David Hemmings: Difference between revisions

'''David Edward Leslie Hemmings''' (18 November 1941 – 3 December 2003) was an English actor and director.<ref>{{cite web| author = Erickson, Hal | url = https://movies.nytimes.com/person/93993/David-Hemmings/biography | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120713213936/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/93993/David-Hemmings/biography | url-status = dead | archive-date = 13 July 2012 | department = Movies & TV Dept. | work = [[The New York Times]] |title=David Hemmings – About This Person | author-link = Hal Erickson (author) |access-date= 6 February 2012}}</ref> He is best remembered for his roles in British films and television programmes of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, particularly his lead roleroles as a trendy fashion photographer in the hugely successful [[avant-garde]] [[mystery film]] ''[[Blowup]]'' (1966), directed by [[Michelangelo Antonioni]] and as a jazz pianist in [[Dario Argento]]'s ''[[Deep Red]]'' (1975). Early in his career, Hemmings was a [[boy soprano]] appearing in operatic roles. In 1967, he co-founded the [[Hemdale Film Corporation]]. From the mid-late 1970s on, he worked mainly as a character actor and occasionally as director.

David Hemmings was born in [[Guildford]], [[Surrey]], to a father who was a biscuit salesman fatherand a homemaker mother.<ref>{{cite book |title=Your Face Here: British Cult Movies Since the Sixties |first1=Alf |last1=Catterall |first2=Simon |last2=Wells |publisher=Fourth Estate |date=2002 |page=30}}</ref>

His education at [[Alleyn's School]], [[Glyn Technology School|Glyn Grammar School]] in [[Ewell]] and the [[Arts Educational Schools]] led him to music performance at the start of his career. performingHe sang as a [[boy soprano]] in several works by the composer [[Benjamin Britten]], who formed a close friendship with him at this time. Most notably Hemmings created the role of Miles in Britten's [[chamber opera]] ''[[The Turn of the Screw (opera)|Turn of the Screw]]'' (1954). His intimate yet innocent relationship with Britten is described in [[John Bridcut]]'s book ''[[Britten's Children]]'' (2006).

Britten's interest in Hemmings ceased very abruptly from the moment his voice broke, which occurred unexpectedly while he was singing the aria 'Malo' during a performance of ''The Turn of the Screw'' in 1956 in Paris. Britten was furious, waved Hemmings away, and never had any further contact with him.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/the-end-of-innocence-481089.html |first=John |last=Bridcut |title=The end of innocence, extract from ''Britten's Children'' |work=The Independent |date=5 June 2006 |accessdateaccess-date=30 March 2014}}</ref>

Hemmings then moved on to acting in films. He made his first film appearance in the drama film ''[[The Rainbow Jacket]]'' (1954). He could also be seenappeared in ''[[Saint Joan (1957 film)|Saint Joan]]'' (1957).<ref name=Times_obit>{{cite newspaper The Times |title= David Hemmings |date= 5 December 2003 |issue= 67938 |page= 45 |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/david-hemmings-phnnv29sm7m}}</ref>

Hemmings had bigger roles in ''[[Five Clues to Fortune]]'' (1957),<ref name=ODNB>{{Cite ODNB |last= Spicer |first= Andrew H. |doi= 10.1093/ref:odnb/93009 |title= Hemmings, David Leslie Edward |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-93009}}</ref> ''[[The Heart Within]]'' (1957) and ''[[No Trees in the Street]]'' (1959), directed by [[J. Lee Thompson]]. He could also behad seenroles in ''[[Men of Tomorrow (1959 film)|Men of Tomorrow]]'' (1959), ''[[In the Wake of a Stranger]]'' (1959), ''[[Sink the Bismarck!]]'' (1960) and ''[[The Wind of Change (film)|The Wind of Change]]'' (1961).

Hemmings’ luck changed when he was cast in the lead of ''[[Blowup]]'' (1966). It was directed by [[Michelangelo Antonioni]], who detested the [[Method acting|"Method" way of acting]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Tomasulo|first=Frank P.|chapter=The Sounds of Silence: Modernist Acting in Michelangelo Antonioni's Blow-Up |title=More Than a Method: Trends and Traditions in Contemporary Film Performance |editor1-first=Cynthia |editor1-last=Baron |editor2-first=Diane |editor2-last=Carson |editor3-first=Frank P. |editor3-last=Tomasulo |year=2004|publisher=Wayne State University Press|location=Detroit MI|isbn=978-0814330791|pages=94–98|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uE5o5gGT83cC}}</ref> He sought a fresh young face for the lead in the film.<ref name=Pomerance>{{cite book|last=Pomerance|first=Murray|title=Michelangelo Red Antonioni Blue: Eight Reflections on Cinema|year=2011|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley and Los Angeles|isbn=978-0520266865|page=263}}</ref> He found Hemmings, at the time acting in small-stage theatre in London, although at their first meeting Antonioni told Hemmings, "youYou look wrong. You're too young"."<ref name=Pomerance /> Hemmings was offered the part of the protagonist, a London fashion photographer who accidentally photographs evidence of a murder, after [[Sean Connery]] turned the role down because Antonioni would not show him the full script but only a seven-page treatment stored in a cigarette packet.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bray|first=Christopher|title=Sean Connery: The measure of a man|year=2010|publisher=Faber & Faber|location=London|isbn=978-0571238088|page=128|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5aTuy0-qzYoC}}</ref>

Hemmings costarred with [[Richard Attenborough]] in athe crime comedy, ''[[Only When I Larf (film)|Only When I Larf]]'' (1968), then was the sole star of an anti-war film, ''[[The Long Day's Dying]]'' (1968). Both films flopped. More financially successful was the science fiction sex comedy ''[[Barbarella (film)|Barbarella]]'' (1968), starring [[Jane Fonda]] in which Hemmings had a key supporting role. He played the lead in two period films for MGM: a comedy, ''[[The Best House in London]]'' (1969), and the historical epic ''[[Alfred the Great (film)|Alfred the Great]]'' (1969), in which Hemmings had the title role. Neither film did well at the box office, with ''Alfred the Great'' being a notable flop.

Hemmings first turned to directing with ''[[Running Scared (1972 film)|Running Scared]]'' (1972), an adaptation of an American novel by [[Gregory Macdonald]] for which Hemmings also co-wrote the script, resetting the story from [[Harvard]] to [[Cambridge University]]. He directed the drama film ''[[The 14]]'' (1973), which won the [[Silver Bear]] at the [[23rd Berlin International Film Festival]].<ref name="berlinale">{{cite web |url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1973/03_preistr_ger_1973/03_Preistraeger_1973.html |title=Berlinale 1973: Prize Winners |access-date=1 July 2010| publisher = [[Berlin International Film Festival]]}}</ref> Later, after relocating to Hollywood, he directed a number of television films and series episodes.

In 1979, Hemmings received an offer to play a supporting role in an Australian vampire film, ''[[Thirst (1979 film)|Thirst]]''. He starred in a TV film, ''[[Charlie Muffin]]'' then returned to Australia to feature in ''[[Harlequin (film)|Harlequin]]'' (1980).

Hemmings then received an offer from [[Antony I. Ginnane]] to direct the Australian horror film ''[[The Survivor (1981 film)|The Survivor]]'' (1981), based on [[James Herbert]]'s [[The Survivor (1976 novel)|1976 novel of the same name]], starring [[Robert Powell]] and [[Jenny Agutter]]. Hemmings directed ''[[Race for the Yankee Zephyr]]'' shot in New Zealand.

While in New Zealand Hemmings played roles in ''[[Prisoners (1981 film)|Prisoners]]'' (1981) and ''[[Beyond Reasonable Doubt (1982 film)|Beyond Reasonable Doubt]]'' (1982).

He also worked extensively as a director of television programmes, including the action-adventure drama series ''[[Quantum Leap (1989 TV series)|Quantum Leap]]'' (e.g. the series’ premiere); the crime series ''[[Magnum, P.I.]]'' (in which he also played characters in several episodes); and two action-adventure series, ''[[The A-Team]]'' and ''[[Airwolf]]'' (in which he also played the role of Doctor Charles Henry Moffet, twisted creator of ''Airwolf'', in the pilot and the second-season episode "Moffett's Ghost"{{spaced ndash}}a typographical error by the studio's titles unit). He once joked "People thought I was dead. But I wasn't. I was just directing ''The A-Team''."

His finallast screen appearances included the science-fiction action film ''[[Equilibrium (film)|Equilibrium]]'' (2002),{{cn|date=January 2023}} shortly before his death, the [[superhero film]] ''[[The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (film)|The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen]]'' (2003), with [[Sean Connery]],<ref name=Times_obit/> and as [[Frank Sinatra]]'s attorney in the 2003 Australian film ''[[The Night We Called It a Day (film)|The Night We Called It a Day]]'', a comedy based on true events.{{cn|date=January 2023}} He also appeared in the horror film ''[[Blessed (2004 film)|Blessed]]'' (2004) with [[Heather Graham]], which was dedicated to his memory after a fatal heart attack while on set.<ref name=Times_obit/>

In the 1970s, he was jointly credited with former [[Easybeats]] members [[Harry Vanda]] and [[George Young (rock musician)|George Young]] as a co-composer of the song [[Pasadena_(song)|"Pasadena"]]. The original 1973 recording of this song – the first Australian hit for singer [[John Paul Young]] – was produced by [[Simon Napier-Bell]], in whose SNB Records label Hemmings was a partner at the time.

HeHemmings was married four times: to Genista Ouvry (1960–1967), actress [[Gayle Hunnicutt]] (1968–1975), Prudence de Casembroot (1976–1997), and Lucy Williams (2002 to his death).<ref name=telegraph>{{cite news|title=David Hemmings|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1448511/David-Hemmings.html|access-date=13 January 2014|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=5 December 2003}}</ref> Hemmings met Hunnicutt while he was in America promoting ''Blowup'', by which time his marriage to Ouvry was over. At their outdoor wedding, [[Henry Mancini]] conducted an orchestra and the [[Mamas and the Papas]] performed next to a swimming pool filled with doves dyed [[puce]].<ref name=telegraph /> Of his relationship with Hunnicutt, Hemmings remarked, "We were the poor man's [[Elizabeth Taylor|Taylor]] and [[Richard Burton|Burton]]". Their marriage ended when Hunnicutt discovered Hemmings's affairs with actress [[Samantha Eggar]], (his co-star in ''The Walking Stick'' (1970)), and his secretary Prudence de Casembroot.<ref name=telegraph />

During his subsequent marriage to Prudence de Casembroot, Hemmings continued his infidelities with, among others, [[Tessa Dahl]].<ref name=telegraph /> Hemmings had six children altogether; he and Ouvry had daughtera Deborahdaughter, he and Hunnicutt had actora son (actor [[Nolan Hemmings|Nolan]]), while he and de Casembroot had three sons George, Edward and William anda daughter Charlotte.

Hemmings suddenly died in 2003 at age 62 of a [[heart attack]], in [[Bucharest]], [[Romania]], on the film set of ''Blessed'' (working title: ''Samantha's Child'') after he had performed his scenes for the day.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/05/business/david-hemmings-62-a-film-star-in-blowup.html |title=David Hemmings, 62, a Film Star in 'Blowup' | author = Staff | work = [[The New York Times]] |date= 5 December 2003 |access-date= 6 February 2012}}</ref>

* ''[[In the Heat of the Night (TV series)|In the Heat of the Night]] (1988)

[[Category:ActorsMale actors from Guildford]]

[[Category:BritishEnglish expatriate male actors in the United States]]