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Biography
Henry Ainley (1879-1945) was a major classical British actor who, during his forty-year career, appeared in hundreds of productions. He started acting as an amateur before joining Frank Benson's company, making his professional stage debut as a messenger in Macbeth. He later acted with Herbert Beerbohm Tree's company.
He played the major parts in many Shakespeare plays, commencing with Henry V in 1900. He played Hamlet several times, including in 1930, when the production at the Haymarket Theatre, London, was chosen for the annual Royal Command Performance. His other important performances included playing with Evelyn Millard the title roles in Stephen Phillips's Paolo and Francesca (1898), starring with Maude Adams in he Broadway production of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Pretty Sister of Jose, Rudolph Rassendyll in The Prisoner of Zenda (1910) and Ilam Carve in Harley Granville Barker’s productions of Arnold Bennett's The Great Adventure (1913) and Thomas Hardy’ The Dynasts (1914).
For the 1919-20 season, he entered into joint management of St James’s Theatre wt Gilbert Miller and they presented Reparation from Tolstoy's The Living Corpse, and Julius Caesar which ran for 83 performances.
Despite his busy stage schedule, he did star in some 20 silent films, including four in 1916: Iris, The Manxman, The Marriage of William Ashe, Sowing the Wind and Rupert of Hentzau. His last film was As You Like It (1936), in which he played the Exiled Duke and a young Laurence Olivier played Orlando.
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Theatre: Postcards - Pre 1920 | LILY BRAYTON as Rosalind & HENRY AINLEY as Orlando in 'As You Like It' - postcard |
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