Alan MacKenzie Howard, CBE, (born 5 August 1937) is an English actor known for his roles on stage, television and film.

He was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1966 to 1983, and played leading roles at the Royal National Theatre between 1992 and 2000.

Personal life[link]

Howard is the only son of the actor Arthur Howard and his wife Jean Compton (Mackenzie). He was educated at the independent school Ardingly College, in the village of Ardingly in West Sussex.

He is the nephew of Leslie Howard and the casting director Irene Howard. On his mother's side he is also a great-nephew of the actress Fay Compton.^[1] and the novelist Sir Compton Mackenzie.

He first married actress and theatre designer Stephanie Hinchcliff Davies in 1965 (marriage dissolved). He married his long term partner Sally Beauman in 2004 and they have one son and one grandchild.

He was appointed CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in 1998.

Theatre[link]

1958–1965[link]

Alan Howard made his first stage appearance at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry in April 1958, as a footman in Half In Earnest. He remained with the company until 1960, playing many parts including Frankie Bryant in Arnold Wesker's Roots in June 1959, which first transferred to the Royal Court Theatre then to the Duke of York's Theatre in July 1959, where he made his West End debut in the role.

Returning to the Belgrade he played Dave Simmonds in Wesker's I'm Talking About Jerusalem, April 1960. This was followed by Monty Blatt in Chicken Soup with Barley at the Royal Court, June–July 1960, completing the Wesker Trilogy with a revival of Roots and the transfer of I’m Talking About Jerusalem (as 1st Removal Man).

At the Pembroke Theatre in Croydon he played Kenny Baird in A Loss of Roses, January 1961; completing the year’s work with a return to the Royal Court as de Praquo in The Changeling.

In 1962 he was cast as the Duke of Ferrara in Beaumont and Fletcher's The Chances and Nearchus in John Ford's The Broken Heart, both at the Chichester Festival Theatre in its inaugural season. A year later in April 1963 he played Loveless in Virtue in Danger, a musical version of Vanbrugh's The Relapse, first at the Mermaid Theatre before transferring to the Strand Theatre in June 1963. He ended the year playing Fotheringham in Anthony Powell's Afternoon Men at the New Arts Theatre in August 1963.

Engaged by H. M. Tennent Productions, 1964 brought him the challenge of an international tour of South America and Europe [1] playing both Bassanio in The Merchant of Venice and Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Staged by Wendy Toye and starring Ralph Richardson, the productions were first seen at the Theatre Royal, Brighton [2].

At the Phoenix Theatre in May 1965 he was “boldly playing” Simon Challoner in Julian Mitchell’s fine stage adaptation of A Heritage and Its History [3]; ending the year at the Nottingham Playhouse as Angelo in Measure for Measure and Bolingbroke in Richard II, co-starring with Judi Dench and Edward Woodward.

1966–1979[link]

Howard first joined the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford upon Avon in 1966, cast as Orsino in Twelfth Night, Burgundy in Henry V and Lussurioso in The Revenger's Tragedy. Subsequent RSC roles, all at Stratford unless otherwise stated, included:

• Jacques in As You Like It 1967
• Young Fashion in The Relapse (Aldwych Theatre) 1967
• Edgar in King Lear, Achilles in Troilus and Cressida and Benedick (to Janet Suzman's Beatrice) in Much Ado About Nothing 1968 (these three roles also in Aldwych revivals)
• Jacques in As You Like It (Los Angeles) 1968
• Bartholomew Cokes in Bartholomew Fair and Lussurioso in The Revenger's Tragedy (both Aldwych) 1969
• Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing (Los Angeles)1969
• Mephistophilis in Doctor Faustus, title role in Hamlet, Theseus/Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Ceres in The Tempest 1970
• Theseus/Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (New York debut at the Billy Rose Theatre) January 1971
• Theseus/Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Nikolai in Maxim Gorky's Enemies, Dorimant in The Man of Mode and The Envoy in The Balcony (Aldwych) 1971-72
• Cyril Jackson in The Black and White Minstrels by C P Taylor (Not RSC - Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh) July 1972 [4]
• Toured as Theseus/Oberon (visiting East and West Europe, the USA, Japan and Australia) August 1972-August 1973

Howard then played Eric von Stroheim in The Ride Across Lake Constance at the Hampstead Theatre in November 1973, transferring to the Mayfair Theatre in December; and again played Cyril in The Black and White Minstrels, revived at Hampstead in January 1974, before returning to the RSC, where his roles included:

• Carlos II in The Bewitched Aldwych May 1974
• Title role in Henry V, and Prince Hal in the two parts of Henry IV Stratford 1975; Aldwych January 1976
• Rover in Wild Oats, co-starring with Jeremy Irons, Aldwych December 1976
• Title role in Henry V, also the title roles in the three parts of Henry VI and Coriolanus Stratford 1977; Newcastle Season, at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle Upon Tyne February 13 – March 25. 1978; and Aldwych Summer 1978
• Mark Antony in Antony and Cleopatra Stratford October 1978; Aldwych July 1979
• Chepurnoy in Maxim Gorky's Children of the Sun Aldwych October 1979

1980-to date[link]

• Title roles in Richard II and Richard III, Stratford 1980; Aldwych, November 1981
• The Hollow Crown, devised by John Barton, RSC Fortune Theatre July–August 1981
• Pleasure and Repentance, devised by Terry Hands, RSC Fortune Theatre July–August 1981
• Gennady in The Forest by Alexander Ostrovsky, The Other Place, Stratford 1981; RSC Donmar Warehouse, July 1981; Aldwych February 1982
• Halder in Good by C P Taylor, music by George Fenton, RSC Donmar Warehouse, September 1981; Aldwych April 1982; Booth Theatre, New York October 1982 (141 NY performances).

Alan Howard then left the Royal Shakespeare Company. Subsequent performances included:

• Geoffrey in Winter by David Mowatt (rehearsed reading) Orange Tree Theatre July 1983
• War Music by Christopher Logue from Homer's Iliad, Almeida Theatre 1984, followed by a British Council tour of the UK and Greece
• Nikolai Pesiakoff in Breaking the Silence by Stephen Poliakoff, revived at the Mermaid Theatre May–November 1985
• Johan in Ingmar Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage (with Penny Downie as Marianne), Chichester and Wyndham's Theatre November 1990
• Henry Higgins in Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion (with Frances Barber as Eliza) National Theatre, Olivier April 1992
• Kings adapted from Homer by Christopher Logue, National Theatre, Cottesloe September 1992; and Tricycle Theatre April 1997
• Title role in Macbeth (with Anastasia Hille as Lady Macbeth) National Theatre, Olivier April 1993
• George in Jean Cocteau's Les Parents terribles, National Theatre, Lyttelton May 1994
• William in Meredith Oakes' The Editing Process, National Theatre Studio at the Royal Court November 1994
• Calogero di Spelta in Eduardo de Filippo's La Grande Magia, National Theatre, Lyttelton July 1995
• The Player King in Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, National Theatre, Lyttelton December 1995
• Title role in The Oedipus Plays: Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus adapted from Sophocles by Ranjit Bolt, Athens Festival at Epidaurus and National Theatre of Greece, Olivier September 1996
• Vladimir in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, Old Vic Theatre June 1997
• Title role in King Lear (with Victoria Hamilton as Cordelia), Old Vic September 1997
• Roman Khludov in Mikhail Bulgakov's Flight, National Theatre, Olivier February 1998
• Man in Edward Albee's The Play About the Baby, Almeida Theatre, September 1998
• Dr Austin Sloper in The Heiress, play adapted by Ruth and Augustus Goetz from the novel by Henry James, National Theatre, Lyttelton June 2000
• Dr Schoning in Lulu, adapted by Nicholas Wright from the play by Frank Wedekind, Almeida at Kings Cross, March 2001
• Teiresias in Sophocles' Oedipus in a 'raw new version' by Frank McGuinnes, co-starring Ralph Fiennes and Clare Higgins, directed by Jonathan Kent, National Theatre, Olivier from 8 October 2008 [5]
• Sir Peter Teazle in The School for Scandal (directed by Deborah Warner) at the Barbican Centre, 2011.

A complete listing of Alan Howard's theatre credits, including early work at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, appears on his career website, qv.^[2]

Alan Howard has the possibly unique record of having played all Shakespeare's consecutive eponymous English kings - though the distinction depends on a Henry IV played (as Henry Bolingbroke) in Richard II (at Nottingham) rather than in Henry IV, Part 1.

Theatre awards[link]

Howard won his first Plays and Players award in 1969, voted by the London theatre critics as the Most Promising Actor in the RSC repertoire. His second came in 1977, again voted for by the London critics, when he won as Best Actor for his RSC performances in Wild Oats, the three parts of Henry VI and Coriolanus. In 1981 he again received the Plays and Players critics' award for Best Actor for his roles in Richard II and Good by C P Taylor.

He twice gained the Evening Standard Award Best Actor trophy for his performances in Coriolanus (1978) and Good (1981).

He also won the Society of West End Theatre award for Best Actor (1976) for his performances as Prince Hal in Henry IV, Part One and Part Two and Henry V and in 1978 as Best Actor in a Revival for Coriolanus (these are now known as the Olivier Awards).

Other awards include the 1980 Variety Club Best Actor Award for the title roles in Richard II and Richard III; and the Drama magazine (British Theatre Association) Award for Best Actor (joint) 1981, for Richard II, Good and The Forest.

Television[link]

Television, since 1961, includes Philoctetes, The Way of the World and Comets Among the Stars.

He played a spymaster in the Thames Television six-hour spy story Cover, written by Philip Mackie, 1981; and played John Osborne's father, Tom Osborne, in A Better Class of Person, Thames 1985. He also played the title role of Coriolanus in the 1984 BBC Shakespeare production.

He has been seen in such series as Notorious Woman, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, Midsomer Murders and Foyle's War. He also gave performances as Mr Spenlow in David Copperfield and as Maurice Wilkins in Life Story.

Partial filmography[link]

• Victim (1961)
• The Americanization of Emily (1964)
• The Heroes of Telemark (1965)
• Work Is a Four-Letter Word (1967)
• Notorious Woman (1974)
• Oxford Blues (1984)
• Coriolanus (1984)
• The Return of Sherlock Holmes The Priory School (1986)
• A Perfect Spy (1987)
• Life Story (1987)
• The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989)
• The Return of the Musketeers (1989)
• A Casualty of War (1990)
• The Secret Rapture (1993)
• David Copperfield (2000)
• Midsomer Murders "Dark Autumn" (2001)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
• Death in Holy Orders (2003)
• Foyle's War "War Games" (2003)

References[link]

• Who’s Who in the Theatre 17th edition, Gale (1981) ISBN 0-8103-0235-7
• Theatre Record and its annual Indexes
• The Best of Plays and Players 1969–1983 edited by Peter Roberts, Methuen Drama (1989)

External links[link]

• Alan Howard career: website
• Alan Howard at the Internet Movie Database
• Alan Howard at the Internet Broadway Database
• Alan Howard at the National Theatre

This article's lead section may not adequately summarize its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (October 2009)

Sinéad Moira Cusack ( /ʃɨˈneɪd/; born 18 February 1948) is an Irish stage, television and film actress. She has received two Tony Award nominations: once for Best Leading Actress in Much Ado About Nothing (1985), and again for Best Featured Actress in Rock 'n' Roll (2008).

Early life[link]

Cusack was born Jane Moira Cusack in Dalkey, County Dublin, the daughter of Maureen Cusack (née Kiely) and Cyril Cusack, both actors.^[1] She is the sister of actresses Sorcha Cusack, Niamh Cusack and half-sister to Catherine Cusack.

Career[link]

Her first acting roles were at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. In 1970, she starred with Peter Sellers in the film Hoffman. In 1971, she guest starred in an episode of The Persuaders! (starring Tony Curtis and Roger Moore) as Jenny Lindley, a wealthy heiress who suspects that a man claiming to be her dead brother is in fact an impostor.^[2]

In 1975, she moved to London and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. Also in 1975 she made three appearances in the TV series Quiller as the character 'Roz'. She made her Broadway debut in 1984 performing in repertory with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Starring opposite Derek Jacobi, she played Roxane in Anthony Burgess' translation of Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac (having taken the role over from Alice Krige, who played Roxane through the play's London run) and Beatrice in William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Terry Hands. The production of Cyrano de Bergerac was later filmed in 1985. Much Ado was first produced at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1982-83, then moved to London's Barbican Theatre for the 1983-1984 season where it was joined by Cyrano, before both plays came to New York's Gershwin Theatre from October 1984 to January 1985, for which Cusack received a Tony Award nomination for her performance as Beatrice, and costar Jacobi won the award for his Benedick. During this period, Cusack and her husband, Jeremy Irons, appeared in a "Shakespeare Winter's Eve", a major fundraiser for the Riverside Shakespeare Company in New York, along with other members of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Following the Broadway run, the plays toured the US, making stops in Washington DC and Los Angeles. She appeared in the 1992 film adaptation of Graham Swift's novel Waterland, alongside her husband Jeremy Irons.

One of her best known stage roles was Our Lady of Sligo in 1998, in which she played the principal role of Mai O'Hara in performances in Ireland, on Broadway and at the National Theatre. She also starred in the 2004 BBC miniseries North and South in a scene-stealing role as Mrs. Thornton, and in the 2006 film V for Vendetta.

She was awarded the 1998 Evening Standard Award for Best Actress and the 1998 Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Actress. In 2006, she starred in the BBC sitcom Home Again.

Along with other actresses, including Paola Dionisotti, Fiona Shaw, Juliet Stevenson and Harriet Walter, Cusack contributed to a book by Carol Rutter called Clamorous Voices: Shakespeare's Women Today (1994).^[3] The book analyzed modern acting interpretations of female Shakespearean roles.

She is currently starring in the TV series Camelot.

Personal life[link]

She married British actor Jeremy Irons in 1978, and they have two sons, Samuel James (Sam), born 16 September 1978, and Maximilian Paul (known as Max Irons), born 17 October 1985.

Prior to marrying Irons, Cusack gave birth to a son in 1968 and placed the child for adoption. Cusack and her son, revealed to be the Irish politician Richard Boyd Barrett, have since been reunited.^[4] Cusack campaigned for Boyd Barrett when he stood unsuccessfully in Ireland's 2007 general election as the People Before Profit Alliance's candidate for Dún Laoghaire constituency.^[5][6] She also joined him in the count centre as he awaited the outcome of the 2011 general election, at which he was elected to Dáil Éireann.^[7]

Sinead Cusack is a patron of the Burma Campaign UK, the London based group campaigning for human rights and democracy in Burma.

In 1998 Cusack was named, along with her husband Jeremy Irons, in a list of the biggest private financial donors to the Labour Party.^[8]

In August 2010 Cusack signed the "Irish artists' pledge to boycott Israel" initiated by the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign.^[9]

Quotes[link]

• "Acting is the shy person's revenge on the world."

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sinéad Cusack at the Internet Movie Database
• Sinéad Cusack at the Internet Broadway Database
• JeremyIrons.Org: The Unofficial Site
• jeremyirons.net: The Authoritative Website
• FilmReference.com's page on Sinead Cusack's filmography

Kenneth Joseph "Ken" Howard, Jr. (born March 28, 1944) is an American actor, best known for his roles as Thomas Jefferson in 1776 and as basketball coach and former Chicago Bulls player Ken Reeves in the television show The White Shadow. He was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild in September 2009^[1] and elected to a second term in September 2011.^[2]

Early life[link]

Howard was born in El Centro, California, the son of Martha Carey (née McDonald) and Kenneth Joseph Howard, Sr.,^[3] the older of their two sons. His younger brother, the late Don Howard, was also an actor. He stands approximately 6'6" (1.98 m) which in high school earned him the nickname "Stork."

He grew up in the Long Island, New York community of Manhasset.^[4] Howard had basketball in his blood well before The White Shadow debuted. The nickname "The White Shadow" was given to him by the Long Island press in 1961, as Howard was the only Caucasian starter on the Manhasset High School varsity basketball team.

A member of the National Honor Society in high school, Howard turned down several offers of basketball scholarships in favor of a more focused academic education. He is a graduate of Amherst College, where he served as captain of the basketball team.^[5] He was also a member of the a cappella singing group, "The Zumbyes." He attended Yale School of Drama but left to make his Broadway debut before completing his master's degree.^[6]

Career[link]

Theater[link]

Howard began his career on Broadway in Promises, Promises with Jerry Orbach. In 1970, he won a Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actor (Dramatic) for Child's Play. Howard later starred on Broadway as Thomas Jefferson in 1776 and reprised the role in the 1972 film. Other Broadway appearances include the Seesaw in 1973 andThe Norman Conquests. Howard portrayed several US presidents in the 1975 Broadway musical 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and in 1976, appeared as Warren G. Harding in Camping with Henry and Tom in 1995.^[7] He has appeared in legitimate theater in many cities, most recently as Tip O'Neill in a one-man show According to Tip, at the New Repertory Theatre in Watertown, Massachusetts.^[8]

Television[link]

On television, he appeared as Ken Reeves, a Los Angeles high school basketball coach, in The White Shadow, produced by Bruce Paltrow in 1978. (The nickname was given to him in 1961 by the Long Island press when he was the only Caucasian starter on the Manhasset High School varsity basketball team.) Howard had the starring role in the 1973 TV series Adam's Rib opposite his good friend, Blythe Danner. He starred in The Manhunter, an American crime drama that was part of CBS's lineup for the 1974-1975 television season. The series was produced by Quinn Martin and starred Howard as Dave Barret, a 1930s-era private investigator from Idaho. He starred in the TV movie Father Damien in 1980 and won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1981 for his performance as the ideal father in the CBS afternoon special The Body Human: Facts for Boys. Additional credits include "Sidney Sheldon's Rage of Angels, 1983," the 2000 miniseries Perfect Murder, Perfect Town and the feature film Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story, both co-starring Kris Kristofferson. He played the title character in the 1984 American Playhouse production of Mark Twain's Pudd'nhead Wilson, having earlier played Mark Twain on Bonanza. Later, he appeared as Garrett Boydston in Dynasty and its spin-off The Colbys. In the early 1990s, he was a regular on the television series Murder, She Wrote as guest sleuth with Angela Lansbury, and later in Crossing Jordan as Jill Hennessy's father from 2001-2004. In 2007, he appeared as the primary villain in the critically acclaimed series Cane with Jimmy Smits.

He has guest-starred on numerous television dramas. He was guest villain in Hart to Hart Returns, a 1993 made for TV movie starring Stefanie Powers and Robert Wagner. Howard appeared in season one of The West Wing as President Bartlett's first choice for U.S. Supreme Court Justice in the episode "The Short List". Other dramatic guest roles include: NYPD Blue, The Practice, Boston Legal, Cold Case, Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone, Brothers and Sisters, Law & Order: SVU, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Fairly Legal, The Closer. He appeared in an episode of The Golden Girls as one of Blanche's many lovers, in The Office as Michael's former boss, and in 30 Rock as Jack Donaghy's boss.

Film[link]

He made his movie debut in 1970 in Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon opposite Liza Minnelli. He has appeared in numerous movies since, in both dramatic and comedy roles, including: Oscar with Sylvester Stallone in 1991, Clear and Present Danger with Harrison Ford in 1994, and The Net with Sandra Bullock in 1995, In Her Shoes in 2005. In 2007, Howard appeared in Rambo again with Sylvester Stallone, and Michael Clayton as the villain to George Clooney's hero. In 2010, he starred in The Numbers Game with Steven Bauer. He next appeared as Harlan F. Stone in Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar.

He gave an acclaimed performance as Phelan Beale in the 2009 HBO film Grey Gardens playing opposite Jessica Lange, for which he received an Emmy Award.^[9]

Literature[link]

Howard is the author of the 2003 book Act Natural: How to Speak to Any Audience,^[10] based on the drama courses he has taught at Harvard University. He is a popular reader for audiobooks.

Personal life[link]

He has been married to Linda Fetters, a stuntwoman, since 1992 and they reside in the Los Angeles, California area. From 1977 to 1991, he was married to Margo Coleman, known professionally as Margo Howard, the daughter of Ann Landers. From 1973 to 1976, he was married to TV soap opera actress, Louise Sorel. The marriage ended in divorce.

Howard is very active and supportive of the National Kidney Foundation, serving as its Chancellor.^[11] He had a kidney transplant in 2000.

Ken Howard is the owner of two popular restaurants in the Boston area, Rustic Kitchen and Mario's Place.

Stage productions[link]

• Promises, Promises - 1968
• 1776 - 1969 (1969 Theatre World Award)
• Child's Play - 1970 (1970 Tony Award Best Featured Actor in a Play)
• Seesaw - 1973
• The Norman Conquests: Living Together - 1975
• The Norman Conquests: Round and Round the Garden - 1975
• The Norman Conquests: Table Manners - 1975
• Little Black Sheep - 1975
• Equus - 1976 (National Company)
• 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue- 1976
• Rumors - 1988
• Camping with Henry and Tom - 1995
• In the Moonlight Eddie - 1996
• According to Tip - 2007

Filmography[link]

• Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon - 1970
• Such Good Friends - 1971
• 1776 - 1972
• The Strange Vengeance of Rosalie - 1972
• The Court Martial of George Armstrong Custer - 1977
• Father Damien: The Leper Priest - 1980
• Victims - 1982
• The Country Girl - 1982
• Rage of Angels - 1983
• Second Thoughts - 1983
• The Thornbirds - 1983
• Pudd'nhead Wilson - 1984
• Rage of Angels: The Story Continues - 1986
• The Man in the Brown Suit - 1988
• Strange Interlude - 1990
• Oscar - 1991
• Murder in New Hampshire - 1991
• Mastergate - 1992
• Ulterior Motives - 1993
• Clear and Present Danger - 1994
• The Net - 1995
• Tactical Assault - 1999
• At First Sight - 1999
• A Vow To Cherish - 1999
• Perfect Murder, Perfect Town: JonBenet and the City of Boulder - 2000
• Double Dare - 2005
• Dreamer: Inspired By A True Story - 2005
• In Her Shoes - 2005
• Arc - 2006
• Michael Clayton - 2007
• Sacrifices of the Heart - 2007
• Rambo - 2008
• Grey Gardens - 2009 (Won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie.)
• The Numbers Game - 2010
• J. Edgar - 2011