Constantine Gregory

Constantine Gregory (born Constantine Liebert or Leebaert, September 16, 1942 in New York City) is an American actor and dialect coach.

He was born of a Dutch father and Russian–born mother. On their divorce, he was given his mother's surname of de Goguel. His mother was born in 1920 in Sebastopol with the White Army during the Russian Civil War, and in 1925 was smuggled out to England, where she was brought up. She studied acting briefly under Michael Chekhov at Dartington, but when his school broke up with the outbreak of war, she then later went to America and worked as a personal assistant to Edward James. She married Onno Liebert (Leebaert) in 1941. Liebert was a journalist and broadcaster who escaped the occupied Netherlands on a bicycle.

Gregory came to England with his mother in 1950 and then attended Dartington Hall School (1950–1961), followed by Trinity College, Dublin (1961–1965) where he read Economics and Political Science. He became President of Trinity College Players and in 1965 went with them to the Edinburgh Festival with a hugely successful late night revue directed by Max Stafford-Clark at the Traverse Theatre founded by Jim Haynes which had then only been going for two years.

His first professional job was as the back legs of Alfred the Horse in the annual Christmas production of Toad of Toad Hall in London's West End. He also understudied Mr Toad, and played Fat-Face the Policeman. Then he followed the usual path of actors in British theatre with stints in repertory at the Opera House, Harrogate, the Theatre Royal Windsor, amongst others, as well as playing a Blue Fairy in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park, where he understudied Oberon. He performed at the Everyman Theatre Liverpool, toured in a musical directed by Michael Bogdanov, who had been a University contemporary. Constantine joined the Royal Shakespeare Company under Trevor Nunn for the "Roman season" of Coriolanus, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra and Titus Andronicus. (He later appeared as Aemelius in Julie Taymor's film, Titus). In Jean-Louis Barrault's acclaimed production of Rabelais at the Round House Theatre London, Constantine played the leading part of the MC. He also appeared at the Royal Court Theatre in Keith Hack's production of The Good Woman of Szechuan with Janet Suzman, Ian McDiarmid and Jonathan Kent.

...
Wikipedia