How to cast a “Richard III”

Here is a Guardian article about Arthur Hughes, who qualifies for the role in that he is male, disabled (in a subtle way) and was only thirty when chosen by the Royal Shakespeare Company, as was Richard III in June 1483 when chosen by the Three Estates. He isn’t an octogenarian, a woman or pretending…

More of the interminable list of celebs descended from royalty….!

Perhaps the author of this Colombian article would have benefited from a good editor, but I think I’ve interpreted the gist of it. Three in the list of celebs leapt out at me, so to speak. Firstly Hilary Duff. Can someone tell me how Alexander Spotswood, Lieutenant Colonel in the British Army could be the…

R.I.P. Paul Darrow….

  Paul Darrow was an excellent actor, and often on our screens a few decades back. He died on 3rd June 2019 after a short illness, and I am sad he has gone. I don’t remember him playing a part in Dr Who as if he were Richard III, but I remember him particularly in…

Shakespeare, Burbage, Richard III and William the Conqueror….

Here’s an amusing little tale, that I think is factual. It is taken from here . “William Shakespeare was very much alive above the ears and below the waist. A surprisingly high proportion of the documentary trail concerns his racy and bawdy exploits. “An important anecdote, from John Manningham’s 1601 diary, concerns a performance of…

Is Annette Bening descended from Edward IV’s daughter Cecily/Cicely….?

Has anyone else heard that the film actress Annette Bening is descended from Edward IV’s daughter, Cecily/Cicely? That is, according to the Wikipedia entry for Elizabeth Woodville, which cites “Cecily Plantagenet – Family tree Tim Dowling Geneanet” Geneanet.org. It seems Annette Bening played Elizabeth Woodville in the 1995 film of Richard III. (3rd from right…

A Defense of Olivier’s Richard the Third

Laurence Olivier once took a bullet for Richard. Well, not a bullet, exactly, but an actual arrow shot into his unprotected calf from a professional archer during the making of his 1954 film “Richard the Third.”  Sir Laurence would go on to take many more arrows in his career – from being pilloried for “The…