Nicholas Pennell (19 November 1938 – 22 February 1995) was an English actor who appeared frequently on film and television in the 1960s. He emigrated to Stratford,

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, where he became a stalwart of the

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 ...

. Pennell was educated at Allhallows College,

Lyme Regis Lyme Regis ( ) is a town in west Dorset, England, west of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and east of Exeter. Sometimes dubbed the "Pearl of Dorset", it lies by the English Channel at the Dorset–Devon border. It has noted fossils in cliffs and ...

, and trained at

RADA The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central Lond ...

. He then appeared in repertory theatre. On television he appeared in '' The Saint'', '' The Flaxton Boys'', ''

The Forsyte Saga ''The Forsyte Saga'', first published under that title in 1922, is a series of three novels and two interludes published between 1906 and 1921 by the English author John Galsworthy, who won the 1932 Nobel Prize in Literature. They chronicle th ...

'' as Michael Mont, and in six episodes of ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' entitled '' Colony in Space.'' On film he appeared as Bedford in '' Isadora'' (1968), in '' Only When I Larf'' (1968) as Spencer, as an RAF pilot in ''

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain () was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...

'' (1969), and as Julien in '' Mr. Forbush and the Penguins'' (1971). In 1972, he joined the Stratford Festival company upon the urging of William Hutt. In his first season, he appeared as Orlando in ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...

'' opposite Carole Shelley as Rosalind. The following year he returned to star as ''

Pericles Pericles (; ; –429 BC) was a Greek statesman and general during the Golden Age of Athens. He was prominent and influential in Ancient Athenian politics, particularly between the Greco-Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian War, and was acclaimed ...

'' in 1973 in a production designed by Leslie Hurry and directed by Jean Gascon. When Robin Phillips became artistic director in 1975, he found a familiar face. The two had worked together in the 1969 TV film of ''

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield''Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work; see is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from infancy to matur ...

'', and Phillips too was also in ''The Forsyte Saga''. Phillips recruited Pennell to join his young company and perform in ''

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 ...

'' and ''

The Two Gentlemen of Verona ''The Two Gentlemen of Verona'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1589 and 1593. It is considered by some to be Shakespeare's first play, and is often seen as showing his first ten ...

''. 1976 brought ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'' and Ariel in ''

The Tempest ''The Tempest'' is a Shakespeare's plays, play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1610–1611, and thought to be one of the last plays that he wrote alone. After the first scene, which takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest, th ...

''. He often said he worshipped Phillips as an actor. Pennell became a leading member of the

company and passionate about the festival. Acting Shakespeare became his vocation. He was a generous company member, speaking to student groups and mentoring young actors. In 23 seasons he played a wide range of characters from Stephano in ''The Tempest'', Iago, Richard II, the Fool in ''Lear'', Sassoon in '' Not About Heroes'' to King John. He can be seen on DVD in the role of Malvolio in a production of Shakespeare's ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

'' (1986) CBC Home Video,

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...

, based on the 1985 Stratford Shakespeare Festival production. Pennell died on 22 February 1995, of lymphatic cancer, at the age of 56. Little is known about Pennell's private life. A biography was published in 2005 by Mary Z. Maher, which leaves unanswered questions about what he was like off-stage in public and in private, what drove him into a gloomy reclusiveness during his final years, and how his

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...

might have influenced his acting and his life.

Filmography

References

External links

* 1938 births 1995 deaths English male film actors English male television actors English gay actors People from Brixham People educated at Allhallows College Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Male actors from Devon 20th-century English male actors 20th-century English LGBTQ people {{england-screen-actor-stub