Edward Atienza (27 January 1924 – 16 September 2014) was a British stage and film actor. He made his first London theatre appearance in the role of Mole in ''

Toad of Toad Hall ''Toad of Toad Hall'' is a play written by A. A. Milne – the first of several dramatisations of Kenneth Grahame's 1908 novel ''The Wind in the Willows'' – with incidental music by Harold Fraser-Simson. It was originally produced by William ...

'' at the

Prince's Theatre The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. It opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, with a capacity of 2,500. The current capacity is 1,416. The title "Shaftesbury Theatr ...

Biography

Edward Atienza was born in 1924, in London. His parents were Alvaro Atienza and Dulce Atienza (''née'' Laws). He attended the

Sutton Valence School Sutton Valence School (SVS) is a private school near Maidstone in southeast England. It has 560 pupils. It is a co-educational day and boarding school, boarding school. There are three senior boarding houses: Westminster, St Margaret's and Sutto ...

and

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

. Atienza trained for the stage at the

London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. In ...

Stage work

Atienza made his professional stage debut in the role of the Butler in a 1949 production of '' Up in Mabel's Room''. He went on to appear with the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company from 1950 to 1954. Atienza made his first appearance in London theatre in the role of Mole in ''

'' at the

in December 1954. In 1956, Atienza appeared in a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

version of Shakespeare's ''

The Comedy of Errors ''The Comedy of Errors'' is one of William Shakespeare's early plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play ...

''. Atienza made his

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

debut in a 1957 production of '' Romanoff and Juliet'' at the Plymouth Theatre. Atienza also appeared in productions of ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'' and ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'' on Broadway. He also was in the 1962 Broadway play '' The Affair''. British theatres at which Atienza has appeared include the Queen's Theatre, the

Mermaid Theatre The Mermaid Theatre was a theatre encompassing the site of Puddle Dock and Curriers' Alley at Blackfriars in the City of London, and the first built in the City since the time of Shakespeare. It was, importantly, also one of the first new th ...

, and 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 ...

. He made numerous appearances at Canada's

Stratford Festival The Stratford Festival is a repertory theatre organization that operates from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was formerly known as the Stratford Shak ...

Film work

Atienza made his film debut in the 1956 film '' The Battle of the River Plate''. Other films he has appeared in include ''

Sword of Freedom ''Sword of Freedom'' was a 1958 drama adventure series for a family audience. Like several of its predecessors (most notably ''The Adventures of Robin Hood''), it was produced by Sapphire Films for ITC Entertainment and fitted into the same s ...

'' in 1957, the 1961 film adaptation of '' Romanoff and Juliet'', '' Lock Up Your Daughters'' in 1969, and ''

Sarah Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch, prophet, and major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a pious woma ...

'' in 1976. He was nominated for 1997

Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's English-language television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in t ...

for Best Performance by an Actor in a Guest Role in a Dramatic Series for his performance on ''

Taking the Falls ''Taking the Falls'' was a Canadian dramedy series, which aired on CTV in the 1995-96 television season."Street Legal's Dale takes on a new series". ''Kingston Whig-Standard'', September 28, 1995. The show starred Cynthia Dale as Terry Lane, a ...

''.

Filmography

Notes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Atienza, Edward 1924 births 2014 deaths People educated at Sutton Valence School Alumni of King's College London English male stage actors English male film actors English male television actors 20th-century English male actors Male actors from London Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art British expatriates in Canada