Norman Rodway

Norman Rodway (7 February 1929 – 13 March 2001) was an Irish actor.

Early life

Rodway was born in Dublin to English parents, Frank and Lillian (Moyles) Rodway. He studied classics, graduating at Trinity College. He worked as an accountant, teacher, and university lecturer before acting.

Career

He made his stage debut in May 1953 at the Cork Opera House. There, he portrayed General Mannion in The Seventh Step. He made his first appearance in London in 1959, as The Messenger in Cock-A-Doodle Dandy. In 1962, he portrayed the young James Joyce in Stephen D, based on Joyce's writings. Rodway joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966. His favorite^{[citation needed]} theatrical parts included Bassov in Summerfolk, and the title roles in Butley and Richard III.

Although he was primarily a stage actor, he also performed in radio, television, and film productions. With his expressive voice (described by Jack Adrian as "rich and dark and thumpingly Celtic" ^[1]), he made many radio broadcasts for the BBC. Major television roles included Cummings in Reilly, Ace of Spies, and Charles Brett in The Bretts. He also appeared in series such as Miss Marple, Rumpole of the Bailey, and Inspector Morse. He acted with Orson Welles in Chimes at Midnight (1965), I'll Never Forget What's'isname (1967) and Patrick McGoohan in an episode of Danger Man; "The Man Who Wouldn't Talk". He often acted as the villain, including Adolf Hitler in The Empty Mirror (1999). He played the role of Apemantus in both television and audiobook productions of Shakespeare's Timon of Athens.

Personal life

He was married four times. His first wife was a casting director, Mary Selway, and his second the actress Pauline Delany. He was stepfather to Tara FitzGerald by his third marriage to Sarah Callaby (née Fitzgerald). He was married to Jane Rodway from 1991 to his death. He died in London after a series of strokes.

Filmography

• This Other Eden (1959)
• Murder in Eden (1961)
• A Question of Suspense (1961)
• Johnny Nobody (1961)
• Ambush in Leopard Street (1962)
• The Webster Boy (1962)
• The Quare Fellow (1962)
• Four in the Morning (1965)
• Chimes at Midnight (1965)
• The Penthouse (1967)
• I'll Never Forget What's'isname (1967)
• The Hiding Place (1975)
• Who Dares Wins (1982)
• Tai-Pan (1986)
• King of the Wind (1989)
• Mother Night (1996)
• The Empty Mirror (1996)
• County Kilburn (2000)

Selected television roles

• Cummings in Reilly: Ace of Spies
• Sergeant Cork
• Inspector Morse
• The Sweeney
• The Bretts
• Rumpole of the Bailey
• Jeeves and Wooster
• Out
• As Time Goes By

Sources

• Contemporary Theatre, Film, and Television (vol. 26), 2000
• Who’s Who in Theatre, 1981

Footnotes

External links

• Norman Rodway at the Internet Movie Database