Paul Bentley
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Paul Richard Bentley (born 25 July 1942) is a British stage, film and television actor, perhaps best known for playing the High Septon in the television series ''
Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series created by David Benioff and for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of high fantasy novels by ...
''. He is also a writer.


Early life

Bentley was born in
Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...
and brought up in
Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
. He attended
Wimbledon College Wimbledon College is a government-maintained, voluntary-aided, Jesuit Catholic secondary school and sixth form for boys aged 11 to 19 in Wimbledon, London. The college was founded in 1892 "for improvement in living and learning for the greate ...
, a
Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...
, and Kingston Polytechnic. He then attended
Birmingham University The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...
, achieving a BA in
English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...
and an MA in Drama and
Theatre Arts Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communic ...
. His M.A. dissertation, on the stage history of
Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...
's ''
Parsifal ''Parsifal'' ( WWV 111) is a music drama in three acts by the German composer Richard Wagner and his last composition. Wagner's own libretto for the work is freely based on the 13th-century Middle High German chivalric romance ''Parzival'' of th ...
'', involved a research visit to the Wagner Festival Theatre at Bayreuth, Germany.


Career

After university Bentley moved to
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
, hoping to become an opera director. He began acting in English programmes on the Bavarian radio station
Bayerischer Rundfunk (; "Bavarian Broadcasting"), shortened to BR (), is a public broadcasting, public-service radio and television broadcaster, based in Munich, capital city of the Bavaria, Free State of Bavaria in Germany. BR is a member organization of the ARD (b ...
. He also appeared in the film '' The Last Escape'', in which he played a British spy in Bavaria in World War Two. He returned to England in 1970 and continued acting, mainly in
repertory theatre A repertory theatre, also called repertory, rep, true rep or stock, which are also called producing theatres, is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom ...
, at venues including the Byre Theatre at St. Andrews, the Leicester Haymarket Theatre, the Duke's Playhouse at Lancaster, and the Newcastle Playhouse. In 1973 Bentley wrote the book and lyrics for ''Shylock'', a musical version of ''
The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...
'', performed at the 1974
Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of Arts festival, arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the ...
. He played the title role; the composer and director was Roger Haines. ''Shylock'' won a Scotsman Fringe First Award. In 1977 an updated version called ''Fire Angel'', set in a 20th century New York City Mafia nightclub, appeared at Her Majesty's Theatre, London. Bentley was the alternate leading man, his first West End part. A revised version of the original ''Shylock'' was produced at the Leicester Haymarket Studio Theatre in 1981 and at the Manchester Library Theatre in 1982. Bentley again played the title role and Haines directed both productions. Bentley's second West End show was in
Tommy Steele Sir Thomas Hicks (born 17 December 1936), known professionally as Tommy Steele, is an English entertainer, regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star. After being discovered at the 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, London, Steele recor ...
's ''
Singin' In The Rain ''Singin' in the Rain'' is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds, and featuring Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell, Rita Moreno a ...
'' at the
London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many wit ...
. In 1985 he went to
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
to play Captain Corcoran in ''
H.M.S. Pinafore ''H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London on 25 May 1878, and ran for 571 performances, w ...
'', which transferred to the
Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...
in 1986 and for which Bentley was nominated for an Olivier Award for the Outstanding Performance of the Year by an Actor in a Musical. This success led to four back-to-back West End shows lasting five years: '' Lend Me A Tenor'', ''
Follies ''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The plot centers on a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Follies ...
'', ''
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'' and '' Aspects of Love''. Next came an off-West-End ''
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'' followed by a national tour of ''Aspects of Love'', then '' Phantom of the Opera'' in
Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
and back to London for ''
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 ...
'', '' Kiss Me Kate'' and ''Dame Edna – the Spectacle''. Bentley has other radio, television and film credits but most of his work has been in theatre. In 1994 Bentley was asked by the Danish composer Poul Ruders to write the libretto for his opera ''The Handmaid's Tale'' based on Margaret Atwood's novel, which won a Cannes Classical Award and Reumert Prize. In ''A Handmaid's Diary'', Bentley tells the story of the opera from the first phone call to the first night (directed by
Phyllida Lloyd Phyllida Christian Lloyd, (born 17 June 1957) is an English film and theatre director and producer. Her theatre work includes directing productions at the Royal Court Theatre and Royal National Theatre, and opera director for Opera North and ...
). Ruders' and Bentley's second opera was ''Kafka's Trial''. Librettos for three other composers followed: Ana Sokolovic's ''The Midnight Court'', Dominique Le Gendre's ''Bird of Night'' and James Rolfe's ''Inês''. Bentley has also written a novel, ''The Man Who Came After Hyacinth Bobo'', about the Fourth Crusade and the Siege of Constantinople, published in Greek and English, plus occasional newspaper and magazine articles. Bentley's latest works include
Inquisition
', a play about the famous Jesuit scientist
Teilhard de Chardin Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (; 1 May 1881 – 10 April 1955) was a French Jesuit, Catholic priest, scientist, palaeontologist, theologian, and teacher. He was Darwinian and progressive in outlook and the author of several influential theologica ...
, and a radio play in which
Jane Austen Jane Austen ( ; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for #List of works, her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment on the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century ...
meets
Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...
.


Personal life

Paul Bentley married Annie Healey in 1979. They met at the Byre Theatre, St. Andrews, where Annie was an assistant stage manager. They have two daughters, Emma and Rebecca, who both work in the theatre. Bentley's sister, the novelist Ursula Bentley, died in 2004. Bentley took part in ''
Mastermind Mastermind, Master Mind or The Mastermind may refer to: Fictional characters * Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde), a fictional supervillain in Marvel Comics, a title also held by his daughters: ** Martinique Jason, the first daughter and successor of the ...
'' on BBC TV (15 March 1992) where his specialist subject was The Life and Works of
King Ludwig II of Bavaria Ludwig II (Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm; 25 August 1845 – 13 June 1886), also called the Swan King or the Fairy Tale King (), was King of Bavaria from 1864 until his death in 1886. He also held the titles of Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke ...
. He lost in this first round with a score of 29. He is a member of the Wagner Society and the
Society for the Promotion of Byzantine Studies The Society for the Promotion of Byzantine Studies (SPBS) is a scholarly society established in 1983 "with the object of furthering study and knowledge of the history and culture, language and literature of the Byzantine Empire and its neighbours" ...
. He was the Founder Chairman of the British Association for Modern Mosaic from 1999 to 2005 and remains a member. He is the editor of the website ''Mosaic Matters'', a website about
mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...
s, and he also edits th
British Teilhard Network


Awards and nominations


Stage and screen credits


Theatre


Television


Film


Radio


Recordings as singer


Recordings as librettist


Operas as librettist

*''The Handmaid's Tale'' - composer Poul Ruders, director John Fulljames – San Francisco Opera, 2024 *''The Handmaid's Tale'' – composer Poul Ruders, director Peter Carp – Theater Freiburg, Freiburg, 2024 *''The Handmaid's Tale'' – composer Poul Ruders, director John Fulljames – Royal Danish Opera, Copenhagen, 2022 *''The Handmaid's Tale'' – composer Poul Ruders, director
Annilese Miskimmon Annilese Miskimmon (born 1974) is a Northern Irish opera director who has been the artistic director of English National Opera since 2020. She previously held equivalent posts at Ireland's Opera Theatre Company (2004–2012), Danish National Opera ...
– English National Opera, London, 2022 *''The Handmaid’s Tale'' – composer Poul Ruders, director Anne Bogart – Boston Lyric Opera, Boston, 2019 *''The Handmaid’s Tale'' – composer Poul Ruders, director Linda Thompson – Gertrude Opera, Yarra Valley Opera Festival, Melbourne, 2018 *''Ines'' – composer James Rolfe, director Jennifer Tarver – Queen of Puddings Music Theatre, Enwave Theatre, Toronto, 2009 * ''Bird of Night –'' composer Dominique Le Gendre, director Irina Brown – Royal Opera Covent Garden, Linbury Studio, London, 2006 * ''The Midnight Court'' – composer Ana Sokolovic, director Michael Cavanagh – Queen of Puddings Music Theatre, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto 2005; Royal Opera Covent Garden, Linbury Studio, London, 2006 * ''Kafka's Trial'' – composer Poul Ruders, director Francisco Negrin – Opera House, Copenhagen, 2005 * ''The Handmaid's Tale'' – composer Poul Ruders, director Eric Simonson – Minnesota Opera, Minneapolis, 2003 * ''The Handmaid's Tale'' – composer Poul Ruders, director Phyllida Lloyd – Royal Danish Opera, Copenhagen, 2000; English National Opera, London, 2003; Canadian Opera Company, Toronto, 2004


Bibliography

*''A playwright's quest for a missing Pierre Teilhard de Chardin file'', ''The Christian Century'', 10 July 2018 *''The Sixth Proposition'', ''The Tablet'', 2 June 2018 *''Teilhard de Chardin, Original Sin, and The Six Propositions'', with David Grumett, ''Zygon'', 16 April 2018 *''The Mosaicing of Westminster Cathedral'', in ''New Light on Old Glass,'' British Museum 2013 * ''The Man Who Came After Hyacinth Bobo,'' Fourth Crusade novel, Amazon 2011 * ''Ines,'' libretto based on the Inês de Castro legend, 2009 * ''Bird of Night,'' libretto set in Trinidad, 2006 * ''Thrills not theology'', article on ''The Da Vinci Code'' for the ''Daily Telegraph'', 6 May 2006 * ''Kafka the comedian,'' article for the ''Daily Telegraph,'' 28 February 2005 * ''The Midnight Court'', libretto based on the poem by Brian Merriman, 2005 * ''What Islam took from Byzantium'', article for the ''Catholic Herald'', 14 May 2004 * ''A Handmaid's Diary,'' how ''The Handmaid's Tale'' became an opera'','' Wilhelm Hansen 2004 * ''Ο άνθρωπος που διαδέχθηκε τον Υάκινθο Βωβό'', Fourth Crusade novel, Enalios 2004 * ''Lost for Words'', article on Berlioz and Wagner, ''Opera Now'', Jan/Feb 2003 * ''The Handmaid's Tale vocal score'', Wilhelm Hansen 2002 * ''Time to cover a ton of bricks'', article for the ''Daily Telegraph'', 24 July 1999


References


External links

* *''Rogues and Vagabonds'' interview 2002 *''Daily Telegraph'' interview 2003 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bentley, Paul 21st-century English male actors 20th-century English male actors 1942 births Living people Male actors from Sheffield 20th-century English singers English male musical theatre actors English male television actors 20th-century British male singers Male actors from Surrey