John Robertson Hare, OBE (17 December 1891 – 25 January 1979) was an English actor, who came to fame in the

Aldwych farce The Aldwych farces were a series of twelve stage farces presented at the Aldwych Theatre, London, nearly continuously from 1923 to 1933. All but three of them were written by Ben Travers. They incorporate and develop British low comedy styles ...

s. He is remembered by more recent audiences for his performances as the

Archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denomina ...

in the popular

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

, ''

All Gas and Gaiters ''All Gas and Gaiters'' is a British television ecclesiastical sitcom which aired on BBC One, BBC1 from 1966 to 1971. It was written by Pauline Devaney and Edwin Apps, a husband-and-wife team who used the pseudonym of John Wraith when writing th ...

''. Short in stature and of unheroic appearance, Hare made his stage career in character roles. From his early days as an actor he was cast as older men. One of his favourite parts, which he played in the provinces before achieving West End success, was "Grumpy", a retired lawyer, in which he toured before the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. After war service in the army, Hare got his big break. He was cast in a long-running farce with

Ralph Lynn Ralph Clifford Lynn (8 March 1882 – 8 August 1962) was an English actor who had a 60-year career, and is best remembered for playing comedy parts in the Aldwych farces first on stage and then in film. Lynn became an actor at the age of 1 ...

and

Tom Walls Thomas Kirby Walls (18 February 1883 – 27 November 1949) was an English stage and film actor, producer and director, best known for presenting and co-starring in the Aldwych farces in the 1920s and for starring in and directing the film adapt ...

. His meek and put-upon character was repeated in various incarnations in the eleven

s presented by Walls between 1923 and 1933. He also appeared in film versions of most of the farces. After the Aldwych series came to an end, Hare continued to be cast in similar roles in new plays by Ben Travers and many others. Occasionally Hare took a break from farce, appearing in revue with

Benny Hill Alfred Hawthorne "Benny" Hill (21 January 1924 – 18 April 1992) was an English comedian, actor and scriptwriter. He is best remembered for his television programme, ''The Benny Hill Show'', a comedy-variety show whose amalgam of slapstick, bu ...

and in a musical with

Frankie Howerd Francis Alick Howard (6 March 1917 – 19 April 1992), better known by his stage-name Frankie Howerd, was an English actor and comedian. Early life Howerd was born the son of a soldier Francis Alfred William (1887–1934)England & Wales, Deat ...

. His final major role was on television in the late 1960s, as the Archdeacon of St Ogg's in the

comedy series ''

''.

Life and career

Early years

Hare was born in

Islington Islington ( ) is an inner-city area of north London, England, within the wider London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's #Islington High Street, High Street to Highbury Fields ...

, London, the middle child and eldest son of Frank Homer Hare, an accountant, and his wife, Louisa Mary, ''née'' Robertson.Midwinter, Eric
"Hare, (John) Robertson (1891–1979)
, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edition, January 2011, retrieved 12 February 2013 He was educated at Margate College in

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

and then studied drama with the actor and educator Cairns James.Gaye, pp. 703–704 In 1911 Hare made his professional stage debut, playing the Duke of Gallminster in a provincial production of ''The Bear Leaders''. The following year he made his London début as one of the crowd in

Gilbert Murray George Gilbert Aimé Murray (2 January 1866 – 20 May 1957) was an Australian-born British classical scholar and public intellectual, with connections in many spheres. He was an outstanding scholar of the language and culture of Ancient Greec ...

's version of ''

Oedipus Rex ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' (, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles. While some scholars have argued that the play was first performed , this is highly uncertain. Originally, to ...

'' at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

. In 1913 he had his first role in a West End production, as Kaufman in a detective play, ''The Scarlet Band'', at the

Comedy Theatre The Harold Pinter Theatre, known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011,

. He then toured the provinces for a number of years. His first leading part was the title role of ''Grumpy'', by Horace Hodges and T. Wigney Percyval, which was one of his favourite roles."Mr Robertson Hare", ''The Times'', 16 November 1979, p. vi Even at this early stage of his career Hare was playing old men: "Grumpy" is an irascible retired lawyer. In December 1915 he married (Alice) Irene Mewton (1890/91–1969); they had one daughter.

Aldwych farce

After war service with the army in France, Hare resumed his acting career, and came to the notice of the West End public as James Chesterman in a new farce, '' Tons of Money'', in which he and the actor-manager

played supporting roles, with

in the lead. The play ran for nearly two years, after which Walls recruited Lynn and Hare to join him in a series of new farces at the

Aldwych Theatre The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Aldwych in the City of Westminster, central London. It was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200 on three levels. History Origins The theatre was constructed in th ...

. There were eleven plays in this series, which came to be known as

s; they played continuously from 1923 to 1933."Mr. Ralph Lynn", ''The Times'', 10 August 1962, p. 11 Hare played in them all; his roles were: William Smith ('' It Pays to Advertise''); The Rev Cathcart Sloley-Jones ('' A Cuckoo in the Nest''); Harold Twine ('' Rookery Nook''); Hook ('' Thark''); Oswald Veal (''

Plunder Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...

''); Ernest Ramsbotham ('' A Cup of Kindness''); Miles Tuckett (''A Night Like This''); Edwin Stoatt ('' Turkey Time''); Clement Peck (''Dirty Work''); Montague Trigg (''Fifty-Fifty''); and Augustus Pogson (''A Bit of a Test''). His biographer, Eric Midwinter, writes of Hare's characters in these farces:

Later years

Hare appeared in films of most of the Aldwych farces, and played more than a dozen film roles in the post-war years. For the rest of his stage career he was usually cast in similar roles. After the last Aldwych farce in 1933 he played his customary types in more than twenty new farces over the next three decades. Among his most successful creations of this kind was Willoughby Pink in Travers's '' Banana Ridge'' in 1938, in which he played a

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

builder with a dubious past. In 1943 he appeared in a wartime-set farce '' She Follows Me About'' by Ben Travers. In 1947 he starred at the

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a listed building, Grade II listed West End theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

in '' She Wanted a Cream Front Door'', 1954 saw him in the political farce '' The Party Spirit;'' in 1956 he was in John Dighton's '' Man Alive!'' at the Aldwych. The same year he appeared with Cicely Courtneidge in the long-running '' The Bride and the Bachelor'' at the Duchess Theatre. He made a few appearances in

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...

: his first was ''Fine Fettle'' (1959) in which he appeared with

and Shani Wallis. In 1963 Hare played in a long-running stage musical, ''

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. Inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus (254–184 BC), specif ...

'' (762 performances), in which he was cast as Erronius to

's Pseudolus. In the 1960s Hare toured in '' Arsenic and Old Lace''. In 1962 he briefly escaped type-casting, appearing with Wilfrid Hyde White in a comedy film '' Crooks Anonymous'', in which he played an old lag, his familiar bald head disguised under a wig. In 1968 he joined

Naunton Wayne Naunton Wayne (born Henry Wayne Davies, 22 June 1901 – 17 November 1970), was a Welsh character actor, born in Pontypridd, Glamorgan, Wales. He was educated at Clifton College. His name was changed by deed poll#Use for changing name, deed po ...

in ''Oh, Clarence!'', an adaptation of a

P. G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse ( ; 15 October 1881 – 14 February 1975) was an English writer and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Je ...

Blandings novel, which he played in London, on tour in the provinces, and in South Africa. He reached a new public in the late 1960s in a television series, ''

''. He played the Archdeacon of St. Ogg's, the Ven Henry Blunt. His co-stars were William Mervyn as the Rt Rev Cuthbert Hever, Bishop of St Ogg's,

Derek Nimmo Derek Robert Nimmo (19 September 1930 – 24 February 1999) was an English character actor, producer and author. He is best remembered for his comedic upper class "silly ass" and clerical roles, including Revd Mervyn Noote in the BBC1 sitcom ...

as the Rev Mervyn Noote, the Bishop's chaplain, and John Barron as the Very Rev Lionel Pugh-Critchley, Dean of St Ogg's.

George Melly Alan George Heywood Melly (17 August 1926 – 5 July 2007) was an English jazz and blues singer, critic, writer, and lecturer. From 1965 to 1973, he was a film and television critic for ''The Observer''; he also lectured on art history, with an ...

wrote: Hare was awarded the OBE in 1979, shortly before his death. He died in London at the age of 87.

Filmography

* '' Rookery Nook'' (1930) - Harold Twine * '' On Approval'' (1930) - Hedworth * ''

'' (1930) - Oswald Veal * '' Tons of Money'' (1930) - Chesterman * '' A Night like This'' (1932) - Miles Tuckett * '' Thark'' (1932) - Hook * '' It's a Boy'' (1933) - Allister * '' Friday the Thirteenth'' (1933) - Ralph Lightfoot * '' A Cuckoo in the Nest'' (1933) - Rev. Sloley Jones * '' Turkey Time'' (1933) - Edwin Stoatt * '' Just My Luck'' (1933) - Trigg * '' A Cup of Kindness'' (1934) - Ernest Ramsbottom * '' Are You a Mason?'' (1934) - Amos Bloodqood * '' Dirty Work'' (1934) - Clement Peck * '' Car of Dreams'' (1935) - Henry Butterworth * ''

Oh, Daddy! ''Oh, Daddy!'' is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Graham Cutts and Austin Melford and starring Leslie Henson, Frances Day, Robertson Hare, and Barry MacKay. It was made at Islington Studios. The film's sets were designed by the art ...

'' (1935) - Rupert Boddy * '' Fighting Stock'' (1935) - Duck * '' Stormy Weather'' (1935) - Mr. Bullock * '' Foreign Affaires'' (1935) - Mr. Hardy Hornett * '' Pot Luck'' (1936) - Mr. Pye * ''

You Must Get Married ''You Must Get Married'' is a 1936 British comedy film directed by Leslie Pearce and starring Frances Day, Neil Hamilton and Robertson Hare. It was based on a novel of the same title by David Evans. Premise In order to be able to work in Br ...

'' (1936) - Percy Phut * '' Jack of All Trades'' (1936) - Lionel Fitch * '' O.H.M.S.'' (1937) - (uncredited) * '' Aren't Men Beasts!'' (1937) - Herbert Holly * '' A Spot of Bother'' (1938) - Dear Mr. Binky Rudd * '' So This Is London'' (1939) - Henry Honeycutt * '' Banana Ridge'' (1942) - Willoughby Pink * '' Women Aren't Angels'' (1943) - Wilmer Popday * '' He Snoops to Conquer'' (1944) - Sir Timothy Strawbridge * '' Things Happen at Night'' (1948) - Vincent Ebury * '' One Wild Oat'' (1951) - Humphrey Proudfoot * ''

The Magic Box ''The Magic Box'' is a 1951 British Technicolor biographical drama film directed by John Boulting. The film stars Robert Donat as William Friese-Greene, with numerous cameo appearances by performers such as Peter Ustinov and Laurence Olivie ...

'' (1951)Release date for The Magic Box
in IMDb. - Sitter in Bath Studio * '' Our Girl Friday'' (1953) - Professor Gibble * '' My Wife's Family'' (1956) - Noah Parker * ''

Three Men in a Boat ''Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)'',The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: ''Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog!'' published in 1889, is a humorous novel by English writer Jerome K. Jerome describing ...

'' (1956) - Photographer * '' Seven Keys'' (1961) - Mr. Piggott * '' The Night We Got the Bird'' (1961) - Doctor Vincent (uncredited) * '' Out of the Shadow'' (1961) - Ronald Fortescue * '' The Young Ones'' (1961) - Chauffeur * '' Crooks Anonymous'' (1962) - Grimsdale * '' Hotel Paradiso'' (1966) - Duke * '' Salt and Pepper'' (1968) - Dove * '' Raising the Roof'' (1972) - Old Gent (final film role)

Notes

References

* *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hare, Robertson 1891 births 1979 deaths Aldwych farce English male stage actors English male film actors Officers of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century English male actors Actors from the London Borough of Islington Male actors from London