Thane Bettany
Encyclopedia
Thane William Howard Hardcastle Christopher Bettany (born 28 May 1929) is a British actor
and former dancer. He is the father of film actor Paul Bettany
and father-in-law of the Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Connelly
.
, an independent state on the island of Borneo
, which was then a British protectorate
governed by the White Rajahs
. Thane had an elder brother named Peter Bettany, they were very close when they were young. His godmother was the American memoirist Agnes Newton Keith
, author of Three Came Home
. The Bettanys also knew the Rhys-Jones family from Sarawak. Years later, when both had been widowed, Howard John Bettany, Thane's father, married Margaret Patricia Newall Molesworth Rhys-Jones, who had a granddaughter born the same year (1965). Thane Bettany stood godfather to the daughter of his new stepbrother: Sophie Rhys-Jones, later Countess of Wessex and wife of Prince Edward
.
The Bettanys returned to England before the outbreak of World War II
in 1939.
after seeing a ballet performance as a child. Once he left school he took the money given to him by his father to go to engineering school to study ballet. After National Service
, when he served in the Royal Navy
's Fleet Air Arm as a mechanic, he entered Sadler's Wells Ballet School (which later became the Royal Ballet School
).
He began dancing in musical theatre, but after an accident on stage when he broke his back he had to give up professional dance. Acting was an obvious career move, but he had a bad stammer. He went to study mime in Paris
with Charles Antonetti, who helped him overcome the problem. Bettany returned to England and joined the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company, which would later become the Royal Shakespeare Company
. He played Osric to Sir Michael Redgrave
's Hamlet
. In The Tempest
, he was the understudy
for the role of Ferdinand; he then took over the part when the play transferred to Drury Lane
with Sir John Gielgud
.
Players he returned home and taught at Corona Stage School, where he met Anne Kettle, whom he would later marry. He moved on to Norway
as the Artistic Director of the English Theatre Company there, inviting Kettle over as his stage manager. Back in England they renewed their friendship at the Lincoln Theatre Royale. They married and settled in North London
, and although stage work continued to be his focus, when his children were born he looked for other work to be closer to home. Thane Bettany continued to act, mainly in television; during this period he was cast in one of his most famous roles, that of Tarak on Doctor Who
, opposite Tom Baker
.
, and youngest son Matthew. Sarah and Paul initially went to school in North London. When Sarah, Paul and Matthew were 11, 9 and 2 years old, respectively, their father obtained employment as a drama teacher at the Hertfordshire
all-girls boarding school, Queenswood School
; the family lived on campus. Thane and Anne Bettany have three grandchildren to date (as of 2011): Emaly (by daughter Sarah), Stellan and Agnes (by Paul and his wife, the American
Oscar-winning actress, Jennifer Connelly
). Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly reside in Brooklyn, New York.
. Thane and Anne Bettany divorced in 1993 after 25 years of marriage.
's MacBett.
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 former dancer. He is the father of film actor Paul Bettany
Paul Bettany
Paul Bettany is an English actor. He has appeared in a wide variety of films, including A Knight's Tale, A Beautiful Mind, and The Da Vinci Code...
and father-in-law of the Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Connelly
Jennifer Connelly
Jennifer Lynn Connelly is an American film actress, who began her career as a child model. She appeared in magazine, newspaper and television advertising, before making her motion picture debut in the 1984 crime film Once Upon a Time in America...
.
Early years
Thane Bettany was born in SarawakSarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
, an independent state on the island of Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
, which was then a British protectorate
Protectorate
In history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...
governed by the White Rajahs
White Rajahs
White Rajahs refers to a dynasty that founded and ruled the Kingdom of Sarawak from 1841 to 1946, namely the Brookes, who came originally from England. A Rajah is a monarch in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.-Rulers:...
. Thane had an elder brother named Peter Bettany, they were very close when they were young. His godmother was the American memoirist Agnes Newton Keith
Agnes Newton Keith
Agnes Jones Goodwillie Newton Keith was an American author best known for her three autobiographical accounts of life in North Borneo before, during, and after the Second World War...
, author of Three Came Home
Three Came Home
Three Came Home is a post-war film made by Twentieth Century-Fox, based on the memoirs of the same name by writer Agnes Newton Keith. It depicts Keith's life in North Borneo in the period immediately before the Japanese invasion in 1942, and her subsequent internment and suffering, separated from...
. The Bettanys also knew the Rhys-Jones family from Sarawak. Years later, when both had been widowed, Howard John Bettany, Thane's father, married Margaret Patricia Newall Molesworth Rhys-Jones, who had a granddaughter born the same year (1965). Thane Bettany stood godfather to the daughter of his new stepbrother: Sophie Rhys-Jones, later Countess of Wessex and wife of Prince Edward
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex KG GCVO is the third son and fourth child of Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh...
.
The Bettanys returned to England before the outbreak of 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...
in 1939.
Dancing career
Bettany had become enamoured with balletBallet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
after seeing a ballet performance as a child. Once he left school he took the money given to him by his father to go to engineering school to study ballet. After National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
, when he served in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
's Fleet Air Arm as a mechanic, he entered Sadler's Wells Ballet School (which later became the Royal Ballet School
Royal Ballet School
The Royal Ballet School is one of the most famous classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of the Royal Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Royal Opera House in London...
).
He began dancing in musical theatre, but after an accident on stage when he broke his back he had to give up professional dance. Acting was an obvious career move, but he had a bad stammer. He went to study mime in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
with Charles Antonetti, who helped him overcome the problem. Bettany returned to England and joined the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company, which would later become 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...
. He played Osric to Sir Michael Redgrave
Michael Redgrave
Sir Michael Scudamore Redgrave, CBE was an English stage and film actor, director, manager and author.-Youth and education:...
's Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
. In The Tempest
The Tempest
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
, he was the understudy
Understudy
In theater, an understudy is a performer who learns the lines and blocking/choreography of a regular actor or actress in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to appear on stage because of illness or emergencies, the understudy takes over the part...
for the role of Ferdinand; he then took over the part when the play transferred to Drury Lane
Drury Lane
Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster....
with Sir John Gielgud
John Gielgud
Sir 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...
.
Marriage
After a few years with the New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
Players he returned home and taught at Corona Stage School, where he met Anne Kettle, whom he would later marry. He moved on to Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
as the Artistic Director of the English Theatre Company there, inviting Kettle over as his stage manager. Back in England they renewed their friendship at the Lincoln Theatre Royale. They married and settled in North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
, and although stage work continued to be his focus, when his children were born he looked for other work to be closer to home. Thane Bettany continued to act, mainly in television; during this period he was cast in one of his most famous roles, that of Tarak on Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, opposite Tom Baker
Tom Baker
Thomas Stewart "Tom" Baker is a British actor. He is best known for playing the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series Doctor Who, a role he played from 1974 to 1981.-Early life:...
.
Children
The couple had three children: Sarah, actor Paul BettanyPaul Bettany
Paul Bettany is an English actor. He has appeared in a wide variety of films, including A Knight's Tale, A Beautiful Mind, and The Da Vinci Code...
, and youngest son Matthew. Sarah and Paul initially went to school in North London. When Sarah, Paul and Matthew were 11, 9 and 2 years old, respectively, their father obtained employment as a drama teacher at the Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
all-girls boarding school, Queenswood School
Queenswood School
Queenswood School is a girls-only private school located near Hatfield in the English county of Hertfordshire. It offers admission at ages 11, 13 or 16 . The current headmistress is Pauline Edgar.-History:...
; the family lived on campus. Thane and Anne Bettany have three grandchildren to date (as of 2011): Emaly (by daughter Sarah), Stellan and Agnes (by Paul and his wife, the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Oscar-winning actress, Jennifer Connelly
Jennifer Connelly
Jennifer Lynn Connelly is an American film actress, who began her career as a child model. She appeared in magazine, newspaper and television advertising, before making her motion picture debut in the 1984 crime film Once Upon a Time in America...
). Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly reside in Brooklyn, New York.
Death of younger son & divorce
Matthew Bettany died after a fall at Queenswood when he was only eight years old, which left the family grief-stricken. Soon after, Paul Bettany left home to live on his own in LondonLondon
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...
. Thane and Anne Bettany divorced in 1993 after 25 years of marriage.
Currently
Thane Bettany now lives in Fife, Scotland with his partner, Andy Clark, and continues to work regularly. He is an associate acting member of the Dundee Repertory, the St. Andrew's Byre Theatre and the Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh. He remains a full-time actor, and returned to the RSC in 2007, appearing in small roles in both Shakespeare's Macbeth and Eugene IonescoEugène Ionesco
Eugène Ionesco was a Romanian and French playwright and dramatist, and one of the foremost playwrights of the Theatre of the Absurd...
's MacBett.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Fire Down Below | ||
| 1980 | The Talisman | Theodoric | TV Series |
| Doctor Who Doctor Who Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior... : State of Decay State of Decay State of Decay is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 22 November to 13 December 1980. The serial was the second of three loosely connected serials known as the E-Space trilogy... |
Tarak | TV Episode | |
| North Sea Hijack North Sea Hijack North Sea Hijack is a British action film from 1979 starring Roger Moore, James Mason, Anthony Perkins, and Michael Parks. It was directed by Andrew V... |
Heyerdahl | ||
| 1985 | Maelstrom | Mr. Tovan | TV Miniseries |