Tony Richardson(1928-1991)

A graduate of Wadham College, Oxford he became a key figure in the rejuvenation of the British theatre in the 1960's. He was the co- founder (with George Devine) of the English Stage Company which brought new realism and productions to The Royal Court Theatre in London, such as Look Back in Anger in 1954 and The Entertainer in 1957. The son of a Shipley chemist, he was initially connected with the stage first: with the post-war Shipley Young Theatre, then with the Bradford Civic Theatre where he came into contact with the Bradford-born author J B Priestley. Recognising his potential, Priestley commissioned him to write a TV documentary. From there, it was a short step to directing films. His close association with another novelist, John Osborne, resulted in him directing Look Back in Ange in 1959 and The Entertainer in 1960m both for Woodfall. He also directed A Taste of Honey (1961) from Shelagh Delaney's play and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962), from an Alan Sillitoe story. These films, with their extensive use of locations, often in the Midlands and North Yorkshire, introduced a new and refreshing quality of realism to the British cinema. Following the great success of Tom Jones, particularly in America, and his marriage to Vanessa Redgrave having ended, he moved there and co wrote the film Dead Cert. The last film he made was Blue Sky.