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EARLY STAGES by John Gielgud

EARLY STAGES

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Pub Date: July 11th, 1939
Publisher: Macmillan

A professional autobiography of the English actor, who, though he had no interest in the acting end of theater at first, preferring stage design, soon found his way into the career so many of his relatives, the Terrys and Neilson-Terrys, followed. Here are some intimate pictures of Ellen and Kate Terry, how the family prestige helped him get started, scholarships in dramatic schools and early parts. He gives away no acting secrets, but confesses his faults, and abilities, and shows you what a merry-go-round he finally landed on when he not only acted, but also produced and worked in moving pictures. There is praise for his fellow artists, the men and organizations for which he worked, and he stops his story on the eve of his New York opening in Hamlet. No cock of the walk attitude, but an intelligent interest, curiosity, and understanding of his profession marks this theatrical biography.