| Birth Name: | Reginald Frank Andrews |
| Birth Date: | 20 February 1895 |
| Birth Place: | Camden Town, England |
| Death Place: | Kensington, England |
| Other Names: | Robert Tobias Andrews |
| Family: | Maidie Andrews (sister) |
| Partner: | Ivor Novello (1916–51, Novello's death) |
Robert Tobias Andrews (born Reginald Frank Andrews; 20 February 1895 – 17 January 1976)[1] [2] [3] was a British stage and film actor. He is perhaps best known as the long-term companion of Ivor Novello.
Robert Andrews was born in Camden Town, the son of Walter Andrews (1861–1935), a horse bus inspector, and his wife Ada Harriet, née Judd (1864–1946). He was the younger brother of actress Maidie Andrews.[4] [5]
Andrews began his stage acting career at age eleven.[6] He made his first stage appearance in the play Shore Acres in 1906.[7] His child actor contemporaries included Noël Coward and Philip Tonge.[8] Coward referred to Andrews as Tonge's "only serious rival" among the "boy actors" of the London theatre.
In 1907, at the age of twelve, Andrews appeared in Horace Annesley's comedy Her Son as "Min, the eight-year-old child of Crystal and Gasgoyne,"[9] a role for which he received significant acclaim. Andrews' "finished and sympathetic performance" was described as "the success of [''Her Son''<nowiki/>'s] première,"[10] "a genuine and surprising triumph"[9] that caused "quite a sensation."[11] In 1911, he briefly worked in Chicago, acting in the play The Backsliders, before returning to London theatre.[7]
His stage career continued into adulthood with performances as Marcel in the 1920 production of The Children's Carnival, Maurice Avery in the 1920 production of Columbine, and Tyltyl in the 1921 production of The Betrothal.[12] In 1921, he appeared as Charles Deburau in the play Deburau; Deburau also featured Andrews's lover Ivor Novello's debut performance. He appeared as Simon in the original production of Noël Coward's Hay Fever at London's Ambassadors Theatre, in 1925.[13] Andrews starred in a number of Novello's theater productions, beginning with the play Fresh Fields in 1932.[6] Amongst his many character parts was the Prime Minister in Ivor Novello's musical play King's Rhapsody at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
While he was primarily a stage actor, Andrews also made several film appearances. In 1923, he acted in the silent film Fires of Innocence as Pen Arkwright. His co-star Joan Morgan later claimed that she did not remember anything about her time working on the film, except for Andrews. She described how, during a "love-scene," Andrews would not look at her because he claimed he didn't "feel a bit in the mood to see [her]."[14]
Andrews first met Ivor Novello in 1916, while Novello was attending the opera with his friend Edward Marsh.[15] Andrews and Novello eventually became lovers. Andrews was also responsible for introducing Novello to Noël Coward in 1916, at Coward's request.[8] Andrews and Novello both had relations with other men over the course of their long-term relationship, but Andrews remained Novello's primary companion until Novello's death in 1951.[16]
Andrews died in 1976 at his family home, 37 St Mary's Mansions, Paddington.[1]
| Year | Production | Role | Theatre | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1906 | Shore Acres | Bob | Waldorf Theatre | Debut role | |
| 1907 | Her Son | Min | Playhouse Theatre | ||
| 1908 | Ib and Little Christina | Little Ib | Adelphi Theatre | ||
| 1908 | The Last of the De Mullins | Johnny Seagrave | Theatre Royal Haymarket | ||
| 1920 | Pygmalion | Freddy Eynsford-Hill | Aldwych Theatre | Reprised his role in the 1920 production at the Duke of York's Theatre | |
| 1920 | The Children's Carnival | Marcel | Kingsway Theatre | ||
| 1920 | Columbine | Maurice Avery | Princes Theatre | ||
| 1921 | The Betrothal | Tyltyl | Gaiety Theatre | ||
| 1921 | Deburau | Charles Deburau | Ambassadors Theatre | ||
| 1922 | Secrets | John Carlton | Comedy Theatre | ||
| 1924 | The Eternal Spring | Pat | Royalty Theatre | ||
| 1925 | Hay Fever | Simon Bliss | Ambassadors Theatre | Written by Noël Coward | |
| 1926 | Martinique | Stephane Seguneau | Shaftesbury Theatre | ||
| 1927 | Chance Acquaintance | Lawrite Bennett | Criterion Theatre | Written by John Van Druten | |
| 1932 | So Far and No Father | Victor Melbourne | Ambassadors Theatre | ||
| 1932 | Once a Husband | Bobbie Fanning | Theatre Royal Haymarket | ||
| 1933 | Fresh Fields | Tim Crabbe | Criterion Theatre | Written by Ivor Novello | |
| 1934 | Murder in Mayfair | Bill Sherry | Globe | Written by Ivor Novello | |
| 1935 | Full House | John | Theatre Royal Haymarket | Written by Ivor Novello |
| Year | Title | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | Colonel Newcombe, the Perfect Gentleman | Col.Newcombe | |
| 1920 | The Sword of Damocles | Jack Moray | |
| 1920 | A Gamble in Lives | Harry Riggs | |
| 1923 | Fires of Innocence | Pen Arkwright | |
| 1923 | Rogues of the Turf | Arthur Somerton | |
| 1924 | The Warrens of Virginia | Arthur Warren | |
| 1929 | The Burgomaster of Stilemonde | Lt. Otto Hilmer |