Latest news with #HaroldPinter
The Guardian
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Gawn Grainger obituary
The actor and writer Gawn Grainger, who has died aged 87, had an extraordinary career that spanned more than 70 years. Even if rarely the star, he had the resilience and versatility of the born character actor and was the product of a now vanished regional repertory system. Above all, he was an indispensable team player and a pillar, along with Michael Bryant, of the National Theatre. He began his career there under Laurence Olivier in 1972 when the company was situated at the Old Vic and worked under successive directors before making his final appearance in 2017 during the tenure of Rufus Norris. He worked regularly in the West End and in TV and in the 1980s sidelined his acting career to focus on writing scripts for the small screen. He soon returned to the stage, however, which was his natural habitat. As an actor he had a powerful physical presence, a superb voice and the consummate adaptabilityimparted by rep training. Off-stage, he also had an instinctive charm that made people like and trust him. During his early years at the National, he not only came under Olivier's wing, but became a lifelong friend of the actor, whom he regarded as a surrogate father, and his family: he eventually went on to ghost-write Olivier's book On Acting (1986), and, along with Maggie Smith, was present at the great man's deathbed. Having temporarily abandoned acting, Grainger was persuaded to return by Harold Pinter to appear in two plays of his at the Almeida theatre, and was rewarded with Pinter's eternal friendship. His ability to relate to people extended even to critics. He and his wife, Zoë Wanamaker, were passionate theatregoers and whenever I ran into Grainger at first nights he would want to exchange opinions about whatever we had recently seen. What he did have in common with many actors was a slightly ramshackle upbringing. He spoke openly about the fact that he was the result of an affair between his Scottish mother, Elizabeth (nee Gall), married at the time to another man, and a lodger, Charles Grainger. Although his parents went on to marry, his mother felt obliged to leave puritanical Glasgow, where her son was born, to live in London. At the start of the second world war, the young Gawn was evacuated to Northern Ireland. Returning to the capital, he got a scholarship to Westminster City school but soon found himself drawn to public performance. As a boy scout, he took part in the Ralph Reader gang-shows. But it was a sign of his self-confidence that, as a 12-year-old, having read that Ivor Novello needed an actor to play the boy-monarch in his West End musical King's Rhapsody, he turned up at the stage-door, feigned a non-existent appointment with Novello and immediately got the job. After that an acting career was inevitable and in the early 60s he benefited from a still flourishing regional repertory system. He started in weekly rep at Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, playing opposite an equally young Vanessa Redgrave, graduated to fortnightly rep at Ipswich, where Ian McKellen was in the company, and finally moved in 1964 to Bristol Old Vic where the productions changed every three weeks. There he played a succession of leading parts, including the title roles in Sartre's Kean and John Arden's Serjeant Musgrave's Dance, and was Romeo to Jane Asher's Juliet. It is a sign of Bristol's prestige that Romeo and Juliet was one of three of its productions chosen to go on a world tour, winding up in New York in 1967. That led to Grainger spending a year on Broadway in There's a Girl in My Soup and, in another testament to his versatility, becoming a regular on an American version of the TV panel-game What's My Line? Back in London, Grainger found a new stability by marrying the actor Janet Key (his first, brief, marriage had ended in divorce) and when he joined Olivier's National Theatre at the Old Vic in 1972 it was as if he had found his destiny: he loved the company and the company loved him. His debut was in Michael Blakemore's dazzling production of The Front Page and he went on to appear in Macbeth, The Misanthrope, The Bacchae and Trevor Griffiths' The Party – in which Olivier made his last National appearance – before playing the lead in Jonathan Miller's production of Beaumarchais's The Marriage of Figaro. I described him as 'eagle-eyed but humanly vulnerable'. Grainger was one of the few actors to make the transition from Olivier's National to that of his successor, Peter Hall. It is also a sign of Grainger's status and dependability that, in his Diaries, Hall records frequently turning to him to gauge the company's mood during periods of industrial strife. While loyal to Hall, Grainger was a key member of the Bill Bryden company that created its own distinctive style and aesthetic under the umbrella of the National Theatre. The Bryden approach was based on team-work, vocal prowess and uninhibited physicality, and Grainger, who appeared in productions of Tony Harrison's The Passion, O'Neill's The Long Voyage Home and The Iceman Cometh, and Lark Rise and Candleford, among many others, was perfectly suited to the gutsy ensemble ethos. In the 1980s, however, Grainger decided to devote himself to writing. His first stage play, Four to One, had already been performed at the Young Vic in 1976 and been well received. Set in the back-room of an Islington pub during a game of pool, it suggested an adroit mix of Robert Ardrey and Pinter, in that it combined territorial possessiveness with hostility to intruders. A handful of stage-plays followed, including Jubilee, starring Peggy Mount, but in the 80s Grainger worked mainly for TV and radio. There were single plays such as Clowns, produced by Bryden for BBC One, long-running series including The Big Deal, with Ray Brooks, and Trainer, the horse-racing drama. It was a fruitful period, but in 1991 Grainger was invited by Pinter to appear at the Almeida in London, in productions of Party Time and Mountain Language, which later led to performing alongside Pinter himself in No Man's Land. David Leveaux's production of the latter reminded us that the play is a string quartet and that the servants, superbly played by Grainger and Douglas Hodge, are just as important as Hirst and Spooner, played by Pinter and Paul Eddington. Grainger remembered that Pinter loved the camaraderie and back-chat of the dressing-room. One night Grainger said to Pinter 'Here you are in this tatty dressing-room in Islington – one of the great writers of the 20th century.' Pinter replied, with mock-fierceness – 'What do you mean, one of?' This period of renewal for Grainger was shattered by the death of his wife, Janet, in 1992, but in 1994 he married Wanamaker, to whom he was deeply devoted. Over the next three decades he rediscovered his appetite for acting and did a massive variety of work: West End plays including Amy's View, Don Juan in Soho and The Entertainer, where he caught perfectly the grumbling disillusion of the aged Billy Rice; numerous shows at the Donmar and the Young Vic, including a touching performance as the aged Firs in Katie Mitchell's production of The Cherry Orchard; and, inevitably, a return to his spiritual home at the National Theatre, where he was a bullish publican in Sing Yer Heart Out For The Lads, a sprightly elder in Really Old Like Forty-Five and the vigorous father of the hero's champion in Saint George and the Dragon. In his later years he had problems with macular degeneration, but he remained, whenever I met him, invincibly cheerful and left behind imperishable memories: of an engaging raconteur, a fine writer and the kind of dedicated ensemble actor who is the backbone of British theatre. He is survived by Zoë and two children, Charlie and Eliza, from his second marriage. Gawn Grainger, actor, born 12 October 1937; died 17 May 2025
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Danny Dyer says death of beloved mentor sent him into ‘spiral of madness'
Actor Danny Dyer has said the death of his mentor, playwright Harold Pinter, sent him into a 'spiral of madness'. Nobel Prize-winning playwright, Pinter, casted former EastEnders actor Dyer, 47, in his play Celebration, which was first staged at the Almeida Theatre in London in 2000. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, Dyer said he would stay at the playwright's house and learn about famous writers and poets like WH Auden and CS Lewis. In 2001, the play was transferred to New York's Lincoln Centre and during one performance, Dyer forgot his lines on stage and had an 'anxiety attack', having taken drugs and stayed out the night before. Dyer felt 'so bad about letting him (Pinter) down' but said the playwright put his arm around him and made him 'feel better about it'. Reflecting on his death in 2008, he said: 'I hadn't spoke to him in a while. I did go off the rails for many years, and I found out by looking on the front of a newspaper. 'Again, I'd been on a bender and I was coming home and I was going, I think I was going to buy cigarettes at the petrol garage, and I see it in the paper. 'Pinter dead'. 'This really sent me on a spiral of madness, really. Recommended Reading Danny Dyer gives 'most honest interview ever' in ITV show EastEnders icon Danny Dyer reveals why he left the BBC show EastEnders Danny Dyer goes undercover to sell the Big Issue 'The guilt of not being around him anymore and just being lost, I was a bit of a lost soul, and again, angry at the world.' In April, US publication Deadline reported that Dyer was developing an idea for a play about his relationship with Pinter, whom he referred to as his 'mentor'. Danny Dyer's episode of Desert Island Discs will air at 10am on BBC Radio 4 and will also be available on BBC Sounds.
Times
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Danny Dyer: Harold Pinter was a father figure. I felt I let him down
Danny Dyer has revealed how he went into 'a spiral of madness' following the death of his friend and mentor, the playwright Harold Pinter. The actor, who starred in EastEnders for nine years as pub landlord Mick Carter and won critical acclaim last year for his role in Disney+'s adaptation of Jilly Cooper's Rivals, considered Pinter a 'father figure'. Speaking to Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, Dyer, 47, talked about his guilt at losing touch with Pinter in the years leading up to the dramatist's death at the age of 78 in 2008. 'I found out [about his death] by looking on the front of a newspaper — I'd been on a bender. This really sent me on a
Daily Mail
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Rivals star Danny Dyer insists 'elitist' critics would never mock his accent if he was black
Cockney star Danny Dyer, who can count kings and counsellors among his ancestors, claims 'elitist' critics wouldn't mock his accent if he was a black actor. The former EastEnders favourite reveals on Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4 today how one sneering review of his work was even written in a Cockney accent. He says: 'I felt like, 'why would that be allowed?' Because if I was a black actor you certainly wouldn't do it in a Jamaican accent. I've had some awful reviews about me.' The 47-year-old father of three from Custom House in London's East End believes that coming from a working-class background has prevented him from being regarded as a serious actor. 'I think I've done some good work over the years but I've never really been acknowledged,' he says. 'There's a bit of elitism in our industry. I'm incredibly working-class and proud of my roots. 'I don't work for critics in a sense, but the one that did do me was, 'The biggest plot twist about Rivals is that Danny Dyer can act.' And I thought, 'wow'. In a way it's a compliment, but at the same time, not really.' An early mentor to Dyer was the Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter, who took the then 22-year-old actor under his wing. Dyer appeared in three plays by the writer, who also had working-class East London origins. 'I used to stay at his house in Notting Hill and he would buy me a six-pack of lager and he would drink his wine and we'd just talk,' he says. 'I felt safe with him. He wanted me to be a theatre animal.' When Pinter died in 2008, Dyer says he went into a 'spiral of madness'. 'The guilt at not being around him any more. I was a bit of a lost soul I think and again, angry at the world,' he added. In 2013, Dyer joined the cast of EastEnders for an eight-year run as Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter, but his struggles with fame led to excessive drinking and drug-taking which affected his career and relationships. He went into rehab in South Africa in 2017 to deal with his emotions. He reveals he was close to quitting the facility until a letter from home made him reflect on the pain he'd caused his family. 'I had a moment where my ego started to rise again and I'd had enough,' he says. 'Then they read a letter out from my daughter, my Dani, and it made me sit back down in that seat pretty lively.' Now he fears toxic masculinity and the difficulty many men have in talking about emotional issues is harming a generation. He says: 'We've got a lot of lost young men out there at the moment that don't quite know how to behave and are frightened and we need to stop it. 'Toxic masculinity is a thing, but it's not necessarily because you're a male, it's because you're not a very nice human being.' The actor, who earned praise for his role as wealthy electronics businessman Freddie Jones in the hit show Rivals, believes men could help themselves by discussing their feelings with friends. While the main storyline follows tense rivalry between polo-loving lothario Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) and Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant), fans watching have been quick to point out Danny's 'fantastic' contribution One of Dyer's most famous roles before Eastenders was a football hooligan in gangster film The Football Factory 'Men need to open up a bit more,' he says. 'We need to talk to each other. I envy women that can gossip and talk about stuff. We certainly shouldn't bottle stuff up. 'It's okay to be masculine and it's okay to not be that in touch with your feelings but be able to speak about it when you're playing pool or sitting in a car.'
The Guardian
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Danny Dyer says Harold Pinter's death sent him into ‘spiral of madness'
The actor Danny Dyer said the death of his mentor, the Nobel prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter, triggered a 'spiral of madness' in his life. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, Dyer reflected on how he had stayed at Pinter's home while performing in his play Celebration. The play opened at London's Almeida theatre in 2000, before transferring to the Lincoln Center in New York. Dyer, 47, opened up about how during one performance he forgot his lines and suffered an anxiety attack, having been out the night before. Devastated at the thought of disappointing Pinter, he remembered the playwright's kindness. 'He put his arm around me,' he said, 'and made me feel better about it.' Reflecting on his death in 2008, he added: 'I hadn't spoke to him in a while. I did go off the rails for many years and I found out by looking on the front of a newspaper. 'Again, I'd been on a bender and I was coming home and I was going, I think I was going to buy cigarettes at the petrol garage, and I see it in the paper: 'Pinter dead'. 'This really sent me on a spiral of madness, really. The guilt of not being around him any more and just being lost, I was a bit of a lost soul, and again, angry at the world.' In April, Deadline reported that Dyer was developing an idea for a play about his relationship with Pinter, whom he referred to as his 'mentor'. Dyer, who had his breakthrough in the 1999 film Human Traffic, also reflected on some of the documentaries he had made earlier in his career. In the 00s, the actor presented the TV series Danny Dyer's Real Football Factories and Danny Dyer's Deadliest Men. 'I'd made a few films and I just wasn't getting paid any money, and I was desperate to get on to the property ladder', he said. 'I was still living in a council estate at Custom House, living with my daughter [Dani] and [wife] Jo, and it's like, well, I'm famous, but I'm still living on a council estate. 'And so then my house became a bit like Stonehenge, my little flat, and people would just stand outside waiting for me.' He continued: 'So I got offered to do a documentary with a real football veteran and I couldn't believe the money they was offering me, I thought, 'Oh, wow',' he said. 'Now I hated it, because I didn't have a script, it was me on my own interviewing people, and interviewing dangerous people, by the way, but it got me on the property ladder.' Dyer's episode of Desert Island Discs will air at 10am on Sunday on BBC Radio 4.
