David Hemmings in Blowup

David Hemmings (18 November 1941 – 3 December 2003) was an English movie actor and director, whose most famous role was the photographer in Michelangelo Antonioni's Blowup in 1966 (opposite Vanessa Redgrave), one of the films that best represented the spirit of the 1960s. Although initially an attractive leading man, he was increasingly cast as a villain in the latter stages of his career, when his waistline expanded and his looks deteriorated. Image File history File links Hemmings_blowup. ... Image File history File links Hemmings_blowup. ... Blowup (also rendered as Blow-Up) is an award-winning 1966 British-Italian art film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, his first English language film. ... is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... is the 337th day of the year (338th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... This is a list of notable photographers in the art, documentary and fashion traditions. ... Michelangelo Antonioni (born September 29, 1912) is an Italian modernist film director whose films are widely considered as some of the most influential in film aesthetics. ... Blowup (also rendered as Blow-Up) is an award-winning 1966 British-Italian art film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, his first English language film. ... Vanessa Redgrave, CBE (born 30 January 1937) is an Academy Award winning English actress and member of the Redgrave family, one of the enduring theatrical dynasties. ...

Career

Early performances

Born in Guildford, Surrey, he started his career as a boy soprano, appearing in several works by Benjamin Britten, who formed a close friendship with him at this time. Most notably, he created the role of Miles in the opera Turn of the Screw. Hemmings' intimate, yet innocent, relationship with Britten is described in John Bridcut's Britten's Children. Not to be confused with Guilford. ... Should not be confused with Surry. ... Look up soprano in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH (November 22, 1913 Lowestoft, Suffolk - December 4, 1976 Aldeburgh, Suffolk) was a British composer, conductor, and pianist. ... The Turn of the Screw is a little-known 20th century English opera composed by Benjamin Britten, based on the novel The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. ... Brittens Children book cover Britten’s Children is a scholarly 2006 book by John Bridcut that describes the English composer Benjamin Britten’s love for a continuous series of adolescent boys throughout his life. ...

Film and television work

Hemmings then moved on to an acting and directing career in the cinema. He made his first film appearance in 1954, but it was in the mid-sixties that he first became well known as a pin-up and film star. Antonioni, who detested the "Method" way of acting, sought to find a fresh young face for the lead in his next production. It was then that he found Hemmings, at the time acting in small stage theatre in London. Following Blowup, Hemmings appeared in a string of major British films, including Camelot (1967), The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968) and Alfred the Great (1969) (in which he played the title role). In keeping with his standing as a 1960s icon, he also appeared in Barbarella. Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play. ... Michelangelo Antonioni (born September 29, 1912 in Ferrara, Italy) is an Italian film director, writer and painter. ... The 1960 Original Broadway cast recording album cover Camelot is a 1960 musical play by Alan Jay Lerner (book and lyrics) and Frederic Loewe (music). ... The Charge of the Light Brigade is the name of several movies that cover the disastrous attack known as the Charge of the Light Brigade that occurred during the Crimean War. ... Barbarella, also known as Barbarella, Queen of the Galaxy is a 1968 erotic science fiction film, based on the French Barbarella comic book created by Jean-Claude Forest. ...

Ca. 1967 Hemmings was also briefly considered for the role of Alex in a planned film version of Anthony Burgess' controversial novel A Clockwork Orange which was to be based on a screen treatment by satirist Terry Southern and British photographer Michael Cooper. Cooper and The Rolling Stones were reportedly upset by the move and it was decided to return to the original plan in which Mick Jagger would play Alex, with the rest of The Rolling Stones as his droog gang, but the production was shelved after Britain's chief censor, the Lord Chamberlain, indicated that he would not permit it to be made. ^[1] Another (Italian) cult movie in which Hemmings was a pianista involved in a serial killer story is the 1975 thriller Profondo Rosso (also known as Deep Red or The Hatchet Murders) directed by Dario Argento. Clockwork Orange redirects here. ... Terry Southern (May 1, 1924 – October 29, 1995) was a highly influential American short story writer, novelist, essayist, screenwriter and university lecturer. ... Michael Cooper (1951-1973) was a British photographer who is best known for his photographs of leading rock musicians of the 1960s and early 1970s, most notably the many photos he took of The Rolling Stones in the mid-1960s. ... Sir Michael Phillip Mick Jagger CBE (born July 26, 1943) is an English rock musician, actor, songwriter, record and film producer and businessman. ... “Rolling Stones” redirects here. ... Droog has multiple meanings: Droog is a term in Nadsat, a made-up language in A Clockwork Orange. ... The Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom, and is to be distinguished from the Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the Great Officers of State. ... Profondo Rosso (also known as Deep Red or The Hatchet Murders) is a 1975 giallo thriller film directed by Dario Argento and starring David Hemmings. ... Dario Argento (born September 7, 1940) is an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter. ...

In 1978 Hemmings directed David Bowie and Marlene Dietrich in Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo (also known as Just a Gigolo). The film was poorly received, Bowie describing it as "my 32 Elvis Presley movies rolled into one".^[2] Hemmings directed a film version of James Herbert's novel The Survivor, starring Robert Powell and Jenny Agutter, in 1981. Throughout the 1980s he also worked extensively as a director on television programmes including Magnum, p.i. (in which he also played characters in several episodes), The A-Team and Airwolf, in which he also played the role of Dr. Charles Henry Moffett, Airwolf's twisted creator, in the Pilot and the fan favourite second season episode 'Moffett's Ghost'. He once joked, "People thought I was dead. But I wasn't. I was just directing The A-Team." In 1984 he directed the puzzle contest video Money Hunt: The Mystery of the Missing Link. David Bowie (IPA: []) (born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger and audio engineer. ... Marlene Dietrich IPA: ; (December 27, 1901 – May 6, 1992) was a German-born actress, singer, and entertainer. ... Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo (also known as Just a Gigolo) is a 1979 movie starring David Bowie, Sydne Rome, Marlene Dietrich and Kim Novak. ... Elvis Aron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), often known simply as Elvis and also called The King of Rock n Roll or simply The King, was an American singer, musician and actor. ... James Herbert (born 8 April 1943, London) is a best selling English horror writer known for his simple yet compelling sensationalist novels, which are notable for their use of horrific set pieces. ... Robert Powell (born June 1, 1944), is a well-known English television and film actor, known for the title role in Jesus of Nazareth and as the fictional secret agent Richard Hannay. ... Jennifer Ann Agutter (born December 20, 1952) is an English actress. ... Magnum, P.I. was an American television show that followed the adventures of Thomas Magnum (played by Tom Selleck), a private investigator living in Hawaii. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Airwolf was an American television series that ran from 1984 through 1986. ... Dr. Charles Henry Moffett is a fictional character in the tv series Airwolf. ...

In 1992 he returned to the voyeuristic preoccupations of his Blowup character with a plum part as the Big Brother-esque villain in the season three opener for Tales From the Crypt. In later years, he had roles in the blockbuster movie Gladiator (2000), with Russell Crowe, and Last Orders (2001). One of his final film appearances was a cameo role in the cult hit, Equilibrium (2002), shortly before his death. Big Sister may refer to: Big Brother as portrayed in the BBCs 1954 production of Nineteen Eighty-Four. ... Tales from the Crypt can refer to: the television series Tales from the Crypt the film Tales from the Crypt the comic book Tales from the Crypt, published by EC Comics during the 1950s. ... Gladiator is a 2000 movie directed by Ridley Scott, and starring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix. ... Russell Ira Crowe (born April 7, 1964) is an Academy Award-winning New Zealand-Australian[1] film actor. ... Last Orders is a film based on the Graham Swift novel Last Orders. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Equilibrium is a 2002 action/science fiction film written and directed by Kurt Wimmer. ...

Music

In 1967 Hemmings recorded a pop single ("Back Street Mirror", written by Gene Clark) and an album, David Hemmings Happens, in Los Angeles. The album featured instrumental backing by several members of the Byrds, and was produced by Byrds mentor Jim Dickinson. Hemmings also later provided the narration for Rick Wakeman's prog rock adaptation of Jules Verne's Journey to the Centre of the Earth. In 1975 he starred as Bertie Wooster in the short-lived Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Jeeves. Hemmings also managed the career of Canadian rocker Pat Travers during the latter half of the 1970's. For other uses, see Gene Clark (disambiguation). ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... The Byrds (formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964) were an American rock band. ... Jim Dickinson is an American record producer, pianist and singer. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The progressive rock band Yes performing in 1977. ... Jules Gabriel Verne (February 8, 1828–March 24, 1905) was a French author who pioneered the science-fiction genre. ... Journey To The Centre Of The Earth is Rick Wakemans second solo album, released in 1974. ... Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is a highly successful English composer of musical theatre, and also the elder brother of Julian Lloyd Webber. ... Jeeves (1975) a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Alan Ayckbourn, based on the novels of P.G. Wodehouse. ... Patrick Henry Travers (born April 12, 1954) a native of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a Hendrix-influenced guitarist who began putting out albums on Polydor Records in the mid 1970s. ...

Personal life

Living up to his glamorous image, Hemmings married four times, the most famous of his wives being the Fort Worth, Texas-born actress and long-term British resident, Gayle Hunnicutt, mother of his son, Nolan Hemmings. Nickname: Motto: Where the West Begins Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: , Country United States State Texas Counties Tarrant and Denton Government  - Mayor Michael J. Moncrief Area  - City  298. ... Gayle Hunnicutt, Lady Jenkins (born February 6, 1943 in Fort Worth, Texas) is an American actress. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Death

In December 2003, Hemmings died of a heart attack, in Romania, on the film set of Blessed, (working title Samantha's Child) after playing his scenes for the day. He was 62. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI or MI), more commonly known as a heart attack, is a disease state that occurs when the blood supply to a part of the heart is interrupted. ...

Appearances in popular culture

He was mentioned twice in the Monty Python's Flying Circus TV show (series 1, episode 8 - "Full Frontal Nudity"). The first time was at the beginning of the episode with the caption "In this performance the part of David Hemmings will be played by a piece of wood", the second time being at the end of the episode with the voice over "David Hemmings appeared by permission of the National Forestry Commission." This article discusses the series itself. ...

Further reading

David Hemmings' autobiography Blow Up... and Other Exaggerations

David Hemmings (2004). Blow Up... and Other Exaggerations: The Autobiography of David Hemmings. ISBN 1-86105-789-X. Image File history File linksMetadata Hemmings. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Hemmings. ...

Notes

Not to be confused with the Canadian music magazine Music Express The New Musical Express (better known as the NME) is a Popular music magazine in the United Kingdom which has been published weekly since March 1952. ... September 13 is the 256th day of the year (257th in leap years). ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ...

External links

• David Hemmings at the Internet Movie Database
• David Hemmings at Find-A-Grave
• Obituary by Tim Pulleine (5 December 2005). The Guardian
• A collection of pictures taken on the set of Blowup