James Anthony Church (11 May 1930 – 25 March 2008) was an English actor, who has appeared on stage and screen. In 1989 he became the Dean of the National Theatre Conservatory, which is the teaching arm of the Denver Center Theatre Company in

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

Stage

Church was educated at Hurstpierpoint College, and

Clare College, Cambridge Clare College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the Unive ...

. In 1953 when fellow Cambridge student Peter Hall directed his first professional production— Pirandello's ''Henry IV'' at the

Arts Theatre The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. It opened on April 20, 1927. History It opened on 20 April 1927 as a members-only club for the performance of unlicensed plays, thus avoiding theatre cen ...

, London—Church was a performer. In 1960 Hall set up the new

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

and Church joined him as a founder member. He was a regular performer with the company until 1987. In 1988 Church took leading parts in ''Cymbeline'', ''The Winter's Tale'' and ''The Tempest'', once again under the direction of Peter Hall, at London's National Theatre. He appeared for the last time on the Stratford stage on 31 March 2007, in a special programme marking the closure of the

Royal Shakespeare Theatre The Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST) (originally called the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre) is a Grade II* listed 1,040+ seat thrust stage theatre owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company dedicated to the English playwright and poet William Shakespea ...

. He was appointed Director of Drama at the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a music school, music and drama school located in the City of London, England. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz al ...

in 1982, leaving to take up the post with the Denver Center for the Performing Arts in 1989.

Film and television

He appeared in ''

Work Is a Four-Letter Word ''Work Is a Four-Letter Word'' (also known as ''Work Is a 4-Letter Word'') is a 1968 British Satire, satirical comedy film directed by Peter Hall (director), Peter Hall and starring David Warner (actor), David Warner and Cilla Black. It was writ ...

'' (1968), ''

On Giant's Shoulders ''On Giant's Shoulders'' is a 1979 BBC television film about the early life of thalidomide victim Terry Wiles, with Wiles playing himself. The drama also starred Bryan Pringle and Judi Dench and won an Emmy Award in 1980.< ...

'' (1979), '' Tess'' (1979), and '' Krull'' (1983). In the 1963

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

production of ''

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 ...

'' he played Duke Frederick. Later he played Frederick's banished brother, Duke Senior, in the 1978

BBC Television Shakespeare The ''BBC Television Shakespeare'' is a series of British television adaptations of Shakespeare's plays, the plays of William Shakespeare, created by Cedric Messina and broadcast by BBC Television. Transmitted in the UK from 3 December 1978 to ...

production. He also had small roles as Squire Bancroft in '' Lillie'' and Samuel Hoare in '' Edward & Mrs. Simpson''.

Filmography

References

Other sources

* *''

Who's Who A Who's Who (or Who Is Who) is a reference work consisting of biographical entries of notable people in a particular field. The oldest and best-known is the annual publication ''Who's Who (UK), Who's Who'', a reference work on contemporary promin ...

'' (2007): James Anthony Church *''A Stage for a Kingdom'' (2013) Tony Church

External links

*
Obituary, ''The Guardian'', 28 March 2008Obituary, ''The Times'', 2 April 2008
1930 births 2008 deaths English male stage actors English male television actors Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge People educated at Hurstpierpoint College English male Shakespearean actors Royal Shakespeare Company members Male actors from London {{England-actor-stub