Theater Personalities

Richard Crispin Armitage is an English actor whose portrayal of Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit film series earned him international recognition and a Saturn Award. Well-known for his baritone voice, Richard Armitage has also recorded many audiobooks; in 2014, he won an Audiobook of the Year award for his work on Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: A Novel.

Albert Finney was an English actor known for his contribution across all the three major acting mediums: films, television and theatre. A recipient of Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, BAFTA, and Emmy awards, Albert Finney also received nominations for prestigious awards, such as the Academy Award and Tony Award. 

Deborah Kerr was a Scottish actress who holds the record for having the most Academy Award nominations under the Best Actress category without a win. However, she received an Academy Honorary Award in 1994 for her contribution to the entertainment industry. Deborah Kerr was made a CBE in 1998 and also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

A Tony Award recipient, Ralph Fiennes is one of the most respected English actors of the current generation. He is known for playing important roles in notable films, such as the Harry Potter and James Bond film series. A Stanislavsky Award recipient, he is also known for his work behind the camera.

Glynn Turman is an American actor, filmmaker, and writer. In a career spanning over 60 years. Some of the notable characters that he has portrayed are: Lew Miles in the movie Peyton Place, Leroy Jackson in the film Cooley High, and Bradford Taylor in the sitcom A Different World. He has also won several awards like the NAACP Image Award.

A dependable character actor of his time, Van Heflin won the Academy Award for his performance as Jeff Hartnett in Johnny Eager. While he initially studied law, he later took up a master’s degree in theater at Yale. Apart from films, he also made a name for himself in radio and theater.

Legendary Soviet and Russian theatre-practitioner Konstantin Stanislavski, who played an instrumental role in promoting new Russian drama of his time, is best-known for co-founding the world-renowned Moscow Art Theatre and developing the Stanislavski's system of training and preparing actors. Sergeyevich was considered one of the prominent theatre directors of his day and also earned repute as a remarkable character actor.

Legendary Kannada actor and singer Dr. Rajkumar had gained titles such as Nata Saarvabhouma and Gaana Gandharva from his fans. He was a major force behind the Gokak agitation for Kannada language. He had also been awarded with the Padma Bhushan and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

Born into a family of lawyers, Pierre Corneille, too, initially studied law. However, both he and his younger brother, noted playwright Thomas Corneille, deviated from their family profession. Part of the Society of Five Authors, selected by Cardinal de Richelieu, Corneille later grew into one of the greatest 17th-century tragedians.

Film and theater actor Prakash Belawadi was born to theater artiste parents and thus grew up to follow in their footsteps. The Pratibha Bhushan-winning actor has been part of many Kannada and Hindi films, such as Airlift and Soorarai Pottru. He is also a qualified mechanical engineer.

American opera singer Grace Moore, also known as the Tennessee Nightingale, initially sang in New York nightclubs and then moved on to Broadway. She is remembered for her Academy Award-nominated role in the romantic musical One Night of Love. She died in a plane crash in Copenhagen after a performance.

Julien Schoenaerts was a Flemish actor who is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of post-war Flanders and the Netherlands. In 2008, sculptor Wilfried Pas unveiled a statue of the actor on the Kerkstraat in Antwerp. Julien Schoenaerts is also known as the father of Matthias Schoenaerts. 

Born to an opera singer, Ferdinand Marian quit his engineering studies and ran away from home to join theater. His breakthrough role of Don Pedro de Havila in La Habanera got him typecast in villainous roles. He died in a car accident, though many believe it was a suicide.