Obituaries : Sir John Clements, 77; Leading British Shakespearean Actor

Sir John Clements, a well-known British Shakespearean actor who first appeared on stage in 1930 and began making films five years later, is dead.

The Times of London reported Friday that Clements died Wednesday in a nursing home at the age of 77. His family had lived in Brighton.

“He was an actor and director whose work was notable always for directness of approach, sharpness of intelligence, and a simplicity which went always to the center of any character or situation,” the paper said in its obituary.

Clements, the son of a lawyer, joined Sir Philip Ben Greet’s Shakespearean company after first appearing on stage and became a leading Shakespearean actor. In 1935 he founded the Intimate Theatre in Palmers Green in North London, where he directed and appeared in nearly 200 plays.

His career as a producer, manager and actor took him to London’s West End theater district, where he was involved in a mixture of contemporary and historic plays, including J. B. Priestley’s “They Came to a City” in 1942 and a revival of Noel Coward’s “Private Lives” in 1944.

Husband-Wife Team

A first marriage ended in divorce in 1946, and later that year he married actress Kay Hammond. They became one of Britain’s best known theatrical duos, appearing together in “Marriage a la Mode” in 1946 and “The Beaux Stratagem” in 1949, which ran for more than 500 performances.

The couple also starred in the British Broadcasting Corp.’s popular radio comedy show “We Beg To Differ.” Miss Hammond died in 1980.

Clements also worked in movies and directed several TV plays after the formation of Britain’s commercial Independent Television network in 1955.

In 1966, he succeeded Sir Laurence Olivier as director of the prestigious annual drama festival at Chichester in southern England, where he presided over seven successful seasons.

British films in which he appeared included Alexander Korda’s “Things to Come” in 1936, “Oh What a Lovely War” in 1969 and “Gandhi” in 1982.

In 1968 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in recognition of his contributions to acting and directing.