Squadron Leader Laurence Henry Forster Irving (11 April 1897 – 23 October 1988) was an artist, book illustrator and Hollywood set designer and

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

, the son of actors H. B. Irving and Dorothea Baird, and the biographer of his grandfather, the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

actor Henry Irving. His sister was the actress and founder of the '' Keep Britain Tidy'' Campaign, Elizabeth Irving. He lived and died in Wittersham,

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

in 1988, within walking distance of the house, Smallhythe Place, where Dame Ellen Terry lived, who was his grandfather's leading lady at the Lyceum Theatre in London's West End.

Biography

Named after his uncle, Laurence Sydney Brodribb Irving, Laurence Irving was born in London in 1897. He briefly and unhappily attended Wellington College and later trained as a painter at the

Byam Shaw School of Art The Byam Shaw School of Art, often known simply as Byam Shaw, was an independent art school in London, England, which specialised in fine art and offered foundation and degree level courses. It was founded in 1910 by Byam Shaw, John Liston Bya ...

and the Royal Academy School, studying under Charles Ricketts and Charles Shannon. On completion of his art training Irving specialised in landscape and marine painting before commencing on his career as a designer for the theatre. He was a pilot in the

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty (United Kingdom), Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British ...

(RNAS) during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, ending the War with the rank of Captain.Irving, Laurence ''Designing for the Movies: the Memoirs of Laurence Irving'' In 1919 he became engaged to Rosalind Frances Woolner, the granddaughter of the Pre-Raphaelite sculptor Thomas Woolner. They married in 1920. Irving was also a book illustrator, producing artwork for Richard Hakluyt's ''Voyages & Discoveries of the English'' (1926) and

John Masefield John Edward Masefield (; 1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer. He was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate from 1930 until his death in 1967, during which time he lived at Burcot, Oxfordshire, near Abingdon ...

's ''Philip the King'' (1927). In 1928 Irving went to Hollywood with Douglas Fairbanks to be his Art Director on '' The Iron Mask'' (1929), the last of his full-scale silent films and, later, in collaboration with William Cameron Menzies, to design the production of the film version of '' The Taming of the Shrew'' (1929).Art & Design in The British Film # 15: Laurence Irving
/ref> He was the Art Director for the films '' 77 Park Lane'' (1931) and '' Colonel Blood'' (1934). In his memoirs, Irving vividly recounts working in Hollywood for such figures as Mary Pickford and

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

. On his return to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in the 1930s, he worked on films such as ''Moonlight Sonata'' (1937) and the Gabriel Pascal films of Shaw's '' Pygmalion'' (1938) and '' Major Barbara'' (1941).''Pygmalion'' (1938)
on the Internet Movie Database Irving was recalled to the R.A.F. in October 1939 at the start of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

to serve in the Intelligence Department at the Air Ministry. In March 1940 he was posted to H.Q. British Air Forces in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

to be responsible for writing official communiqués and persuading accredited war correspondents to abide by the principle of censorship accepted by their editors. After the surrender of France he returned to the Air Ministry convinced that the system of local defence could have brought the German armoured thrust to a halt. A memorandum he wrote to this effect led to his posting as a Staff Officer to H.Q. 12 Corps., then sparsely equipped to repel a German invasion, to help Peter Fleming to recruit and train an underground force of saboteurs to harass the enemy if a bridgehead was established in

and

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

. When South Eastern Command took control of military operations in that area it was allotted an R.A.F. reconnaissance Wing of three Squadrons and an Air Staff to promote Army/Air co-operation. As Senior Intelligence Officer of 35 Wing, Irving studied and furthered the technical and tactical resources of low level photographic and reconnaissance and the prompt distribution of intelligence derived from it. He ended the War as a Squadron Leader. After the War he was invited by J. Arthur Rank to produce and design the film adaptation of Sheridan Le Fanu's '' Uncle Silas'' (1947). Laurence Irving wrote the highly regarded and definitive biographies ''Henry Irving, the Actor and his World'' and ''The Successors'', and two volumes of autobiography, ''Designing for the Movies: the Memoirs of Laurence Irving'', and ''Great Interruption: An Autobiography 1938-45'' (1983). Laurence Irving was the father of John H. B. Irving and Pamela Mary Irving.

References

External links

Irving's set designs
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Designing for the Movies: The Memoirs of Laurence Irving
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irving, Laurence 1897 births 1988 deaths English illustrators English scenic designers English people of Cornish descent Officers of the Order of the British Empire British World War I pilots Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Alumni of the Byam Shaw School of Art Royal Naval Air Service personnel of World War I Royal Navy officers of World War I Royal Air Force personnel of World War I People from Wittersham British emigrants to the United States

Biography

See also

References

External links