Nicholas Pennell | |
---|---|
Born |
Nicholas Follett Croker Pennell 19 November 1938 Brixham, Devon, England, UK |
Died | 22 February 1995 Stratford, Ontario, Canada |
(aged 56)
Occupation | Actor |
Nicholas Pennell (19 November 1938 – 22 February 1995) was an English actor who appeared frequently on film and television in the 1960s and emigrated to Stratford, Ontario, Canada, where he became a stalwart of the Stratford Festival.
He was educated at Allhallows College, Lyme Regis, and trained at RADA. He then appeared in repertory theatre. On television he appeared in The Saint, The Flaxton Boys, The Forsyte Saga as Michael Mont and in six episodes of Doctor Who entitled Colony in Space.
On film he appeared as Bedford in Isadora (1968), in Only When I Larf (1968) as Spencer, as an RAF pilot in Battle of Britain (1969), and as Julien in Mr. Forbush and the Penguins (1971).
In 1972, he joined the Stratford Festival company upon the urging of William Hutt. In his first season, he appeared as Orlando in As You Like It opposite Carole Shelley as Rosalind. The following year he returned to star as Pericles in 1973 in a production designed by Leslie Hurry and directed by Jean Gascon.
When Robin Phillips became artistic director in 1975, he found a familiar face. The two had worked together in the 1969 TV film of David Copperfield, and Phillips too was also in The Forsyte Saga. Phillips recruited Pennell to join his young company and perform in The Comedy of Errors and The Two Gentlemen of Verona. 1976 brought Hamlet and Ariel in The Tempest. He often said he worshipped Phillips as an actor.