Richardson, Ralph (1902-1983), ranks among the greatest English actors of the 1900’s. Richardson excelled in playing both commonplace characters and eccentrics. He won special praise for his acting in classic dramas by such playwrights as William Shakespeare, Anton Chekhov, Henrik Ibsen, and George Bernard Shaw. Richardson gained international acclaim for his performance as Sir John Falstaff in Shakespeare’s history plays Henry IV, parts I and II.
Richardson’s reputation rests largely on his work in the classics, but he also starred in a number of modern plays, notably Home (1970), Lloyd George Knew My Father (1972), and No Man’s Land (1975). Although Richardson spent most of his career on the stage, he appeared in a number of motion pictures, including The Four Feathers and Q Planes (both 1939), Anna Karenina and The Fallen Idol (both 1948), The Heiress (1949), Richard III (1955), Long Day’s Journey into Night (1962), and Dr. Zhivago (1965).
Ralph David Richardson was born on Dec. 19, 1902, in Cheltenham, England. He made his professional stage debut in 1921 and his motion-picture debut in 1933. He was a star in the famous Old Vic acting company during the 1930’s and 1940’s. He received a knighthood in 1947, becoming Sir Ralph Richardson. He died on Oct. 10, 1983.
