Robert Helpmann
Biography
Robert Helpmann pursued a career as a dancer, actor, choreographer and director in Australia and Britain. He left Australia for Britain in 1932 and joined Ninette de Valois's Vic-Wells Ballet. There he became a principal dancer and partnered Alicia Markova and later Margot Fonteyn. During the Second World War, with Frederick Ashton away on military service, Helpmann also choreographed for the company while still dancing. He had acted from the outset and in the 1940s took more spoken roles, mainly in Shakespeare, in Old Vic and West End shows. His films included One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942), Henry V (1944), The Red Shoes (1948), The Tales of Hoffmann (1951), 55 Days at Peking (1963), The Quiller Memorandum (1966) and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), in which he was the Child Catcher. He later helped run the Australian Ballet, becoming its sole director in 1975, and was knighted in 1968. He died in 1986.
77years old at death
- Born Mount Gambier
- Died Sydney
- Star sign: AriesThe sign runs March 21 to April 19
- Also credited as Sir Robert Murray Helpmann
Movie Career
- Films
- 11
- Career span
- 42 years1942 to 1984
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Early training
Anna Pavlova took Helpmann on as a student apprentice during her 1926 tour of Australia. Alexis Dolinoff, her leading male dancer, trained him.
About the name
In the mid-1930s, most likely on Rawlings's advice, Helpmann put a second "n" into his surname so that it would sound more foreign and exotic.
A first
Helpmann first danced the doddery Red King in de Valois's Checkmate at 28, and last danced the role in 1986 at 77.
A role that slipped away
Helpmann turned down the chance to create the Widow Simone in Ashton's La fille mal gardee so he could direct Vivien Leigh and Mary Ure in Duel of Angels on Broadway.
A first
Helpmann's first opera direction was Covent Garden's 1950 Madama Butterfly with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf; the production outlasted him, with final performances at the Royal Opera House in 1993.
Robert Helpmann movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell directed three of these films together. Nine actors appear in two of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
James Robertson Justice's page
Leo Genn's page
Esmond Knight's page
Pamela Brown's page
Hay Petrie's page
Davy Kaye's page
All films by Emeric Pressburger
All films by Michael Powell
All films by Michael Anderson
Also two films together3 more actors
- Moira ShearerThe Tales of Hoffmann (1951) and The Red Shoes (1948)
- Ludmilla TchérinaThe Tales of Hoffmann (1951) and The Red Shoes (1948)
- Léonide MassineThe Tales of Hoffmann (1951) and The Red Shoes (1948)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Awards
Six awards and honors from 1964 to 1968.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other honors | |||
| 1968 | Knight Bachelor | Won | |
| 1965 | Australian of the Year | Won | |
| 1964 | Commander of the Order of the British Empire | Won | |
| National Order of the Cedar | Won | ||
| Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award | Won | ||
| Royal Order of the Polar Star | Won | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.