| George Rose | |
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| Born | 19 February 1920 Bicester, Oxfordshire, England, UK |
| Died | 5 May 1988 (aged 68) (homicide) Sosua, Dominican Republic |
| Occupation | actor |
George Rose (19 February 1920 - 5 May 1988) was an English award-winning actor in theatre and film.
Born in Bicester, Oxfordshire the son of a butcher, Rose studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama.[1] After graduation he briefly worked as a farmer and secretary. After wartime service and studies at Oxford, he made his Old Vic stage debut in 1946.[2]
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Rose spent four years with the Old Vic company and made his Broadway debut in a 1946 production of Henry IV, Part I and continued to play in New York City and London's West End for the remainder of the decade. He spent most of the 1950s appearing in broad comedy roles in the UK, later joining the Royal Shakespeare Company.[2] He returned to Broadway to portray Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing in 1959. Two years later, he co-starred to much acclaim in Robert Bolt's A Man For All Seasons, first in London and then in New York. From then on he appeared primarily in American plays and films.
Rose made his screen debut in Midnight Frolics in 1949 and went on to make more than 30 films. Notable film credits include The Pickwick Papers (1952), Track the Man Down (1955), A Night to Remember (1958), Hawaii (1966), A New Leaf (1971), and the film of The Pirates of Penzance (1983).[2] Rose starred in the 1975 television series Beacon Hill, an Americanized version of Upstairs, Downstairs. Other television credits include Naked City, Trials of O'Brien, and several appearances on the Hallmark Hall of Fame.
On Broadway, among other roles, he played the Gravedigger in John Gielgud's 1964 Hamlet, a suspicious storekeeper in William Hanley's Slow Dance on Killing Ground (1964), a bitter soldier in Peter Shaffer's Royal Hunt of the Sun (1965), and the detective in Joe Orton's Loot (1968). His first Tony Award nomination was for his portrayal of Louis Greff, Coco Chanel's friend, in the musical Coco in 1969. In the 1974 comedy My Fat Friend, opposite Lynn Redgrave, he won a Drama Desk Award and received another Tony nomination. In 1976, he finally won a Tony as Alfred P. Doolittle in the Broadway revival of My Fair Lady. He received further acclaim in the title role of Devil's Disciple, Peter Pan and The Kingfisher; he won a 1979 Drama Desk Award for the last.
In 1980, he appeared as Major General Stanley in the hit Joe Papp adaptation of The Pirates of Penzance, co-starring Kevin Kline and Linda Ronstadt, being nominated for another Tony award. He also starred in the film adaptation of the production, released in 1983. Rose won his second Tony in 1986, for Rupert Holmes' musical adaptation of The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Rose was appearing in a national tour of Drood at the time of his death in 1988.[3]
Rose owned a pet lynx, birds and other exotic creatures. He had a music collection numbering around 17,000 records.[1]
In 1984, he purchased a vacation home in Sosua, Dominican Republic, where he spent much of his time between his performances. Rose was gay and had no immediate family or permanent partner. He reportedly longed to have an heir. Shortly after relocating, he took in a 14 year old boy whom he supported financially and to whom he planned to leave his estate. He adopted the boy in January 1988.[2]
On 5 May 1988, during a two week hiatus from the national tour of Drood, Rose was beaten to death by his adopted son and three other men. The assailants, including the son's biological father and uncle, tried to make the death look like an accident, but soon confessed to killing Rose.[2] Though all four men were charged and spent time in prison, no trial was ever held, and eventually all were released.[1]
George Rose is buried in an unmarked grave in a cemetery near his vacation home in Sosua.[1]
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   | George Rose timeline - George Rose Biography (1920-) |
| | NY Times obituary - George Rose, 68, Broadway Star And Winner of 2 Tonys, Is Dead; A Versatile Perennial - The New York Times |
| | Internet Movie Database listing - George Rose (I) |
| | Internet Broadway Database listing - George Rose | IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information |
| | NY Time article about Rose's death - Dominican Police Say 4 Men Killed George Rose - The New York Times |
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