Keith Baxter (born 29 April 1933) is a Welsh theatre, film and television actor.

Early years and RADA

Born in Newport, Monmouthshire, in 1933, the son of a Merchant Navy sea captain, he was christened Keith Stanley Baxter-Wright and lived for a time in Romilly Road, Barry, Glamorgan. He was educated at Newport High School and

Barry Grammar School Barry Comprehensive School ( cy, Ysgol Gyfun y Barri) was a secondary school for boys aged 11–16, situated opposite Highlight Park in the town of Barry, in Wales. Bryn Hafren Comprehensive School was the partner girls' school that also provi ...

. His early introduction to the stage was from his interest in making model theatres and stage scenery. He studied at London's

Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senat ...

, during which period he shared a flat with a classmate, Alan Bates. He made his film debut in the 1957 remake of ''

The Barretts of Wimpole Street ''The Barretts of Wimpole Street'' is a 1930 play by the Dutch/English dramatist Rudolf Besier, based on the romance between Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett, and her father's unwillingness to allow them to marry. The play gave actress Kat ...

'' and appeared uncredited as a detective in the British horror classic ''

Peeping Tom Lady Godiva (; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English , was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who is relatively well documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a patron of various churches and monasteries. Today, she is mainly re ...

'' (1960).

Films

In 1960,

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

selected Baxter to portray Prince Hal in his stage production ''Chimes at Midnight'', which combined portions of the

Shakespearean William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

plays ''

Henry IV, Part I ''Henry IV, Part 1'' (often written as ''1 Henry IV'') is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. The play dramatises part of the reign of King Henry IV of England, beginning with the battle at ...

'', '' Henry IV, Part II'', '' Henry V'', '' Richard II'', and '' The Merry Wives of Windsor'' and brought the comic figure of Falstaff to the forefront of a primarily tragic tale. Baxter repeated his performance in the 1965 film version. Additional film credits include '' Ash Wednesday'' (1973; with Elizabeth Taylor), ''

Golden Rendezvous ''Golden Rendezvous'' is a 1977 South African action thriller film directed by Ashley Lazarus and starring Richard Harris, Ann Turkel and David Janssen. It was based on the 1962 novel ''The Golden Rendezvous'' by Alistair MacLean. Plot The ''C ...

'' (1977), and '' Killing Time'' (1998).

Broadway

In 1961, Baxter made his Broadway debut as King Henry VIII in '' A Man for All Seasons''. Other New York City stage credits include '' The Affair'' (1962), ''Avanti!'' (1968), '' Sleuth'' (1970), ''

Romantic Comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

'' (1980) and '' The Woman in Black'' (2001).

Other selected theatrical appearances

* '' Macbeth'', Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Birmingham, England, 1972 * Vershinin, '' Three Sisters'', Greenwich Theatre, London, 1973 * Benedick, ''

Much Ado about Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' ( W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. 1387 The play ...

'', Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, Scotland, 1973 * Antony, '' Antony and Cleopatra'', Stratford Festival Theatre, Stratford, Ontario, 1976 * Witwoud, ''

The Way of the World ''The Way of the World'' is a play written by the English playwright William Congreve. It premiered in early March 1700 in the theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields in London. It is widely regarded as one of the best Restoration comedies and is stil ...

'', Stratford Festival Theatre, 1976 * Vershinin, '' Three Sisters'', Stratford Festival Theatre, 1976 * King, '' The Red Devil Battery Sign'', Round House Theatre, then Phoenix Theatre, both London, 1977 * Lord Illingworth, ''

A Woman of No Importance ''A Woman of No Importance'' by Oscar Wilde is "a new and original play of modern life", in four acts, first given on 19 April 1893 at the Haymarket Theatre, London. Like Wilde's other society plays, it satirises English upper-class society. It ...

'', Chichester Festival Theatre, 1978 * Antony, '' Antony and Cleopatra'', Young Vic Theatre, London, 1982 * Elyot, ''

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 ...

'', Aldwych Theatre, London, 1990 * Cassius, ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

'', Hartford Stage Company, 1990-1991 * '' The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui'', Chichester and The Duchess Theatre, 2013

Directing

* '' The Red Devil Battery Sign'', Roundhouse and Phoenix Theatre, 1977 * ''

Time and the Conways ''Time and the Conways'' is a British play written by J. B. Priestley in 1937 illustrating J. W. Dunne's Theory of Time through the experience of a moneyed Yorkshire family, the Conways, over a period of nineteen years from 1919 to 1937. Wide ...

'', 1988–89 * ''

Rope A rope is a group of yarns, plies, fibres, or strands that are twisted or braided together into a larger and stronger form. Ropes have tensile strength and so can be used for dragging and lifting. Rope is thicker and stronger than similar ...

'',

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 ...

then

Wyndham's Theatre Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c.1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the archit ...

, 1994 * ''

Dangerous Corner ''Dangerous Corner'' was the first play by the English writer J. B. Priestley. It was premiered in May 1932 by Tyrone Guthrie at the Lyric Theatre, London, and filmed in 1934 by Phil Rosen. Priestley had recently collaborated with Edward Kno ...

'',

, 1994, and

Whitehall Theatre Trafalgar Theatre is a new West End theatre in Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London. It is set to open in spring 2021 following a major multi-million pound restoration project aiming to reinstate it back to its ...

, 1995 * ''

Gaslight Gas lighting is the production of artificial light from combustion of a gaseous fuel, such as hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, coal gas (town gas) or natural gas. The light is produced either direct ...

'' * ''After October'', 1996–97 * ''Silhouette'' Baxter has regularly directed shows at

Shakespeare Theatre Company The Shakespeare Theatre Company is a regional theatre company located in Washington, D.C. The theatre company focuses primarily on plays from the Shakespeare canon, but its seasons include works by other classic playwrights such as Euripides, ...

in Washington D.C., including: *'' The Country Wife'' (2000) *''

The Rivals ''The Rivals'' is a comedy of manners by Richard Brinsley Sheridan in five acts which was first performed at Covent Garden Theatre on 17 January 1775. The story has been updated frequently, including a 1935 musical and a 1958 episode of the T ...

'' (2003) *''

Lady Windermere's Fan ''Lady Windermere's Fan, A Play About a Good Woman'' is a four-act comedy by Oscar Wilde, first performed on Saturday, 20 February 1892, at the St James's Theatre in London. The story concerns Lady Windermere, who suspects that her husband is ...

'' (2003) *'' The Imaginary Invalid'' (2008) *''

'' (2009) *''

Mrs. Warren's Profession ''Mrs. Warren's Profession'' is a play written by George Bernard Shaw in 1893, and first performed in London in 1902. The play is about a former prostitute, now a madam (brothel proprietor), who attempts to come to terms with her disapproving ...

'' (2010) *'' An Ideal Husband'' (2011) *''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...

''Cleopatra''

Baxter was signed for the role of Octavian "Augustus" Caesar opposite Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra in the 1963 film of '' Cleopatra''. Taylor's bout of pneumonia, soon after filming began, temporarily shut down filming. By the time she recovered, Baxter had other commitments and Roddy McDowall assumed the role. Baxter co-starred with Taylor in the film '' Ash Wednesday'' (1973). He also later played

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the au ...

opposite Maggie Smith's Cleopatra in '' Antony and Cleopatra'' at the Stratford Festival in Canada in 1976.

Television work

Baxter's television work includes appearances in ''

Gideon's Way ''Gideon's Way'' is a British television crime series made by ITC Entertainment and broadcast by ITV in 1964–1966, based on novels by John Creasey (writing as 'J. J. Marric'). The series was made at Elstree Studios in twin production with ' ...

'', '' The Avengers'', ''

Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to: * ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series * ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productio ...

'', '' Thriller''(1976) and the 1998 mini-series '' Merlin''.

Other work

Baxter is the author of ''My Sentiments Exactly'', memoirs. He has written several plays including ''56 Duncan Terrace'', ''Cavell'' and ''Barnaby and the Old Boys''. In 1971, he recorded an LP of several of the short stories of

Saki Hector Hugh Munro (18 December 1870 – 14 November 1916), better known by the pen name Saki and also frequently as H. H. Munro, was a British writer whose witty, mischievous and sometimes macabre stories satirize Edwardian society and cultu ...

for

Caedmon Records Caedmon Audio and HarperCollins Audio are record label imprints of HarperCollins Publishers that specialize in audiobooks and other literary content. Formerly Caedmon Records, its marketing tag-line was Caedmon: a Third Dimension for the Printe ...

under the title ''Reginald on House-Parties, and Other Stories''. He is an associate member of the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senat ...

Theatre awards

*1962

Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or Off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945–1946 theatre se ...

for ''A Man for All Seasons'' *1971 Drama Desk Award for ''Sleuth''

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* *
Keith Baxter
at '' Internet Off-Broadway Database''
Selected plays directed by Keith Baxter
Bristol University Theatre Archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Baxter, Keith (actor) 1933 births Alumni of RADA Living people People from Newport, Wales People educated at Barry Comprehensive School People educated at Newport High School Welsh male film actors Welsh male stage actors Welsh male television actors