Sir Robert Stevens was born on 14 July 1943 in Bristol, Somerset. He began playing on stage as a teenager, performing at a local youth club. He received an acting education at the Bradford Public Theatre School, after which he performed and toured in repertory theaters for several years. In 1956, he joined the Royal Court Theatre troupe of London, first appearing on its stage as Haythorne in Arthur Miller's The Cruel Ordeal. He began as an actor in second roles, until in 1958 he played the writer-loser
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Sir Robert Stevens was born on 14 July 1943 in Bristol, Somerset. He began playing on stage as a teenager, performing at a local youth club. He received an acting education at the Bradford Public Theatre School, after which he performed and toured in repertory theaters for several years. In 1956, he joined the Royal Court Theatre troupe of London, first appearing on its stage as Haythorne in Arthur Miller's The Cruel Ordeal. He began as an actor in second roles, until in 1958 he played the writer-loser in the play John Osborne “Epitaph to John Dillon”. Set on Broadway, this play earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor. In 1960, he became an actor at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, and three years later moved to the National Theatre under the direction of Laurence Olivier.
One of Stevens' first notable roles in cinema was Peter, a vulgar type caring for a single mother in Tony Richardson's social drama Taste of Honey (1961). Subsequently, he played Germanic in Antony and Cleopatra (1963, dir. Joseph Leo Mankiewicz), an art merchant Charles Napier in the comedy Morgan! (1966, dir. Karel Reisch), Prince of Verona in Romeo and Juliet (1968, dir. Franco Zeffirelli). While working at the National Theatre, he played many roles, from Horatio in Hamlet to Vershinin in Three Sisters. In 1969, Laurence Olivier appointed him his deputy. There he met the actress Maggie Smith, who in June 1967 married him (for Stevens it was the third marriage). The couple were often engaged in the same performances, and starred in the psychological drama Miss Brody in the prime of years (1969, Ronald Niem). His Teddy Lloyd, in love with his college colleague, was convincing enough, but still in this picture Stevens remained in the shadow of his wife, who brilliantly played the eccentric teacher Jean Brody. Another joint film Stevens and his wife was the comedy “Travels with my aunt” (1972, directed by George Cukor).
His most famous role in the movie Stevens played in the comedy Billy Wilder “The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes” (1970). Despite the parody nature of the picture, his cocaine addict Holmes came out very alive - melancholy and determined at the same time. After retiring from the National Theatre in 1970, Stevens' career declined, although he occasionally managed to show his acting skills, both on screen and on the stage. A divorce from Maggie Smith in 1974 and an addiction to alcohol only exacerbated the crisis. Nevertheless, he continued to act in films and television and participate in performances as part of various theater groups. At the same time, while in theater he still often got leading roles, in the movie he was involved mainly as a character actor, playing minor characters, such as General Traillard in Ridley Scott's debut film "Duelists" (1977). One of the most striking acting works of Stevens in the eighties was ensign Pistol in the film adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry V" (1989) by Kenneth Branagh.
In 1991, he again forced to talk about himself as an outstanding dramatic actor, playing Sir John Falstaff and Julius Caesar in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. For the role of Falstaff Stevens was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award. Despite the fact that the actor was seriously ill, he continued to perform on stage, and soon he again expected success, this time as King Lear. This role was the last of his theatre career, as he was forced to leave the stage due to deteriorating health. In 1995, for his contribution to theatrical art, Stevens was awarded the title of nobility. At the same time, he officially registered his marriage with actress Patricia Quinn, who had been his common wife since the mid-seventies. On October 12 of that year, Robert Stevens died as a result of complications from an internal organ transplant. His sons from his marriage to Maggie Smith Tobby Stevens and Chris Larkin (real name Christopher Stevens) became actors.
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