Maurice Evans

b. 3 June 1901, Dorchester, Dorset, England, d. 12 March 1989, Rottingdean, East Sussex, England. Starting out as a singer, while still very young Evans performed in productions of plays written by his father, an amateur playwright. From 1926 he was a professional actor and in 1929 scored a great success with Journey’s End. In the early 30s he made some appearances in films and also became a member of the Old Vic company. By mid-decade he was on Broadway, usually in Shakespearean roles. Through succeeding decades he made numerous stage appearances, almost always in dramatic roles, and also appeared occasionally in films. In these same years he was also seen on television, including appearing in the situation comedy Bewitched. Other television appearances include Hamlet (1953), The Tempest (1960), The Canterville Ghost (1974), and A Caribbean Mystery (1983). He also played in episodes of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Batman, Tarzan, The Streets Of San Francisco, Fantasy Island and The Love Boat. Among his films are The Story Of Gilbert And Sullivan (1953, in which he played Arthur Sullivan), Rosemary’s Baby (1968), and he was Dr Zaius in Planet Of The Apes (1968) and Beneath The Planet Of The Apes (1970). His stage appearances, chiefly on Broadway, include Romeo And Juliet (1936), King Richard II (1937), Hamlet (1939), Macbeth (1941), Dial ‘M’ For Murder (1952), The Teahouse Of The August Moon (1953, the play winning a Tony Award), No Time For Sergeants (1955), The Apple Cart (1956), for which he was Emmy-nominated as Best Actor In A Play, and Tenderloin (1960), for which he was again nominated for an Emmy, this time as Best Actor In A Musical. ~ Rovi