Richard Findlater Explained

Richard Findlater (1921–1985) was a British theatre critic and biographer.

Early life

He was born Kenneth Bruce Findlater Bain, but worked under the pen-name Richard Findlater.^{[1] [2]}

Career

Findlater was arts editor for The Observer, and became assistant editor in 1963.^[3]

He wrote 18 books, including biographies of Michael Redgrave, Peggy Ashcroft, Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Lillian Baylis and Joseph Grimaldi; a history of stage censorship, Banned; and an account of contemporary British theatre, The Unholy Trade.

Publications

• Grimaldi: King of Clowns, 1955.
• Michael Redgrave, Mask or Face, 1958
• Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi, MacGibbon & Kee, 1968
• Comic Cuts: A Bedside Sampler Of Censorship In Action Richard Findlater (ed) (Andre Deutsch, 1970) (illustrated by Willie Rushton)
• At the Royal Court: 25 Years of the English Stage Company, Amber Lane Press (1981);

Personal life

From 1948 to 1962, he was married to the journalist and showbusiness interviewer Romany Bain, with whom he had four children. One of their sons became an Anglican priest-clown known as Roly Bain or "Holy Roly".^[4]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Romany Bain: Show-business interviewer who charmed Richard Burton and later worked for Larry Lamb at 'The Sun'. The Independent. 6 April 2015 . 13 April 2015.
2. Web site: Richard Findlater. The Dan Leno Project. 5 May 2016.
3. News: Obituary: Helen Osborne | Global | The Guardian. The Guardian . 19 January 2004 . theguardian.com. 5 May 2016 . Coveney . Michael .
4. News: The Reverend Roly Bain, priest and clown – obituary. 22 August 2016. The Telegraph. 4 September 2016.