Ralph Richardson
British actor (1902-1983) · United Kingdom · On the map · Actors · Died at 80
Sir Ralph David Richardson was an English actor who, with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, was one of the trinity of male actors who dominated the British stage for much of the 20th century. He worked in films throughout most of his career, and played more than sixty cinema roles.
Ralph Richardson is read about 684 times a day, in 43 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 8 November 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 106 days, one point a day.
Something wrong?A life in dates
WagnerSeries, 1983Pfordten1981
DragonslayerFilm, Ulrich1977
The Man in the Iron MaskFilm, Colbert de Voliere1976
Second City TelevisionSeries1974
Frankenstein: The True StoryFilm, Mr. Lacey1973
Frankenstein: The True StorySeries, Mr. Lacey1972
ABC Afterschool SpecialSeries, Various Roles
Alice's Adventures in WonderlandFilm, 1972The Caterpillar1970
Play for TodaySeries, Jack1969
Battle of BritainFilm, Sir David Kelly - British Minister to Switzerland1968
The Dick Cavett ShowSeries1967Blandings CastleSeries, Clarence Threepwood, 9th Earl of Emsworth1966
KhartoumFilm, William Gladstone1965
Chimes at MidnightFilm, Narrator (voice)1962
Long Day's Journey Into NightFilm, James Tyrone Sr.1955
Richard IIIFilm, Duke of Buckingham1951
Hallmark Hall of FameSeries, Barrister
Outcast of the IslandsFilm, 1951Captain Tom Lingard1950
What's My Line?Series1948
Anna KareninaFilm, Alexei Karenin1947St. Olav's MedalAward1938
The CitadelFilm, Dr. Philip Denny1933
The GhoulFilm, Nigel Hartley1902Born19 December 1902People around Ralph
Alexander Korda Produced Anna Karenina and Richard III
Laurence Olivier Also in Jesus of Nazareth and Khartoum
Carol Reed Directed Our Man in Havana (1959)
Michael Powell Directed The Lion Has Wings and The Volunteer
Michael Balcon Produced The Ghoul and Friday the Thirteenth- Victor Saville Directed South Riding and Friday the Thirteenth
Cedric Hardwicke Also in Richard III and The Ghoul
David Lean Directed Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Ian Holm Also in Time Bandits and Jesus of Nazareth
Jack Hawkins Ralph directed Home at Seven (1952)- Emeric Pressburger Directed The Volunteer (1944)
Harry Saltzman Produced Battle of Britain (1969)
Michael Hordern Also in Khartoum and The Bed Sitting Room
Basil Dearden Directed Khartoum and Woman of Straw
Tim Whelan Directed The Divorce of Lady X and Q Planes
Brian Desmond Hurst Directed The Lion Has Wings (1939)- Ian Dalrymple Produced The Lion Has Wings (1939)
Leslie Phillips Also in Anna Karenina and The Four Feathers
Peter Ustinov Directed School for Secrets (1946)- Robert Bolt Directed Lady Caroline Lamb (1972)
John Laurie Also in The Four Feathers and Q Planes- Marianne Stone Also in The Wrong Box and Oh! What a Lovely War
Nigel Patrick Also in The Sound Barrier and Battle of Britain- Timothy Bateson Also in Richard III and Our Man in Havana
Parents
Ralph RichardsonPartners
Is this everyone?
Only relatives with a profile here are drawn, so a family can be larger than this. A line here can also be wrong. A marriage is drawn as ended only where its end is recorded, so a spouse drawn here may be a former one.
Correct this familyKnown for
View all 40 titles
The Heiress 1949
Doctor Zhivago 1965
Watership Down 1978
Chimes at Midnight 1965
Richard III 1955
Filmography 40
109 credits on file
Television 17
Media & music
Photos 10
Richardson in 1949
Peggy Ashcroft in 1936, near the beginning of her long professional association with Richardson
The Old Vic (photographed in 2012)
Katharine Cornell, leading lady in Richardson's Broadway debut
Laurence Olivier, Richardson's co-director of the Old Vic, photographed in 1972
Peggy Ashcroft, with whom Richardson frequently co-starred
Richardson in Long Day's Journey into Night (1962)
John Gielgud (left) as Joseph Surface, and Richardson as Sir Peter Teazle, The School for Scandal, 1962Awards
About this person
From an artistic but not theatrical background, Richardson had no thought of a stage career until a production of Hamlet in Brighton inspired him to become an actor. He learned his craft in the 1920s with a touring company and later the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. In 1931 he joined the Old Vic, playing mostly Shakespearean roles. He led the company the following season, succeeding Gielgud, who had taught him much about stage technique. After he left the company, a series of leading roles took him to stardom in the West End and on Broadway.
