Glenville, Peter, 1913-1996

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British stage and film director.

From the description of Peter Glenville Papers, 1914-2001 (bulk 1933-1993). (Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center (HRC); University of Texas at Austin). WorldCat record id: 84696414

Peter Glenville was born to a noted theatrical family on 28 October 1913 in London. Peter’s parents Shaun Glenville, an Irish-born comedian, and Dorothy Ward were musical theater performers much-loved for their work in that characteristically-British light musical theater genre known as pantomime, panto for short.

After graduation from Stonyhurst College, Peter Glenville attended Christ Church College, Oxford University, where he joined the Oxford University Dramatic Society. In 1934, he became the society’s president and also made his professional stage debut. Over the next several years Glenville was active in the theater and motion pictures as an actor, gradually developing an interest in directing, and leading to his 1944 appointment as director for the Old Vic Company.

After World War II, Glenville met Hardy William Smith (1916-2001). Smith had taken his military discharge from the United States Navy in Britain at the war’s end, intending to pursue a career in the theater there. Glenville and Smith became professional and life partners, with Smith producing and Glenville directing plays for the London stage.

Glenville and Smith soon became active in the theater on both sides of the Atlantic, their 1949 production of The Browning Version being Glenville’s first directorial effort in New York. Notable London and New York productions included The Innocents (1950), Summer and Smoke (1951), Separate Tables (1954), The Prisoner (also 1954), and Hotel Paradiso (1957). A 1955 film version of The Prisoner represented Glenville’s first direction of a motion picture; both versions featured Glenville’s close friend and frequent collaborator Alec Guinness.

After more than a decade of living in London Glenville and Smith moved to New York in 1960 and bought a house at 18 East 68th Street in Manhattan. Through the sixties Peter Glenville was very active in film and theatrical productions in the United States, directing on Broadway Take Me Along (1959-60), Becket (1960), and Dylan (1964), as well as film adaptations of Summer and Smoke (1961), Becket (1964), and Hotel Paradiso (1966). Glenville’s film productions Me and the Colonel (1958) and The Comedians (1967) were not based on earlier Glenville theatrical productions.

Peter Glenville worked on a film version of Man of La Mancha in 1971, but, failing to agree with MGM about the project, he bowed out. Following a Broadway production of Tennessee Williams’s Out Cry (1973) Glenville retired from active theatrical and film work, eventually moving to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where he developed a notable colonial estate. Peter Glenville died in New York City on 3 June 1996; Hardy Smith survived him by five years.

From the guide to the Peter Glenville Papers TXRC 06-A3., 1914-2001, (The University of Texas at Austin, Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Souvenir programs of motion pictures, 1915-1978. Harvard Theater Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University
referencedIn Correspondence from Lillian Gish, 1962-1986 The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.
creatorOf Bowden, Charles. Prompt books, 1956-1961. Houghton Library
referencedIn Lillian Gish papers, 1909-1992 The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.
creatorOf Peter Glenville Papers TXRC 06-A3., 1914-2001 Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
referencedIn Sir Alec Guinness Archive, 1914-2003 British Library: Western Manuscripts
creatorOf CentreStage Theatre Archives (University of Guelph). Hotel Paradiso / by Georges Feydeau and Maurice Desvallieres, English translation by Peter Glenville ; directed by John Palmer, 1976 - house program. University of Guelph. McLaughlin Library
referencedIn Spewack, Samuel and Bella. Papers, ca.1920-1980. Columbia University in the City of New York, Columbia University Libraries
referencedIn Graham, Kenneth L. Kenneth L. Graham collection, 1935-1996. Arizona State University Libraries
referencedIn Kroll, Lucy. Correspondence from Lillian Gish, 1962-1986. New York Public Library System, NYPL
creatorOf CentreStage Theatre Archives. Hotel Paradiso / by Georges Feydeau and Maurice Desvallieres ; english translation by Peter Glenville ; directed by John Palmer, 1976 - performance file. University of Guelph. McLaughlin Library
referencedIn Lothar and Eva Just Film Stills Collection Harvard Film Archive, Harvard College Library, Harvard University
creatorOf Gish, Lillian, 1893-1993. Lillian Gish papers, 1909-1992. New York Public Library System, NYPL
creatorOf Peter Glenville Papers Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
referencedIn Sir Archive Michael Redgrave V & A Department of Theatre and Performance
referencedIn Papers of Robert Graves: Correspondence (arranged by correspondent), c1909 to 2004 St John's College, Oxford
referencedIn Gore Vidal papers, 1850-2020 (inclusive), 1936-2008 (bulk) Houghton Library
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Anouilh, Jean, 1910-1987. person
associatedWith A.T. Chenhalls & Co. corporateBody
associatedWith Beckett, Samuel, 1906-1989. person
associatedWith Bennison, Geoffrey. person
associatedWith Boland, Bridget. person
associatedWith Bowden, Charles. person
associatedWith Buckley, Christopher, 1952- person
associatedWith Buckley, William F. (William Frank), 1925-2008. person
associatedWith Caraman, Philip, 1911-1998. person
associatedWith CentreStage Theatre Archives. corporateBody
associatedWith CentreStage Theatre Archives (University of Guelph) corporateBody
associatedWith Conyers, Dill & Pearman (Firm) corporateBody
associatedWith Curtis Brown Ltd. corporateBody
associatedWith Dr. Jan van Loewen Ltd. corporateBody
associatedWith Evans, Laurence, 1912-2002. person
associatedWith Ford, Ruth, 1911-2009. person
associatedWith Fox, Angela. person
associatedWith Frosch, Aaron R. person
associatedWith Gaither, Gant, 1917- person
associatedWith Gish, Lillian, 1893-1993. person
associatedWith Graham, Kenneth L. person
associatedWith Graves, Robert Windham, 1858-1934 person
associatedWith Greene, Graham, 1904-1991. person
associatedWith Guinness, Alec, 1914-2000. person
associatedWith Hal Wallis Productions, Inc. corporateBody
associatedWith Hazen, Joseph H. person
associatedWith H.M. Tennent Ltd. corporateBody
associatedWith I︠A︡kovleva, Tatʹi︠a︡na, 1906-1991. person
associatedWith Kissinger, Henry, 1923- person
associatedWith Koning, Hans. person
associatedWith Kroll, Lucy. person
associatedWith Lamothe, François de. person
associatedWith Lefkowitz, Elliot J. person
associatedWith London Management & Representation Ltd. corporateBody
associatedWith Loverd, William T. person
associatedWith Lucy Kroll Agency. corporateBody
associatedWith MacGrath, Leueen. person
associatedWith Maugham, Robin, 1916-1981. person
associatedWith Maximilian Productions Limited. corporateBody
associatedWith MCA (England) Ltd. corporateBody
associatedWith Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. corporateBody
associatedWith Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer British Studios Ltd. corporateBody
associatedWith Olivier, Laurence, 1907-1989. person
associatedWith Rader, Dotson. person
associatedWith Rattigan, Terence. person
correspondedWith Redgrave, Michael person
associatedWith Remus Films. corporateBody
associatedWith Richardson, John, 1924- person
associatedWith Romulus Films. corporateBody
associatedWith Salter, James. person
associatedWith Selznick, Irene Mayer, 1907-1990. person
associatedWith Smith, Hardy William, 1916-2001. person
associatedWith Smith, Oliver Lemuel, 1918-1994. person
associatedWith Snowdon, Antony Armstrong-Jones, Earl of, 1930- person
associatedWith Spewack, Samuel and Bella. person
associatedWith Stevens, Roger L. person
associatedWith Treneman, Bernard. person
associatedWith Tual, Denise, 1906- person
associatedWith Ustinov, Peter. person
associatedWith Vidal, Gore, 1925- person
associatedWith Ward, John. person
associatedWith Weissberger & Frosch (Firm) corporateBody
associatedWith Weissberger, L. Arnold, 1907-1981. person
associatedWith William Morris Agency. corporateBody
associatedWith Wilson, Angus, 1913-1991. person
associatedWith Wittop, Freddy. person
associatedWith Woolf, James, 1919-1966. person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Great Britain
United States
Subject
Motion picture producers and directors
Theatrical producers and directors
Occupation
Actors
Activity

Person

Birth 1913-10-28

Death 1996-06-03

Britons

English,

French,

Italian

Information

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