Richard Waring (born Richard Waring Stephens; 27 May 1911 – 18 January 1993) was an American actor. He is perhaps best remembered for his role in the film '' Mr. Skeffington'' (1944).

Biography

Richard Waring was born Richard Stephens in

Chalfont St Peter Chalfont St Peter is a large village and civil parish in southeastern Buckinghamshire, England. It is in a group of villages called The Chalfonts which also includes Chalfont St Giles and Little Chalfont. The villages lie between High Wycombe a ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

in 1911, the son of Thomas E. Stephens, a painter, whose portrait of U.S. President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

hangs in the Smithsonian Gallery of Presidents. He later adopted Waring, his mother's (Evelyn M. Stephens) maiden name, as his stage name. Waring was the brother of

Peter John Stephens Peter John Stephens (31 July 1912 in Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire – 11 June 2002) was a writer of historical fiction books for teens and three children's books. He was also a poet, a lyricist for operas and musicals, and a playwrigh ...

, a playwright and author. Waring began his career in 1931 with Eva Le Gallienne's Civic Repertory Theater in New York City in ''Romeo and Juliet'', Richard Waring as Romeo

''Camille'', and ''Cradle Song''. In 1940, he played opposite

Ethel Barrymore Ethel Barrymore (born Ethel Mae Blythe; August 15, 1879 – June 18, 1959) was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors. Barrymore was a stage, screen and radio actress whose career spanned six decades, and was regarde ...

in ''

The Corn Is Green ''The Corn Is Green'' is a 1938 semi-autobiographical play by Welsh dramatist and actor Emlyn Williams. The play premiered in London at the Duchess Theatre in September 1938; with Sybil Thorndike as Miss Moffat and Williams himself portraying Mo ...

'' and later with Le Gallienne and was signed to play the role in Hollywood opposite

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympatheti ...

, but entered the army during World War II. Before that, he was filmed in his best-known screen role in '' Mr. Skeffington'' (1944) as Fanny Trellis' brother Trippy. After his war service he appeared on Broadway as the Duke of Buckingham in ''

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

'', John Shand in J.M. Barrie's '' What Every Woman Knows'' and as the Captain in

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

's '' Androcles and the Lion''. He also appeared in many performances of the American Shakespeare Festival directed by

John Houseman John Houseman (born Jacques Haussmann; September 22, 1902 – October 31, 1988) was a Romanians, Romanian-born British Americans, British-American theatre and film producer, actor, director, and teacher. He became known for his highly publ ...

and at the Phoenix Theatre in New York City, playing both bit roles and major parts in many of Shakespeare's plays. He acted with

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress whose Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage, career as a Golden Age of Hollywood, Hollywood leading lady spanned six decades. She was known for her headstrong ...

in ''

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 ...

'', ''

Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' (W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. ...

'', and one performance in ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

'' as Oberon before she had to leave the production.

Personal life

Waring became a naturalized United States citizen in 1937, adopting the legal name, Richard Waring.

Death

Waring died of a heart attack on 18 January 1993 in City Island, Bronx, New York.

Broadway theatre credits

* '' Dear Jane'' (1932) * '' L'Aiglon'' (1934) * '' The Women Have Their Way'' (1935) * '' Camille'' (1935) * ''

'' (1940) * '' At the Stroke of Eight'' (1940) * '' The Man Who Killed Lincoln'' (1940; revived the character of

John Wilkes Booth John Wilkes Booth (May 10, 1838April 26, 1865) was an American stage actor who Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, assassinated United States president Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. A member of the p ...

in ''Edwin Booth'' in 1958) * ''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...

'' (1947) * '' A Pound on Demand'' (1947) * '' Androcles and the Lion'' (1947) * '' What Every Woman Knows'' (1947) * ''

King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagreement w ...

'' (1947) * '' Gramercy Ghost'' (1951) * '' Portrait of a Queen'' (1968)

Radio credits

* ''Elizabeth the Queen'' (1952) * '' Second Husband'' (in the role of Grant Cummings) * ''Brothers in Law'' (1970) (in the role of Henry Blagrove)

Television credits

* '' Studio One'' * ''Wuthering Heights'' (1948) * ''

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas Citybased greeting card company. It is the longest-ru ...

'': MacDuff in ''

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 ...

'' (1954) with Maurice Evans and Judith Anderson * ''Kiss Me Again, Stranger'' (1953) * ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'' (1958) (Season 3 Episode 31: "Festive Season") as Charlie Boerum * ''

'': Bertrand in '' Eagle in a Cage'' with

Trevor Howard Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith (29 September 1913 – 7 January 1988) was an English stage and screen actor. After varied work in the theatre, he achieved leading man star status in the film '' Brief Encounter'' (1945), followed by '' The Third M ...

as Napoleon (1965)

Hollywood credits

Records

*Scenes from ''

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 ...

'' with Eva Le Gallienne (

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

, 1951; two-record set) *''Poems of Rupert Brooke'' ( Folkways Records, Smithsonian Collection)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Waring, Richard 1911 births 1993 deaths American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors American male voice actors English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors English male voice actors People from Chalfont St Peter English emigrants to the United States 20th-century American male actors 20th-century English male actors People from City Island, Bronx