77-714: The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art , also known by its abbreviation RADA ( / ˈ r ɑː d ə / ), is a drama school in London , England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre , film , television , and radio . It is based in Bloomsbury , Central London , close to the Senate House complex of the University of London , and is a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools . RADA
154-677: A Roman Catholic convert who became a monk and writer at Glenstal Abbey ; Hurt contributed to his brother's books. Hurt also had an adopted sister, Monica. In 1962, Hurt's father left his parish in Cleethorpes to become headmaster of St Michael's College in the Central American country of British Honduras . Hurt's mother died in 1975, and his father died in 1999 at the age of 95. In 1962, Hurt married actress Annette Robertson . The marriage ended in 1964. In 1967, he began his longest relationship with Marie-Lise Volpeliere-Pierrot,
231-481: A French model. The couple had planned to get married after 15 years together. On 26 January 1983, Hurt and Volpeliere-Pierrot went horseback riding early in the morning near their house in Ascott-under-Wychwood, Oxfordshire ; Volpeliere-Pierrot was thrown from her horse. She went into a coma and died later that day. In September 1984, Hurt married his old friend, Donna Peacock, an American actress, at
308-874: A Leading Role . He was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama . That same year he starred in Michael Cimino 's epic Western Heaven's Gate starring Kris Kristofferson , Christopher Walken , and Sam Waterston . The following year he portrayed Jesus Christ in the Mel Brooks comedy film History of the World, Part I (1981). Also in 1981 he starred in Delbert Mann 's thriller Night Crossing (1981). He earned
385-481: A Master of Arts, Master of Acting, Master of Science, Master of Fine Arts , Doctor of Arts , Doctor of Fine Arts , or Doctor of Philosophy degree. Entry to drama school is usually through a competitive audition process. Some schools make this a two-stage process. Places on an acting course are limited (usually well below 100) so those who fare best at the audition are selected. Most academies state that applicants must be over 18 years of age. Auditions usually involve
462-611: A Trust created by her late father, Captain Cathal Ryan. This plan went ahead and the academy, known as The Lir Academy , opened in September 2011. The Lir is part of Trinity College and is situated in the Grand Canal Dock area. It is officially associated with RADA . John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt CBE (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. He
539-611: A body of work published as a book, Off Stage: 100 Portraits Celebrating the RADA Centenary , in 2005 to celebrate RADA's centenary. The photographs include John Hurt , Alan Rickman , Sheila Hancock , Sir Anthony Hopkins , Ralph Fiennes , Edward Woodward , Sir Ian Holm , Richard Attenborough , Joan Collins , Tom Courtenay , Warren Mitchell , Imelda Staunton , June Whitfield , Richard Briers , Glenda Jackson , Juliet Stevenson , Jonathan Pryce , Kenneth Branagh , Ioan Gruffud , Susannah York and Timothy Spall . In 2011,
616-571: A box office. RADA accepts up to 28 new students each year into its three-year BA (Hons) in Acting course, with a 50–50 split of male and female students. Admission into the three-year BA (Hons) in Acting course is based on suitability and successful audition, via the four-stage audition process, spanning several months. Auditions are held in London as well as in New York, Los Angeles, Dublin, and across
693-620: A capacity of up to 50. In January 2012, RADA acquired the lease to the adjacent Drill Hall venue in Chenies Street and renamed it RADA Studios . The Drill Hall is a Grade II listed building with a long performing arts history, and was where Nijinsky rehearsed with Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in 1911. This venue has a 200-seat space, the Studio Theatre, and a 50-seat space, the Club Theatre. In April 2016, planning permission
770-699: A chance in the profession." Hurt's father moved to St Aidan's Church in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire . In a Guardian interview Hurt states the family lived in a vicarage opposite a cinema, but he was not allowed to go there, as films were "frowned upon." However, watching theatre was considered "fine" and encouraged particularly by his mother, who took him regularly to the repertory theatre in Cleethorpes. His parents disliked his later acting ambitions and encouraged him to become an art teacher instead. Aged 17, Hurt enrolled in Grimsby Art School (now
847-544: A cinema. The school's principal industry partner is Warner Bros. Entertainment . RADA offers a number of foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Its higher education awards are validated by King's College London (KCL). The royal patron of the school is King Charles III , following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. The president is David Harewood , who succeeded Kenneth Branagh in February 2024, with Cynthia Erivo appointed vice president. The chairman
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#1732787399819924-604: A local Register Office . The couple moved to Kenya but divorced in January 1990. On 24 January 1990, Hurt married Joan Dalton, an American production assistant, whom he had met while filming Scandal . With her, he had two sons. This marriage ended in 1996 and was followed by a seven-year relationship with Sarah Owens, a Dublin-born presenter and writer. The couple moved to County Wicklow , where they settled close to their friends, director John Boorman and Claddagh Records founder and Guinness heir Garech Browne . In July 2002,
1001-488: A love of Ireland and was enamoured of a "deeply beguiling" family legend that suggested his great-grandmother had been the illegitimate daughter of a Marquess of Sligo . The genealogical evidence uncovered seemed to contradict the family legend, rendering the suggestion doubtful. The search revealed that his great-grandmother had previously lived in Grimsby , at a location within a mile of the art college at which Hurt had been
1078-406: A much later documentary about the series, I Claudius: A Television Epic (2002), Hurt revealed that he had originally declined the role when it was first offered to him, but that series director Herbert Wise had invited him to a special pre-production party, hoping Hurt would change his mind, and that he was so impressed by meeting the rest of the cast and crew that he reversed his decision and took
1155-650: A nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor . In King Ralph (1991) Hurt played Lord Percival Graves. Hurt portrayed James Graham, 1st Duke of Montrose in the historical drama Rob Roy opposite Liam Neeson , Jessica Lange and Tim Roth . That same year he acted in the Jim Jarmusch directed Western Dead Man starring Johnny Depp , and Walter Hill 's Western Wild Bill (1995) with Jeff Bridges . In 1997 he starred in Richard Kwietniowski 's Love and Death on Long Island for which he
1232-561: A senior master at the school would abuse him and others by removing his two false front teeth and putting his tongue in the boys' mouths, as well as rubbing their faces with his stubble, and that the experience affected him hugely. Hurt, aged 12, became a boarder at Lincoln School (then a grammar school) because he had failed the entrance examination for admission to his brother's school. His headmaster at Lincoln School laughed when Hurt told him he wanted to be an actor, telling him, "Well, you may be all right in school plays but you wouldn't stand
1309-502: A series of audio stories starting from 2015 to 2017, completing twelve episodes over four box sets. He also played the title character in an audio drama adaptation of The Invisible Man for the company, for which he was nominated for a BBC Audio Drama Award. During Terry Gilliam 's eighth attempt at making his development hell project The Man Who Killed Don Quixote , Hurt was set to star as Don Quixote alongside Adam Driver . However, his declining health and eventual death led
1386-502: A single national authority Drama UK responsible for both the provision of Drama Training and accreditation of official courses. In 2017, Drama UK was replaced by the Federation of Drama Schools . Top drama schools in the UK are members of the mission group Conservatoires UK , which also includes the country's world-leading music schools. In the UK, funding varies from drama school to drama school. Historically drama schools were not part of
1463-561: A student. In 2016, Hurt announced he was in favour of the United Kingdom voting to remain in the EU . On 16 June 2015, Hurt publicly announced that he had been diagnosed with early-stage pancreatic cancer . He confirmed that he would continue to work while undergoing treatment and said that both he and the medical team treating him were "more than optimistic about a satisfactory outcome." Following treatment, he stated that his cancer
1540-703: A year with a 50–50 gender balance, with the option to interview in Manchester and Plymouth. RADA’s postgraduate training currently comprises a MA Theatre Lab programme and a Postgraduate Diploma in Theatre Costume (both validated by King's College London). RADA also jointly teaches an MA in Text and Performance with Birkbeck, University of London, where students on this course are enrolled at RADA as well as registered at Birkbeck. Both MA courses frequently collaborated according to their specialisms (i.e. directors on
1617-609: A £22.7 million grant from the Arts Council National Lottery Board in 1996, which was used to renovate its premises and rebuild the Jerwood Vanbrugh Theatre. In 2000, the academy founded RADA Enterprises Ltd, now known as RADA Business, providing training programmes and coaching for organisations and individuals in communications and team building which use drama training techniques in a business context. The profits are fed back into
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#17327873998191694-573: Is Marcus Ryder, who succeeded Sir Stephen Waley-Cohen in 2021. Its vice-chairman was Alan Rickman until his death in 2016. The current principal of the academy is Niamh Dowling, who succeeded Edward Kemp in 2022. The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art was founded on 25 April 1904 by actor-manager Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (the grandfather of actor Oliver Reed ) at the West End 's Her Majesty's Theatre (now His Majesty's) situated in Haymarket in
1771-593: Is an education and exhibition space located at Cinema City , Norwich . Charity patron Since 2003, Hurt was a patron of the Proteus Syndrome Foundation, both in the United Kingdom and in the US. Proteus syndrome is the condition that Joseph Merrick , who Hurt played (renamed as John Merrick) in The Elephant Man , is thought to have suffered from, although Merrick's exact condition
1848-585: Is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London. The main RADA building where classes and rehearsals take place is on Gower Street (with a second entrance on Malet Street ), with a second premise nearby in Chenies Street where RADA Studios is located. The Goodge Street and Euston Square underground stations are both within walking distance. The Gower and Malet Street building was redeveloped in
1925-476: Is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, founded in 1904 by Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . It moved to buildings on Gower Street in 1905. It was granted a royal charter in 1920 and a new theatre was built on Malet Street, behind the Gower Street buildings, which was opened in 1921 by Edward, Prince of Wales . It received its first government subsidy in 1924. RADA currently has five theatres and
2002-591: Is still not known with certainty. From 2006, Hurt had been a patron of Project Harar , a UK-based charity working in Ethiopia for children with facial disfigurements. Hurt was announced as patron of Norwich Cinema City in March 2013. In 2014, Hurt designed a Paddington Bear statue which was placed outside the British Museum . It was one of fifty statues of Paddington located around London prior to
2079-848: The Harry Potter film series (2001–11), as well as appearing in the 2004 and 2008 Hellboy films, V for Vendetta (2005), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), Outlander (2008), and Snowpiercer (2013). He also acted in the acclaimed films Melancholia (2011), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) and Jackie (2016). Hurt reprised his role as Quentin Crisp in An Englishman in New York (2009), which brought his seventh BAFTA nomination. He portrayed an incarnation of
2156-501: The City of Westminster , London. In 1905, RADA moved to 62 Gower Street, and a managing council was set up to oversee the school. Its members included George Bernard Shaw , who later donated his royalties from his play Pygmalion to RADA and gave lectures to students at the school. In 1920, RADA was granted a royal charter and, in 1921, a new theatre was built on Malet Street behind the Gower Street buildings. Edward, Prince of Wales, opened
2233-803: The Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor for his performances as Bob Champion in the sports drama Champions (1984), Mitchell Braddock in the crime thriller The Hit (1984), and Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984). He also played the would-be art school radical Scrawdyke in Little Malcolm (1974). Hurt also had a starring role in Sam Peckinpah 's critically panned but moderately successful final film, The Osterman Weekend (1983). Also in this period, he starred as
2310-708: The Horned King . Hurt provided the voiceover for AIDS: Iceberg/Tombstone , a 1986 public information film warning of the dangers of AIDS, and played the title role, the on-screen narrator, in Jim Henson 's television series The StoryTeller (1988). Hurt appeared in the 1987 Bob Clark directed movie "From The Hip". He had a supporting role as "Bird" O'Donnell in Jim Sheridan 's film The Field (1990), which garnered him another BAFTA nomination. In this film, Hurt starred alongside Richard Harris who earned
2387-510: The Juilliard School ) that specializes in the pre-professional training in drama and theatre arts, such as acting, design and technical theatre , arts administration , and related subjects. If the drama school is part of a degree-granting institution, undergraduates typically take an Associate degree , Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts , or, occasionally, Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Design . Graduate students may take
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2464-611: The Senate House complex of the University of London . It is a founder member of the Federation of Drama Schools. RADA has expanded its course offering over the years. The school offers a three-year BA (Hons) in acting degree. The first stage management course was introduced in 1962 under the directorship of Dorothy Tenham , and today students on the technical theatre and stage management degree learn theatre production skills including lighting, sound, props, costume and make-up, stage management, production management and video design. In
2541-804: The accolade from Queen Elizabeth II . In 2012, he was among the British cultural icons selected by artist Sir Peter Blake to appear in a new version of his album cover for the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band , to celebrate the British cultural figures of his life that he most admired. In 2014, he received the Will Award, presented by the Shakespeare Theatre Company , along with Stacy Keach and Dame Diana Rigg . The John Hurt Centre opened in September 2016 and
2618-543: The 1990s it launched a programme of short courses for actors and theatre technicians from around the world, including a special course for students at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts . Other courses include a one-year acting foundation course introduced in 2007; an MA in Text & Performance, affiliated with Birkbeck, University of London , introduced in 2010; and an MA Theatre Lab course introduced in 2011. RADA
2695-824: The Doctor known as the War Doctor in Doctor Who . He voiced roles in Watership Down (1978), The Lord of the Rings (1978), The Plague Dogs (1982), The Black Cauldron (1985), Dogville (2003), Valiant (2005) and BBC 's Merlin (2008–2012), as well as The Gruffalo's Child (2011), and Sailor John in Thomas & Friends: Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure (2015). John Vincent Hurt
2772-591: The East Coast School of Art and Design), where he studied art. In 1959, he won a scholarship allowing him to study for an Art Teacher's Diploma at Saint Martin's School of Art in London. Despite the scholarship, paying his tuition fees and living expenses was difficult, so he persuaded some of his friends to pose naked and sold the portraits. In 1960, he won a scholarship to Royal Academy of Dramatic Art , where he trained for two years, graduating in 1962 with an Acting (RADA Diploma). Hurt's first film role
2849-638: The Fool opposite Laurence Olivier 's King in King Lear (1983). Hurt also appeared as Raskolnikov in a BBC television adaptation of Crime and Punishment (1979). Hurt voiced Snitter in The Plague Dogs , played Winston Smith in the film adaptation of George Orwell 's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) and starred in Disney 's The Black Cauldron (1985), voicing the film's main antagonist,
2926-566: The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) he appeared as Harold Oxley. He voiced the Great Dragon Kilgharrah, who aids the young warlock Merlin as he protects the future King Arthur, in the BBC television series Merlin (also 2008). In 2011, he narrated the BBC documentary, Planet Dinosaur , a dinosaur-centered documentary completely shown through CGI . More than thirty years after The Naked Civil Servant , Hurt reprised
3003-641: The Lir Academy was established in association with RADA at Trinity College Dublin , with the partnership of the Cathal Ryan Trust. Following RADA’s conservatoire-style, practical theatre training, the Lir Academy modelled its courses after the London-based school. RADA has been registered with the Office for Students as a higher education institution since July 2018. The current principal of
3080-755: The Philosopher's Stone (2001), he played Mr Ollivander , the wand-maker. He returned for the adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire , though his scenes in that film were cut. He also returned for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 and Part 2 . In the 2006 film V for Vendetta , he played the role of Adam Sutler , leader of the Norsefire fascist dictatorship and in Steven Spielberg 's Indiana Jones and
3157-588: The RADA Shakespeare Awards. Undergraduate students are eligible for government student loans. RADA also has a scholarships and bursaries scheme, which offers financial assistance to students. The Royal Patron of the Academy is King Charles III , following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. The President is David Harewood , since February 2024. The chairman is Marcus Ryder, who succeeded Sir Stephen Waley-Cohen in 2021. Its vice-chairman
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3234-706: The TV play The Naked Civil Servant (1975) gave him prominence and earned him the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor. The following year, Hurt appeared as Anthony John Grey, a crooked computer programming expert in The Sweeney episode Tomorrow Man. He won further acclaim for his bravura performance as the Roman emperor Caligula in the BBC drama serial I, Claudius (1976). In
3311-635: The Text & Performance programme using actors from the Theatre Lab course). Rehearsals and performances for the programmes are done mostly in the Chenies Street and Malet Street buildings. In addition, RADA offers a series of short courses, masterclasses and summer courses for a range of standards and ages. Previous attendees have included Allison Janney , Liev Schreiber , Maggie Gyllenhaal and Emma Watson . The Academy’s education, widening participation and outreach work includes two Youth Companies, schools' workshops, Access to Acting workshops for young disabled people, Shakespeare tours to secondary schools and
3388-510: The UK are the Dance and Drama Awards . This is a government scheme which subsidises the training offered at a selection of the leading performing arts schools in the fields of dance, drama, musical theatre and stage management. A number of third-level institutions provide courses in Drama and Theatre Studies, including Trinity College, Dublin , NUI Maynooth, and Dublin City University. A decision by Trinity in January 2007 to drop its BA in Acting Studies to cut costs met with disappointment from
3465-518: The UK – in recent years this has included Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Chester, Leicester, Sheffield, Manchester, Newcastle and Plymouth. Free auditions are offered to any applicants with a household income of under £25,000. RADA also teaches Technical Theatre & Stage Management (TTSM) – a two-year foundation degree and with a further 'completion' year to BA level which has to be separately applied for and which allows for specialisation in all theatre craft areas. The TTSM course admits up to 30 students
3542-410: The UK's and the world's oldest drama school still in existence and was established in 1861. The Conference of Drama Schools was an organisation that comprised Britain's 22 leading Drama Schools. CDS existed to strengthen the voice of the member schools, to set and maintain the highest standards of training within the vocational drama sector, and to make it easier for prospective students to understand
3619-420: The academy to help cover its costs. In 2001, RADA joined with the London Contemporary Dance School to create the UK's first Conservatoire for Dance and Drama (CDD). RADA left the CDD in August 2019 to become an independent higher education provider. RADA is also a founder member of the Federation of Drama Schools , established in 2017. In 2004, celebrity photographer Cambridge Jones was commissioned to create
3696-430: The academy, Niamh Dowling, succeeded Edward Kemp in 2022. The current president, David Harewood , succeeded Kenneth Branagh in February 2024, with Cynthia Erivo appointed vice president. RADA's higher education awards are validated by King's College London (KCL) and its students graduate alongside members of the KCL Faculty of Arts & Humanities . It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London , close to
3773-432: The award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema. In 2013, Hurt first appeared in the Doctor Who episode " The Name of the Doctor " as an unplaced incarnation of the Doctor . His character is named as the War Doctor in the mini-episode " The Night of the Doctor "; his character is given focus in the 50th anniversary episode " The Day of the Doctor ", He reprised the role on audio for Big Finish Productions in
3850-401: The couple separated. In March 2005, Hurt married his fourth wife, Anwen Rees-Meyers, an advertising film producer. He gave up smoking and drinking during his fourth marriage. He lived in Cromer, Norfolk . In 2007, Hurt took part in the BBC genealogical television series Who Do You Think You Are? , which investigated part of his family history. Prior to the programme, Hurt had harboured
3927-426: The deformed Joseph Merrick in David Lynch 's biographical drama film The Elephant Man (1980). Hurt starred alongside Anthony Hopkins , John Gielgud , and Anne Bancroft . Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian praised his performance writing, "John Hurt, in complex and intricate prosthetics, plays Merrick with an unforgettably distinctive, gentle, quavering voice". He won another the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in
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#17327873998194004-656: The film A Man for All Seasons (1966) and won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for The Naked Civil Servant (1975). He played Caligula in the BBC TV series I, Claudius (1976). Hurt earned Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor for Midnight Express (1978), and Best Actor for The Elephant Man (1980). Other films include Alien (1979), Heaven's Gate (1980), Champions (1984), Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984), The Hit (1984), Scandal (1989), The Field (1990), Rob Roy (1995), and Contact (1997). Hurt gained further prominence portraying Garrick Ollivander in
4081-428: The film Tom Jones . That same year he acted in the British war film Before Winter Comes opposite David Niven and the drama In Search of Gregory alongside Julie Christie . He then played Timothy Evans , who was hanged for murders committed by his landlord John Christie , in 10 Rillington Place (1971), earning him his first BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor. His portrayal of Quentin Crisp in
4158-453: The future of the graduates and serves as a showcase of what the students can do. In 1833, actress Frances Maria Kelly managed the Royal Strand Theatre where she funded and operated a dramatic school, the earliest record of a drama school in England. In 1840 she financed the building of the Royalty Theatre in Soho which opened as Miss Kelly's Theatre and Dramatic School. The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) remains both
4235-443: The heroic rabbit leader of his warren in the film adaptation of Watership Down (both 1978) and later played the major villain, General Woundwort , in the animated television series version . His other roles in the 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s included Kane , the first victim of the title creature in the Ridley Scott directed film Alien (1979). He reprised the role as a parody in Spaceballs . In 1980 he portrayed
4312-422: The late 1990s to designs by Bryan Avery , and incorporated the new theatres and linking the entrances on both streets. RADA has five theatres and a cinema. In the Malet Street building, the Jerwood Vanburgh Theatre is the largest performance space with a capacity of 194; the George Bernard Shaw Theatre is a black box theatre with a capacity of up to 70; and the Gielgud Theatre is an intimate studio theatre with
4389-566: The mainstream academic system, and therefore were not funded on the same basis as universities. Some drama schools are now part of a university, such as Guildhall School of Music and Drama , which is part of the City University of London , and Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance, which is part of the University of Manchester, and these tend to charge similar tuition fees to universities. Student loans, drama awards and scholarships may help to provide students with their funding. The most prominent funding scheme for performing arts education in
4466-459: The performance of monologues , singing, and group workshops. The courses offered by drama schools focus on practical courses, rather than theoretical classes. Their aim is to train students as professional actors for stage, film, and television. At the beginning of the final year (usually the third), most drama schools stage a series of performances throughout the academic year to which agents and casting directors are invited. This helps to build
4543-444: The person who played Winston having risen in the party. From the Chestnut Tree Cafe, he's managed to get his wits together again, now understanding that 2 and 2 make 5 , and becomes Big Brother. So it tickled my fancy, and of course, I looked up Paper Zoo, and they seem to me to be the sort of company that's essential in the country as we know it, and doing a lot of really good stuff." At the 65th British Academy Film Awards Hurt won
4620-433: The project to be cancelled yet again; he was eventually replaced by Jonathan Pryce . Hurt was due to appear alongside Ben Kingsley in a film entitled Broken Dream , to be directed by Neil Jordan . In 2015, Hurt guest stars the voice of Sailor John , the main antagonist in the Thomas & Friends film Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure along with Eddie Redmayne (Ryan) and Jamie Campbell Bower (Skiff). At
4697-416: The range of courses on offer and the application process. Founded in 1969, the 22 member schools continue to offer courses in Acting, Musical Theatre, Directing and Technical Theatre training. Graduates of CDS courses are currently working on stage, in front of the camera and behind the scenes in theatres and studios across Britain. In 2012, CDS was merged with the National Council for Drama Training to create
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#17327873998194774-445: The release of the film Paddington which were auctioned to raise funds for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). University degrees and appointments In January 2002, Hurt received an honorary degree from the University of Derby . In January 2006 he received an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from the University of Hull . In 2012 he was appointed provost of Norwich University College of
4851-470: The role of Quentin Crisp in the 2009 film An Englishman in New York . This television film depicts Crisp's later years in New York. He returned to Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four , playing the on-screen Big Brother for the Paper Zoo Theatre Company's stage adaptation of the novel in June 2009. The theatre production premiered at the National Media Museum , in Bradford and toured in 2010. Hurt said, "I think Paper Zoo thought it would be quite ironic to have
4928-440: The role. Hurt appeared in the 1978 film Midnight Express , for which he won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (the latter of which he lost to Christopher Walken for his performance in The Deer Hunter ). Around the same time, he lent his voice to Ralph Bakshi 's animated film adaptation of Lord of the Rings , playing the role of Aragorn . Hurt voiced Hazel ,
5005-521: The theatre sector. A Forum for Acting Training was convened with leading professionals who recommended in a 2008 report, that an Academy for Dramatic Arts, independent of a University, but with third level accreditation should be created. The report was submitted to the Irish Government. On 1 August 2008, The Irish Times reported that a RADA graduate, Danielle Ryan , granddaughter of the late Tony Ryan who founded Ryanair , had announced plans to develop an Irish Academy of Dramatic Arts part-funded from
5082-476: The theatre. In 1923, Sir John Gielgud studied at RADA for a year. He later became president of the academy and its first honorary fellow. In 1924, RADA received its first government subsidy, a grant of £500. The Gower Street buildings were torn down in 1927 and replaced with a new building, financed by Bernard Shaw, who also left one-third of his royalties to the academy on his death in 1950. The academy has received other government funding at various times, including
5159-432: The time of his death he had completed filming That Good Night , in which he played a terminally ill writer. Hurt was initially cast as Neville Chamberlain in Darkest Hour . However, according to Gary Oldman , Hurt was undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer, and dropped the role in pre-production; actor Ronald Pickup assumed the role of Chamberlain instead. Hurt had an older brother, Br. Anselm (born Michael),
5236-408: The time such as Sir Squire Bancroft , William Archer , Sir Arthur Wing Pinero and George Bernard Shaw. Other facilities at RADA include acting studios, a scenic art workshop with paint frame, costume workrooms and costume store, dance and fight studios, design studios, wood and metal workshops, sound studios, rehearsal studios, and the RADA Foyer Bar, which includes a fully licensed bar, a café and
5313-411: Was Alan Rickman until his death in 2016. The current principal of the academy is Niamh Dowling, who succeeded Edward Kemp in 2022. Listed alphabetically by date of appointment Drama school A drama school , stage school or theatre school is an undergraduate and/or graduate school or department at a college or university, or a free-standing institution (such as the Drama section at
5390-565: Was as Richard Rich in the Fred Zinnemann directed historical drama film A Man for All Seasons (1966). Hurt acted alongside Paul Scofield , Wendy Hiller , Orson Welles , Robert Shaw , Susannah York , and Vanessa Redgrave . The film received critical acclaim and six Academy Awards including Best Picture . Hurt then acted in the British romantic drama The Sailor from Gibraltar starring Jeanne Moreau directed by Tony Richardson . He then starred in John Huston 's raunchy adventure comedy Sinful Davey (1969) which critics compared to
5467-400: Was as Phil Corbett in the Ralph Thomas directed British romantic drama The Wild and the Willing (1962). Hurt starred alongside Virginia Maskell and Paul Rogers . In 1963 he acted in the Kitchen sink drama This Is My Street . The following year he appeared in the television series Gideon's Way episode: The Tin God (1964) as prison escapee Freddy Tisdale. Hurt's first major role
5544-780: Was born on 22 January 1940, in Chesterfield, Derbyshire , the son of Arnould Herbert Hurt (1904-1999) and Phyllis (née Massey; 1907–1975). His father had been a mathematician, but became a Church of England clergyman and served as vicar of Holy Trinity Church in Shirebrook, Derbyshire ; his mother, a one-time actress, became "the first female draughtsman" at Metropolitan-Vickers in Manchester. In 1937, Hurt's father- previously vicar of St John's parish in Sunderland, County Durham - moved his family to Derbyshire, where he became Perpetual Curate of Holy Trinity Church. When Hurt
5621-619: Was five, his father became the vicar of St Stephen's Church in Woodville, Derbyshire , and remained there until 1953. At the age of eight, Hurt was sent to the Anglican St Michael's Preparatory School in Otford, Kent , where he eventually developed his passion for acting. He decided he wanted to become an actor after his first role as a girl in a school production of The Blue Bird by Maurice Maeterlinck . Hurt stated that
5698-536: Was granted for the redevelopment of the Chenies Street premises as part of the Richard Attenborough Campaign. The RADA library contains around 30,000 items. Works include around 10,000 plays; works of or about biography, costume, criticism, film, fine art, poetry, social history, stage design, technical theatre and theatre history; screenplays; and theatre periodicals. The collection was started in 1904 with donations from actors and writers of
5775-589: Was in remission on 12 October 2015. Hurt died at his home in Cromer , Norfolk , on 25 January 2017, three days after his 77th birthday. Honours In 2004, Hurt was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). He was created a Knight Bachelor in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to drama. On 17 July 2015, he attended an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle where he received
5852-521: Was nominated for the BIFA for Best Performance by an Actor in a British Independent Film . He was cast as the reclusive tycoon S.R. Hadden in Contact (1997). During this time, Hurt provided narration on the British musical group Art of Noise 's concept album The Seduction of Claude Debussy and narrated a four-part TV series The Universe (1999). In the first Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and
5929-649: Was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in the world". He possessed what was described as the "most distinctive voice in Britain". He received numerous awards including the BAFTA Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award in 2012 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2015 for his services to drama. A graduate of RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art), he came to prominence playing Richard Rich in
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