Great Britons of Stage and Screen: In Conversation

Although there are encyclopedias and biographical dictionaries of contemporary British film and theatre actors, most lack the intimacy of face-to-face interviews. Typically drawn from secondary sources, collections of interviews often repeat tired anecdotes about an actor’s film or stage roles, with very little nuance or fresh insights.

Great Britons of Stage and Screen: In Conversation features interviews with some of the leading actors of the last fifty years and more. In this collection, Barbara Roisman Cooper presents interviews she personally conducted with more than twenty stars of film, television, and theatre. Held in intimate surroundings―including the actors’ private homes and theatre dressing rooms between performances―these interviews provide readers with a rounded understanding of the creative process and the dedication required to develop a performance.

Including many well-known Oscar, Tony, Olivier, and BAFTA winners, each interview is preceded by a short introduction and followed by the performer’s most significant credits, both on the stage and screen. The actors and actresses who shared their stories in this volume include

Dame Eileen AtkinsIsla BlairSimon CallowDame Joan CollinsPeggy CumminsSinéad CusackSamantha EggarStephen FryJulian GloverStephen GreifJeremy IronsSir Derek JacobiFelicity KendalSir Ben KingsleyDame Angela LansburySir John MillsAlfred MolinaLynn RedgraveJean SimmonsDavid SuchetRichard ToddMichael York
Designed to serve as a resource for those studying or writing about the worlds of theatre and film in general―and the art and craft of acting, specifically―Great Britons of Stage and Screen will also appealto the many fans of the artists who have entertained audiences for decades.

Robert Osborne is Professor of Applied Policy Studies and Director of the Social and Policy Research Institute at the University of Ulster.