Maurice Evans

For more information on Maurice Herbert Evans, visit Britannica.com.

Evans, Maurice (1901–89), actor and producer. The Englishman came to America in 1935 after establishing himself on the London stage, including a stint with the Old Vic. His first appearance was as Romeo to Katharine Cornell's Juliet, followed by the Dauphin to her Saint Joan and Napoleon in St. Helena (1936). Major recognition came when he mounted his interpretation of Richard II (1937). Brooks Atkinson called his a “glowing performance,” one of “infinite subtlety and burning emotion,” although some dissenters suggested his interpretations were more intellectual than deeply felt. Additional accolades appeared in the wake of his full‐length Hamlet (1938) and his portrayal of Sir John Falstaff in Henry IV, Part I (1939). By this time recognized as the finest and most loyal proponent of Shakespeare on the New York stage, Evans continued his series of highly praised performances with his cockney Malvolio opposite Helen Hayes's Viola in 1940 and his Macbeth to Judith Anderson's Lady Macbeth the following year. During World War II he entertained troops with a cut‐down version of Hamlet, which he later successfully mounted on Broadway in 1945. Evans next scored as John Tanner in Man and Superman (1947), then played in a double bill of The Browning Version and Harlequinade (1949) before returning to Shaw to play Dick Dudgeon in The Devil's Disciple (1950). In 1952 he began a long run as Tony Wendice, who bungles his attempt at a perfect crime, in Dial M for Murder. After appearances as King Magnus in Shaw's The Apple Cart (1956) and Captain Shotover in Heartbreak House (1957), his luck at picking hits ran out when he essayed the crusading Rev. Brock in the musical Tenderloin (1960). In 1962 he toured with Helen Hayes in Shakespeare Revisited: A Program for Two Players. Besides being the producer of most of his own productions, he was co‐producer of two Broadway hits: The Teahouse of the August Moon (1953) and No Time for Sergeants (1955). In later years he appeared on television and in occasional films. Autobiography: All This—and Evans Too!, 1987.

• Born: Jun 03, 1901 in Dorchester, England
• Died: Mar 12, 1989 in Rottingdean, England
• Occupation: Actor
• Active: '30s, '60s-'70s
• Major Genres: Comedy, Drama
• Career Highlights: Planet of the Apes, Rosemary's Baby, Androcles and the Lion
• First Major Screen Credit: White Cargo (1929)

Biography

Internationally acclaimed British stage star Maurice Evans is celebrated for his lyrical speaking voice and his great performances in the classics. The son of an amateur playwright, he sang professionally as a boy and later acted in his father's adaptations of Thomas Hardy's novels. In 1926 he made his professional stage debut, and first appeared on the London stage the following year. While establishing his reputation he supported himself by running a cleaning and dyeing establishment. In 1929 his triumphant performance in Journey's End allowed him to become a full-time actor. He appeared in a handful of British films from 1930-35, but otherwise remained exclusively a stage actor. He joined the Old Vic company in 1934, then moved to the U.S. in 1935, when he began a long and illustrious career on Broadway; he was most revered for his work in plays by Shakespeare and Shaw. In 1941 he became a U.S. citizen. During World War II he was put in charge of the Army Entertainment Section, Central Pacific Theater; with the rank of major, he toured Pacific military bases in a streamlined version of Hamlet. He returned to the screen in 1951 in Kind Lady opposite Ethel Barrymore, but again went on to make only a few films over the next two decades, none of which matched the stature of his stage productions. His best-known role was as the ape Dr. Zaius in Planet of the Apes (1968) and Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970). He also did much work on TV, most memorably on the sitcom Bewitched, in which he played Elizabeth Montgomery's warlock father. ~ All Movie Guide

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