Michael Hordern

Sir Michael Murray Hordern, CBE, was an English stage and film actor. He is best known for his Shakespearean roles, especially that of King Lear. He often appeared in film, rising from a bit part actor in the late 1930s to a member of the main cast. His later work was predominantly in television and radio. He suffered from kidney disease during the 1990s and died from it in 1995 at the age of 83.

About Michael Hordern in brief

Sir Michael Murray Hordern, CBE, was an English stage and film actor. He is best known for his Shakespearean roles, especially that of King Lear. He often appeared in film, rising from a bit part actor in the late 1930s to a member of the main cast. By the time of his death he had appeared in nearly 140 cinema roles. His later work was predominantly in television and radio. He suffered from kidney disease during the 1990s and died from it in 1995 at the age of 83. His mother, Margaret Murray, was descended from James Murray, an Irish physician whose research into digestion led to his discovery of the stomach aid milk of magnesia in 1829. His father, Edward, was the son of a Lancastrian priest who was the rector at the Holy Trinity Church in Bury. As a young man Edward joined the Royal Indian Marines and gained the rank of lieutenant. During a short break on home-leave he fell in love with Margaret, after they were introduced by one of his brothers. The young couple married in Burma on 28 November 1903. They had their first child, a son, Geoffrey, in 1905, followed by another, Peter, in 1907. Four years after the birth of Peter, a pregnant Margaret returned to England where Michael HordERN, her third son, was born on 3 October 1911 in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. He was educated at Windlesham House School where he became interested in drama. He went on to Brighton College where his interest in the theatre developed. After leaving the college he joined an amateur dramatics company, and came to the notice of several influential Shakespearean directors who cast him in minor roles in Othello and Macbeth.

During the Second World War he served on HMS Illustrious. Upon his demobilisation he resumed his acting career and made his television debut, becoming a reliable bit-part actor in many films, particularly in the war film genre. In 1957 he won a best actor award at that year’s British Academy Television Awards for his role as the barrister in John Mortimer’s courtroom drama The Dock Brief. His credits include Paradise Postponed, the BAFTA award-winning Memento Mori, and the BBC adaptation of Middlemarch. His next major play was Jumpers which appeared at the Royal National Theatre at the start of 1972. His performance was praised by critics and he reprised the role four years later. He played Polonius in Hamlet and the title role in King John. His last major role was in Whistle and I’ll Come to You, which was recorded for television and received wide praise. In 1972 he was appointed a CBE in 1972 and was knighted eleven years later and died aged 83 in 1995. His wife, Margaret, had three children, including a son named Geoffrey, and a daughter named Peter, who was born in 1911. The couple lived in comfort and Margaret employed a nanny, nanny and full-time cook, sculleryman and full time cook, for which he lived on a good salary. After a few years, along with fellow rugby and fishing enthusiast, he visited India to visit her husband in 1916.

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