John Neville (actor)

John Neville CM, OBE
Neville as Hamlet in a 1959 TV production of 'Hamlet'
Born	John Reginald Neville (1925-05-02)2 May 1925 Willesden, London, England
Died	19 November 2011(2011-11-19) (aged 86) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Citizenship	United Kingdom Canada
Education	Chiswick County School for Boys
Alma mater	Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Occupation(s)	Actor, Director
Years active	1949–2006
Spouse	Caroline Hooper ​ (m. 1949)​
Children	6

John Reginald Neville, CM OBE (2 May 1925 – 19 November 2011)^[1] was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned more than sixty years, he was renown for his roles on both stage and screen in genres ranging from classical theatre, to fantasy and science fiction.

Neville was one of the young leading lights of the British theatre in the early 1950s, with he and contemporary and friend Richard Burton honing their crafts at The Old Vic, where over the course of five years they worked their way through the Shakespearean canon. Based on their performance styles and physicality, it was commented at the time that Burton was seen as the successor to Laurence Olivier, whereas Neville was seen as the natural successor to John Gielgud. Neville was a great champion of young talent throughout his career, as was evident when a 23 year old Judi Dench made her professional debut as Ophelia opposite his Hamlet in 1957.^[2]

Alongside the classical repertoire, Neville also worked on contemporary productions. He originated the titular role of Alfie in Bill Naughton's 1963 play Alfie. It was in that same year that he, along with Frank Dunlop and Peter Ustinov became artistic directors of the Nottingham Playhouse, with Neville later assuming sole charge.^[3] It was under his leadership that he played the leading part in Coriolanus, directed by Tyrone Guthrie, playing opposite a young Ian McKellen in the role of Tullus Aufidius. After leaving Nottingham in 1972, Neville emigrated to Canada, where he enjoyed further theatrical success in Stratford, Ontario at the Stratford Festival Theatre.

He enjoyed a resurgence of international attention in the 1980s as a result of his starring role in Terry Gilliam's cult classic The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) and latterly in the hit sci-fi series The X-Files where he featured in the sinister role of The Well-Manicured Man.