About the life and work of English actor Esmond Knight

(Left) Esmond in The Return of the Puritan at the Golders Green Hippodrome, one of half a dozen stage parts he played in1929.

(Left) As Michael Stockfield with Joan Barry in Art and Mrs Bottle, at the Criterion Theatre, 1929.

(Right) A signed promotional photograph from the early 1930s.

(Right) In traditional falconer's dress, from a painting by Alexander Christie, used as the Frontispiece in Esmond's autobiography,
Seeking The Bubble (published 1942).

(Left) A publicity shot taken in 1935.

(Left) As Eddie Martin in The Bermondsey Kid (1933), the film that won him a contract with Warner Brothers.

(Right) A signed publicity portrait from the mid-1930s by Russell Westwood, taken at Teddington Studios when
Esmond was under contract to Warner Brothers.

(Right) With Jessie Matthews in Waltzes From Vienna (1933) directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Jessie Matthews and Esmond on set with director Alfred Hitchcock
during the filming of Waltzes From Vienna (1933).

(Left) 1934 - a proud father - Esmond holding Rosalind (born 3rd December 1933) in the garden of Uncle Chas's
home near Sevenoaks. On the right is Philip Glasier, a protégé of Chas's who went on to become a professional falconer.

(Left) An athletic Esmond with Lilian Harvey in Schwarze Rosen (Black Roses) filmed in Berlin in 1935.

(Left) With Lilli Palmer in Crime Unlimited (1935).

(Left) A scene from Pagliacci (1936) which Esmond (far right) filmed by day whilst performing on stage at night as a murderer in Night Must Fall.

(Left) As Dennis Melross in the 1937 film The Vicar of Bray.

A signed "camera study" of Esmond with a falcon. 1930s

(Right) A set of lobby cards for Dandy Dick (1935).

(Left) As Tony Mardon in the comedy Dandy Dick (1935), standing between Mignon O'Doherty and Will Hay.

(Left) On holiday in Scotland after filming Dandy Dick, summer 1934. The kilt was borrowed from a shop in Inverary.

(Right) In the dressing room of the Arts Theatre Club (1937), making up as Van Gogh during the run of Dan McKenna's
play of that name. Reflected in the mirror is Wilson Barrett who played Vincent's brother, Theo.

(Right) 1939 - live on television in First Stop North, a play by Nicholas Phipps. From left to right in this scene: Judith Furse, George Larchet, Wilson Barrett, Alf Millen, Phoebe Kershaw and Esmond.

What Men Live By (1938)

(Above) Stills from the 1938 film What Men Live By directed by Vernon Sewell and adapted by Michael Powell
from a short story by Leo Tolstoy. Esmond plays an angel banished to Earth as a punishment by God.

(Right) 1937 - on stage with Nora Swinburne in the play which brought them together - Wise Tomorrow (the couple on the left).

(Right) on stage with Nora Swinburne in Autumn Crocus at the King's Theatre, Hammersmith, 1939, in the early days of their relationship.

(Left) As Raille in The Arsenal Stadium Mystery (1939). Eying him suspiciously is Leslie Banks as Inspector
Anthony Slade.

(Left) A press photograph of the cast of A Midsummer Night's Dream taken in Regents Park, August 1940. Esmond was awaiting his call-up papers to join the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve.

(Right) 1941 - recuperating in the grounds of Helgafell Army Hospital near Reykjavik, Iceland, with his guide, Nurse Thorday, or "Sister Toby", as Esmond called her.

(Right) Learning to type at St Dunstan's in Church Stretton, Shropshire, with his instructor, Tommy Rogers, a First World War veteran blinded at Amiens in 1918.

(Left) With his first wife, Frances Clare (Fran), and Rosalind on the front cover of Illustrated magazine, 31st January 1942.

(Left) With Rosalind on one of Esmond's first visits home from St Dunstan's (1942).

(Right) Reading John Masefield's poem in Trafalgar Square,
22nd October 1943.
Fran is to his left
holding the text.

(Right) As Gestapo officer Von Schiffer in The Silver Fleet (1943), the only film Esmond appeared in whilst totally blind.

A Canterbury Tale (1944)

(Above) Stills from the Powell / Pressburger film A Canterbury Tale (1944). On the left, with his back to the screen, Esmond plays the village idiot; in the centre picture, he's on the left as the Seven Sisters Soldier, chatting to Sergeant Bob Johnson (played by John Sweet); on the right, as the Seven Sisters Soldier again behind pilgrims Dennis Price, John Sweet and Sheila Sim. Dozing off on the right is Graham Moffatt (of Will Hay fame). Esmond also narrated the opening scenes of the film.

(Left) As Fluellen, a very Welsh Captain in the English Army, in Henry V (1944), with Michael Shepley on the right.

(Left) A publicity photo as Fluellen in Henry V (1944). His accent in the part was so accurate that he was more than once reported in the press to be a Welsh actor.

(Right) As David Davies in The Halfway House (1944).

(Right) With Glynis Johns in a scene from The Halfway House (1944).
Note Esmond's thick lensed glasses.

(Left) Threatening to strangle Evelyn Laye at the Princes Theatre in Three Waltzes, the show that confirmed
Esmond was still able to play lead roles in a West End show.

(Left) Three Waltzes with Evelyn Laye again - on better terms in this scene it would appear.

(Right) At Pinewood Studios whilst filming Powell and Pressburger's Black Narcissus (1947). Michael Powell is in the centre, and to his right actor Anton Walbrook who was visiting the set.

(Right) As The Old General - a publicity still from Powell and Pressburger's Black Narcissus (1947).
To Esmond's left is May Hallat as Angu Ayah and to the right David Farrar as Mr Dean.

(Left) A studio portrait from 1948 when Esmond's career was thriving and about to join the Royal Shakespeare Company for a season with an extraordinary company.

(Left) A production still taken on the set of the Powell / Pressburger masterpiece The Red Shoes (1948), including Moira Shearer, Robert Helpmann, Anton Walbrook, Esmond and Leonide Massine.

(Above) A publicity shot as The Old General in Black Narcissus (1947)

(Left) Making as Abel Woodus in the
Powell & Pressburger film of Mary Webb's Shropshire
novel Gone To Earth (1950).

(Left) With Jennifer Jones in Gone To Earth (1950). Esmond played her father.

(Right) A publicity still for the film Uncle Silas (1948) - in character as Dr Bryerly.

(Right) As Menas in Olivier's 1951 production
of Antony and Cleopatra.

(Above) Esmond with Rosalind and Nora arriving at the Old Vic Theatre - 3rd January 1949.

(Left) (Left) Father and daughter at Shepperton Studios. Esmond with Rosalind during the filming of Richard III (1955).

(Left) As Sir Richard Ratcliffe in Richard III (1955).

(Right) With Rosalind in a 1957 publicity shot when they appeared together in a BBC production of Nicholas Nickleby.

(Right) Details of production unknown.

This Is Your Life (1957)

(Above) On 18th February 1957, Esmond was featured on the television programme This Is Your Life. On the left, Esmond stands between Rosalind and Nora Swinburne with Eamon Andrews holding the big red book. In the centre is a photograph of Esmond with all his guests. The special guest was meant to be Burkard, Baron von Muellenheim-Rechberg, the gunnery office on Bismarck who, as Esmond put it, "blew me to blazes" in 1941 - but he fell ill at the time of the filming and was unable to attend. The picture on the right was taken when they eventually met some months later.

(Above) Sink The Bismarck! (1960) Playing Captain John Leach, his own commanding officer,
at Pinewood Studios whilst recreating the moment in which Esmond himself was blinded
on board HMS Prince of Wales nearly twenty years earlier.

(Left) As Silas Wegg in the BBC's 1959 production of Charles Dickens' Our Mutual Friend.

(Left) With Rosalind on 25th July 1959, the day she married theatre director Michael Elliott.

(Right) Details of production unknown.

Right) As General von Schreiber the TV series Interpol Calling - this episode was The Sleeping Giant, first broadcast in 1959.

(Left) With Shirley Anne Field in Peeping Tom (1959), the film that all but ended Michael Powell's career as a director.

(Left) In Peeping Tom (1959), Esmond played a film director called Baden.

(Right) As Professor Reinhart in A For Andromeda, the BBC's 1961 science fiction drama - with Mary Morris, Julie Christie and Peter Halliday.

(Right) As Dennis the Hangman in the BBC's 1960 production of Barnaby Rudge.

(Left) In Vacation, episode 20 of theTV series Danger Man, broadcast in 1961.

(Left) In theTV series The Saint - an episode broadcast in 1962 called The Covetous Headsman.

(Right) As one of the three tribunal judges in the 1965 film of John Le Carre's novel The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. Esmond worked again with Richard Burton, thirteen years after Monserrat.

(Right) On stage at the Mermaid Theatre in 1965 with Sonia Dresdel in Dandy Dick.

(Left) In a 1965 episode of the ITV crime series The Gideon's Way entitled Subway to Revenge.

(Left) The Champions - Esmond appeared in an episode in 1969 - The Silent Enemy.

(Right) 1965 - on stage at The Hampstead Theatre Club in The Black Swan Winter. On the far left is Eric Thompson (father of Emma Thompson).

(Right) In character for Agincourt - The Archer's Tale, the one-man show devised, written and acted by Esmond, first performed on 23rd October 1973 at The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, and subsequently performed many times over the next few years all over the country.

(Left) As Domitius in the 1976 BBC production of I, Claudius. Esmond appeared in the third of thirteen episodes - Waiting In The Wings.

(Left) As the blind man defending the besieged castle at the beginning of the film Robin and Marian (1976). He took his glass eye out for the part.

(Right) As Mr Galbraith in Sleeping Murder, an episode of Miss Marple from 1987, first broadcast just a few weeks before Esmond's death.

(Right) From 1948 onwards Esmond always had a studio. His first love was the theatre, his second was painting.

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