Robert Alexander Atkins Jr. (10 August 1886 – 9 February 1972) was an English actor, producer and director.

Biography

Robert Alexander Atkins Jr. was born in

Dulwich Dulwich (; ) is an area in south London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark, with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth, and consists of Dulwich Village, East Dulwich, West Dulwich, and the Southwark half of H ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England, to Annie Evans and Robert Atkins Sr. He had a brother, Lawrence. Atkins was most famous for his association with the theatre. An early graduate of Beerbohm Tree's Academy of Dramatic Art, he joined 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 ...

company in 1915, and became Director of Productions for Lilian Baylis from 1921 to 1926. He also appeared many times on film and in television, although not with the success of his theatre career. His first film was a 1913 production of ''

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 ...

'', as the First Player, with

Johnston Forbes-Robertson Sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson (16 January 1853 – 6 November 1937)''Sir Johnston Forbes Robertson, Beauty And Grace in Acting'', Obituaries, ''The Times'', 8 November 1937. was an English actor and theatre manager and husband of actress Gertrud ...

in the title role. Atkins went on to appear in several other film and television roles over the next 50 years with the most famous production possibly being '' A Matter of Life and Death''. He also produced and/or directed several adaptations of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

plays during the 1940s and 1950s for British TV. He was director of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford, and along with Sydney Carroll, also founded

Regent's Park Open Air Theatre Regent's Park Open Air Theatre is an open-air theatre in Regent's Park in central London, established in 1932. Originally known for its Shakespearean productions, the theatre now features a wide variety of performances, including musicals, ope ...

Personal life and death

Robert Atkins was married twice: to Mary Sumner whom he divorced, and to Ethel Davey, a film editor. He died in London, England in 1972.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Atkins, Robert 1886 births 1972 deaths Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art English male stage actors English male film actors English male television actors Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Male actors from Surrey Actors from the London Borough of Southwark 20th-century English male actors People from Dulwich English male Shakespearean actors