Robert Tobias Andrews (born Reginald Frank Andrews; 20 February 1895 – 17 January 1976) Principal Probate Registry. Calendar of the Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration made in the Probate Registries of the High Court of Justice in England. London, England © Crown copyright.John Snelson, 'Novello, Ivor (1893–1951)',

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 16 Nov 2007
/ref> was a British stage and film actor. He is perhaps best known as the long-term companion of

Ivor Novello Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies; 15 January 1893 – 6 March 1951) was a Welsh actor, dramatist, singer and composer who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. He was born into a musical ...

Early life

Robert Andrews was born in

Camden Town Camden Town () is an area in the London Borough of Camden, around north-northwest of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is identified in the London Plan as one of 34 major centres in Greater London. Laid out as a residential distri ...

, the son of Walter Andrews (1861–1935), a horse bus inspector, and his wife Ada Harriet, née Judd (1864–1946). He was the younger brother of actress Maidie Andrews.

Career

Andrews began his stage acting career at age eleven. He made his first stage appearance in the play ''Shore Acres'' in 1906. His

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage, television, or in film, movies. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associa ...

contemporaries included

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

and Philip Tonge. Coward referred to Andrews as Tonge's "only serious rival" among the "boy actors" of the London theatre. In 1907, at the age of twelve, Andrews appeared in Horace Annesley's comedy ''Her Son'' as "Min, the eight-year-old child of Crystal and Gasgoyne," a role for which he received significant acclaim. Andrews' "finished and sympathetic performance" was described as "the success of 'Her Son'''s''première,''" "a genuine and surprising triumph" that caused "quite a sensation." In 1911, he briefly worked in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, acting in the play ''The Backsliders'', before returning to London theatre. His stage career continued into adulthood with performances as Marcel in the 1920 production of ''The Children's Carnival'', Maurice Avery in the 1920 production of ''Columbine'', and Tyltyl in the 1921 production of ''The Betrothal''. In 1921, he appeared as Charles Deburau in the play '' Deburau''; ''Deburau'' also featured Andrews's lover Ivor Novello's debut performance. He appeared as Simon in the original production of

's ''

Hay Fever Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of rhinitis, inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. It is classified as a Allergy, type I hypersensitivity re ...

'' at London's Ambassadors Theatre, in 1925. Andrews starred in a number of Novello's theater productions, beginning with the play '' Fresh Fields'' in 1932. Amongst his many character parts was the

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

in Ivor Novello's musical play '' King's Rhapsody'' at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and listed building, Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) an ...

. While he was primarily a stage actor, Andrews also made several film appearances. In 1923, he acted in the

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

'' Fires of Innocence'' as Pen Arkwright. His co-star Joan Morgan later claimed that she did not remember anything about her time working on the film, except for Andrews. She described how, during a "love-scene," Andrews would not look at her because he claimed he didn't "feel a bit in the mood to see er"

Personal life

Andrews first met

in 1916, while Novello was attending the opera with his friend Edward Marsh. Andrews and Novello eventually became lovers. Andrews was also responsible for introducing Novello to Noël Coward in 1916, at Coward's request. Andrews and Novello both had relations with other men over the course of their long-term relationship, but Andrews remained Novello's primary companion until Novello's death in 1951.

Death

Andrews died in 1976 at his family home, 37 St Mary's Mansions, Paddington.

Stage credits

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Andrews, Robert 1895 births 1976 deaths 20th-century English LGBTQ people 20th-century English male actors Actors from the London Borough of Camden English gay actors English male film actors English male stage actors Male actors from London People from Camden Town