William Fox (actor)
| William Fox | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
William Hubert Fox 26 January 1911 Manila, Philippines |
| Died | 20 September 2008 (aged 97) London, England, UK |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1930–1988 |
| Spouse(s) | Carol Rees (1932–1937/8) (1 daughter) Patricia Hilliard (1938–2001) (her death) (2 children) |
| Children | Alexandra (b. 1940) Nicholas (b. 1942) Amanda Fox |
William Hubert Fox TD (26 January 1911 – 20 September 2008) was a British character actor and writer. Fox enjoyed early success on the stage playing juvenile roles. After a six-year interruption for military service in World War II, his acting career did not reach the heights of his early years.
Fox was born in Manila in the Philippines, the son of a successful trader who operated across the South China Sea. His parents travelled extensively and whilst still an infant he had visited Madrid, Paris and London. In 1916 Fox was sent to preparatory school, then attended Haileybury public school. He was expected to go on to Oxford University and thence into the petroleum industry; this was not to be. Fox read an advertisement in The Times inviting people to audition for the Central School of Speech and Drama founded by Elsie Fogerty and at that time based in the Royal Albert Hall, London. He won a scholarship but since he was from a wealthy family, the scholarship was only given on the condition that the money be passed on to the next person on the list. Fox's father agreed to fund Fox's studies only on the basis that Fox would complete what was normally a two-year course in a single year. He achieved this, and was awarded the school's gold medal upon graduating.
In 1930 Fox left drama school and won a role in London's West End performing in an eight-month run of W. Somerset Maugham's new play The Breadwinner at the Vaudeville Theatre. Following this success Fox co-founded an acting troupe, based in the West Country, where they converted a former swimming baths in Teignmouth into a theatre. He staged the thriller Rope and following a glowing review from actor Cyril Maude, the play had an eight-week sold-out run. In 1932 he married Carol Rees, who was seven years his senior and already pregnant with their daughter. The relationship did not survive the divergence of their careers. Rees petitioned for divorce in 1937.
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