Straight Face

by Nigel Hawthorne

Book Overview

Having just completed his autobiography, Nigel Hawthorne died on Boxing Day 2001. His ambitions to be an actor when a young man in South Africa were strongly discouraged by his father. He came to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0340769424
• ISBN13: 9780340769423
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Hodder Headline
• Length: 340 Pages
• Weight: 1.51 lbs.

Customer Reviews

An Forthright and Informative Autobiography

For many, the late Sir Nigel Hawthorne (who died on Boxing Day 2001, at age 72, after an eighteen-month battle with cancer of the pancreas) will always be remembered as the conniving, manipulative, and hilariously verbose civil servant, Sir Humphrey Appleby, co-star of Britain's witty, intelligent britcom Yes Minister (and its sequel, Yes Prime Minister). Though he won, over the years, four BAFTA awards for his performance as Sir Humphrey, the highlights of his long career were undoubtedly, for him, receiving a CBE in 1987, an Oscar nomination in 1994 for the role of George III in the film The Madness of King George, and lastly but not least, a Knighthood in 1999. Able to adroitly handle both comedy and tragedy, Hawthorne's extreme success as an actor was well deserved and no surprise (at least not to us!). However, being shy and very self-conscious, he spent his early years as an actor living pretty much hand-to-mouth. It was not until he was around fifty that he finally found his breakthrough with the character of Sir Humphrey, the role which brought him fame and recognition and was the catalyst his career needed. It was also around this time that Hawthorne, having lived an essentially lonely, unhappy life, finally met Trevor Bentham, the man with whom he would at last find happiness and go on to spend the rest of his life. In addition to being a gifted actor, Hawthorne is a very capable writer, and he deftly moves between a chronicling of his career and of his personal life. He tells of growing up in Cape Town, South Africa, under an apartheid regime; of his school days at the guilt-instilling Christian Brothers' Catholic school; and of his uneasy relationship with his father--a man with no respect for the acting profession. He's candid in discussing both his homosexuality and the difficult long-term relationship he had with a man with whom he was wholly unsuited. He also holds back no punches when it comes to his career. He's forthright in chronicling (albeit briefly) the horrible experience he had working on the Hollywood film Demolition Man. The few comments he makes concerning his Yes (Prime) Minister co-star, Paul Eddington, whilst not unkind, are not particularly flattering; and he is positively scathing in his criticism of the Royal Shakespeare Company (for whom he performed King Lear), who he felt behaved appallingly, both by their lack of support and by their lack of manners. Hawthorne devotes a fair amount of space to his discussion of the RSC and his experience doing Lear--perhaps because it was freshest in his mind (not to mention an exasperating experience). Considering its immense popularity with the public and the fact that it signalled a turning point in his career, it is odd that he did not devote the same degree of attention to Yes (Prime) Minister, which would've been nice. But that is merely a minor complaint in what is overall a very interesting and informative memoir. That he even completed the book (let alon

"Sir Humphrey's" Story

Straight Face is a touching, honest, sometimes even self-effacing autobiography from one of Britain's most accomplished actors who is probably best known in the United States for is work as "Sir Humphrey" in Yes, Minister and, later, as the lead in The Madness of King George. Written during illness, Sir Nigel Hawthorne demonstrates a remarkable memory for detail, describing his childhood in South Africa, his unwavering perseverance to make it in theater, and his long search to find a life companion. The first 2/3 of the book offer the most depth. His schooling at Christian Brothers' is described in painful detail: "Should a boy be experiencing 'cuts' when the clock struck, the punishment would cease for the duration of the prayer, and as the last strokes of the clock faded and nail-bitten fingers flicked across blazers in the sign of the Cross, the strokes of the strap would resume" (37). His return to South Africa during which he was confronted with his "humanitarian" stance on apartheid ("I was at heart a wishy-washy liberal who made no stand on their behalf" ) is an interesting chapter (142). Those who inspired him receive an important place in this book from his parents and artistic grandmother to professional influences like Joan Littlewood. He was a very loyal man, even refusing to leave a bad relationship to join the man who would be his partner for life until he received permission from his ex.Unfortunately, Hawthorne does not offer the same thorough coverage of his work on Yes, Minister. He writes of it with an almost "oh, by the way..." attitude. The latter part of the book seems to have been written with more haste. Perhaps declining health is to blame. The last chapter was completed days before his death. Unfortunately, the book ends on a rather sour note with his last theater work as the lead in King Lear. His poor relationship with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the bad reviews seems to have left him with a bad taste. There are loose ends in this book (no description of receiving his knighthood, for instance) and one wonders if he was planning on writing another chapter or epilogue to put the book in better perspective. Due to his sudden death, longtime partner Trevor Bentham provides a very touching epilogue: "I hope there is an afterlife so he will have been aware of the shock caused by his death and the massive love that came (328)." The book includes two inserts of b & w photos. I also recommend the DVD set for Yes, Minister. It includes a bio on Hawthorne that has Sir Nigel taking the viewer to different places mentioned in his book, including the set of King Lear and to South Africa where he visits family maid Lena Goliath.

Well told story

One loves Sir Nigel so much - after all 'humphry' has bacome a part of my cultural heritage and view of life - one hesitates to admit a certain ever so slight disappointment at reading this, as if one were invited to a lovely meal, yet have a slight craving afterwards for a piece of Stilton cheese, or just that something else extra to nibble on. He tells his story well and follows his resume with attention to detail and a large dollop of honesty. But for me personally, who knew his work from the many TV series, there isn't enough, well I admit, direct gossip. How was it to film 'Yes minister' year after year. He writes about this of course, but not at the length I would have liked. The book does not reveal enough of his colleagues of the series, and even of his own experience. The same can be said of the Mapp and Lucia series, I would have thought these two, at least, would merit a chapter of their own. But I guess I cannot expect Sir Nigel to see his life and achievement as I wish him to! His story is certainly worth reading, and is emotionally gripping.