Sir John Selby Clements, CBE (25 April 1910 – 6 April 1988) was a British actor and producer who worked in theatre, television and film.

Biography

Theatre career

Clements attended St Paul's School and St John's College,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

. He made his first professional appearance on the stage in 1930, then worked with

Nigel Playfair Sir Nigel Ross Playfair (1 July 1874 – 19 August 1934) was an English actor and director, known particularly as actor-manager of the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, in the 1920s. After acting as an amateur while practising as a lawyer, he turne ...

and afterwards spent a few years in

Ben Greet Sir Philip Barling Greet (24 September 1857 – 17 May 1936), known professionally as Ben Greet, was a Shakespearean actor, director, impresario and actor-manager. Early life The younger son of Captain William Greet RN and his wife, Sarah Ba ...

's Shakespearean Company. In 1935 Clements founded the Intimate Theatre, a combined repertory and try-out venue, at

Palmers Green Palmers Green is a suburban area and electoral ward in North London, England, within the London Borough of Enfield. It is located within the N13 postcode district, around north of Charing Cross. It is home to the largest population of Greek Cy ...

. He appeared in almost 200 plays and also presented a number of plays in the West End as actor-manager-producer. Clements married the actress

Kay Hammond Dorothy Katherine Standing, Lady Clements (18 February 1909 – 4 May 1980), known professionally as Kay Hammond, was an English stage and film actress. Family Kay Hammond was born in London, England as Dorothy Katherine Standing, the daught ...

and together they had a critical success with their West End revival of

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

's play ''

Private Lives ''Private Lives'' is a 1930 comedy of manners in three acts by Noël Coward. It concerns a divorced couple who, while honeymooning with their new spouses, discover that they are staying in adjacent rooms at the same hotel. Despite a perpetu ...

'' in 1945. In 1952 they both appeared in Clements's own play ''The Happy Marriage'', an adaptation of

Jean Bernard-Luc Jean Bernard-Luc, real name Lucien Boudousse, (Guatemala City, 8 February 1909 – Pontoise (Val-d'Oise), 18 May 1985) was a 20th-century French screenwriter and dialoguist. Biography Born in Guatemala, he arrived in France with his parents age ...

's '. Clements starred as Edward Moulton Barrett in the musical ''

Robert and Elizabeth ''Robert and Elizabeth'' is a musical with music by Ron Grainer and book and lyrics by Ronald Millar. The story is based on an unproduced musical titled ''The Third Kiss'' by Judge Fred G. Moritt, which in turn was adapted from the play '' The ...

'', a successful adaptation of '' The Barretts of Wimpole Street''. In December 1951 Clements directed ''

Man and Superman ''Man and Superman'' is a four-act drama written by George Bernard Shaw in 1903. The series was written in response to a call for Shaw to write a play based on the Don Juan theme. ''Man and Superman'' opened at the Royal Court Theatre in London o ...

'' in the West End, and played the role of John Tanner alongside

Allan Cuthbertson Allan Darling Cuthbertson (7 April 1920 – 8 February 1988) was an Australian-born British actor. He was best known for playing stern-faced military officers in British films of the 1950s and 1960s. Early life Cuthbertson was born in Perth, ...

. Clements was the

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since th ...

of the

Chichester Festival Theatre Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, it was opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Mart ...

from 1966 to 1973. The actor John Standing is his stepson.

Film career

As a film actor John Clements played bit parts of increasing size for

Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; hu, Korda Sándor; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)Robert Donat Friedrich Robert Donat (18 March 1905 – 9 June 1958) was an English actor. He is best remembered for his roles in Alfred Hitchcock's '' The 39 Steps'' (1935) and ''Goodbye, Mr. Chips'' (1939), winning for the latter the Academy Award for ...

and

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

in ''

Knight Without Armour ''Knight Without Armour'' (styled as ''Knight Without Armor'' in some releases) is a 1937 British historical drama film starring Marlene Dietrich and Robert Donat. It was directed by Jacques Feyder and produced by Alexander Korda from a screenpl ...

'' as Poushkoff, a sensitive, conflicted young commissar who saves their lives during the Russian Revolution. He came to further prominence when film director

Victor Saville Victor Saville (25 September 1895 – 8 May 1979) was an English film director, producer, and screenwriter. He directed 39 films between 1927 and 1954. He also produced 36 films between 1923 and 1962. Biography Saville produced his first f ...

chose him to star opposite

Ralph Richardson Sir Ralph David Richardson (19 December 1902 – 10 October 1983) was an English actor who, with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, was one of the trinity of male actors who dominated the British stage for much of the 20th century. He w ...

in '' South Riding'' (1938). The two actors were reunited in the very successful '' The Four Feathers'' (1939). After that Clements's film career was somewhat intermittent, although he made a series of British war films for

Ealing Studios Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever ...

and British Aviation Pictures, such as ''

Convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

'' (1940), '' Ships with Wings'' (1942), '' Tomorrow We Live'' (1943) and as Yugoslav guerrilla leader Milosh Petrovitch in ''

Undercover To go "undercover" (that is, to go on an undercover operation) is to avoid detection by the object of one's observation, and especially to disguise one's own identity (or use an assumed identity) for the purposes of gaining the trust of an ind ...

'' (1943). He had a cameo role (as Advocate General) in ''

Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

'' (1982).

Honours and death

Clements was made a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE) in 1956 and was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the G ...

in 1968. He died in Brighton, East Sussex, in 1988.

Filmography

* '' The Divine Spark'' (1935) as Florino * ''

Once in a New Moon ''Once in a New Moon'' is a 1935 British science fiction film directed by Anthony Kimmins and starring Eliot Makeham, René Ray and Morton Selten. It is a quota quickie, made at Shepperton Studios.Wood p.83 Plot When a dead star passes planet Ea ...

'' (1935) as Edward Teale * ''

Ticket of Leave A ticket of leave was a document of parole issued to convicts who had shown they could now be trusted with some freedoms. Originally the ticket was issued in Britain and later adapted by the United States, Canada, and Ireland. Jurisdictions ...

'' (1936) as Lucky Fisher * '' Things to Come'' (1936) as The Airman (uncredited) * ''

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally cons ...

'' (1936) as Govaert Flinck * ''

'' (1937) as Poushkoff * ''

I, Claudius ''I, Claudius'' is a historical novel by English writer Robert Graves, published in 1934. Written in the form of an autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius, it tells the history of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and the early years of the Ro ...

'' (1937) as Valente * '' South Riding'' (1938) as Joe Astell * ''

Housemaster {{refimprove, date=September 2018 In British education, a housemaster is a schoolmaster in charge of a boarding house, normally at a boarding school and especially at a public school. The housemaster is responsible for the supervision and care ...

'' (1938) as Undetermined Minor Role (uncredited) * ''

Star of the Circus ''Star of the Circus'' is a 1938 British drama film directed by Albert de Courville and starring Otto Kruger, Gertrude Michael and John Clements. It is a remake of the 1937 German circus film ''Truxa'', itself based on a novel by Heinrich Seiler ...

'' (1938) as Paul Houston * '' The Four Feathers'' (1939) as Harry Faversham * ''

'' (1940) as Lieutenant Cranford * '' This England'' (1941) as John Rookeby * '' Ships with Wings'' (1941) as Lieutenant Dick Stacey * '' Tomorrow We Live'' (1943) as Jean Baptiste * ''

'' (1943) as Milosh Petrovitch * '' They Came to a City'' (1944) as Joe Dinmore * '' Call of the Blood'' (1949) as Julius Ikon * ''

Train of Events ''Train of Events'' is a 1949 British portmanteau film made by Ealing Studios and directed by Sidney Cole, Charles Crichton and Basil Dearden. It begins with a train that is heading for a crash into a stalled petrol tanker at a level crossing a ...

'' (1949) as Raymond Hillary (segment "The Composer") * '' The Silent Enemy'' (1958) as The Admiral * '' The Mind Benders'' (1963) as Major Hall * ''

Oh! What a Lovely War ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' is a 1969 British comedy musical war film directed by Richard Attenborough (in his directorial debut), with an ensemble cast, including Maggie Smith, Dirk Bogarde, John Gielgud, John Mills, Kenneth More, Laurence Olivie ...

'' (1969) as General Helmut von Moltke * ''

'' (1982) as Advocate General * '' Top Secret!'' (1984) as East German Dignitary (uncredited) (final film role)

Selected theatre credits

* '' The Venetian'' (1931) * '' Edward, My Son'' (1949) * '' And This Was Odd'' (1951)

References

External links

*
John Clements archive at the University of Bristol Theatre Collection

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clements, John Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Commanders of the Order of the British Empire English male film actors English male stage actors English theatre managers and producers Knights Bachelor Actors awarded knighthoods People from Hendon People educated at St Paul's School, London 1910 births 1988 deaths 20th-century English male actors Standing family 20th-century English businesspeople