An interview had been arranged for him, and he became an assistant stage manager in Buxton. But Hawthorne's dreams of acting were soon crushed upon arrival in London, where he faced only cruel rejection. To paraphrase Helen Mirren, "he was not pretty." And as Hawthorne himself once put it, "when they saw this strange, sunburned, accented young creature, they must have wondered what they could possibly cast his as - so they didn't!" He was utterly humiliated. In 1957 he finally gave up and went home to sunny Cape Town with his tail between his legs, reeking of defeat thinking "what's the point?"

Stubborn as ever he went straight to the theatre in Cape Town and had another go there: Surprisingly, he now found himself being cast in parts which had never been available to him in England. In fact, he was allowed to play leading roles in plays by the likes of Pinter, Cocteau, O'Neill and Osborne. Especially note-worthy was an eye-catching performance in Pinter's Caretaker in Johannesburg in 1961. Things really started to look up.

Greatly encouraged by this new turn of events, he returned to England in 1962, hoping that he could prove he was an actor good enough for the London stage. At least now he knew that leading parts were within his grasp. After enduring more rejection, he finally got his break, as he was accepted into Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop in 1965. He was given so much to do in the theatre workshop that it got him noticed and from then on he managed to stay in regular work.

However, his dream had been to become a classical actor, to go to Stratford and start at the bottom and work his way up. Indeed, he auditioned for the Royal Shakespeare Company for over 20 years with continuous rejection! With this in mind, it is quite ironic that he would at the age of 70 be a centre stage attraction of their Millennium-celebration, playing King Lear. It was the first and last time that Nigel Hawthorne performed in Stratford. Furthermore, when the National Theatre with Laurence Olivier called, he auditioned but never got into it; "It never came my way."

But what did come his way, after he had succeeded in Joan Littlewood's workshop was that the Royal Court noticed him. He became involved in productions such as the last Edward Bond play to be banned by the Lord Chamberlain, Early Morning in 1968 where he played Prince Albert, and other Royal Court productions such as Christopher Hampton's Total Eclipse and John Osborne's A Sense of Detachment.

He went on to master Falstaff in Henry IV, in his thirties, in a Sheffield production, a part he then thought the most interesting he had ever played. Other Shakespeare plays he did in the early seventies were the title role of Macbeth, Baptista in Taming of the Shrew, Brutus in Julius Caesar and Touchstone in As You like It, which even toured America. An interesting protest to apartheid was Edward Bond's lunchtime play Black Mass in Sheffield, which he directed and starred in. The audience was given white and coloured tickets and everything was segregated!

However, acclaim would really come his way starting with The Philanthropist in 1973, where he played Philip, a part Hawthorne very strongly identified with, and for performances in Michael Frayn's Clouds and Peter Nichols's Privates on Parade where he played Major Flack, the bone-headed commander who lectures the troops on godliness while the Japanese advance on Singapore. This was the first time the Royal Shakespeare Company accepted him for a modern play, and they subsequently invited him to come to Stratford. But having attempted to go to Stratford since 1951, it was too little too late for Hawthorne! Privates On Parade won him a role in what was to become one of Britain's most popular political satires on television.

In early years, he would also dabble with writing stage and television plays, and as a journalist once remarked; they were "more talked about than on paper!" There seemed to be a general opinion that Hawthorne was more amusing on the stage than on a page, but he was commissioned by the BBC. Among his stage plays are two short lunchtime plays performed at the Soho Poly, Oxford Circus in the 1970s. But when asked once about his writings, he simply said; "There is nothing I have written of which I am very proud."


Television Stardom

As with so many theatrical actors, Hawthorne's big breakthrough came through a sitcom! Yes Minister would make Nigel Hawthorne a part of the national furniture in Britain. His portrayal of Sir Humphrey Appleby, the endearing bureaucrat everyone loved to hate, reached enormous popularity worldwide and all of a sudden Nigel found himself being famous! The series was extremely successful and even Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher deemed it her favourite television series. In fact, she introduced and starred in her own adaptation of the programme called "Yes, Prime Minister," in form of a sketch performed at an awards ceremony. Little did she know that a short time there after, Yes Minister's sequel Yes, Prime Minister would be introduced!

Another happy note for Hawthorne was that he could now show Mommy the fruits of his labour! Due to his somewhat late-flowering success, his father never lived to see his fame, but Hawthorne brought his Mom tapes of Yes, Minister as, of course, she was unable to see it in South Africa due to the Equity ban. Finally, in his fifties, Nigel Hawthorne could justify to his mother and his siblings that the decision he had made all those years ago to become an actor had not been totally stupid!

Due to the success of Yes, Minister, Nigel Hawthorne was now able to choose his work, and it enabled him to get the parts he wanted on television. Most notable were his successes in "Edward & Mrs. Simpson", "The Barchester Chronicles", "Mapp and Lucia" and "The Fragile Heart".


Major Theatrical Triumphs

All doors were now open and Hawthorne's success on the telly screens also helped him land the big parts on stage. A characteristic in Hawthorne's career was that he always went back to the stage! Throughout the eighties he would star in many a play; Shaw's The Millionairess opposite Penelope Keith; Chekov's Uncle Vanya, where he starred opposite his dear friend Ian Holm; Moliere's Tartuffe, where he played Orgon; Charles Wood's Across from the Garden of Allah, in which Hawthorne and Glenda Jackson made a smashing pair; he also triumphed with Jacobowsky and the Colonel, playing the latter, and in Pinero's The Magistrate, where he played Mr Posket. He also played Blair in Tom Stoppard's play Hapgood.

But it was time for Hawthorne to go for the top and the always unpredictable actor went from loved comic to a great emotional challenge, Shadowlands; the story of cherished children's author CS Lewis and his falling in love late in life, only to lose his wife to cancer. This was Nigel's chance to show that he had more in him than just skills as a comedic actor. His heartfelt performance as Lewis, performed both in London and on Broadway, moved audiences to tears, and won him the Tony Best Actor Award.

His outstanding performance made him the choice for the title role of acclaimed writer Alan Bennett's play The Madness of George III, where he portrayed the king descending into madness, winning the prestigious Olivier Award for his portrayal. The play was performed in London and on Broadway. Hawthorne accepted the part without reading the script because of his respect for Bennett's writings, and his sympathetic portrayal of the ailing King, the profound depth he would put into the characterization was so rewarding, that he considered the part his "Lear".

His next theatrical step was the post-Restoration farce "The Clandestine Marriage", performed at Queen's Theatre. This was a more light-hearted little play, which he even directed as well as starred in. It was a decent break from the emotionally draining parts he'd become accustomed to. Incidentally, The Clandestine Marriage had been one of the first plays he saw when he arrived from South Africa in 1951.

His last theatrical triumph was the title role of King Lear in the Royal Shakespeare Company's Millennium season, in an exciting Anglo-Japanese production directed by Yukio Ninagawa. The play opened in Japan to raving critics before transferring to England. Hawthorne's magnificent performance as King Lear crowned his stage career and, in fact, he announced that he would now retire from the stage. Long live the King!


Nigel the moviestar

Who would have thought that Hawthorne's film career, which started less than gracefully with him as a stuntman rushing around a forest fire, would ever amount to anything? His perseverance and dedication made him one of the most sought after British actors. His range, covering everything from the dramatic to the comedic and the harrowing, never failed to surprise critics and audiences worldwide.

His early film career consists of pieces such as Tartuffe, Pope John Paul II, The Tempest, Gandhi and The Knowledge, the latter which won an award in England just recently for having been one of the 100 funniest films of the Millennium! Nigel Hawthorne's childhood dreams of becoming an animator also influenced his film career, which consists of a large number of animated films that he voiced over the years! In fact, as an oddity, Hawthorne's first job was for the Johannesburg Star, where he, inspired by Ronald Searle, drew satirical caricatures!

His big international film breakthrough came as he reprised his stage role of George III in the film called The Madness of King George, for which he earned an Oscar nomination. His being "discovered" in America led to numerous film offers, and indeed Hawthorne became more and more involved with filmmaking, preferring to work with films instead of theatre. Although movies brought him to America on numerous occasions, Hawthorne was unimpressed by the glamour of Hollywood. His choice of projects remained unspoilt and the prospect of making easy money seemed of little interest to him.

His film triumphs include "Richard III" opposite Ian McKellen, "Twelfth Night" in which he starred as Malvolio, Stephen Spielberg's "Amistad", David Mamet's version of "The Winslow Boy", the previously unproduced Orson Welles script "The Big Brass Ring" and finally starring opposite his dear friend Joan Collins in David Garrick's "The Clandestine Marriage", a play he had previously directed and starred in on stage.


Perfectionist

Nigel Hawthorne, who in his own words, "subjugates his personality into every role", was famous for his dedication to his work. He was an actor who chose his work as opposed to it choosing him. For a large chunk of his career he merely impersonated other actors, but eventually he realised that was not good enough. He suggested in interviews that this was because he saw other more distinguished actors work and was disappointed to see that they "acted." Hawthorne felt that the deeper he looked into himself and the more he gave of himself, the more real the portrayal would be.

Nigel was middle-aged when he thought himself having grown up! In interviews he talked of finally having reached a point in his life where he was comfortable enough to show his insecurities instead of covering them up. Vulnerability became his strength and enabled him to tackle the most rewarding and demanding roles imaginable for any actor. From being a slightly intense person he became more stoical and at ease with himself, accepting his own faults and even poking fun at them! He became a very "mature" actor, with an appalling streak of cynicism, which he managed to blend extremely successfully into his portrayals. This new wisdom would become the key to his success.

The profile from his colleagues emerges of an utter professional, who allowed himself to get alarmingly emotionally involved in the role he was playing. He was a disciplined performer, perhaps best described by Jane Lapotaire as a "fusspot!"; A perfectionist who demanded the total commitment from his co-workers that he himself offered. The genuine impression one gets when listening to what people say about Hawthorne, is that he was loved and admired by those who worked with him.



Behind the Mask

Hawthorne was a very, very private person, and little was publicly known about his personal life. However, in his mid-sixties he was brutally "outed" by an American magazine, after which he seemed relatively comfortable talking about his private life. Hawthorne lived in a country estate in beautiful Hertfordshire, where he led a quiet and very happy life with his partner, writer Trevor Bentham. Their mutual passion was gardening and animals, and they gave a handful of lucky dogs a cosy home.

Hawthorne enjoyed staying healthy, he rushed about swimming, playing tennis and gardening. He would thrive to lead a healthy life style, he was a vegetarian and confessed vitamin-abuser, in fact, one could perhaps say that he was as much a perfectionist in his private sphere as in his professional! It was also important to him to give something back to society, and he and his partner were both heavily involved with charities, especially on a local level. Furthermore, Hawthorne was president of the Garden House Hospice in Letchworth and a member of the Hertfordshire Gardens Trust. In 1999 he was appointed Deputy Lieutenant in his county.

We shall know much more about Hawthorne in the very near future, as he managed to complete his memoirs on Christmas Eve 2001, just two days before he died. (It was in fact his second attempt at this, as the first time, about ten years ago, he changed his mind complaining it was too painful to write!) The book is a personal account of his life.


Celebrity...

As he once said; "Now that I get my name up in lights, people do seem quite keen to have a look at me in the flesh from time to time..." Standing 6' tall with a graceful posture, Nigel Hawthorne was sought after by elderly matrons all over, and received proposals of marriage regularly! His approach towards fans was one of awkward professionalism, sparked by a kind heart. He had an endearing shyness and a tendency to look very sad, awakening sympathy and the respect and affections of those he encountered. Although Hawthorne loved to make a fuss about finding his celebrity status silly, if at all existent, one was not entirely convinced it bothered him so. It was obvious he found attention around his person embarrassing, but that is not to say he did not enjoy it or was not flattered by it.

Avid admirers aside, Sir Nigel was honoured and recognized as one of the greats. He held an honorary MA from Sheffield University and two honorary doctorates: One from the University of Hertfordshire and the other from Keele University. In 1987 he received the CBE (Commander of the British Empire) for his services to theatre, film and television. In the 1999 New Year's Honours List, he was awarded his well-deserved knighthood.

Sir Nigel Hawthorne died from a heart attack on December 26th 2001, after having battled cancer for 18 months. May he rest in peace.