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IMDbPro

Ralph Richardson(1902-1983)

  • Actor
  • Director
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Ralph Richardson
A missing heir of respected Scottish family, raised in African jungles by animals, finally returns to his estate only to realize that difference between the two worlds is really significant.
Play trailer2:25
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
20 Videos
99+ Photos
Sir Ralph Richardson was one of the greatest actors of the 20th Century English-language theater, ascending to the height of his profession in the mid-1930s when he became a star in London's West End. He became the first actor of his generation to be knighted. He became Sir Ralph in 1947, and was quickly followed by Laurence Olivier in 1948, and then by John Gielgud in 1953. Co-stars and friends, the three theatrical knights were considered the greatest English actors of their generation, primarily for their mastery of the Shakespearean canon. They occupied the height of the British acting pantheon in the post-World War II years.
BornDecember 19, 1902
DiedOctober 10, 1983(80)
BornDecember 19, 1902
DiedOctober 10, 1983(80)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Nominated for 2 Oscars
    • 8 wins & 8 nominations total

Photos187

Ralph Richardson in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
Ralph Richardson in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
Ralph Richardson in Outcast of the Islands (1951)
Ralph Richardson in Outcast of the Islands (1951)
Ralph Richardson in Outcast of the Islands (1951)
Trevor Howard and Ralph Richardson in Outcast of the Islands (1951)
Ralph Richardson in Outcast of the Islands (1951)
Ralph Richardson in Outcast of the Islands (1951)
Katharine Hepburn, Jason Robards, Dean Stockwell, and Ralph Richardson in Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962)
Katharine Hepburn, Jason Robards, Dean Stockwell, and Ralph Richardson in Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962)
Katharine Hepburn, Jason Robards, Dean Stockwell, and Ralph Richardson in Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962)
Katharine Hepburn, Jason Robards, Dean Stockwell, and Ralph Richardson in Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962)

Known for

Geraldine Chaplin, Julie Christie, and Omar Sharif in Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Doctor Zhivago
7.9
  • Alexander
  • 1965
The Heiress (1949)
The Heiress
8.1
  • Dr. Austin Sloper
  • 1949
Time Bandits (1981)
Time Bandits
6.9
  • Supreme Being
  • 1981
Sonia Dresdel, Bobby Henrey, and Ralph Richardson in The Fallen Idol (1948)
The Fallen Idol
7.6
  • Baines
  • 1948

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • Paul McCartney in Give My Regards to Broad Street (1984)
    Give My Regards to Broad Street
    • Jim
    • 1984
  • Six Centuries of Verse (1984)
    Six Centuries of Verse
    • Reader
    • TV Series
    • 1984
  • Christopher Lambert in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
    Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes
    • The Sixth Earl of Greystoke
    • 1984
  • Richard Burton, Vanessa Redgrave, László Gálffi, Marthe Keller, and Ekkehard Schall in Wagner (1983)
    Wagner
    • Pfordten
    • TV Mini Series
    • 1983
  • Invitation to the Wedding (1983)
    Invitation to the Wedding
    • Uncle Willie
    • 1983
  • Deborah Kerr, Donald Pleasence, Beau Bridges, Diana Rigg, and Ralph Richardson in Witness for the Prosecution (1982)
    Witness for the Prosecution
    • Sir Wilfred Robarts
    • TV Movie
    • 1982
  • Ralph Richardson in Early Days (1981)
    Early Days
    • Sir Richard Kitchen
    • TV Movie
    • 1981
  • Time Bandits (1981)
    Time Bandits
    • Supreme Being
    • 1981
  • Peter MacNicol and Caitlin Clarke in Dragonslayer (1981)
    Dragonslayer
    • Ulrich
    • 1981
  • The Double Dealer (1980)
    The Double Dealer
    • Lord Touchwood
    • TV Movie
    • 1980
  • A Deadly Game (1979)
    A Deadly Game
    • Sir Archibald Willoughby
    • TV Movie
    • 1979
  • Watership Down (1978)
    Watership Down
    • Chief Rabbit (voice)
    • 1978
  • No Man's Land (1978)
    No Man's Land
    • Hirst
    • TV Movie
    • 1978
  • Robert Powell in Jesus of Nazareth (1977)
    Jesus of Nazareth
    • Simeon
    • TV Mini Series
    • 1977
  • Richard Chamberlain in The Man in the Iron Mask (1977)
    The Man in the Iron Mask
    • Colbert
    • TV Movie
    • 1977

Director

  • Margaret Leighton and Ralph Richardson in Murder on Monday (1952)
    Murder on Monday
    • Director
    • 1952

Producer

  • The Silver Fleet (1943)
    The Silver Fleet
    • associate producer
    • 1943

Videos20

Official Trailer
Trailer 3:27
Official Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 3:11
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:11
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 3:06
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 4:10
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:57
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:25
Official Trailer
Official DVD Trailer
Trailer 2:27
Official DVD Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:10
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:51
Official Trailer
The Citadel
Trailer 4:35
The Citadel
O Lucky Man!
Trailer 3:30
O Lucky Man!

Personal details

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  • Alternative names
    • Lt. Cmdr Ralph Richardson RNVR
  • Height
    • 6′ (1.83 m)
  • Born
    • December 19, 1902
    • Tivoli Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, UK
  • Died
    • October 10, 1983
    • Marylebone, London, England, UK(stroke)
  • Spouses
      Meriel ForbesJanuary 26, 1944 - October 10, 1983 (his death, 1 child)
  • Children
    • Charles David Richardson
  • Other works
    He recorded several spoken-word albums for Caedmon Records during the 1960s, and among his recorded performances was the title role in William Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar".
  • Publicity listings
    • 4 Print Biographies
    • 1 Portrayal
    • 6 Articles
    • 2 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Famously eccentric, he once stopped in a middle of a stage performance, and addressed the audience enquiring "Is there a doctor in the house?" When a doctor made himself known, Richardson calmly enquired "Isn't this a terrible play, doctor?".
  • Quotes
    Acting on the screen is like acting under a microscope. The slightest movement becomes a gesture and therefore the discipline has to be very severe.
  • Trademarks
      Often played proud patriarchs and authority figures.

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