Roger Christopher Wingate was born 29 November 1940 in Montreal. He returned to the UK with his family in 1942. Educated at Clifton College Bristol and London University he took over the Chairmanship of Chesterfield Properties PLC in the mid 60s which was subsequently sold in 1999.
Roger Wingate’s primary interest has been in theatre and film.
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He took over the running of the Comedy Theatre from his father in the mid 60s and soon acquired the Phoenix Theatre later amalgamating both with the Maybox group of theatres - Albery (now Noel Coward), Wyndhams, Piccadilly and Whitehall (now Trafalgar Studios) - to form Associated Capital Theatres. Following the sale of Chesterfield Properties in 1999, the theatre portfolio was sold to the Ambassador Theatre Group Roger now concentrates on production, through ACT Productions.
Roger Wingate was responsible for rebuilding and reopening the Donmar Warehouse in 1992, having appointed Sam Mendes as Artistic Director at the design stage. He was closely involved for many years while the theatre established its reputation. He retains a close connection with the Donmar as a Board member and also sits on the Boards of the Soho Theatre and High Tide.[1]
Roger is the principal shareholder of Curzon Artificial Eye, which is the leading specialist distributor of art house films in the UK. Cinemas include the Curzon Mayfair, Curzon Soho, Curzon Chelsea, Curzon Richmond, the Renoir and the HMV Curzon in Wimbledon.
He is a trustee of the HH Wingate Charitable Foundation of which the Wingate Scholarships forms part.[2]