Trevor Nunn
1960s–present
Early years[edit]
Nunn was born in Ipswich, England, to Dorothy May Piper and Robert Alexander Nunn, a cabinetmaker .[2] As a small boy he loved reading but his parents had little money for books. However an aunt had more books, including the complete works of Shakespeare which he read whenever the family visited her. In the end his aunt gave it to him.[3]
He was educated at Northgate Grammar School, Ipswich, and Downing College, Cambridge.[4] At Northgate, he had an inspiring English teacher, Peter Hewett, who also directed the school plays. Hewett encouraged him to sit the scholarship exam in Cambridge in the hope of studying under F. R. Leavis at Downing. Hewett also persuaded the headmaster to help with the cost of Nunn staying in Cambridge to take the exam. Nunn's father could not afford it and the headmaster had refused at first so Nunn was close to giving up.[3] At Downing, Nunn began his stage career and first met contemporaries Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi.[4] In 1962, he directed Macbeth for The Marlowe Society and he directed that year's Footlights.[5] He also won a director's scholarship, becoming a trainee director at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry.[4]
Personal life[edit]
Nunn has been married three times and has five children. He was married to actress Janet Suzman from 17 October 1969 until their divorce in 1986. They have one son, Joshua.[41][42] From 1986 until their 1991 divorce, he was married to Sharon Lee-Hill, with whom he has two children, Laurie and Amy.[43][44][45]
In 1994, he married actress Imogen Stubbs with whom he has two children, Ellie and Jesse.[46] In April 2011 Stubbs announced their separation.[45]
Nunn was in a brief relationship with Nancy Dell'Olio in 2011.[47][48]
In 1998, Nunn was named in a list of the biggest private financial donors to the Labour Party.[49] In 2002, he was knighted.[44]
In 2014, Nunn told The Telegraph that Shakespeare was his religion. "Shakespeare has more wisdom and insight about our lives, about how to live and how not to live, how to forgive and how to understand our fellow creatures, than any religious tract. One hundred times more than the Bible. I'm sorry to say that. But over and over again in the plays there is an understanding of the human condition that doesn't exist in religious books."[50]
Credits[edit]
Broadway[edit]
Source: Internet Broadway Database[51]