This was compounded by the premature death of his father Bertie in 1931. By this point Kenneth had already attempted to become a civil engineer s apprentice in Shrewsbury after finishing school.
He also pursued careers in the RAF and at Sainsbury s, but neither was a fit. It was only after an ill-fated trip to Canada (which saw Kenneth unable to enter the country due to not having the correct paperwork) that life began to have true direction.
At 20, his star was born. A chance decision saw Kenneth ask for a job at the Windmill Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue. The audacious request was granted – on the now-ironic promise that he never become an actor – and the rest is history.
This was compounded by the premature death of his father Bertie in 1931. By this point Kenneth had already attempted to become a civil engineer s apprentice in Shrewsbury after finishing school.
He also pursued careers in the RAF and at Sainsbury s, but neither was a fit. It was only after an ill-fated trip to Canada (which saw Kenneth unable to enter the country due to not having the correct paperwork) that life began to have true direction.
At 20, his star was born. A chance decision saw Kenneth ask for a job at the Windmill Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue. The audacious request was granted – on the now-ironic promise that he never become an actor – and the rest is history.
Broad appeal: Kenneth More
Credit: Alamy
In the Fifties, Kenneth More was the most famed and acclaimed film actor in Britain, with a string of major hits to his credit. That decade was a golden era for cinema lovers, and More had broad appeal. He could act tough, gentle or romantic: whatever the script demanded. Yet in the years since his death in 1982, he has become somewhat forgotten. Now, a new book called More, Please! by Nick Pourgourides aims to repatriate one of Britain’s biggest film stars.
More first became a household name in 1952, when he appeared at London’s Duchess Theatre in Terence Rattigan’s drama The Deep Blue Sea. He played Freddie Page, a boozy ex-RAF pilot who jilts his older mistress, the wife of a respected judge – with devastating results. His performance was met with wild acclaim; many critics referred to him as “a discovery”.
Kenneth More: 10 essential films
As a new biography of Kenneth More hits the shelves, we round up a selection of the finest films featuring Britainâs most popular movie star of the 1950s.
12 December 2020
The Comedy Man (1964)
In the 1950s, Kenneth More was arguably Britainâs biggest film star. Famously self-deprecating, he wasnât the type to immerse himself in roles. But, such was his integrity, audiences trusted More the man and rooted for his larger-than-life characters. As Nick Pourgourides points out in his engaging new biography, More, Please!, Moreâs popularity grew after he moved into television and reached millions as Young Jolyon in The Forsyte Saga (1967) and as G.K. Chestertonâs clerical sleuth in Father Brown (1974).