Ralph Richardson

Sir Ralph David Richardson was an English actor who, with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, was one of the trinity of male actors who dominated the British stage for much of the 20th century. He worked in films throughout most of his career, and played more than sixty cinema roles. From an artistic but not theatrical background, Richardson had no thought of a stage career until a production of Hamlet in Brighton inspired him to become an actor. He learned his craft in the 1920s with a touring company and later the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. In 1931 he joined the Old Vic, playing mostly Shakespearean roles. He led the company the following season, succeeding Gielgud, who had taught him much about stage technique. After he left the company, a series of leading roles took him to stardom in the West End and on Broadway.

19 December 1902

Born on the same birth day (19 December): Alberto Tomba • Antoine Louis Dugès • Dan Logan • Eve Bunting • Kristy Swanson • Randall McDaniel • Shane McEntee (politician) • Wayne Tippit

Born in the same month (December 1902): Anatoli Lvovich Kaplan • Barton MacLane • Charan Singh • Emeric Pressburger • Feliks Kibbermann • Frances Bavier • Herbert Feigl • Hilda Taba • Lionel Daunais • Norman Maclean • Panagiotis Kanellopoulos • Rafael Alberti • Robert F. Bradford • Roy Goodall • Sidney Hook • Strom Thurmond • Wifredo Lam • William Bell (tubist)