PORTRET z HISTORIĄ Keith Stanley Baxter-Wright

Keith Stanley Baxter-Wright (29 kwietnia 1933 – 24 września 2023) był walijskim aktorem i reżyserem teatralnym, filmowym oraz telewizyjnym.

Keith Stanley Baxter-Wright urodził się 29 kwietnia 1933 roku w Newport w hrabstwie Monmouthshire. Był synem Stanleya Baxtera-Wrighta, kapitana w marynarce handlowej, oraz Emily Baxter (z domu Howell). Przez pewien czas rodzina mieszkała przy Romilly Road w Barry w hrabstwie Glamorgan. Uczył się w Newport High School oraz Barry Grammar School. Jego wczesne zainteresowanie teatrem wynikało z pasji do tworzenia modeli scen i dekoracji. Studiował w londyńskiej Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, gdzie dzielił mieszkanie z kolegą z roku, Alanem Batesem. Zadebiutował filmowo w remake’u The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1957), a także pojawił się bez wymienienia w napisach jako detektyw w brytyjskim klasyku horroru Peeping Tom (1960).

W 1960 roku Orson Welles wybrał Baxtera do roli księcia Hala w swojej inscenizacji Chimes at Midnight, łączącej fragmenty sztuk Szekspira: Henryk IV, część I, Henryk IV, część II, Henryk V, Ryszard II oraz Wesołe kumoszki z Windsoru, wysuwając na pierwszy plan postać Falstaffa. Baxter powtórzył tę rolę w filmowej wersji z 1965 roku. Wśród jego innych filmów znajdują się m.in. Ash Wednesday (1973, z Elizabeth Taylor), Golden Rendezvous (1977) oraz Killing Time (1998).

W 1961 roku Baxter zadebiutował na Broadwayu jako król Henryk VIII w sztuce A Man for All Seasons. Występował również na scenach Nowego Jorku w takich produkcjach jak The Affair (1962), Avanti! (1968), Sleuth (1970), Romantic Comedy (1980) oraz The Woman in Black (2001).

Wybrane role teatralne:

• Makbet, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, 1972

• Wierszynin, Trzy siostry, Greenwich Theatre, Londyn, 1973

• Benedick, Wiele hałasu o nic, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edynburg, 1973

• Antoniusz, Antoniusz i Kleopatra, Stratford Festival Theatre (Kanada), 1976

• Witwoud, The Way of the World, Stratford Festival Theatre, 1976

• Wierszynin, Trzy siostry, Stratford Festival Theatre, 1976

• King, The Red Devil Battery Sign, Round House Theatre / Phoenix Theatre, Londyn, 1977

• Lord Illingworth, A Woman of No Importance, Chichester Festival Theatre, 1978

• Antoniusz, Antoniusz i Kleopatra, Young Vic Theatre, Londyn, 1982

• Elyot, Private Lives, Aldwych Theatre, Londyn, 1990

• Cassius, Juliusz Cezar, Hartford Stage Company, 1990–1991

• Kariera Artura Ui, Chichester / Duchess Theatre, 2013

Reżyseria:

• The Red Devil Battery Sign, 1977

• Time and the Conways, 1988–1989

• Rope, 1994

• Dangerous Corner, 1994–1995

• Gaslight

• After October, 1996–1997

• Silhouette

Regularnie reżyserował spektakle w Shakespeare Theatre Company w Waszyngtonie, m.in.:

• The Country Wife (2000)

• The Rivals (2003, 2009)

• Lady Windermere’s Fan (2003)

• The Imaginary Invalid (2008)

• Mrs. Warren’s Profession (2010)

• An Ideal Husband (2011)

• The Importance of Being Earnest

Kleopatra

Baxter został obsadzony w roli Oktawiana Augusta u boku Elizabeth Taylor w filmie Cleopatra (1963). Zdjęcia przerwano z powodu zapalenia płuc aktorki, a gdy wznowiono produkcję, Baxter był już związany innymi zobowiązaniami i rolę przejął Roddy McDowall. Później Baxter ponownie wystąpił z Taylor w filmie Ash Wednesday (1973). W 1976 roku zagrał Marka Antoniusza u boku Maggie Smith w Antoniuszu i Kleopatrze na Stratford Festival w Kanadzie.

W telewizji pojawiał się m.in. w serialach Gideon’s Way, The Avengers, Hawaii Five-O, Thriller (1976) oraz miniserialu Merlin (1998).

Był autorem wspomnień My Sentiments Exactly oraz kilku sztuk, m.in. 56 Duncan Terrace, Cavell i Barnaby and the Old Boys. W 1971 roku nagrał album z opowiadaniami Sakiego pt. Reginald on House-Parties, and Other Stories. Był członkiem stowarzyszonym Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.

“…Keith Baxter spotkałem i fotografowałem w lutym 1986 r. w Nowym Jorku. Do dziś pamiętam to spotkanie. To był wyjątkowy człowiek, niezwykle kulturalny. Dla fotografii, gotowy na wszystko, jeśli tak można powiedzieć…” – Czesław Czapliński.

W latach 60. miał krótki romans z tancerzem Rudolfem Nurejewem. W 1979 roku poznał Briana Holdena, z którym stworzył trwały związek; pobrali się w 2016 roku i zamieszkali w West Sussex.

Keith Baxter zmarł 24 września 2023 roku na zawał serca podczas pływania na wakacjach na Korsyce. Miał 90 lat. Przeżył go mąż.

Nagrody teatralne:

• 1962 – Theatre World Award (A Man for All Seasons)

• 1971 – Drama Desk Award (Sleuth)

Filmografia (wybór):

1956 – She Stoops to Conquer

1957 – The Barretts of Wimpole Street

1958 – Incident at Echo Six

1960 – Peeping Tom

1963 – Where Angels Fear to Tread

1965 – Hold My Hand, Soldier; Chimes at Midnight

1970 – With Love in Mind

1973 – Ash Wednesday

1974 – The Regent’s Wife

1977 – Golden Rendezvous

1988 – Berlin Blues

1998 – Killing Time

Telewizja (wybór):

1957 – ITV Television Playhouse

1958 – ITV Play of the Week

1959 – ITV Television Playhouse

1960 – ITV Play of the Week

1963 – BBC Sunday-Night Play (The Sentimental Agent)

1964 – The Hidden Truth; Gideon’s Way

1965 – Armchair Theatre; Public Eye; ITV Sunday Night Drama

1968 – Love Story

1969 – Thirty-Minute Theatre; The Avengers

1973 – Orson Welles’ Great Mysteries

1974 – Dial M for Murder

1976 – Thriller

1978 – Will Shakespeare; Hawaii Five-O

1992 – Performance

1998 – Merlin           

PORTRAIT with HISTORY Keith Stanley Baxter-Wright  

Keith Stanley Baxter-Wright (29 April 1933 – 24 September 2023) was a Welsh theatre, film and television actor and director.  

Keith Stanley Baxter-Wright was born in Newport, Monmouthshire, on 29 April 1933. He was the son of Stanley Baxter-Wright, a Merchant Navy sea captain, and Emily Baxter (née Howell). They lived for a time in Romilly Road, Barry, Glamorgan. He was educated at Newport High School and Barry Grammar School. His early introduction to the stage was from his interest in making model theatres and stage scenery. He studied at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, during which period he shared a flat with a classmate, Alan Bates. He made his film debut in the 1957 remake of The Barretts of Wimpole Street and appeared uncredited as a detective in the British horror classic Peeping Tom (1960).

In 1960, Orson Welles selected Baxter to portray Prince Hal in his stage production Chimes at Midnight, which combined portions of the Shakespearean plays Henry IV, Part I, Henry IV, Part II, Henry V, Richard II, and The Merry Wives of Windsor and brought the comic figure of Falstaff to the forefront of a primarily tragic tale. Baxter repeated his performance in the 1965 film version. Additional film credits include Ash Wednesday (1973; with Elizabeth Taylor), Golden Rendezvous (1977), and Killing Time (1998).

In 1961, Baxter made his Broadway debut as King Henry VIII in A Man for All Seasons. Other New York City stage credits included The Affair (1962), Avanti! (1968), Sleuth (1970), Romantic Comedy (1980), and The Woman in Black (2001).  

Other selected theatrical appearances 

• Macbeth, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Birmingham, England, 1972 

• Vershinin, Three Sisters, Greenwich Theatre, London, 1973 

• Benedick, Much Ado about Nothing, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, Scotland, 1973 

• Antony, Antony and Cleopatra, Stratford Festival Theatre, Stratford, Ontario, 1976 

• Witwoud, The Way of the World, Stratford Festival Theatre, 1976 

• Vershinin, Three Sisters, Stratford Festival Theatre, 1976 

• King, The Red Devil Battery Sign, Round House Theatre, then Phoenix Theatre, both London, 1977 

• Lord Illingworth, A Woman of No Importance, Chichester Festival Theatre, 1978 

• Antony, Antony and Cleopatra, Young Vic Theatre, London, 1982 

• Elyot, Private Lives, Aldwych Theatre, London, 1990 

• Cassius, Julius Caesar, Hartford Stage Company, 1990-1991 

• The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Chichester and The Duchess Theatre, 2013  

Directing 

• The Red Devil Battery Sign, Roundhouse and Phoenix Theatre, 1977 

• Time and the Conways, 1988–89 

• Rope, Chichester Festival Theatre then Wyndham's Theatre, 1994 

• Dangerous Corner, Chichester Festival Theatre, 1994, and Whitehall Theatre, 1995 

• Gaslight 

• After October, 1996–97 

• Silhouette  

Baxter regularly directed shows at Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington D.C., including: 

• The Country Wife (2000) 

• The Rivals (2003) 

• Lady Windermere's Fan (2003) 

• The Imaginary Invalid (2008) 

• The Rivals (2009) 

• Mrs. Warren's Profession (2010) 

• An Ideal Husband (2011) 

• The Importance of Being Earnest  

Cleopatra

Baxter was signed for the role of Octavian "Augustus" Caesar opposite Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra in the 1963 film of Cleopatra. Taylor's bout of pneumonia, soon after filming began, temporarily shut down filming. By the time she recovered, Baxter had other commitments and Roddy McDowall assumed the role. Baxter co-starred with Taylor in the film Ash Wednesday (1973). He also later played Mark Antony opposite Maggie Smith's Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra at the Stratford Festival in Canada in 1976.  

Baxter's television work included appearances in Gideon's Way, The Avengers, Hawaii Five-O, Thriller (1976) and the 1998 mini-series Merlin.

Baxter was the author of a memoir, My Sentiments Exactly and of several plays, including 56 Duncan Terrace, Cavell and Barnaby and the Old Boys.

In 1971 he recorded an LP of several short stories by Saki for Caedmon Records under the title Reginald on House-Parties, and Other Stories.

Baxter was an associate member of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

During the 1960s Baxter had a brief affair with the dancer Rudolf Nureyev. In 1979 he met Brian Holden and formed a lasting relationship; they married in 2016 and moved from London to West Sussex.  

“…I met and photographed Keith Baxter in February 1986 in New York. I still remember that meeting to this day. He was an exceptional man, remarkably cultured. For the sake of photography, he was ready for anything, if one can put it that way…” – Czesław Czapliński.  

Keith Baxter died from a heart attack while swimming on holiday in Corsica, on 24 September 2023. He was 90, and was survived by his husband.  

Theatre awards: 

• 1962 Theatre World Award for A Man for All Seasons 

• 1971 Drama Desk Award for Sleuth  

Filmography:

•1956 She Stoops to Conquer

•1957 The Barretts of Wimpole Street

•1958 Incident at Echo Six

•1960 Peeping Tom

•1963 Where Angels Fear to Tread

•1965 Hold My Hand, Soldier Chimes at Midnight

•1970 With Love in Mind

•1973 Ash Wednesday

•1974 The Regent's Wife

•1977 Golden Rendezvous

•1988 Berlín Blues

•1998 Killing Time  

Television

•1957 ITV Television Playhouse

•1958 ITV Play of the Week

•1959 ITV Television Playhouse

•1960 ITV Play of the Week

•1963 BBC Sunday-Night Play The Sentimental Agent

•1964 The Hidden Truth Gideon's Way

•1965 Armchair Theatre Public Eye ITV Sunday Night Drama

•1968 Love Story

•1969 Thirty-Minute Theatre The Avengers

•1973 Orson Welles Great Mysteries

•1974 Dial M for Murder

•1976 Thriller

•1978 Will Shakespeare Hawaii Five-O

•1992 Performance

•1998 Merlin