Editing Michael Hordern (section)

===Later career: 1969–1990===

====''King Lear''====

Miller and Hordern's collaboration continued into 1969 with ''[[King Lear]]'' at the [[Nottingham Playhouse]]. Hordern immediately accepted the title role but later said that it was a character he never much cared to play.<ref>Hordern, p. 138.</ref> Writing about Miller in his autobiography, Hordern stated: "It was one of the most exhilarating and funny experiences I have had in the theatre."<ref>Hordern, pp. 138–139.</ref> Miller recruited [[Frank Middlemass]] to play the [[Shakespearean fool|fool]],<ref>Croall, p. 64.</ref> but contrary to tradition, Miller made the character an intimate of Lear's as opposed to a servant, something which Shakespearean purists found difficult to accept.<ref name="HORDERN139">Hordern, p. 139.</ref>{{#tag:ref|Miller saw Lear and the Fool as equals, despite the fact that Lear was born in a palace and the Fool in a stable. Miller thought of no reason why the two should not be closer as the two characters had "known each other for years".<ref name="HORDERN139" />|group= n}} Miller decided to further defy convention by concentrating on the relationships between the characters rather than adding detail to scenery and costume; he was eager not to use lavish sets and lighting for the fear of detracting from the characterisations and the sentimentality of the storyline. As such, the sets were bleak and the costumes more so; it was a style that was also used when the play was televised by the BBC later that decade.<ref name="HORDERN139" />

When ''King Lear'' played at the Old Vic in 1970, reviews were mixed; J.W. Lambert thought that the "grey sets" and Hordern's "grizzled" costume were how Shakespeare would have intended them to be,<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Zz-Cb8ZfnwoC&dq=michael+Hordern+King+Lear&pg=PA86 "Plays in Performance"], ''Drama'' (Summer, 1970), pp. 27–31; Quoted in Wells, p. 86.</ref> while Eric Shorter thought otherwise, stating "I still do not understand those costumes."<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Zz-Cb8ZfnwoC&dq=michael+Hordern+King+Lear&pg=PA86 "Plays in Performance"], ''Drama'' (Spring, 1970), pp. 15–28; Quoted in Wells, p. 86.</ref> Of the performance, the dramatist and critic [[Martin Esslin]] called Hordern's portrayal "a magnificent creation"<ref name="QUOTE141">Quote from Martin Esslin in February 1969; Hordern, p. 141.</ref><ref name="CROALL67">Croall, 67.</ref> before going on to say: "Hordern's timing of the silences from which snatches of demented wisdom emerge is masterly and illuminates the subterranean processes of his derangement."<ref name="QUOTE141" /> Writing for ''The Times'' later that year, the theatre critic [[Irving Wardle]] described Hordern's Lear as a "sharp, peremptory pedant; more a law-giver than a soldier, and (as justice is an old man's profession) still in the prime of his life".<ref>Quote from Irving Wardle in November 1969; Hordern, p. 140.</ref> Hordern played Lear once more that decade, in 1975, which was televised by the BBC<ref name="CROALL67" /> for their series ''[[Play of the Month]]''.<ref>Willis, p. 127.</ref>

====''Jumpers''====

The playwright [[Tom Stoppard]] approached Hordern in 1971 with a view to him playing a leading part in<ref name="HORDERN132-133">Hordern, pp. 132–133.</ref> the playwright's new play ''[[Jumpers (play)|Jumpers]]'', a comic satire based around the field of academic philosophy.<ref>Hordern, p. 132.</ref> Hordern was to play George Moore, a bumbling old philosophy professor, who is employed at a modern university and who, throughout the play, is in constant debate with himself over his moral values.<ref name="HORDERN132-133" /> Hordern, though thinking the play was brilliant, disliked the script on the initial read-through as he did not understand its complex situations and strange dialogue. His co-star would be [[Diana Rigg]], who played Moore's wife Dotty, and the entire piece was to be directed by [[Peter Wood (director)|Peter Wood]].<ref>Hordern, p. 133.</ref>

''Jumpers'' was scheduled to appear at the [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]] at the start of 1972, but encountered problems when the theatre's director, Laurence Olivier, called the play "unintelligible" before walking out during the first read-through in disgust. Despite this, rehearsals went ahead, which the cast found difficult; the play featured many scenes, a complicated script, and relied heavily on the opening scene, a sceptical speech about the existence of God which lasted 13 minutes. In his autobiography, Hordern commented: "Each day my fists would sink into my cardigan pockets as I tried to make sense of it all."<ref name="HORDERN134">Hordern, p. 134.</ref> In a meeting shortly before the opening night, Olivier complained to Stoppard that the play was overlong and, in some parts, laborious. Stoppard agreed to reduce the epilogue by half. The decision angered Hordern as it meant the extra stress of learning a new script at short notice. He vented his frustrations on Wood who agreed to leave his character alone and instead to cut many of the other scenes.<ref name="HORDERN134" /> The final dress rehearsal also experienced disruption when the [[revolving stage]] broke down and had to be fixed half-way through. The problems had ceased by the opening performance the following evening; it was a night which Hordern called "unbelievable, one of the highlights of my career".<ref name="HORDERN135">Hordern, p. 135.</ref> The actress [[Maureen Lipman]], who was in the audience on the opening night, said that her husband, the playwright [[Jack Rosenthal]], had "laughed so hard he thought he was going to be seriously ill".<ref>Quote from Maureen Lipman; Hordern, p. 135.</ref>

The critic [[Michael Billington (critic)|Michael Billington]], writing in ''The Guardian'', gave a mixed review: "Once or twice one of Stoppard's brightly coloured balls falls to the ground, partly because Michael Hordern's moral philosopher substitutes academic mannerism for apprehension of the argument. But this is not to deny that Hordern's simian habit of scratching his left earlobe with right hand or leaning over his desk as if he is doing intellectual press-ups is very funny to watch or that he is brilliant at displaying cuckolded curiosity."<ref>The author quoting Michael Billington in ''The Guardian''; Hordern, p. 135.</ref> Harold Hobson, the drama critic, thought that failing to enjoy the play was "not actually a criminal offence but it is a sad evidence of illiteracy".<ref>The author quoting Harold Hobson; Hordern, p. 135.</ref> ''Jumpers'' won the ''Evening Standard''{{'}}s Best Play Award which, much to Hordern's amusement, was presented by the philosopher [[A. J. Ayer]].<ref name="HORDERN135" />

====''Stripwell'', and voice work====
Between 1973 and 1981, Hordern appeared on radio for the BBC as [[Jeeves]] in the series ''[[What Ho! Jeeves]]'' alongside [[Richard Briers]] as [[Bertie Wooster]].<ref>[http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/087f6f13b1fc4a2eac61ff3994d6ef96 "What Ho, Jeeves!: Part 1: Jeeves Exerts the Old Cerebellum"], BBC, accessed 12 February 2016.</ref> In 1974, Hordern narrated several other, one-off programmes for the broadcaster, including ''The Honest Broker'', ''The Last Tsar'', and ''Tell the King the Sky Is Falling''.<ref name="BFIHORDERN" /> In 1975 Hordern played the judge in [[Howard Barker|Howard Barker's]] play ''Stripwell'' at the [[Royal Court Theatre]]. Hordern described the character as "a man wracked by guilt, full of self-doubt and pessimism".<ref name="HORDERN143">Hordern, p. 143.</ref> It was a role which the actor found to be too close to his own personality for comfort. His time in the play was marred by personal problems; he and Eve had briefly separated and the actor was forced to rent a small flat in [[Sloane Square]] from the actor [[Michael Wilding (actor)|Michael Wilding]] after being banished from the family home. Hordern and Eve soon reconciled, but it was a time which he was keen to forget, including the play. Critics were complimentary of his performance, with one writing: "''Stripwell'''s ambiguities are therefore viewed half affectionately and half contemptuously and this comes over well in Michael Hordern's portrayal of bumbling, sometimes endearing ineffectiveness, as skilful and accomplished a performance as one would expect from this actor."<ref name="HORDERN143" />

Later, in 1975, Hordern narrated ''[[Barry Lyndon]]'', [[Stanley Kubrick|Stanley Kubrick's]] filmed adaptation of [[William Makepeace Thackeray]]'s novel ''[[The Luck of Barry Lyndon]]''.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120711213838/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b6bc285f7 "Barry Lyndon (1975)"], [[British Film Institute]], accessed 26 January 2016.</ref> The critic John Riley, writing for the British Film Institute, thought that the actor provided "a witty and ironic foil to the characters' helplessness".<ref>[http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/498104/ "Barry Lyndon (1975)"], by John Riley. BFI Screenonline, [[British Film Institute]], accessed 26 January 2016.</ref> The same year Hordern was asked to narrate 30 episodes of the children's animation series ''[[Paddington (1975 TV series)|Paddington]]'', which was based on the [[Paddington Bear]] book series by [[Michael Bond]].<ref>Hordern, pp. 167–169.</ref> In his 1993 autobiography, Hordern wrote of his enjoyment at working on ''Paddington'' and that he could not differentiate between his enjoyment in comedy and drama: "it's a bit like difference between roast beef and meringue, both delicious in their way, but there is nothing more satisfying than a thousand people sharing their laughter with you".<ref>Quote from the author; Hordern, p. 167.</ref>

====Return to Stratford-upon-Avon and ''Jumpers'' revival====

In 1976 Hordern joined the [[Royal Shakespeare Company|RSC]] in Stratford-upon-Avon, where he appeared as Prospero for [[Trevor Nunn]] in ''The Tempest'', an engagement which the actor found to be unpleasant because of his poor relationship with the show's director, [[Clifford Williams (actor)|Clifford Williams]].<ref name="HORDERN143" /> After that came a short run of ''Love's Labour's Lost'' in which he played Don Adriano de Armado opposite [[Alan Rickman]] and [[Zoë Wanamaker]]. Hordern was the oldest member of the company and found it difficult to adjust to the behaviour and attitudes of some of the younger and less experienced actors. He found it different from the 1950s: non-intimate, characterless, and lacking in morale because management preferred discipline rather than offering guidance and assistance to their young actors.<ref>Hordern, p. 144.</ref> Writing in his 1993 autobiography, Hordern wrote: "Being at Stratford again after all these years was rather like being on a battleship or an aircraft carrier that doesn't often come into harbour. You are at sea for long periods and away from the rest of your service and if the captain of your ship is a good one then the ship is happy; if not, then the commission you serve is very unhappy because you are a long way from land. At Stratford that season I was a long way from land."<ref>Hordern, p. 145.</ref> Later, in 1976, Hordern portrayed the kingly father of the Prince (played by [[Richard Chamberlain]]) in the musical film adaptation of ''[[Cinderella]]'', ''[[The Slipper and the Rose]]'', for which he received a nomination for the [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role]],<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160311153159/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b635dea "The Slipper and the Rose"], [[British Film Institute]], accessed 18 February 2016.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Supporting Actor |url=https://www.bafta.org/awards/film/supporting-actor |access-date=20 February 2025 |website=Bafta }}</ref> and returned to the role of George in Stoppard's ''Jumpers'' at the Lyttelton Theatre.<ref>[http://archive.spectator.co.uk/page/2nd-october-1976/28 "''Jumpers''"], ''The Spectator'', 1 October 1976, p. 28.</ref>{{#tag:ref|The Lyttelton Theatre is one of three separate auditoriums which form the [[Royal National Theatre]]. It was named after [[Oliver Lyttelton, 1st Viscount Chandos|Oliver Lyttelton]], the National Theatre's first board chairman. It can accommodate an audience of 890 people.<ref name="NATIONAL">[http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/backstage/lyttelton-theatre "Littleton Theatre"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160213191458/http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/backstage/lyttelton-theatre |date=13 February 2016 }}, Nationaltheatre.org, accessed 23 January 2016.</ref>|group= n}} The theatre critic Kenneth Hurren "enjoyed it immoderately" and thought the revival revealed a "tidier play than it look[ed]". Hordern compared it to the 1972 version by saying: "It is unquestionably a busy little number, and my first impression of the piece, back in 1972, was that it had more decoration than substance, and that the decoration was more chaotic than coherent."<ref name="NATIONAL" />

====Television and radio: 1980–83====

In 1981 Hordern played the role of [[Gandalf]] in the [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|BBC radio adaptation]] of [[J. R. R. Tolkien|Tolkien's]] ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. The BBC's budget was generous, and attracted well-known actors from stage and television. The series ran for 26 episodes and was a hit with audiences and critics. The author Ernest Mathijs singled out Hordern in particular as being one of the more powerful characters of the series and his personal favourite,<ref>Mathijs, p. 62.</ref> while co-star [[Ian Holm]], writing years later in his autobiography ''Acting My Life'', said he thought Hordern interpreted the role "in a grand, rather old fashioned way".<ref>Holm, p. 381.</ref> Writing in his autobiography in 1993, Hordern said he found the part of Gandalf to be "a bit of a slog".<ref>Hordern, p. 183.</ref>

Hordern and Jonathan Miller reprised their collaboration in 1982 with a final performance of ''King Lear'' for the [[BBC Television Shakespeare]] production. The actor considered this version to be his best and attributed its success to the fact he was getting older and therefore able to better understand the character.<ref>Hordern p. 140.</ref> The author [[Joseph Pearce]], writing in 2008, claimed that Hordern played the king "straight up with no gloss"<ref name="PEARCE240">Pearce, p. 240.</ref> and made a "reliable and workmanlike Lear"<ref name="PEARCE240" /> who is "forceful when he should be forceful, compassionate when he should be compassionate, [and] sorrowful when he should be sorrowful".<ref name="PEARCE240" /> Despite the praise, Pearce thought that Hordern's performance in Act{{nbsp}}3 "lack[ed] the required fierceness and miss[ed] the mythic quality when compared to some of the bigger names".<ref name="PEARCE240" />

In January 1983 Hordern was knighted, an honour which the actor called "a great thrill and [a] surprise to us all".<ref>Hordern, p. 151.</ref> That year he became popular among children as the voice of Badger in the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] film ''[[The Wind in the Willows (1983 film)|The Wind in the Willows]]''.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120809182410/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b78aed8bc "Wind in the Willows (1983)"], [[British Film Institute]], accessed 22 January 2016.</ref> He then spent the rest of 1983 appearing as Sir Anthony Absolute in ''[[The Rivals]]'' for Peter Wood at the Royal National Theatre and received excellent notices.<ref>Hordern, p. 152.</ref> He was nominated for an award at that year's [[Olivier Awards]] for best comedy performance of the year, but lost out to [[Griff Rhys Jones]].<ref>[http://www.olivierawards.com/winners/view/item98517/olivier-winners-1983/ "Olivier Winners (1983)"], Olivierawards.com, accessed 22 January 2016.</ref> His success on the stage was tinged with private turmoil; Eve was taken ill after she suffered a [[brain haemorrhage]], a condition from which she never fully recuperated. She required constant care but recovered enough to become partially self-sufficient. However, in 1986 she had a fatal heart attack at the couple's London flat.<ref>Hordern, pp. 156–157.</ref> Hordern was devastated and became consumed in self-pity,<ref>Hordern, p. 157.</ref> in part because of his guilt at the extramarital affairs he had had with many of his leading ladies during the marriage.<ref>Hordern, p. 156.</ref>

====''Paradise Postponed'' and ''You Never Can Tell''====

In 1986, John Mortimer, a writer whom Hordern respected greatly, engaged the actor in ''[[Paradise Postponed]]'', an eleven-part drama which took a year to make and cost in excess of £6 million. Set in rural England, the saga depicts the struggles within British middle-class society during the post-war years.<ref>Hordern, pp. 159–160.</ref> In his autobiography, Hordern described himself as "a man of prejudice rather than principle" and as such, had very little in common with his character, the left-wing, [[Marxist]]-loving vicar, Simeon Simcox. Despite the political differences, Hordern felt great empathy towards his character, and admired his "plain, straightforward attitude to life, his dottiness, and the way he hung to his faith in a wicked world with a saintliness verging on the simple".<ref name="HORDERN160">Hordern, p. 160.</ref>{{#tag:ref|The cast included [[David Threlfall]], [[Richard Vernon]], [[Annette Crosbie]], [[Jill Bennett (British actress)|Jill Bennett]], [[Colin Blakely]], [[Zoë Wanamaker]], [[Peter Egan]], and [[Paul Shelley]].<ref name="HORDERN160" />|group= n}}

Hordern made a return to the London stage in 1987 after a four-year absence. The play in which he starred, ''[[You Never Can Tell (play)|You Never Can Tell]]'', transferred to the [[Haymarket Theatre]] that December having made its debut at the [[Theatr Clwyd]] in Wales earlier that year.<ref name="HORDERN158">Hordern, p. 158.</ref> It was the second time the actor had appeared in the play, the first being back in Bristol fifty years previously when he starred as the youthful lead, Valentine. This time he was cast as William, the elderly waiter, a part which he considered to be "a real hell to play",<ref name="HORDERN158" /> partly because of the many meals he had to serve up on stage, whilst at the same time trying to remember the complex script. He enjoyed the play immensely and was thrilled at its successful run. His engagement also gave him a chance to reunite with some old friends, including [[Irene Worth]], [[Michael Denison]] and Frank Middlemass, all of whom were in the cast.<ref name="HORDERN158" /> Hordern admitted that, on the whole, the experience made him feel "a little happier" about life.<ref>Hordern, pp. 158–159.</ref>