Cyril Ritchard

Cyril Ritchard was an Australian actor and director who worked in theater, film, and television and became best known for playing Captain Hook in the Broadway musical Peter Pan. Born in Sydney, he studied medicine at the University of Sydney before abandoning that path in 1917 to become an actor. He began in musicals, appearing in Yes, Uncle! and Going Up in 1918. In 1954 he achieved star status as Captain Hook opposite Mary Martin, winning a Tony Award for best featured actor in a musical, and he reprised the role in NBC television productions from 1955 to 1960. His stage work included Gore Vidal's Visit to a Small Planet, which he also directed and for which he received a Tony nomination, and he was nominated again for The Pleasure of His Company. His films included Blackmail (1929) and Piccadilly (1929). From 1956 to 1971 he played the comic villain in La Perichole with the Metropolitan Opera.