Michael John Attenborough (born 13 February 1950) is an English theatre director.

Background

Attenborough was born on 13 February 1950 in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, the only son of actress Sheila Sim and actor-director Richard Attenborough. He is the nephew of David Attenborough, and John Attenborough and the brother of Jane Attenborough and Charlotte Attenborough. He is the recipient of two honorary doctorates, one from the

University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_lab ...

, where he is now a Distinguished Honorary Fellow and one from the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

, where he is Honorary Professor of English and Drama. Attenborough was educated at

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

and at the

Theatre career

Attenborough was Artistic Director of the

Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325-seat producing house with an international reputation, which takes its name from the street on which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a diver ...

in London between 2002 and 2013. Previously, he was Associate Director of the Mercury Theatre Colchester 1972 to 74, the Leeds Playhouse (now West Yorkshire Playhouse) 1974 to 1979, the Young Vic 1979 to 1980, then Artistic Director of the Palace Theatre, Watford, 1980 to 1984, Artistic Director of

Hampstead Theatre Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. Roxana Silbert has been the artistic director since ...

1984 to 1989. He was Principal Associate Director and Executive Producer of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) from 1990 to 2002. He continues to be an Honorary Associate Artist of the RSC. In 2012, Attenborough was presented with the Award for Excellence in International Theatre by The International Theatre Institute In October 2012, he announced that, after 12 years as Artistic Director, he would step down from the Almeida in April 2013 to concentrate on his directing career. Attenborough has directed '' Macbeth'' for the

Queensland Theatre Company Queensland Theatre, formerly the Queensland Theatre Company and Royal Queensland Theatre Company, is a professional theatre company based in Brisbane, Australia. It regularly performs in its own Bille Browne Theatre and the Queensland Performi ...

, Brisbane, Australia (March – April 2014) '' As You Like It'' for the

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. (2014), a UK national tour of J.B. Priestley's ''

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 ...

'' in 2014 and a new play by Deborah Bruce (''Godchild'') in October – November 2013 at the Hampstead Theatre. He directed a new play by Rebecca Gilman (''Luna Gale'') for the

. In September 2015, he directed ''

Someone Who'll Watch Over Me ''Someone Who'll Watch over Me'' is a play written by Irish dramatist Frank McGuinness. The play focuses on the trials and tribulations of an Irishman, an Englishman and an American (Edward, Michael, and Adam) who are kidnapped and held hostage ...

'' for 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 ...

,"Chichester Theatre Festival 2015"
westendtheatre.com, 26 February 2015. then returned to Hampstead Theatre to direct the UK premiere of Neil LaBute's ''Reasons To Be Happy''. Appointed Director Emeritus 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 ...

(RADA). He teaches there on a regular basis, as well as at three Universities – Sussex, Leicester and St Mary's.Patron of Artists In Residence. Trustee of Belarus Free Theatre and Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh. Associate Artist of Arts EducationalSchools.

Honours

Attenborough was appointed

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 the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to theatre. He is the recipient of Honorary Doctorates from the Universities of Leicester, where he is a Distinguished Honorary Fellow"Mr Michael Attenborough – Doctor of Letters – Theatre director"
le.ac.uk, accessed 20 May 2015 and Sussex, where he is also Honorary Professor of English and Drama.

Personal life

Attenborough married actress

Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (c. 150824 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII of England from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne ...

in 1971; the marriage was dissolved in 1973. In 1984, he married actress Karen Lewis. They have two sons: theatre director Tom Attenborough (born 13 October 1986) and actor Will Attenborough (born 26 June 1991). One of his two younger sisters, Jane Holland, was killed in the

2004 Indian Ocean tsunami An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...

on 26 December 2004 along with her mother-in-law and Attenborough's 15-year-old niece, Lucy. His other sister, Charlotte, is a teacher with two children.

References

External links

''Telegraph'' article (01/2002)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Attenborough, Michael English theatre directors 1950 births Living people People educated at Westminster School, London Alumni of the University of Sussex Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Michael Sons of life peers