David Warrilow (28 December 1934 – 17 August 1995) was an English actor best known as one of the "finest interpreters of

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...

’s work".Cited in Ackerley, C.J., and Gontarski, Stan, ''The Grove Companion to Samuel Beckett'', New York, Grove Press, 2006, p. 627

Life and career

A shoemaker's son born in

Stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

, Warrilow studied at the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public research university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as the University Extension College, Reading, an extension college of Christchurch College, Oxford, and became University College, ...

under James Knowlson, Beckett’s biographer. In 1967 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, he joined ''Réalités'', editing the magazine for eleven years. He co-founded the

Mabou Mines Mabou Mines is an experimental theatre company founded in 1970 and based in New York City. Founding and history Mabou Mines was founded by David Warrilow, Lee Breuer, Ruth Maleczech, JoAnne Akalaitis, and Philip Glass, at the house of Akalaiti ...

theater group in 1970. Three years later, he starred in a theatrical adaptation of Beckett’s '' The Lost Ones'', directed by

Lee Breuer Esser Leopold "Lee" Breuer (February 6, 1937 – January 3, 2021) was an Obie Award-winning and Pulitzer-, Grammy-, Emmy- and Tony-nominated American playwright, theater director, academic, educator, filmmaker, poet, and lyricist. Breuer taugh ...

and Thom Cathcart. In 1984, he directed a cinematic adaptation of the novella. At Warrilow's request, Beckett wrote '' A Piece of Monologue'' for him in 1979, impressed by the actor’s bilingualism. "In August 1977", writes James Knowlson, "the actor, David Warrilow, who had had such a resounding success with the adaptation of ''The Lost Ones'', wrote to Beckett asking him if he would write a solo piece for him to perform. Questioned as to what he had in mind, Warrilow wrote back saying that he 'had an image of a man standing on stage lit from above. He’s standing there in a sort of cone of light. You couldn't see his face and he’s talking about death.' Beckett's reply began: 'My birth was my death.'" The play, directed by the actor, premiered in New York in December 1979. In 1981 Warrilow played the "Reader" in Beckett's '' Ohio Impromptu'' under

Alan Schneider Alan Schneider (December 12, 1917 – May 3, 1984) was an American theatre director responsible for more than 100 theatre productions. In 1984 he was honored with a Drama Desk Special Award for serving a wide range of playwrights. He directed t ...

’s direction. First performed in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

, the play toured

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, Paris,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. In 1983 in Paris, he starred in Beckett’s '' That Time'' and '' Catastrophe'', both plays directed by Alan Schneider. In 1989 in London, Warrilow was Krapp in Beckett’s ''

Krapp's Last Tape ''Krapp's Last Tape'' is a 1958 one-act play, in English, by Samuel Beckett. With a cast of one man, it was written for Northern Irish actor Patrick Magee (actor), Patrick Magee and first titled "Magee monologue". It was inspired by Beckett's e ...

'', directed by Antoni Libera. Between 1986 and 1995, the actor worked with Paris-based theater director Joël Jouanneau, interpreting the texts of Samuel Beckett,

Thomas Bernhard Nicolaas Thomas Bernhard (; 9 February 1931 – 12 February 1989) was an Austrian novelist, playwright, poet and polemicist who is considered one of the most important German-language authors of the postwar era. He explored themes of death, iso ...

Joseph Conrad Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, ; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Poles in the United Kingdom#19th century, Polish-British novelist and story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the Eng ...

, Robert Pinget, and Robert Walser. In 1991 Warrilow played the role of Stanford Garland in the film''

Barton Fink ''Barton Fink'' is a 1991 American black comedy thriller film written, produced, edited and directed by the Coen brothers. Set in 1941, it stars John Turturro in the title role as a young New York City playwright who is hired to write scripts f ...

'', directed by

Joel Coen Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) is an American filmmaker. Working alongside his brother Ethan, the duo have directed, written, edited and produced many feature films, the most acclaimed of which include '' Blood Simple'' (1984), '' ...

. A year after his performance in Beckett’s ''

Company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

'', a theatrical reading directed by Jouanneau at the Petit Odéon in Paris, Warrilow died of complications of

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

in 1995, aged 60.La mort de David Warrilow
lesechos.fr, 21 August 1995; accessed 12 September 2014.

Filmography

*1975: ''The Lost Ones'' (directed by Lee Breuer) *1980: '' Simon'' (directed by

Marshall Brickman Marshall Jacob Brickman (August 25, 1939 – November 29, 2024) was an American screenwriter and director, best known for his collaborations with Woody Allen, with whom he shared the 1977 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for ''Annie ...

) - Blades *1981: ''

Strong Medicine ''Strong Medicine'' is an American medical drama with a focus on feminist politics, health issues and class conflict that aired on the Lifetime network from 2000 to 2006. It was created and produced in part by Whoopi Goldberg, who made cam ...

'' (directed by Richard Foreman) - Doctor *1984: ''Le Dépeupleur'' (directed by David Warrilow) (adaptation of novella by Samuel Beckett) *1987: ''

Radio Days ''Radio Days'' is a 1987 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. It is a nostalgic look at the golden age of radio during the late 1930s and 1940s, focusing on a working-class family living in Rockaway Beach, New York. ...

'' (directed by

Woody Allen Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...

) - Roger *1988: '' Bright Lights, Big City'' (directed by James Bridges) - Rittenhouse *1988: ''Milan noir'' (directed by Ronald Chammah) - Moran *1989: ' (directed by Jacques Rouffio) - Piepe *1991: ''Buster's Bedroom'' (directed by

Rebecca Horn Rebecca Horn (24 March 1944 – 6 September 2024) was a German visual artist best known for her installation art, film directing and body modifications such as ''Einhorn'' (Unicorn), a body-suit with a very large horn projecting vertically from ...

) - Mr. Warlock *1991: ''

'' (directed by

) - Garland Stanford *1992: '' Mirror On The Moon'' (directed by Leandro Katz) - Douglas Stonea *1994: ''Les Derniers Jours d'Emmanuel Kant'' (directed by Philippe Collin) - Immanuel Kant (final film role)

Theatre

*1978: ''The Lost Ones'' by Samuel Beckett, directed by

and Thom Cathcart, Théâtre Gérard Philipe (Saint Denis) *1983: ''Solo, cette fois'' by

, directed by K. D. Codish, Théâtre National de Strasbourg, Théâtre Gérard Philipe (Saint-Denis) *1983: ‘’The Beckett Plays’’ by

, directed by

, Harold Clurman Theatre *1984: ''Akhnaten'' by

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

, directed by Achim Freyer, Stuttgart State Theatre *1985: ''Marat/Sade'' by

Peter Weiss Peter Ulrich Weiss (8 November 1916 – 10 May 1982) was a German writer, painter, graphic artist, and experimental filmmaker of adopted Swedish nationality. He is particularly known for his plays ''Marat/Sade'' and '' The Investigation'' and h ...

, directed by Walter Le Moli, MC93, Bobigny *1986: ''Catastrophe'' and ''Impromptu d'Ohio'' by Samuel Beckett, directed by Pierre Chabert, Théâtre Renaud-Barrault *1987: ''L'Hypothèse'' by Robert Pinget, directed by Joël Jouanneau,

Festival d'Avignon The ''Festival d'Avignon'', or Avignon Festival (), is an annual arts festival held in the France, French city of Avignon every summer in July in the courtyard of the Palais des Papes as well as in other locations of the city. Founded in 1947 by ...

*1988: ''Minetti'' by

, directed by Joël Jouanneau, Théâtre des Treize Vents *1990: '' Les Enfants Tanner'' by Robert Walser, directed by Joël Jouanneau, Théâtre de la Bastille *1990: ''En attendant Godot'' by Samuel Beckett, directed by Joël Jouanneau,

Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers The Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers (), also Théâtre des Amandiers, is a theatre in Nanterre and a known theatre outside of Paris. The present building opened in 1976. The company is a ''Centre dramatique national'' (National dramatic center), a na ...

*1992: ''Le Marin perdu en mer'' by Joël Jouanneau, Théâtre de l'Athénée-Louis-Jouvet *1992: ''Au cœur des ténèbres'' by Joël Jouanneau, adaptation of Heart of Darkness by

, Théâtre de l'Athénée-Louis-Jouvet *1993: ''L'Inquisitoire'' by Robert Pinget *1994: ''La Dernière Bande'' by Samuel Beckett, directed by Joël Jouanneau, Théâtre de l'Athénée-Louis-Jouvet *1994: ''Compagnie'' by Samuel Beckett, directed by Joël Jouanneau, Petit Odéon

Distinctions

*1975:

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given since 1956 by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theater artists and groups involved in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. Starting just after th ...

for "The Lost Ones" *1990: Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres *1994: Prix du Syndicat de la critique : Prix du meilleur comédien du Syndicat de la critique for ''Compagnie'' by Samuel Beckett

Notes and references

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Warrilow, David English expatriates in France 1934 births 1995 deaths People from Stone, Staffordshire English male stage actors English male film actors 20th-century English male actors AIDS-related deaths in France Male actors from Staffordshire Actors from the Borough of Stafford