in a successful U.S. production of Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
's Lady Windermere's Fan
Lady Windermere's Fan
Lady Windermere's Fan, A Play About a Good Woman is a four act comedy by Oscar Wilde, first produced 22 February 1892 at the St James's Theatre in London. The play was first published in 1893...
.
In 1956 he made his second film appearance, in The Battle of the River Plate
The Battle of the River Plate (film)
The Battle of the River Plate is a 1956 British war film by director-writer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, starring John Gregson, Anthony Quayle and Peter Finch...
, and went onto have supporting roles in films such as A Night to Remember (1958), Circus of Horrors
Circus of Horrors
Circus of Horrors is a 1960 British horror film directed by Sidney Hayers. It starred Anton Diffring, Yvonne Monlaur, Erika Remberg, Kenneth Griffith, Jane Hylton, Conrad Phillips, Yvonne Romain and Donald Pleasence....
(1960), The List of Adrian Messenger
The List of Adrian Messenger
The List of Adrian Messenger is a 1963 black and white crime thriller about a retired British intelligence officer investigating a series of apparently unrelated deaths. It is directed by acclaimed film director John Huston...
(1963), in which he played the title character, who gets killed thirteen minutes into the film, King Rat
King Rat (1965 film)
King Rat is a 1965 World War II film adapted from the James Clavell novel King Rat. The film was directed by Bryan Forbes and starred George Segal as Corporal King and James Fox as Marlow, two World War II prisoners of war in a squalid camp near Singapore...
(1965), and Arabesque
Arabesque (film)
Arabesque is a 1966 thriller starring Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren. The movie is based on Gordon Cotler's novel The Cypher and directed by Stanley Donen.-Plot:Professor David Pollock is an expert in ancient hieroglyphics at Oxford University...
(1966).
Although he had the leading role in the Italian horror film Caltiki - il mostro immortale
Caltiki - il mostro immortale (1959)
Caltiki - The Immortal Monster is a 1959 Italian horror film directed by Riccardo Freda. The plot concerns a team of archaeologists investigating Mayan ruins who come across a blob-like monster. They manage to destroy it with fire while keeping a sample of the monster...
(1959), he tended to concentrate on theatre work, earning great notices in such productions as Venus Observed, Anne of a Thousand Days, The Reluctant Debutante
The Reluctant Debutante
The Reluctant Debutante is a 1958 comedy film directed by Vincente Minnelli and produced by Pandro S. Berman from a screenplay by Julius J. Epstein and William Douglas-Home based on Douglas-Home's play of the same name...
, and The Last of Mrs. Cheyney.
He was married to the U.S. actress Jan Sterling
Jan Sterling
Jan Sterling was an American actress.Most active in films during the 1950s, Sterling received a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The High and the Mighty , and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the same performance...
from 1941 until 1948, and lived with Vivien Leigh from 1958 until her death in 1967, becoming her dedicated caretaker in her final years as her manic depression and prolonged illnesses grew more severe. The roles were reversed when long-time friend and actress Dinah Sheridan
Dinah Sheridan
Dinah Sheridan is an English actress who appeared in the films 29 Acacia Avenue and Genevieve .She made her film debut in 1937, and has frequently appeared on television...
helped him through a kidney condition diagnosed in 1970. They were married from 1986 until his death from renal failure
Renal failure
Renal failure or kidney failure describes a medical condition in which the kidneys fail to adequately filter toxins and waste products from the blood...
four years later, having stretched his life from ten to twenty years.
External links
- John Merivale at Vivien-Leigh.com