Noted British classical theatre actor Denis Quilley distinguished himself on the Shakespearean stage alongside Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud , among others. His sturdy handsomeness was slightly offset by a relatively prominent proboscis. As in the case of Jeremy Northam and Liam Neeson , it only accentuated his looks and added to the uniqueness of his characters. Educated at Bancroft's School in Essex, he made his first appearance in 1945 with the Birmingham Repertory Company and replaced Richard Burton in "The Lady's Not for Burning" in his London debut in 1950. Following roles in "Twelfth Night" and "The Merchant of Venice," Quilley took a marked departure from his classical reputation and made a resounding hit for himself in musicals and satirical revues, notably "Airs on a Shoestring" (1953) and "Grab Me a Gondola."(1956). In the early 60s he took his London role in "Irma La Douce" to Broadway and met with great success. Over his nearly six-decade career, he would grace the Old Vic, Royal Shakespeare, Regent's Park and Drury Lane stages in a wide range of roles. Highlights have included his Lopakhim in "The Cherry Orchard" and Claudius in "Hamlet." In the 70s he joined Laurence Olivier 's National Theatre Company for its last seasons at the Old Vic. He played Jamie to Olivier's James Tyrone in "Long Day's Journey Into Night" (also a TV version), Hildy Johnson in "The Front Page" and Caliban in "The Tempest" with John Gielgud . He continued impressively in musicals winning kudos for his "Sweeney Todd" and for "La Cage Aux Folles." He ended his career with "Anything Goes" in 2003, the year of his death. A less frequent but still familiar face on television ( "Masada" (1981)) as well as in film intrigue ( Murder on the Orient Express (1974) and Evil Under the Sun (1982)), the versatile Quilley was a gifted, cerebral player who could display strength as well as vulnerability and weakness.
He was awarded O.B.E. (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2002 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to Drama.He played the flute and the cello.He was awarded the Olivier Award for his comedic stage performance in "Privates on Parade" in 1977, then won again a few years later as the musical Demon Barber of Fleet Street, "Sweeney Todd.".He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2000 (1999 season) for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical for his role in Candide performed at the Royal National Theatre, Olivier Stage.Autobiography; "Happiness Indeed"Starred in 2 movies about Agatha Christie's famous detective Hercule Poirot, Murder On The Orient Express (1974) and Evil Under The Sun (1982).
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Hercule Poirot is called in to investigate a case for an insurance company regarding firstly a dead woman's body found on a moor and then a important diamond sent to the company to be insured turns out to be a fake. Poirot discovers that the diamond was bought for Arlena Marshall by Sir Horace Platt and Arlena is on her honeymoon with her husband and step-daughter on a tropical island hotel. He joins them on the island and finds that everybody else starts to hate Arlena for different reasons - refusing to do a stage show, stopping a book, and for having an open affair with Patrick Redfern, another guest, in full view of his shy wife. So it's only a matter of time before Arlena turns up dead, strangled and Poirot must find out who it is...
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