text: CBE

text: Shakespearean

text: King Lear

text: Stratford-upon-Avon

text: bit part

text: Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire

text: Windlesham House School

text: Brighton College

text: amateur dramatics

text: Othello

text: Macbeth

text: HMS "Illustrious"

text: lieutenant commander

text: demobilisation

text: war film

text: Arts Theatre

text: Glen Byam Shaw

text: Shakespeare Memorial Theatre

text: Caliban

text: The Tempest

text: Jaques

text: As You Like It

text: Ben Jonson's

text: Volpone

text: Michael Benthall's

text: the Old Vic

text: Polonius

text: Hamlet

text: the title role

text: King John

text: best actor

text: British Academy Television Awards

text: John Mortimer's

text: The Dock Brief

text: Cleopatra

text: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

text: Jonathan Miller

text: Whistle and I'll Come to You

text: Jumpers

text: Royal National Theatre

text: Paradise Postponed

text: BAFTA

text: Memento Mori

text: BBC

text: Middlemarch

text: knighted

text: James Murray

text: milk of magnesia

text: knighthood

text: St Audries School for Girls

text: Somerset

text: Holy Trinity Church

text: Bury

text: Royal Indian Marines

text: lieutenant

text: Burma

text: Berkhamsted

text: Hertfordshire

text: captain

text: scullery maid

text: Windlesham House School

text: Sussex

text: Brighton College

text: Gilbert and Sullivan

text: The Gondoliers

text: Iolanthe

text: The Mikado

text: The Pirates of Penzance

text: Calcutta

text: Haywards Heath

text: Ever Green

text: Christopher Hassall

text: Dartmoor

text: prep school

text: Beaconsfield

text: amateur dramatics

text: Sydney Box

text: slander

text: poliomyelitis

text: British Educational Suppliers Association

text: Stevenage

text: Journey's End

text: Orlando

text: As You Like It

text: Love's Labour's Lost

text: Lilian Baylis

text: Marble Arch

text: understudy

text: Bernard Lee

text: Savoy Theatre

text: Othello

text: Mile End

text: Stephen Murray

text: Outward Bound

text: Arms and the Man

text: Sir Christopher Wren's

text: Royal Navy

text: repertory company

text: Colston Hall

text: Bristol

text: Someone at the Door

text: employed him in the same type of role

text: leading man

text: juvenile

text: props

text: BBC

text: Henry Ainley

text: Western Daily Press

text: Holt

text: Bath, Somerset

text: Stella Gibbons's

text: Cold Comfort Farm

text: Mabel Constanduros

text: Harrogate

text: the outbreak of war

text: Air Raid Precautions

text: The Stage

text: Assembly Rooms

text: Girl in the News

text: Carol Reed

text: Arthur Askey's

text: Band Waggon

text: defensively equipped merchant ship

text: Alexandria

text: middle class

text: radar

text: RAF

text: first lieutenant

text: HMS "Illustrious"

text: lieutenant commander

text: Cyril Luckham

text: Southport

text: Kensington

text: André Obey

text: A Doll's House

text: Intimate Theatre

text: Palmers Green

text: Aldwych Theatre

text: Hull Daily Mail

text: Queen Charlotte's Hospital

text: Chelsea

text: Nick Bottom

text: Henry Purcell

text: The Fairy-Queen

text: The Royal Opera

text: Richard Llewellyn's

text: Daphne du Maurier's

text: Rebecca

text: Good-Time Girl

text: Dennis Price

text: Jean Kent

text: Peter Ustinov's

text: Q Theatre

text: Brentford

text: Ibsen's

text: Ghosts

text: The Wind in the Willows

text: Shakespeare Memorial Theatre

text: Stratford-upon-Avon

text: Mr Toad

text: Michael Redgrave

text: Margaret Rawlings

text: Ealing comedy

text: Passport to Pimlico

text: Anton Chekhov's

text: Ivanov

text: Arts Theatre

text: Cambridge

text: T. C. Worsley

text: Macbeth

text: Alec Clunes

text: Audrey Williamson

text: John Whiting

text: Arts Theatre

text: Laurence Olivier

text: John Gielgud

text: Glen Byam Shaw

text: Caliban

text: The Tempest

text: Jaques

text: Ben Jonson's

text: Volpone

text: Nettlefold Studios

text: Walton-on-Thames

text: Scrooge

text: Charles Dickens

text: A Christmas Carol

text: Marley's ghost

text: The New York Times

text: Time

text: River Avon

text: Alec Guinness

text: Michael Benthall's

text: the Old Vic

text: Hamlet

text: Richard Burton

text: Claire Bloom

text: Fay Compton

text: Edinburgh

text: Fringe

text: Polonius

text: Norwegian Royal Family

text: King John

text: Pinewood Studios

text: Forbidden Cargo

text: manager and producer

text: Binkie Beaumont

text: André Roussin

text: Rex Harrison

text: Edith Evans

text: Lockwood West

text: James Hayter

text: Oxford

text: Theatre Royal

text: Brighton

text: Coral Browne

text: Eastbourne

text: The Spanish Gardener

text: Dirk Bogarde

text: Cyril Cusack

text: Demosthenes

text: Alexander the Great

text: The Night My Number Came Up

text: No Time for Tears

text: Windom's Way

text: The Man Who Never Was

text: Pacific Destiny

text: The Baby and the Battleship

text: I Was Monty's Double

text: John Mortimer's

text: barrister

text: David Kossoff's

text: Best Actor Award

text: British Academy Television Awards

text: Donnington, Berkshire

text: Arthur Wing Pinero's

text: The Magistrate

text: The Times

text: Flora Robson

text: The Sunday Times

text: the title character

text: Beatrix Lehmann

text: Broadway

text: Cort Theatre

text: Marcel Aymé's

text: Wally Cox

text: Admiral Sir John Tovey

text: Sink the Bismarck!

text: Last Nine Days of the Bismarck

text: C. S. Forester

text: epic

text: Cleopatra

text: Cicero

text: Caesar

text: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

text: How I Won the War

text: Where Eagles Dare

text: farce

text: Jonathan Miller

text: Whistle and I'll Come to You

text: Norfolk

text: British Film Institute

text: John Hurt

text: Peter Hall's

text: Edward Albee's

text: A Delicate Balance

text: King Lear

text: Nottingham Playhouse

text: Frank Middlemass

text: fool

text: Martin Esslin

text: Irving Wardle

text: Play of the Month

text: Tom Stoppard

text: Jumpers

text: satire

text: philosophy

text: Diana Rigg

text: Peter Wood

text: National Theatre

text: revolving stage

text: Maureen Lipman

text: Jack Rosenthal

text: Michael Billington

text: A. J. Ayer

text: Jeeves

text: P.G. Wodehouse's

text: "Jeeves" stories

text: Richard Briers

text: Bertie Wooster

text: Howard Barker's

text: Royal Court Theatre

text: Sloane Square

text: Michael Wilding

text: Barry Lyndon

text: Stanley Kubrick's

text: William Makepeace Thackeray

text: The Luck of Barry Lyndon

text: Paddington

text: Paddington Bear

text: Michael Bond

text: RSC

text: Trevor Nunn

text: Clifford Williams

text: Alan Rickman

text: Zoë Wanamaker

text: Richard Chamberlain

text: Cinderella

text: The Slipper and the Rose

text: Gandalf

text: BBC radio adaptation

text: Tolkien's

text: The Lord of the Rings

text: Ian Holm

text: Joseph Pearce

text: ITV

text: The Wind in the Willows

text: The Rivals

text: Olivier Awards

text: Griff Rhys Jones

text: brain haemorrhage

text: heart attack

text: Paradise Postponed

text: Marxist

text: You Never Can Tell

text: Haymarket Theatre

text: Theatr Clwyd

text: Irene Worth

text: Michael Denison

text: John Mills

text: Kingsley Amis's

text: Muriel Spark

text: novel of the same name

text: Middlemarch

text: Peter Webster

text: kidney disease

text: Churchill Hospital

text: John Hurt

text: Michael Bryant

text: Austin Princess

text: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

text: Sir Michael Hordern

text: The Adventures of Captain Horatio Hornblower

categories: 1995 deaths,Actors awarded British knighthoods,Male actors from Hertfordshire,People educated at Brighton College,English male voice actors,20th-century English male actors,Royal Shakespeare Company members,English male stage actors,English people of Irish descent,English male television actors,Royal Navy officers of World War II,Knights Bachelor,1911 births,English male radio actors,English male film actors,Deaths from kidney disease,Commanders of the Order of the British Empire,People from Berkhamsted

paragraph: Michael Hordern

paragraph: Sir Michael Murray Hordern, CBE (3 October 19112 May 1995) was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned nearly 60 years. He is best known for his Shakespearean roles, especially that of King Lear, which he played to much acclaim on stage in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1969 and London in 1970. He then successfully assumed the role on television five years later. He often appeared in film, rising from a bit part actor in the late 1930s to a member of the main cast; by the time of his death he had appeared in nearly 140 cinema roles. His later work was predominantly in television and radio.

paragraph: Born in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire into a family with no theatrical connections, Hordern was educated at Windlesham House School where he became interested in drama. He went on to Brighton College where his interest in the theatre developed. After leaving the college he joined an amateur dramatics company, and came to the notice of several influential Shakespearean directors who cast him in minor roles in "Othello" and "Macbeth". During the Second World War he served on HMS "Illustrious" where he reached the rank of lieutenant commander. Upon his demobilisation he resumed his acting career and made his television debut, becoming a reliable bit-part actor in many films, particularly in the war film genre.

paragraph: Hordern came to prominence in the early 1950s when he took part in a theatrical competition at the Arts Theatre in London. There, he impressed Glen Byam Shaw who secured the actor a season-long contract at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre where he played major parts, including Caliban in "The Tempest", Jaques in "As You Like It", and Sir Politick Would-Be in Ben Jonson's comedy "Volpone". The following season Hordern joined Michael Benthall's company at the Old Vic where, among other parts, he played Polonius in "Hamlet", and the title role in "King John". In 1958 he won a best actor award at that year's British Academy Television Awards for his role as the barrister in John Mortimer's courtroom drama "The Dock Brief". Along with his theatrical responsibilities Hordern had regular minor roles in various films including "Cleopatra" (1963), and "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" (1966).

paragraph: In the late 1960s Hordern met the British theatre director Jonathan Miller, who cast him in "Whistle and I'll Come to You", which was recorded for television and received wide praise. Hordern's next major play was "Jumpers" which appeared at the Royal National Theatre at the start of 1972. His performance was praised by critics and he reprised the role four years later. His television commitments increased towards the end of his life. His credits include "Paradise Postponed", the BAFTA award-winning "Memento Mori", and the BBC adaptation of "Middlemarch". He was appointed a CBE in 1972 and was knighted eleven years later. Hordern suffered from kidney disease during the 1990s and died from it in 1995 at the age of 83.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:Family background.

paragraph: Hordern's mother, Margaret Murray, was descended from James Murray, an Irish physician whose research into digestion led to his discovery of the stomach aid milk of magnesia in 1829. The invention earned him a knighthood and brought the family great wealth. Margaret grew up in England, and attended St Audries School for Girls in Somerset.

paragraph: Hordern's father, Edward, was the son of a Lancastrian priest who was the rector at the Holy Trinity Church in Bury. As a young man Edward joined the Royal Indian Marines and gained the rank of lieutenant. During a short break on home-leave he fell in love with Margaret, after they were introduced by one of his brothers. The courtship was brief and the young couple married in Burma on 28 November 1903. They had their first child, a son, Geoffrey, in 1905, followed by another, Peter, in 1907.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:Early years.

paragraph: Four years after the birth of Peter, a pregnant Margaret returned to England where Michael Hordern, her third son, was born on 3 October 1911 in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. Still stationed abroad, Edward was promoted to the rank of captain for which he received a good salary. The family lived in comfort and Margaret employed a scullery maid, nanny, groundsman, and full-time cook.

paragraph: Margaret left for India to visit her husband in 1916. The trip, although only planned as a short term stay, lasted two years because of the ferocity of the First World War. In her absence, Hordern was sent to Windlesham House School in Sussex at the age of five. His young age exempted him from full-time studies but he was allowed to partake in extracurricular activities, including swimming, football, rugby and fishing. After a few years, and along with a fellow enthusiast, he set up the "A Acting Association" (AAA), a small theatrical committee, which organised productions on behalf of the school. As well as the organisation of plays, Hordern arranged a regular group of players, himself included, to perform various plays which they wrote, directed, and choreographed themselves. He stayed at Windlesham House for nine years, later describing his time there as "enormous fun".

paragraph: Hordern was 14 when he left Windlesham House to continue his schooling as a member of Chichester House at Brighton College. By the time he joined the college, his interest in acting had matured. In his 1993 autobiography, "A World Elsewhere", he admitted: "I didn't excel in any area apart from singing; I couldn't read music but I sang quite well." There he helped organise amateur performances of various Gilbert and Sullivan operas. The first of these was "The Gondoliers", in which he played the role of the Duchess. The tutors called his performance a great success, and he was given a position within the men's chorus in the next piece, "Iolanthe". Over the next few years, he took part in "The Mikado" as a member of the chorus, and then appeared as the Major-General in "The Pirates of Penzance". It was a period which he later acknowledged as being the start of his career. When the war ended in 1918, Edward, who was by now a port officer in Calcutta, arranged for Margaret to return to England. With her, she brought home an orphaned baby girl named Jocelyn, whom she adopted. The following year, Edward retired from active service and returned to England where he relocated his family to Haywards Heath in Sussex. There, Michael developed a love for fishing, a hobby about which he remained passionate for the rest of his life.

paragraph: In his autobiography Hordern admitted that his family showed no interest in the theatre and that he had not seen his first professional play, "Ever Green", until he was 19. It was at around this time that he met Christopher Hassall, a fellow student at Brighton College. Hassall, who also went on to have a successful stage career, was, as Hordern noted, instrumental in his decision to become an actor. In 1925 Hordern moved to Dartmoor with his family where they converted a disused barn into a farm house. For Hordern the move was ideal; his love of fishing had become stronger and he was able to explore the remote landscape and its isolated rivers.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:Early acting career (1930–39).

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:Early acting career (1930–39).:Theatrical beginnings.

paragraph: Hordern left Brighton College in the early 1930s and secured a job as a teaching assistant in a prep school in Beaconsfield. He joined an amateur dramatics company and in his spare time, rehearsed for the company's only play, "Ritzio's Boots", which was entered into a British Drama League competition, with Hordern in the title role. The play did well but conceded the prize, a professional production at a leading London theatre, to "Not This Man", a drama written by Sydney Box. So envious was he of the rival show's success that Hordern supplied a scathing review to "The Welwyn Times" calling Box's show a "blasphemous bunk and cheap theatrical claptrap". The comment infuriated Box, who issued the actor with a writ to attend court on a count of slander. Hordern won the case and left Box liable for the proceeding's expenses. Years later the two men met on a film set where Box, much to Hordern's surprise, thanked him for helping to kick-start his career in film making, as he had received a lot of publicity as a result of the court case.

paragraph: With the death of his mother in January 1933, Hordern decided to pursue a professional acting career. He briefly took a job at a prep school but fell ill with poliomyelitis and had to leave. Upon his recuperation, he was offered a job as a travelling salesman for the British Educational Suppliers Association, a family-run business belonging to a former school friend at Windlesham House. As part of his job he spent some time in Stevenage where he joined an amateur dramatics company and appeared in two plays; "Journey's End", in which he played Raleigh, and "Diplomacy", a piece which the actor disliked as he considered it to be "too old-fashioned". Both productions provided him with the chance to work with a cue-script, something which he found to be helpful for the rest of his career. That summer he joined a Shakespearian theatre company which toured stately homes throughout the United Kingdom. His first performance was Orlando in "As You Like It", followed by "Love's Labour's Lost", in which he co-starred with Osmond Daltry. Hordern admired Daltry's acting ability and later admitted to him being a constant influence on his Shakespearean career.

paragraph: In addition to his Shakespearean commitments, Hordern joined the St Pancras People's Theatre, a London-based company partly funded by the theatrical manager Lilian Baylis. Hordern enjoyed his time there, despite the tiresome commute between Sussex and London, and stayed with the company for five years. By the end of 1936 he had left his sales job in Beaconsfield to pursue a full-time acting career. He moved into a small flat at Marble Arch and became one of the many jobbing actors eager to make a name for themselves on the London stage.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:Early acting career (1930–39).:London debut.

paragraph: Hordern's London debut came in January 1937, as an understudy to Bernard Lee in the play "Night Sky" at the Savoy Theatre. On nights when he was not required, Hordern would be called upon to undertake the duties of assistant stage manager, for which he was paid £2.10s a week. In March, Daltry, who had since formed his own company, Westminster Productions, cast Hordern as Ludovico in "Othello".

paragraph: The part became Hordern's first paid role as an actor for a theatre company. The play was an instant hit and ran at the People's Theatre in Mile End for two weeks. It also starred the English actor Stephen Murray in the title role, but he became contractually obliged elsewhere towards the end of the run. This allowed Hordern to take his place for which Daltry paid Hordern an extra £1 a week.

paragraph: After "Othello"'s closure, Daltry undertook a tour of Scandinavia and the Baltic with two plays, "Outward Bound", and "Arms and the Man". He employed Hordern in both with the first being the more successful. It was a time that the actor recognised as being a turning point in his professional acting career. On his return to London, and after spending a few weeks in unemployment, he was offered a part in the ill-fated "Ninety Sail". The play, about Sir Christopher Wren's time in the Royal Navy, was cancelled on the day Hordern was due to start work, with "unforeseen problems" cited as the reason by its producers.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:Early acting career (1930–39).:Bristol repertory theatre.

paragraph: In mid-1937 the theatre proprietor Ronald Russell offered Hordern a part in his repertory company, the Rapier Players, who were then based at Colston Hall in Bristol. Hordern's first acting role within the company was as Uncle Harry in the play "Someone at the Door". Because of the play's success, Russell employed him in the same type of role, the monotony of which frustrated the actor who longed to play the leading man. It was whilst with the Rapier Players that Hordern fell in love with Eve Mortimer, a juvenile actress who appeared in minor roles in many of Russell's productions. Hordern considered his experience with the Rapier Players to be invaluable; it taught him how a professional theatre company worked under a strict time frame and how it operated with an even stricter budget. He was allowed two minutes to study each page of the script, but because of the frequent mistakes and many stalled lines, rehearsals became long and laborious. Hordern described the company's props as being made to a very high standard, despite being bought on a shoe-string budget.

paragraph: After a brief holiday with Eve in Scotland in 1938, Hordern returned to London where he appeared in "Quinneys", a radio play broadcast by the BBC in June of that year. The main part went to Henry Ainley whom Hordern described as "a great actor, who, sadly, was past his best".

paragraph: Hordern then made a return to Bristol to prepare for the following season with the Rapier Players. One production singled out in the "Western Daily Press" as particularly good was "Love in Idleness", in which Hordern played the lead character. A reporter for the paper thought that the play "had been noticed" among theatrical critics and that the players "filled their respective roles excellently".

paragraph: By the end of 1938 Hordern's father had sold the family home and had bought a cottage in Holt, near Bath, Somerset. The arrangement was convenient for the young actor, who used the premises as a base while he appeared in shows with the Rapier Players. One such piece was an adaption of Stella Gibbons's "Cold Comfort Farm", which starred Mabel Constanduros, who had adapted the book with Gibbons' permission. Hordern was cast in the supporting role of Seth, a part he described as being fun to perform. The modernised script was "adored" by the cast, according to Hordern, but loathed by the audience who expected it to be exactly like the book.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:Second World War and film debut.

paragraph: Hordern and Eve left Bristol in 1939 for Harrogate, where Eve joined a small repertory company called the White Rose Players. After a brief spell of unemployment, and with the outbreak of war, Hordern volunteered for a post within the Air Raid Precautions (ARP). He was accepted but soon grew frustrated at not being able to conduct any rescues because of the lack of enemy action. He decided that it was "not a very good way to fight the war" and enlisted instead as a gunner with the Royal Navy. While he was waiting to be accepted he and Eve responded to an advertisement in "The Stage" for actors in a repertory company in Bath. They were appointed as the company's leading man and lady. Their first and only engagement was in a play entitled "Bats in the Belfry" which opened at the city's Assembly Rooms on 16 October. Hordern's elation at finally becoming a leading man was short-lived when he received his call-up that December. In the interest of helping to boost public morale, Hordern sought permission from the navy to allow him to complete his theatrical commitment in Bath and to appear in his first film, a thriller called "Girl in the News", directed by Carol Reed; his request was accepted, and he was told to report for duty at Plymouth Barracks in the early months of 1940 when the show had finished and he was free from filming responsibilities.

paragraph: In 1940, after a minor role in "Without the Prince" at the Whitehall Theatre, Hordern played the small, uncredited part of a BBC official alongside James Hayter in Arthur Askey's comedy film "Band Waggon". Soon after, he began his naval gunnery training on board "City of Florence", a defensively equipped merchant ship (DEMS) which delivered ammunition to the city of Alexandria on behalf of the British fleet. He found that although his middle class upbringing hindered his ability to make friends on board the ship, it helped in his appeal to his commanding officers.

paragraph: By 1941 radar was slowly being introduced within the Navy and Hordern was appointed as one of the first operatives who communicated enemy movements to the RAF. He later said that the post was owed to his clear diction and deep vocal range. His commentary impressed his superior officers so much that by early 1942 he had been given the job as a Fighter Direction Officer, and then first lieutenant on board HMS "Illustrious". Shortly after the departure of his immediate superior, he was promoted to lieutenant commander, a rank which he held for two years. Alongside his naval responsibilities, he was also appointed as the ship's entertainment officer, and was responsible for organising shows featuring various members of "Illustrious"s crew as the show's cast.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:Marriage and post-war years.

paragraph: During a short visit to Liverpool in 1943, Hordern proposed to Eve; they married on 27 April of that year with the actor Cyril Luckham as best man. After the honeymoon, Hordern resumed his duties on "Illustrious" while Eve returned to repertory theatre in Southport. In the months after the end of the war in 1945, he was transferred to the Admiralty where he worked briefly as a ship dispatcher. The Horderns rented a flat in Elvaston Place in Kensington, London, and he began to seek work as an actor. After a short while, he was approached by André Obey who cast him in his first television role, Noah, in a play adapted from the book of the same name. Hordern was apprehensive about performing in the new medium and found the rehearsal and live performance to be exhausting; but he was generously paid, earning £45 for the entire engagement.

paragraph: Hordern's first role in 1946 came as Torvald Helmar in "A Doll's House" at the Intimate Theatre in Palmers Green. This was followed by the part of Richard Fenton, a murder victim, in "Dear Murderer" which premiered at the Aldwych Theatre on 31 July. The play was a success and ran for 85 performances until its closure on 12 October. "Dear Murderer" thrilled the critics and Hordern was singled out by one reporter for the "Hull Daily Mail" who thought that the actor brought "sincerity to a difficult role". The following month Eve gave birth to the couple's only child, a daughter, Joanna, who was born at Queen Charlotte's Hospital in Chelsea. That Christmas he took the role of Nick Bottom in a festive reworking of Henry Purcell's "The Fairy-Queen". The play was the first performance by the Covent Garden Opera Company, which later became known as The Royal Opera.

paragraph: Towards the end of April 1947, Hordern accepted the small part of Captain Hoyle in Richard Llewellyn's comic drama film "Noose". Two other roles occurred that year: as Maxim de Winter in a television adaption of Daphne du Maurier's novel "Rebecca", followed by the part of a detective in "Good-Time Girl", alongside Dennis Price and Jean Kent. The following year he took part in three plays: Peter Ustinov's "The Indifferent Shepherd", which appeared at the newly opened Q Theatre in Brentford, West London; Ibsen's "Ghosts"; and an adaptation of "The Wind in the Willows" at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in which he portrayed the part of the blustery, eccentric Mr Toad.

paragraph: In early 1949 Hordern appeared as Pascal in the Michael Redgrave-directed comedy "A Woman in Love", but disliked the experience because of the hostile relationship between Redgrave and the show's star, Margaret Rawlings. Next, he was engaged in the minor role of Bashford in the critically acclaimed Ealing comedy "Passport to Pimlico", a performance which he described as "tense and hyperactive".

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:1950–70.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:1950–70.:"Ivanov" and "Saint's Day".

paragraph: By the 1950s Hordern had come to the notice of many influential directors. In his autobiography, the actor recognised the decade as being an important era of his career. It started with a major role in Anton Chekhov's "Ivanov" in 1950. The production took place at the Arts Theatre in Cambridge and excited audiences because of its 25-year absence from the English stage. The writer T. C. Worsley was impressed by Hordern's performance and wrote: "Perhaps an actor with star quality might have imposed on us more successfully than Mr Michael Hordern, and won our sympathy for Ivanov by his own personality. But such a performance would have raised the level of expectation all round. As it is, Mr Hordern is rich in intelligence, sensitivity and grasp, and with very few exceptions, the company give his impressive playing the right kind of support." The title character in "Macbeth", directed by Alec Clunes, was Hordern's next engagement. Critics wrote of their dislike of Clunes's version, but the theatre reviewer Audrey Williamson singled out Hordern's performance as being "deeply moving".

paragraph: The dramatist John Whiting, trying to make a name for himself in the theatre after the war, was called by Clunes to take part in a theatrical competition at the Arts Theatre in London in 1951, for which he entered his play "Saints Day". Several other amateur directors also competed for the prize, which was to have their play funded and professionally displayed at the Arts. Having seen him perform the previous year, Whiting hired Hordern for the lead role of Paul Southman, a cantankerous old poet who fights off three rebellious army deserters who threaten the tranquillity of his sleepy country village. The play proved popular with audiences, but not so with theatrical commentators. Hordern liked the piece, calling it "bitter and interesting", but the press, who extensively reported on the competition throughout each stage, thought differently and condemned it for winning. This infuriated the actors Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud, who wrote letters of complaint to the press.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:1950–70.:Shakespeare Memorial Theatre.

paragraph: Hordern cited "Saint's Day"s negative publicity as having done his career "the power of good" as it brought him to the attention of the director Glen Byam Shaw, who cast him in a series of plays at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in 1951. Among the roles were Caliban in "The Tempest", Jaques in "As You Like It", and Sir Politick Would-Be in Ben Jonson's comedy "Volpone". Hordern claimed to know very little about the bard's works and sought advice from friends about how best to prepare for the roles. The same year, he travelled down to Nettlefold Studios, Walton-on-Thames, to film "Scrooge", an adaptation of Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol", in which he played Marley's ghost. Reviews were mixed with "The New York Times" giving it a favourable write-up, while "Time" magazine remained ambivalent. The "Aberdeen Evening Express" echoed the comments made by an American reviewer by calling "Scrooge" a "trenchant and inspiring Christmas show". The author Fred Guida, writing in his book "Christmas Carol and Its Adaptations: A Critical Examination" in 2000, thought that Marley's ghost, though a "small but pivotal role", was "brilliantly played" by Hordern.

paragraph: With the first play of the season imminent, the Horderns moved to Stratford and took temporary accommodation at Goldicote House, a large country property situated on the River Avon. The first of his two plays, "The Tempest", caused Hordern to doubt his own acting ability when he compared his interpretation of Caliban to that of Alec Guinness, who had played the same role four years earlier. Reassured by Byam Shaw, Hordern remained in the role for the entire run. A few days later, the actor was thrilled to receive a letter of appreciation from Michael Redgrave, who thought Hordern's Caliban was "immensely fine, with all the pity and pathos ... but with real terror and humour as well". More praise was received as the season continued; an anonymous theatre reviewer, quoted in Hordern's autobiography, called the actor's portrayal of Menenius Aggripa "a dryly acute study of the 'humorous patrician' and one moreover that can move our compassion in the Volscian cameo", before going on to say "we had felt that it would be long before Alec Guinness's Menenius could be matched. The fact that Michael Hordern's different reading can now stand beside the other does credit to a player who will be a Stratford prize."

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:1950–70.:The Old Vic.

paragraph: Hordern's contract at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre lasted until mid-1952, and on its expiration, he secured a position within Michael Benthall's theatrical company at the Old Vic in London. The company's first play, "Hamlet", starred Richard Burton, Claire Bloom, and Fay Compton, and opened on 14 September 1953. Hordern called it "the perfect play with which to open the season" as it featured "fine strong parts for everyone and [was] a good showpiece for an actor's latent vanity". Shortly after opening, it was transferred to Edinburgh, where it took part at the Fringe before returning to London. For his role of Polonius, Hordern received mixed reviews, with one critic saying: "He was at his best in his early scenes with Ophelia ...but towards the end of the performance he began to obscure less matter with more art". After Edinburgh, Benthall took "Hamlet" on a provincial tour and the play had a successful run of 101 performances.

paragraph: In mid-1953 the Danish government invited Benthall and his company to Helsingør (Elsinore) to perform "Hamlet" for the Norwegian Royal Family. The play was well received by the royals. On the whole, the actor enjoyed his time in "Hamlet" but behind the scenes, relations between him and Burton were strained. Hordern noted his colleague's "likeability, charm and charisma" but thought that Burton had a tendency to get easily "ratty" with him in social situations. Hordern described their working relationship as "love-hate" and admitted that they were envious of each other's success; Burton of Hordern because of the latter's good reviews, and Hordern of Burton who received more attention from fans. When Burton left for Hollywood years later, he recommended Hordern to various casting directors; Hordern was subsequently engaged in six of Burton's films.

paragraph: "King John" was next for Benthall's company and opened on 26 October 1953. The lead character initially went to an unknown and inexperienced young actor, but the part was re-cast with Hordern in the role. Hordern described "King John" as being "a difficult play in the sense that it has no common purpose or apparent theme". Simultaneously to this, he was commuting back to Pinewood Studios where he was filming "Forbidden Cargo". The hectic schedule brought on a bout of exhaustion for which he received medical advice to reduce his workload.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:1950–70.:Theatre Royal, Brighton.

paragraph: In early 1955 Hordern was asked by the British theatre manager and producer Binkie Beaumont to take the lead in André Roussin's comedy "Nina", directed by Rex Harrison. The play, which starred Edith Evans, Lockwood West, and James Hayter, transferred from Oxford to the Theatre Royal in Brighton. Beaumont's request came at short notice because Hordern's predecessor had proved inadequate. The play was cursed with bad luck: Evans fell ill and was replaced midway by an understudy who neglected to learn her lines; Harrison frequently upset the cast, which resulted in reduced morale. When Evans did return, she walked off stage and left after seeing empty seats in the front row.

paragraph: Hordern regretted his decision to take part in Roussin's "Nina", but admitted that the allure of appearing alongside Evans had got the better of him. Harrison held auditions to replace his leading lady and settled on the Australian-American actress Coral Browne. Hordern and Browne grew close, aided by their mutual dislike of their disciplinarian director. They fell in love and they had an affair which lasted for the duration of the run. Years later Hordern confessed: "I kept falling in love. It is a common complaint among actors. You cannot be at such close quarters, mind and body, without being sorely tempted."

paragraph: Hordern and Harrison's dislike for one another was evident to the rest of the cast. One night, after a performance of "Nina" in Eastbourne, and having felt that he had "acted [his] socks off", Hordern, along with the rest of the cast, were berated by Harrison who accused them of producing a piece "not fit for the end of a pier". "Nina" transferred to the Haymarket Theatre, London, not long after the incident but it was unsuccessful and closed after five weeks. "The play was fine", opined Hordern, "it was a disaster because of Rex Harrison." Hordern and Browne's relationship ended shortly after the play closed and Hordern set about rebuilding his marriage with Eve, who had long known of the affair.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:1950–70.:Films and 1950s theatre.

paragraph: Hordern viewed the 1950s as a good decade to appear in film, although he did not then particularly care for the medium. Writing in 1993 he said: "With cinema one has to leap into battle fully armed. From the start of the film the character has to be pinned down like a butterfly on a board. One does not always get this right, of course, sometimes starting at the beginning of shooting a film on a comedic level that cannot be sustained." He disliked his physical appearance, which he found to be "repulsive", and as a result loathed watching back his performances. He preferred radio because the audience only heard his voice, which he then considered his best attribute. Another reason was his recognition of the differences between his sense of personal achievement within a theatre compared to that on a film set: "You get a certain sort of satisfaction in delivering what the director wants of you, but the chances of being emotionally involved are slim." He acknowledged his good ability at learning lines, something which he found to be especially helpful for learning film scripts which frequently changed. He enjoyed the challenge of earning as much value as possible out of a scene and revelled in being able to hit "the right mark for the camera". With the experience of "Nina" still fresh in his mind, Hordern took a break from the stage and decided to concentrate on his film career.

paragraph: Hordern was appearing in three to four films a year by 1953, a count that increased as the decade progressed. In 1956 he took a leading part in "The Spanish Gardener" for which he spent many months filming in southern Spain alongside Dirk Bogarde, Cyril Cusack, and Bernard Lee. "The New York Times" called Hordern's role of the strict and pompous Harrington Brande "an unsympathetic assignment", but thought the actor did "quite well" in his portrayal. By the mid-1950s Hordern's name was becoming one of reliability and good value; as a result, he was offered a clutch of roles. In 1956 he appeared as Demosthenes in "Alexander the Great", and Commander Lindsay in "The Night My Number Came Up". He appeared in two other films the following year; the medical drama "No Time for Tears", and the thriller "Windom's Way". The Second World War was a popular genre for filmmakers during the 1950s. Hordern said the conflict took up a large part of people's lives; "whether it be one of love, loss, nostalgia or tragedy", everybody, according to the actor, had a story to tell and could relate to the situations that were being depicted before them on screen. He found his earlier naval experience to be an asset when cast in many war films, including "The Man Who Never Was", "Pacific Destiny", "The Baby and the Battleship", all in 1956, and "I Was Monty's Double" two years later.

paragraph: Hordern was cast in John Mortimer's 1957 play "The Dock Brief" in which Hordern played the barrister. The story centres on a failed lawyer who is hired at the last minute to defend a man on a charge of murder. Hordern played the barrister opposite David Kossoff's murder suspect. After some positive comments from the theatrical press, the play transferred to television in May the same year and earned Hordern a Best Actor Award at the 1958 British Academy Television Awards. The Horderns moved to Donnington, Berkshire in 1958 where they renovated three cottages into one; the property became the family home and is where Hordern and Eve remained until their deaths.

paragraph: The year 1959 was professionally disastrous for Hordern. He made a return to stage at the Old Vic in Arthur Wing Pinero's "The Magistrate" in which he played Mr. Posket. The play was not particularly successful and received mixed reviews: According to the author and theatre critic J. P. Wearing, Hordern was miscast, while a reporter for "The Stage", thought he gave a "convincing portrayal". Wearing believed that overall the play was not "played briskly enough", while a critic for "The Times" thought that it had "durable theatrical quality". The role was followed with a part of Pastor Manders in "Ghosts" opposite Flora Robson. "The Sunday Times" published an unenthusiastic notice, and thought Hordern's character had "an anxious air" about him. He received equally critical notices when he took to the stage to play the title character in "Macbeth", opposite Beatrix Lehmann. The press wrote of Hordern's "unintended comic interpretation" when characterising the evil king: "Half his time on stage he cringed like an American carpet seller in an ankle-length black dressing gown of fuzzy candlewick" thought one reviewer, who went on to say "he would make a sinister Shylock, a frightening Fagin. But this Thane of Cawdor would be unnerved by Banquo's valet, never mind Banquo's ghost."

paragraph: On 9 October 1959, Hordern made his debut on Broadway at the Cort Theatre in Marcel Aymé's comedy "Moonbirds", alongside the comedian Wally Cox. The play was a disaster and closed after only two nights and three performances. Little was offered in the way of praise, although critics singled out Hordern's performance in particular as being good. He was unsure why the play failed, and attributed it to clashes of personality between cast and management.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:1950–70.:"Cleopatra" and the 1960s.

paragraph: In 1960 Hordern played Admiral Sir John Tovey in the British war film "Sink the Bismarck!", based on the book "Last Nine Days of the Bismarck" by C. S. Forester and with a plot reminiscent of his naval days. With a few smaller roles in between, Hordern started work on the American epic historical drama film "Cleopatra". It was made in 1962 and according to the actor, was "the most extraordinary piece of film-making in which I had the pleasure to take part". He played the Roman orator Cicero and was hired on an eight-week contract which due to various setbacks, including cast sickness and adverse weather conditions, was extended to nine months. Much to Hordern's annoyance, the film would require him to once again work with Rex Harrison, who was cast as Caesar. Despite the animosity between them, they agreed to endure each other's company for the sake of the film. The agreement was short-lived; Harrison made a drunken quip at a cast dinner about "Nina" which prompted Hordern to assault him. The incident almost resulted in Hordern's dismissal, but the matter was quickly resolved by producers and the two were kept separate in between filming. In 1993 Hordern claimed the incident had "cleared the air" between them and they eventually became friends. After "Cleopatra"'s release, Hordern made a return to films, appearing in "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" (1965), "How I Won the War" (1967), and "Where Eagles Dare" in 1968. He also featured in the Roman farce "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" in 1966.

paragraph: Hordern first met the British theatre director Jonathan Miller in 1968. Miller, who had long been an admirer of Hordern, offered him the part of the agonistic Professor Parkin in his forthcoming television drama "Whistle and I'll Come to You". Hordern, who had heard positive things of Miller from theatrical friends, likewise thought highly of the director, and was quick to take up location filming in Norfolk that year. He came to like Miller's way of working, such as having the freedom to improvise instead of adhering to the strict rules of a script; the actor wrote in his autobiography that he had never experienced that degree of professional freedom. The programme was released towards the end of 1968 and was a hit with audiences and critics. Mark Duguid of the British Film Institute called it "a masterpiece of economical horror that remains every bit as chilling as the day it was first broadcast", while a journalist for "The Telegraph", writing in 2010 about that year's remake starring John Hurt, reminded readers of the "brilliant Sixties production by Jonathan Miller [in which] Michael Hordern made a fine, crusty Parkin". The year ended with a role in Peter Hall's production of Edward Albee's "A Delicate Balance" at the Aldwych Theatre. The piece received lukewarm reviews, with Hilary Spurling of "The Spectator" thinking Hordern was "ill-served" as the principal character, Tobias.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:Later career: 1970–90.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:Later career: 1970–90.:"King Lear".

paragraph: Miller and Hordern's collaboration continued into 1969 with "King Lear" at the Nottingham Playhouse. Hordern immediately accepted the title role but later said that it was a character he never much cared to play. Writing about Miller in his autobiography, Hordern stated: "It was one of the most exhilarating and funny experiences I have had in the theatre." Miller recruited Frank Middlemass to play the fool, but contrary to tradition, Miller made the character an intimate of Lear's as opposed to a servant, something which Shakespearean purists found difficult to accept. Miller decided to further defy convention by concentrating on the relationships between the characters rather than adding detail to scenery and costume; he was eager not to use lavish sets and lighting for the fear of detracting from the characterisations and the sentimentality of the storyline. As such, the sets were bleak and the costumes more so; it was a style that was also used when the play was televised by the BBC later that decade.

paragraph: When "King Lear" played at the Old Vic in 1970, reviews were mixed; J.W. Lambert thought that the "grey sets" and Hordern's "grizzled" costume were how Shakespeare would have intended them to be, while Eric Shorter thought otherwise, stating "I still do not understand those costumes." Of the performance, the dramatist and critic Martin Esslin called Hordern's portrayal "a magnificent creation" before going on to say: "Hordern's timing of the silences from which snatches of demented wisdom emerge is masterly and illuminates the subterranean processes of his derangement." Writing for "The Times" later that year, the theatre critic Irving Wardle described Hordern's Lear as a "sharp, peremptory pedant; more a law-giver than a soldier, and (as justice is an old man's profession) still in the prime of his life". Hordern played Lear once more that decade, in 1975, which was televised by the BBC for their series "Play of the Month".

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:Later career: 1970–90.:"Jumpers".

paragraph: The playwright Tom Stoppard approached Hordern in 1971 with a view to him playing a leading part in the playwright's new play "Jumpers", a comic satire based around the field of academic philosophy. Hordern was to play George Moore, a bumbling old philosophy professor, who is employed at a modern university and who, throughout the play, is in constant debate with himself over his moral values. Hordern, though thinking the play was brilliant, disliked the script on the initial read-through as he did not understand its complex situations and strange dialogue. His co-star would be Diana Rigg, who played Moore's wife Dotty, and the entire piece was to be directed by Peter Wood.

paragraph: "Jumpers" was scheduled to appear at the National Theatre at the start of 1972, but encountered problems when the theatre's director, Laurence Olivier, called the play "unintelligible" before walking out during the first read-through in disgust. Despite this, rehearsals went ahead, which the cast found difficult; the play featured many scenes, a complicated script, and relied heavily on the opening scene, a sceptical speech about the existence of God which lasted 13 minutes. In his autobiography, Hordern commented: "Each day my fists would sink into my cardigan pockets as I tried to make sense of it all." In a meeting shortly before the opening night, Olivier complained to Stoppard that the play was overlong and, in some parts, laborious. Stoppard agreed to reduce the epilogue by half. The decision angered Hordern as it meant the extra stress of learning a new script at short notice. He vented his frustrations on Wood who agreed to leave his character alone and instead to cut many of the other scenes. The final dress rehearsal also experienced disruption when the revolving stage broke down and had to be fixed half-way through. The problems had ceased by the opening performance the following evening; it was a night which Hordern called "unbelievable, one of the highlights of my career". The actress Maureen Lipman, who was in the audience on the opening night, said that her husband, the playwright Jack Rosenthal, had "laughed so hard he thought he was going to be seriously ill".

paragraph: The critic Michael Billington, writing in "The Guardian", gave a mixed review: "Once or twice one of Stoppard's brightly coloured balls falls to the ground, partly because Michael Hordern's moral philosopher substitutes academic mannerism for apprehension of the argument. But this is not to deny that Hordern's simian habit of scratching his left earlobe with right hand or leaning over his desk as if he is doing intellectual press-ups is very funny to watch or that he is brilliant at displaying cuckolded curiosity." Harold Hobson, the drama critic, thought that failing to enjoy the play was "not actually a criminal offence but it is a sad evidence of illiteracy". "Jumpers" won the "Evening Standard" 's Best Play Award which, much to Hordern's amusement, was presented by the philosopher A. J. Ayer.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:Later career: 1970–90.:"Stripwell", and voice work.

paragraph: In June 1973 Hordern appeared on radio for the BBC as Jeeves in an adaption of P.G. Wodehouse's "Jeeves" stories, alongside Richard Briers as Bertie Wooster. The following year, Hordern narrated several other, one-off programmes for the broadcaster, including "The Honest Broker", "The Last Tsar", and "Tell the King the Sky Is Falling". In 1975 Hordern played the judge in Howard Barker's play "Stripwell" at the Royal Court Theatre. Hordern described the character as "a man wracked by guilt, full of self-doubt and pessimism". It was a role which the actor found to be too close to his own personality for comfort. His time in the play was marred by personal problems; he and Eve had briefly separated and the actor was forced to rent a small flat in Sloane Square from the actor Michael Wilding after being banished from the family home. Hordern and Eve soon reconciled, but it was a time which he was keen to forget, including the play. Critics were complimentary of his performance, with one writing: ""Stripwell"'s ambiguities are therefore viewed half affectionately and half contemptuously and this comes over well in Michael Hordern's portrayal of bumbling, sometimes endearing ineffectiveness, as skilful and accomplished a performance as one would expect from this actor."

paragraph: Later, in 1975, Hordern narrated "Barry Lyndon", Stanley Kubrick's filmed adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray's novel "The Luck of Barry Lyndon". The critic John Riley, writing for the British Film Institute, thought that the actor provided "a witty and ironic foil to the characters' helplessness". The same year Hordern was asked to narrate 30 episodes of the children's animation series "Paddington", which was based on the Paddington Bear book series by Michael Bond. In his 1993 autobiography, Hordern wrote of his enjoyment at working on "Paddington" and that he could not differentiate between his enjoyment in comedy and drama: "it's a bit like difference between roast beef and meringue, both delicious in their way, but there is nothing more satisfying than a thousand people sharing their laughter with you".

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:Later career: 1970–90.:Return to Stratford-upon-Avon and "Jumpers" revival.

paragraph: In 1976 Hordern joined the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon, where he appeared as Prospero for Trevor Nunn in "The Tempest", an engagement which the actor found to be unpleasant because of his poor relationship with the show's director, Clifford Williams. After that came a short run of "Love's Labour's Lost" in which he played Don Adriano de Armado opposite Alan Rickman and Zoë Wanamaker. Hordern was the oldest member of the company and found it difficult to adjust to the behaviour and attitudes of some of the younger and less experienced actors. He found it different from the 1950s: non-intimate, characterless, and lacking in morale because management preferred discipline rather than offering guidance and assistance to their young actors. Writing in his 1993 biography, Hordern wrote: "Being at Stratford again after all these years was rather like being on a battleship or an aircraft carrier that doesn't often come into harbour. You are at sea for long periods and away from the rest of your service and if the captain of your ship is a good one then the ship is happy; if not, then the commission you serve is very unhappy because you are a long way from land. At Stratford that season I was a long way from land." Later, in 1976, Hordern portrayed the kingly father of the Prince (played by Richard Chamberlain) in the musical film adaptation of "Cinderella", "The Slipper and the Rose", and returned to the role of George in Stoppard's "Jumpers" at the Lyttelton Theatre. The theatre critic Kenneth Hurren "enjoyed it immoderately" and thought the revival revealed a "tidier play than it look[ed]". Hordern compared it to the 1972 version by saying: "It is unquestionably a busy little number, and my first impression of the piece, back in 1972, was that it had more decoration than substance, and that the decoration was more chaotic than coherent."

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:Later career: 1970–90.:Television and radio: 1980–83.

paragraph: In 1981 Hordern played the role of Gandalf in the BBC radio adaptation of Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings". The BBC's budget was generous, and attracted well-known actors from stage and television. The series ran for 26 episodes and was a hit with audiences and critics. The author Ernest Mathijs singled out Hordern in particular as being one of the more powerful characters of the series and his personal favourite, while co-star Ian Holm, writing years later in his autobiography "Acting My Life", said he thought Hordern interpreted the role "in a grand, rather old fashioned way". Writing in his autobiography in 1993, Hordern said he found the part of Gandalf to be "a bit of a slog".

paragraph: Hordern and Jonathan Miller reprised their collaboration in 1982 with a final performance of "King Lear", again televised by the BBC. The actor considered this version to be his best and attributed its success to the fact he was getting older and therefore able to better understand the character. The author Joseph Pearce, writing in 2008, claimed that Hordern played the king "straight up with no gloss" and made a "reliable and workmanlike Lear" who is "forceful when he should be forceful, compassionate when he should be compassionate, [and] sorrowful when he should be sorrowful". Despite the praise, Pearce thought that Hordern's performance in Act 3 "lack[ed] the required fierceness and miss[ed] the mythic quality when compared to some of the bigger names".

paragraph: In January 1983 Hordern was knighted, an honour which the actor called "a great thrill and [a] surprise to us all". That year he became popular among children as the voice of Badger in the ITV film "The Wind in the Willows". He then spent the rest of 1983 appearing as Sir Anthony Absolute in "The Rivals" for Peter Wood at the Royal National Theatre and received excellent notices. He was nominated for an award at that year's Olivier Awards for best comedy performance of the year, but lost out to Griff Rhys Jones. His success on the stage was tinged with private turmoil; Eve was taken ill after she suffered a brain haemorrhage, a condition from which she never fully recuperated. She required constant care but recovered enough to become partially self-sufficient. However, in 1986 she had a fatal heart attack at the couple's London flat. Hordern was devastated and became consumed in self-pity, in part because of his guilt at the extramarital affairs he had had with many of his leading ladies during the marriage.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:Later career: 1970–90.:"Paradise Postponed" and "You Never Can Tell".

paragraph: In 1986, John Mortimer, a writer whom Hordern respected greatly, engaged the actor in "Paradise Postponed", an eleven-part drama which took a year to make and cost in excess of £6 million. Set in rural England, the saga depicts the struggles within British middle-class society during the post-war years. In his biography, Hordern described himself as "a man of prejudice rather than principle" and as such, had very little in common with his character, the left-wing, Marxist-loving vicar, Simeon Simcox. Despite the political differences, Hordern felt great empathy towards his character, and admired his "plain, straightforward attitude to life, his dottiness, and the way he hung to his faith in a wicked world with a saintliness verging on the simple".

paragraph: Hordern made a return to the London stage in 1987 after a four-year absence. The play in which he starred, "You Never Can Tell", transferred to the Haymarket Theatre that December having made its debut at the Theatr Clwyd in Wales earlier that year. It was the second time the actor had appeared in the play, the first being back in Bristol fifty years previously when he starred as the youthful lead, Valentine. This time he was cast as William, the elderly waiter, a part which he considered to be "a real hell to play", partly because of the many meals he had to serve up on stage, whilst at the same time trying to remember the complex script. He enjoyed the play immensely and was thrilled at its successful run. His engagement also gave him a chance to reunite with some old friends, including Irene Worth, Michael Denison and Frank Middlemass, all of whom were in the cast. Hordern admitted that, on the whole, the experience made him feel "a little happier" about life.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:Final years and death.

paragraph: By the early 1990s Hordern was concentrating more on television. His roles were mostly those of ageing teachers, bank managers, politicians and clergymen. In 1989 he appeared alongside John Mills in an adaptation of Kingsley Amis's "Ending Up", a tale about a group of pensioners growing old together in a residential home. After that he took the part of Godfrey Colston in "Memento Mori", a television film about a group of elderly friends succumbing to old age, which was adapted for television from the Muriel Spark novel of the same name. The film received excellent notices and Hordern's performance was described as outstanding by the critic Neil Sinyard. All that was required of Hordern in his next role, the wealthy but terminally ill landowner Peter Featherstone in the BBC adaptation "Middlemarch", was for him simply to lie in bed and pretend to die. It was the kind of role which he found to be most fitting for someone of his advanced years and confirmed to him that the older he got, the more typecast he became. It was a situation that did not altogether bother him as he felt grateful for being employable at the age of 81.

paragraph: In January 1995 Hordern was invited back to his old college in Brighton, where a room was named in his honour. Inside, the college had commissioned the sculptor Peter Webster to create a bronze bust of the actor which is displayed with a plaque. Hordern's last physical acting role came shortly afterwards as Lord Langland in the comedy film "A Very Open Prison". This was followed by two narration performances, firstly in "Spode A History of Excellence", and then in the five-part film "Dinosaurs and Their Living Relatives".

paragraph: Hordern died of kidney disease at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford, on 2 May 1995, at the age of 83. Medical staff confirmed that he had been suffering from "a long illness and had been receiving dialysis treatment".

paragraph: Section::::Approach to acting.

paragraph: Hordern was a self-confessed "lazy bugger" when it came to role preparation. He did not regret his lack of formal acting training, and attributed his abilities to watching and learning from other actors and directors. He said: "I am bored of the intellectual view of the theatre. Actually, it scares the shit out of me, my view being that an actor should learn the lines without too much cerebral interference." In 1951, he asked Byam Shaw how best to rehearse unfamiliar roles. The director advised him to "never read up on them" before going on to say "read the plays as much as [you like] but never read the commentators or critics". It was advice which Hordern adopted for the role of King Lear, and for the rest of his career. The critic Brian McFarlane, writing for the British Film Institute, said that Hordern, despite his relaxed attitude, "had one of the most productive careers of any 20th century British actor".

paragraph: Throughout his 1993 autobiography "A World Elsewhere", Hordern exhibited his pride on being able to play a wide range of parts, something which made him a frequent subject among theatrical critics. The author Martin Banham thought that many of Hordern's characters shared a general identity of "an absent-minded, good-hearted English eccentric". The American journalist Mel Gussow, writing in Hordern's obituary in "The New York Times" in 1995, described the actor as being "a classical actor with the soul of a clown", while the actors John Hurt and Michael Bryant described Hordern as being "the Austin Princess among British actors", which implied to the author Sheridan Morley that Hordern possessed an element of "reliability but [with] a faint lack of charisma". Morley, who wrote Hordern's biography for the "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography", went on to describe the actor as being "one of the great eccentrics of his profession, perched perilously somewhere half way between Alistair Sim and Alec Guinness".

paragraph: Section::::Notes and references.

paragraph: Notes

paragraph: References

paragraph: Section::::External links.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Sir Michael Hordern – Daily Telegraph obituary

paragraph: BULLET::::- The Adventures of Captain Horatio Hornblower radio series

description: English actor, radio personality

wikidata_label: Michael Hordern

wikipedia_title: Michael Hordern


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categories: Date of birth missing (living people),Musicians from Miami,African-American record producers,American hip hop record producers,People from Carol City, Florida,Living people,Southern hip hop musicians

paragraph: Bigg D

paragraph: Derrick Baker, professionally known as Bigg D, is an American producer from Miami, Florida.

paragraph: Section::::Biography.

paragraph: Born in Miami, Baker grew up in Carol City, his father a professional musician, and his mother a church pianist. He learned guitar and toured with BeBe & CeCe Winans and Shirley Caesar in the 1980s. He had always wanted to work as a producer, and began producing rap artists such as G-Shorties. He went on to produce for artists such as Pitbull, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Jay-Z, Jennifer Lopez, and Jamie Foxx.

paragraph: In 2006 he won the award for 'Songwriter of the Year' with Mariah Carey at the 2006 BMI Urban Music Awards.

paragraph: Section::::Production discography.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Jay Burna - TBA (2015)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Mood"

paragraph: BULLET::::- Dillan Grey - Painted Asylum (2015)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Talk This Way"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Addicted To Crazy"

paragraph: BULLET::::- Ludacris - Burning Bridges / Ludaversal (2014/2015)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "In My Life" Feat. John Legend

paragraph: BULLET::::- 4th N Ocean - TBA (2014/2015)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Peyton Manning"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Bussin' It"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Mula"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Birthday Suit"

paragraph: BULLET::::- R Kelly - TBA (2015)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Special Delivery"

paragraph: BULLET::::- Pleasure P - Break Up To Make Up (2014)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Letter To My Ex"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Sex Mechanic"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Changes"

paragraph: BULLET::::- Sebastian Mikael - Speechless (2014)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Last Night" Feat. Wale

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Forever"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Speechless"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "4 U" Feat. Rick Ross

paragraph: BULLET::::- B-Smyth (2013/2014)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Twerkoholic"

paragraph: BULLET::::- Bryan J (2013)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Caught Up" feat. Tyga

paragraph: BULLET::::- Benzino - (2012)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Oh What A Night" feat. Stevie J

paragraph: BULLET::::- "How Deep Is Your Love"

paragraph: BULLET::::- Trina - Back 2 Business (2012)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Petty"

paragraph: BULLET::::- Mack Maine - (2012)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Celebrate" feat. Lil Wayne & Talib Kweli

paragraph: BULLET::::- Chris Brown - "F.A.M.E." (2011)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Wet the Bed feat. Ludacris

paragraph: BULLET::::- Rick Ross (2011)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Luxurious" feat. Scotty Boi & Terry Bennett

paragraph: BULLET::::- Glasses Malone - "Beach Cruiser" (2009)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Sun Come Up" feat. T-Pain, Rick Ross & Birdman

paragraph: BULLET::::- Rick Ross - "Deeper Than Rap" (2009)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Murder Mami" feat. Foxy Brown

paragraph: BULLET::::- Charlie Wilson - "Uncle Charlie" (2009)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "One Time"

paragraph: BULLET::::- Git Fresh - (2008)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Booty Music"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Booty Music Part 2"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Tipsy" feat. Rick Ross

paragraph: BULLET::::- Chris Brown - "Exclusive" (2007)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Down feat. Kanye West"

paragraph: BULLET::::- Jay-Z - "American Gangster" (2007)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Hello Brooklyn 2.0 feat. Lil' Wayne"

paragraph: BULLET::::- Jennifer Lopez - "Brave" (2007)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Wrong When Your Gone"

paragraph: BULLET::::- Playaz Circle - "Supply & Demand" (2007)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Outlaw'"

paragraph: BULLET::::- J. Valentine - "Conversation Piece" (2007)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Get With This Pimpin Feat. Snoop Dogg'"

paragraph: BULLET::::- Mario - "Unrealesed track from GO" (2007)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "This is For"

paragraph: BULLET::::- Jamie Foxx - "Unpredictable"(2005)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Unpredictable Feat. Ludacris"

paragraph: BULLET::::- Bottom of Da Map - "Undisclosed"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Whats da Bizness"

paragraph: BULLET::::- Pretty Ricky - "Bluestars"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Your Body"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Grind on Me"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Get A Little Closer"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Never Let You Go"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Juicy"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Call Me"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Nothing but a Number"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Grill 'Em"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Get You Right"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Chevy"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "I Want You (Girlfriend)"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Shorty Be Mine"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Cant Live Without You"

paragraph: BULLET::::- Lil Wayne - "Tha Carter II"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Best Rapper Alive"

paragraph: BULLET::::- Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III Sessions

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Staring At The World"

paragraph: BULLET::::- Trick Daddy - "Thug Matrimony" "Back By Thug Demand"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Lets Go"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "So High feat. Trey Songz and 8Ball"

paragraph: BULLET::::- Trick Daddy

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah (Original Version)" Feat. Lil Wayne & DJ Khaled

paragraph: BULLET::::- Pitbull - "M.I.A.M.I."

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Damn It Man"

paragraph: BULLET::::- Smitty - "Smitty Album"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Tell Me Feat. Mario & Chris Brown"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "For The Love of Money"

paragraph: BULLET::::- Twista - "The Day After"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Girl Tonite Feat. Trey Songz"

paragraph: BULLET::::- Mike Jones

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Cuddy Buddy"

paragraph: BULLET::::- 8Ball & MJG - "Ridin High"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Ridin High"

paragraph: Petey Pablo

paragraph: Section::::External links.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Bigg D on Myspace

description: Musician and record producer

wikidata_label: Bigg D

wikipedia_title: Bigg D


text: Israel

text: Likud

text: mayor

text: Beersheba

text: Cairo

text: Mandate Palestine

text: Jerusalem

text: IDF

text: Six-Day War

text: mass media

text: Kol Israel

text: Israel Broadcasting Authority

text: General Zionists

text: New York

text: USSR

text: Soviet Jewry

text: State of Israel Bonds

text: Negev

text: David Azrieli

text: Ben Gurion University of the Negev

text: Soroka Medical Center

categories: Egyptian Jews,1932 births,Egyptian emigrants to Mandatory Palestine,People from Cairo,General Zionists politicians,Israeli journalists,1997 deaths,Mayors of Beersheba

paragraph: Yitzhak Rager

paragraph: Yitzhak "Ijo" Rager (, 1932–1997) was an Israeli journalist, diplomat, and a Likud mayor of Beersheba.

paragraph: Rager was born in Cairo, though immediately after his birth, his family moved to Mandate Palestine and settled in Jerusalem. In his IDF service he reached the rank of lieutenant colonel and took part in the Six-Day War.

paragraph: Rager had two children: Eviatar Rager (born 1959) and Avishag Goldberger-Rager (born 1970), both of whom reside in Israel.

paragraph: After his discharge he worked in the mass media; among his posts were as European correspondent for Kol Israel, the Israeli national radio service, editor of the periodical "HaYom" and director-general of the Israel Broadcasting Authority. During that period, he was affiliated with the General Zionists, a centrist political party, and particularly aligned with Yitzhak Rokeach. On behalf of Israel's Foreign Service, Rager was posted to New York as a consul, where he focused on the international efforts to open the gates of emigration from the USSR for Soviet Jewry. Afterwards he was made world president of the State of Israel Bonds.

paragraph: As a business entrepreneur, Rager was among the founders of "Kanyon HaNegev" (lit. "Negev Mall"), the Negev's largest commercial center and one of the group established by Canadian developer David Azrieli. Its success was the source of some conflict in Beersheba. Proponents touted the Kanyon's successful businesses and how the modernized facility offered local residents amenities comparable to the Westernized center of the country and abroad, purportedly raising their standard of living. However, the competition badly harmed the businesses of Beersheba's Old City, which have yet to recover.

paragraph: Yitzhak Rager, running as the Likud party's candidate, was elected to the mayoralty in 1989. He was re-elected and served until a total of eight years until his death. Through his efforts, in 1992 Beersheba was designated a prime development area, resulting in major strides in its advancement and the absorption of tens of thousands of new immigrants.

paragraph: In his memory, a principal thoroughfare in Beersheba was renamed Yitzhak Rager Boulevard. It connects Ben Gurion University of the Negev, the Soroka Medical Center, the Beersheba municipality, and the Negev Mall.

paragraph: Section::::External links.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Death notice, incl. bio sketch, in the New York Times (June 15, 1997)

description: Mayor of Beersheba, Israel

wikidata_label: Yitzhak Rager

wikipedia_title: Yitzhak Rager


href: B%C3%BCsum Germany Latin Dithmarschen Holstein Denmark Middle%20Ages

text:
Büsum
Germany
Latin
Dithmarschen
Holstein
Denmark
Middle Ages

categories: German Protestant clergy,1630 deaths,17th-century historians,1550s births,German male non-fiction writers,German historians,German chroniclers,17th-century German writers

paragraph: Neocorus

paragraph: Johann Adolf Köster (also Johannes Adolph Köster) (c. 1550 – 1630) was a pastor, teacher and historian in Büsum, Germany. He is better known by his Latin name Neocorus, under which he chronicled the medieval history of Dithmarschen. The Neocorus School in Büsum was named in his honor in 1995.

paragraph: In addition to documenting historic events, Neocorus also wrote accounts of daily life in Dithmarschen during the late 16th century and collected local lore and anecdotes. For example, his chronicles contain a parallel to the story of the forest of Birnam. Michelsen called Neocorus' chronicles the "best and richest of Holstein's chronicles".

paragraph: Neocorus' "Chronik des Landes Dithmarschen" was the basis for a 44-minute movie produced in Germany narrating the battle of the people of Dithmarschen for independence from Holstein and Denmark during the late Middle Ages.

description: German historian

wikidata_label: Neocorus

wikipedia_title: Neocorus


text: MC

text: PC

text: British

text: Lord of Appeal in Ordinary

text: Kelvinside Academy

text: St John's College, Cambridge

text: first class honours

text: tripos

text: First World War

text: Highland Light Infantry

text: Military Cross

text: War Office

text: King's Counsel

text: High Court of Justice

text: Lord Justice of Appeal

text: Privy Council

text: Lords of Appeal in Ordinary

text: life peer

text: Council of Legal Education

text: University of Cambridge

text: University of Glasgow

text: Deputy High Steward

text: University of St Andrews

text: University of Sydney

text: American Bar Association

text: Canadian Bar Association

text: Faculty of Advocates

text: Margarine Reference

text: Paris v Stepney Borough Council

text: Canada Steamship Lines Ltd v R

text: contra proferentem

categories: Law lords,Recipients of the Military Cross,People educated at Kelvinside Academy,People from Glasgow,Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge,Members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council,Lords Justices of Appeal,Knights Bachelor,1973 deaths,Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom,Chancery Division judges,Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau,Members of Lincoln's Inn,Highland Light Infantry officers,1887 births

paragraph: Fergus Morton, Baron Morton of Henryton

paragraph: Fergus Dunlop Morton, Baron Morton of Henryton, MC, PC (17 October 1887 – 18 July 1973) was a British judge who was a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary from 1947 to 1959.

paragraph: Section::::Background and education.

paragraph: Born in Glasgow, Morton was the youngest child of George Morton and Janet, "née" Wilson. His father, from a farming family, left school aged thirteen and acquired a considerable fortune as a stockbroker. He was educated at Kelvinside Academy and then went to St John's College, Cambridge with an open scholarship in classics. Morton narrowly missed first class honours in part one of the classical tripos in 1909 owing to illness, before taking first class honours in part two of the law tripos in 1910, topping the class list.

paragraph: Section::::Legal career.

paragraph: After a year with a firm of solicitors, Morton was called to the English bar by the Inner Temple in 1912, also joining Lincoln's Inn in 1914. He was first the pupil of the conveyancer A. L. Ellis, then of leading Chancery junior Dighton Pollock.

paragraph: On the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, he was commissioned as lieutenant into the Highland Light Infantry. He saw action in German East Africa, and was promoted to captain in 1915. In July 1918, he was awarded the Military Cross. Both of his brothers were killed in the war.

paragraph: From 1918–19, Morton was attached to the War Office, before resuming his career at the Chancery bar. His practice grew rapidly, and he became a King's Counsel in 1929. In 1932 he was elected a bencher of Lincoln's Inn (serving as treasurer in 1953).

paragraph: Section::::Judicial career.

paragraph: Morton was appointed to the High Court of Justice in 1938, receiving the customary knighthood, and was assigned to the Chancery Division. From 1941, he chaired the Black List Committee for the following five years. He was appointed a Lord Justice of Appeal in 1944 and on this occasion was sworn of the Privy Council. Three years thereafter the number of the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary was increased to nine and one of the new seats was assigned to Morton. He obtained the traditional life peerage, taking the title Baron Morton of Henryton, of Henryton, in the County of Ayr.

paragraph: Morton joined the Council of Legal Education in 1949, which he left after four years. In 1950 he sat in the Committee on the Law of Intestate Succession (named the Morton Committee) and in the subsequent year he became chairman of the Royal Commission on Marriage and Divorce (named the Morton Commission). Lincoln's Inn selected him its Treasurer in 1953. He retired as Lord of Appeal in 1959.

paragraph: Section::::Honours.

paragraph: In 1940, he was nominated an honorary fellow by his former college and in 1951 received Honorary Doctorates of Law by the University of Cambridge as well as the University of Glasgow. Cambridge's Senat elected Morton a Deputy High Steward in 1954. Two years later, the University of St Andrews and in 1957 the University of Sydney conferred additional doctorates upon him. Both the American Bar Association and the Canadian Bar Association made Morton honorary members. He became also an honorary member of the Faculty of Advocates.

paragraph: Section::::Notable decisions.

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Margarine Reference" [1951] AC 179 — Canadian federalism

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Paris v Stepney Borough Council" [1951] AC 367 — standard of care

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Canada Steamship Lines Ltd v R" [1952] AC 192 — unfair terms "contra proferentem"

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Lister v Romford Ice and Cold Storage Co Ltd" [1957] AC 555 — vicarious liability

paragraph: Section::::Family.

paragraph: Morton married Margaret Greenlees, elder daughter of James Begg; they had a daughter. He died aged 85 in 1973.

description: British judge

wikidata_label: Fergus Morton, Baron Morton of Henryton

wikipedia_title: Fergus Morton, Baron Morton of Henryton


text:
Nobile
Ajaccio
Italia
politician
Ajaccio
Corte
Republic of Genoa
Chancellor
Carlo Buonaparte
Maria Letizia Ramolino
Joseph Bonaparte
Napoleon I of France
Lucien Bonaparte
Elisa Bonaparte
Louis Bonaparte
Pauline Bonaparte
Caroline Bonaparte
Jérôme Bonaparte

categories: 1763 deaths,House of Bonaparte,Corsican politicians,People from Ajaccio,1713 births

paragraph: Giuseppe Maria Buonaparte

paragraph: "Nobile" Giuseppe Maria Buonaparte or Giuseppe Maria di Buonaparte (31 May 1713, Ajaccio – 13 December 1763, Ajaccio) was an Italian politician.

paragraph: He was the son of Sebastiano Nicola Buonaparte and his wife Maria Anna Tusoli (1690–1760).

paragraph: In 1749, Giuseppe was the Delegate who represented the City of Ajaccio in the Council of Corte.

paragraph: Section::::Marriages and children.

paragraph: On 5 March 1741 at Ajaccio, Giuseppe married his first wife "Nobile" Maria Saveria Paravicini (7 September 1715, Ajaccio – before 1750). She was daughter of "Nobile" Giuseppe Maria Paravicini and "Nobile" Anna Maria Salineri. Both her parents were members of the nobility of the Republic of Genoa. They had at least three children:

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Nobile" Maria Getrude Buonaparte (28 November 1741, Ajaccio – December, 1793). Married at Ajaccio, 25 June 1763 Nicola Luigi Paravisini, Chancellor of the City of Ajaccio (ca 1739, Ajaccio – 8 May 1813, Ajaccio).

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Nobile" Sebastiano Buonaparte (1743, Ajaccio – 24 November 1760, Ajaccio).

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Nobile" Carlo Buonaparte (29 March 1746 – 24 February 1785). Married in June 1764, Maria Letizia Ramolino. They were parents to Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon I of France, Lucien Bonaparte, Elisa Bonaparte, Louis Bonaparte, Pauline Bonaparte, Caroline Bonaparte and Jérôme Bonaparte.

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Nobile" Marianna Buonaparte, died young.

paragraph: Maria predeceased him. He married secondly Maria Virginia Alata (5 February 1725 – ?), daughter of Domenico Alata and NN. This marriage was probably childless.

description: Corsican politician

wikidata_label: Giuseppe Maria Buonaparte

wikipedia_title: Giuseppe Maria Buonaparte


text: United States Army

text: Medal of Honor

text: Vietnam War

text: Culver, Indiana

text: Detroit

text: Michigan

text: Sergeant

text: Republic of Vietnam

text: irregular

text: Viet Cong

text: Holland, Michigan

text: Camp Cai Cai

text: mortar

categories: People from Bethesda, Maryland,Military personnel from Michigan,United States Army Medal of Honor recipients,1945 births,American military personnel killed in the Vietnam War,1968 deaths,United States Army soldiers,Recipients of the Silver Star

paragraph: Gordon Douglas Yntema

paragraph: Gordon Douglas Yntema (June 26, 1945 – January 18, 1968) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War.

paragraph: Section::::Biography.

paragraph: Gordon Yntema graduated from Culver Military Academy Culver, Indiana in 1963

paragraph: Yntema joined the Army from Detroit, Michigan in 1964, and by January 16, 1968 was serving as a Sergeant in Company D of the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne). On that day, near Thong Binh in the Republic of Vietnam, Yntema and the two platoons of irregulars he was with were involved in a heavy firefight with the Viet Cong. After the group's Vietnamese commander was wounded, Yntema led the force for the remainder of the two-day battle as ammunition dwindled and losses mounted. With his position about to be overrun, he refused to abandon his wounded comrades and instead fought to the death.

paragraph: Yntema, aged 22 at his death, was buried in Pilgrim Home Cemetery, Holland, Michigan. He and his wife Peggy had two daughters, Elizabeth and Jane.

paragraph: The enlisted club at Fort Bragg, NC is named in his honor.

paragraph: Section::::Medal of Honor citation.

paragraph: Sergeant Yntema's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

paragraph: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life and above and beyond the call of duty. Sgt. Yntema, U.S. Army, distinguished himself while assigned to Detachment A-431, Company D. As part of a larger force of civilian irregulars from Camp Cai Cai, he accompanied 2 platoons to a blocking position east of the village of Thong Binh, where they became heavily engaged in a small-arms fire fight with the Viet Cong. Assuming control of the force when the Vietnamese commander was seriously wounded, he advanced his troops to within 50 meters of the enemy bunkers. After a fierce 30 minute fire fight, the enemy forced Sgt. Yntema to withdraw his men to a trench in order to afford them protection and still perform their assigned blocking mission. Under cover of machinegun fire, approximately 1 company of Viet Cong maneuvered into a position which pinned down the friendly platoons from 3 sides. A dwindling ammunition supply, coupled with a Viet Cong mortar barrage which inflicted heavy losses on the exposed friendly troops, caused many of the irregulars to withdraw. Seriously wounded and ordered to withdraw himself, Sgt. Yntema refused to leave his fallen comrades. Under withering small arms and machinegun fire, he carried the wounded Vietnamese commander and a mortally wounded American Special Forces advisor to a small gully 50 meters away in order to shield them from the enemy fire. Sgt. Yntema then continued to repulse the attacking Viet Cong attempting to overrun his position until, out of ammunition and surrounded, he was offered the opportunity to surrender. Refusing, Sgt. Yntema stood his ground, using his rifle as a club to fight the approximately 15 Viet Cong attempting his capture. His resistance was so fierce that the Viet Cong were forced to shoot in order to overcome him. Sgt. Yntema's personal bravery in the face of insurmountable odds and supreme self-sacrifice were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect the utmost credit upon himself, the 1st Special Forces, and the U.S. Army.

paragraph: Section::::See also.

paragraph: BULLET::::- List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Vietnam War

wikidata_label: Gordon Douglas Yntema

wikipedia_title: Gordon Douglas Yntema


text:
Lepanto, Arkansas
American football
wide receiver
basketball
Chicago Bears
2008 NFL Draft
college football
Arkansas
New York Giants
Germany
Malik Monk
East Poinsett County High School
letterman
football
basketball
Mr. Basketball of Arkansas
National Football Foundation
SEC
receptions
Richard Smith
touchdown
seventh round (248th overall)
2008 NFL Draft
Chicago Bears
rookie
New York Giants
Craphonso Thorpe
practice squad
Taye Biddle
Carolina Panthers
Razorbacks basketball team
KARK
Little Rock, Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks
Oklahoma Sooners
Associated Press
Blake Griffin
2008-2009 season
Hertener Löwen
ProB
Eurobasket.com
Gotha Rockets
MBA
University of Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks bio
Carolina Panthers bio
Chicago Bears bio
New York Giants bio

categories: Basketball players from Arkansas,Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball players,American football wide receivers,1986 births,Players of American football from Arkansas,People from Lepanto, Arkansas,Chicago Bears players,Carolina Panthers players,Arkansas Razorbacks football players,New York Giants players,Living people

paragraph: Marcus Monk

paragraph: Marcus Monk (born April 26, 1986 in Lepanto, Arkansas) is a former professional American football wide receiver and a former professional basketball player. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arkansas. Monk has also been a member of the New York Giants. Between 2010 and 2012, he played professional basketball in Germany. He is the older brother of basketball player Malik Monk.

paragraph: Section::::Early years.

paragraph: Monk attended East Poinsett County High School and was a 4.0 student and a letterman in football and basketball. Also, he was the Valedictorian of his graduating class. He was an All-State honoree in both sports, 2004 Mr. Basketball of Arkansas as a senior, and was named the National Football Foundation's Scholar Athlete of the Year.

paragraph: Section::::Football career.

paragraph: Section::::Football career.:College.

paragraph: Monk led all SEC freshmen in receiving in 2004 and set a school record for receptions by a freshman with 37 catches, breaking Richard Smith's school record of 33. He garnered Freshman All-SEC honors for catching 37 balls for 569 yards and six touchdowns.

paragraph: Monk continued to improve in his sophomore season by catching 35 passes for a team-high 476 yards and seven touchdowns.

paragraph: In his junior season, Monk had his best statistical season with 50 catches for a career-high 962 yards. Monk broke a school record with 11 touchdown passes caught and averaged 19.2 yards per catch.

paragraph: Monk was sidelined for most of the season due to an injury in the offseason that required two surgeries. Of the six games he played, Monk caught 16 balls for 144 yards and three touchdowns, tying him for seventh in the SEC for career touchdowns.

paragraph: Section::::Football career.:Professional.:Chicago Bears.

paragraph: Monk was selected in the seventh round (248th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. Monk signed a four-year rookie deal with the Bears on May 31, 2008. He was waived on August 24.

paragraph: Section::::Football career.:Professional.:New York Giants.

paragraph: On August 26, 2008, Monk was claimed off waivers by the New York Giants after the team waived/injured wide receiver Craphonso Thorpe. However, he was waived by the team four days later during final cuts. On August 31, he was re-signed to the team's practice squad. He was released from the practice squad on September 8 after wide receiver Taye Biddle was signed.

paragraph: Section::::Football career.:Professional.:Carolina Panthers.

paragraph: Monk was signed by the Carolina Panthers on April 28, 2009 after impressing scouts at Arkansas's pro day.

paragraph: Section::::Basketball career.

paragraph: Section::::Basketball career.:College.

paragraph: As a college freshman, Monk also played 10 games with the Razorbacks basketball team after completing the football season.

paragraph: On November 18, 2008, KARK 4 News in Little Rock, Arkansas reported that Monk was possibly coming back for his last semester to play college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks. Monk was allowed to play as he had basketball eligibility remaining and was never a professional athlete in that sport.

paragraph: Monk's breakout game would come on December 30, 2008 when Arkansas hosted the Oklahoma Sooners, ranked fourth in that week's Associated Press Poll. Monk scored 12 points and added six rebounds and one steal while holding his ground defensively against the Sooners' star player, Blake Griffin, in only his third game with the Razorbacks of the 2008-2009 season.

paragraph: Monk was officially removed from the roster on February 13, 2009 by the University of Arkansas after several weeks of not dressing out for the team, for a suspected undisclosed NCAA rules infraction.

paragraph: Section::::Basketball career.:Professional.

paragraph: Monk signed with Hertener Löwen of the German ProB league in 2010. Appearing in 25 games for the team during the 2010-11 season, he averaged 22.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.1 steals, 2.2 assists and 1.2 blocks a contest, while being named to the Eurobasket.com All-Pro B First Team and being recognized as the Eurobasket.com All-ProB Defensive Player of the Year.

paragraph: In 2011-12, Monk was instrumental in helping the Gotha Rockets win the ProB title and received Eurobasket.com All-ProB Player of the Year honors, after tallying 15.3 points as well as 7.9 boards a game.

paragraph: Section::::Life after sports.

paragraph: After playing professional basketball in Germany for two years, Monk began the MBA program at the University of Arkansas. He graduated in 2014.

paragraph: Section::::External links.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Arkansas Razorbacks bio

paragraph: BULLET::::- Carolina Panthers bio

paragraph: BULLET::::- Chicago Bears bio

paragraph: BULLET::::- New York Giants bio

description: American football player

wikidata_label: Marcus Monk

wikipedia_title: Marcus Monk