Michael Bryant (actor)

Michael Bryant

Born(1928-04-05)5 April 1928
London, England
Died25 April 2002(2002-04-25) (aged 74)
London, England
OccupationActor
Years active1954–2000
Spouses
  • Josephine Martin
    (m. 1958; div. 1980)
  • Judith Coke
    (m. 1990)
Children4

Michael Dennis Bryant CBE (5 April 1928 – 25 April 2002) was a British stage and television actor.

Biography

Bryant attended Battersea Grammar School and, after service in the Merchant Navy and the Army, attended drama school and appeared in many productions on the London stage. He made his film debut in 1955. He had a role as Mathieu in the BBC2 serial The Roads to Freedom, a 1970 adaptation of Jean-Paul Sartre's trilogy of the same name. His guest star appearance as Wing Commander Marsh, who feigns insanity in the 'Tweedledum' episode of the BBC drama series Colditz (1972), is still widely remembered.

Bryant was chosen by Orson Welles to play the lead role in The Deep, Welles's adaptation of the Charles Williams novel Dead Calm. The production frequently ran out of money, and following the death of actor Laurence Harvey in 1973, Welles stopped production and announced the movie – which had been completed except for one special effects shot of a ship exploding – would not be released. (The novel was finally adapted to film in 1989.)

In 1969 Bryant took his love of the stage on a strange trip into the realm of cult films, playing a clever male prostitute who outwits a delusional family of killers in the dark comedy Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly, an adaptation of a play by Maisie Mosco. Due to poor marketing and a lack of faith in the project by the distributor, the film quickly sank into obscurity.

One of Bryant's most memorable performances was in the classic BBC television play The Stone Tape (1972), in which he plays the leader of a team of scientists who investigate ghost sightings in a brooding Gothic mansion. Equally memorable is his later performance in an adaptation of M. R. James's The Treasure of Abbot Thomas (1974).

Bryant also had a supporting role as a sadistic psychiatrist in the cult classic black comedy The Ruling Class, with Peter O'Toole and Alastair Sim. He also appeared in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi (1982) as a British diplomat.

Having played Vladimir Lenin in the film Nicholas and Alexandra, Bryant later reprised the role in Robert Bolt's play State of Revolution (1977), having previously co-starred in Bolt's unsuccessful Gentle Jack. State of Revolution was significant for featuring the first role Bryant performed at the National Theatre, where he went on to be a constant presence for a quarter of a century. Described by Michael Billington as a "rock-solid company man", he had earlier performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1964, including the premiere production of Harold Pinter's The Homecoming (1965), in which he played Teddy, the returning academic.

In 1980, Bryant won the London Drama Critics Circle Theatre Award for Best Actor, and his other theatrical performances were equally well-thought-of. He won Laurence Olivier Awards in 1988 and 1990 and was nominated twice more.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1955 Passage Home Stebbings
1956 Uranium Boom
1958 A Night to Remember Sixth Officer James Moody
1962 Life for Ruth John's counsel
1963 The Mind Benders Dr. Danny Tate
1966 The Deadly Affair Gaveston Uncredited
1967 Torture Garden Colin Williams (segment 1, "Enoch")
1969 Goodbye, Mr. Chips Max Staefel
1970 Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly New Friend
1970 The Deep John Ingram
1971 Nicholas and Alexandra Vladimir Lenin
1972 The Ruling Class Dr. Herder
1974 Fall of Eagles Rachkovsky
1974 Caravan to Vaccares Zuger
1982 Gandhi Principal Secretary
1984 Sakharov Syshchikov
1992 Bikini Summer II Sammy
1996 Hamlet Priest
2000 The Miracle Maker God / The Doctor Voice (final film role)

Stage credits

This table contains selected known professional theatrical roles for Bryant.

Production Date Theatre
(London, unless otherwise noted)
Role Notes
The Homecoming June 1965 Aldwych Theatre Teddy
The Return of A.J.Raffles December 1975 Aldwych Theatre Captain von Blixen
State of Revolution May 1977 Lyttleton Theatre Vladimir Lenin
Brand April 1978 Olivier Theatre Pastor Brand
Strife November 1978 Olivier Theatre David Roberts
As You Like It July 1979 Olivier Theatre Jacques
The Wild Duck December 1979 Olivier Theatre Gregers Werle
Othello March 1980 Olivier Theatre Iago
The Mayor of Zalamea August 1981 Cottesloe Theatre Pedro Crespo
Uncle Vanya May 1982 Lyttleton Theatre Vanya
The Ancient Mariner October 1984 Olivier Theatre Ancient Mariner
Love for Love November 1985 Lyttleton Theatre Sir Sampson Legend
The American Clock July 1986 Cottesloe Theatre Moe Baum
King Lear December 1986 Olivier Theatre Earl of Gloucester
Antony and Cleopatra April 1987 Olivier Theatre Enobarbus
The Tempest April 1988 Cottesloe Theatre Prospero
Hamlet March 1989 Olivier Theatre Polonius
The Voysey Inheritance June 1989 Cottlesloe Theatre Peacey
Racing Demon February 1990 Cottesloe Theatre Reverend Henderson
The Crucible May 1990 Olivier Theatre Giles Corey
The Wind in the Willows December 1990 Olivier Theatre Badger
Pygmalion April 1992 Olivier Theatre Alfred Doolittle
Richard II May 1995 Cottesloe Theatre Duke of York
John Gabriel Borkman July 1996 Lyttleton Theatre Vilhelm Foldal
King Lear March 1997 Cottesloe Theatre Fool
The Invention of Love September 1997 Cottesloe Theatre Charon
Money May 1999 Olivier Theatre Old Member
Summerfolk August 1999 Olivier Theatre Semyon Dvoetochie
The Cherry Orchard September 2000 Cottesloe Theatre Firs

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