- Tony Church
Infobox actor
name = James Anthony Church
imagesize =
caption =
birthname =
birthdate = Birth date|1930|May|11|df=y
birthplace =London
deathdate = Death date and age|2008|03|25|1930|05|11|df=y
deathplace =London
othername =
occupation =Actor
yearsactive = 1953-2007
spouse =James Anthony Church (Tony Church) (
11 May ,1930 —25 March ,2008 ) [cite news
last = Moore
first = John
coauthors =
title = Tony Church: Consummate man of theater
work =Denver Post
pages =
language =
publisher =
date =2008-03-25
url = http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_8696015
accessdate =2008-03-29 ] was a British Shakespearean actor, who has appeared on stage and screen. In 1989 he became the Dean of theNational Theatre Conservatory , which is the teaching arm of the Denver Center Theatre Company inDenver ,Colorado .tage
Church was educated at
Hurstpierpoint College , andClare College, Cambridge . [cite news
last = Coveney
first = Michael
coauthors =
title = Obituary: Tony Church
work =The Guardian
pages =
language =
publisher =
date =2008-03-28
url = http://arts.guardian.co.uk/theatre/obituary/0,,2268826,00.html
accessdate =2008-03-29 ] In 1953 fellow Cambridge student Peter Hall directed his first professional production (Pirandello 's "Henry IV" at theArts Theatre , London), Church was a performer. In 1960 Hall set up the newRoyal Shakespeare Company and Church joined him as a founder member. He was a regular performer with the company until 1987. In 1988 Church took leading parts in "Cymbeline", "The Winter's Tale" and "The Tempest", once again under the direction of Peter Hall, at London's National Theatre.He appeared for the last time on the Stratford stage on
31 March 2007 , in a special programme marking the closure of theRoyal Shakespeare Theatre . [cite news
last =Ward
first =David
coauthors =
title =Exeunt all as Stratford's actors prepare to tread new boards
work =Guardian
pages =
language =
publisher =
date =2007-04-02
url =http://arts.guardian.co.uk/theatre/news/story/0,,2048225,00.html
accessdate = 2007-05-08 ]Notwithstanding Church's stage commitments, he was appointed Director of Drama at the
Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1982, leaving to take up the post with the Denver Center for the Performing Arts in 1989.Film and Television
He appeared in "Work Is A Four Letter Word" (1967), "
Tess " (1979), and "Krull" (1983). In the 1963BBC production of "As You Like It " he played Duke Frederick. Later he played Frederick's banished brother in the 1978BBC Television Shakespeare production. He also had small roles asSquire Bancroft in "Lillie " andSamuel Hoare in "Edward & Mrs. Simpson ".References
Other sources
* Trowbridge, Simon: [http://www.stratfordians.org.uk/ Stratfordians: a dictionary of the RSC]
*Who's Who (2007): James Anthony ChurchExternal links
*imdb name|id=0161398|name=Tony Church
* [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/theatre/obituary/0,,2268826,00.html Obituary, "The Guardian", 28 March 2008]
* [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/outstanding-rsc-actor-tony-church-802752.html Obituary, "The Independent", 31 March 2008]
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article3661991.ece Obituary, "The Times", 2 April 2008]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.