James Hazeldine

James Anthony Hazeldine (4 April 1947 – 17 December 2002) was a British television, stage and film actor and director. Early life Hazeldine was born the son of a dustman in Salford, Lancashire, where he grew up on a council estate. As a child, he became obsessed with the films of director Elia Kazan. At the age of 11, he found out that Kazan had started his career as an actor and stage manager, he decided to do the same. Following the death of his mother, he left school when he was 15. He was accepted as a student assistant stage manager at Salford Repertory where he soon started taking on small acting roles. Seasons at Liverpool Playhouse, Newcastle Playhouse and Manchester Library Theatre followed. Stage work At the age of 20, Hazeldine made his London debut at the Royal Court Theatre in Sloane Square. Initially hired to understudy as Cliff in Look Back In Anger, Hazeldine soon started taking on small roles in Edward Bond's Narrow Road to the Deep North and Early Morning. He worked constantly at the Royal Court during the 1969–1970 season. Spotting Hazeldine's potential, Peter Gill then cast him in his play Over Gardens Out and went on to direct him in Crete and Sergeant Pepper by John Antrobus. Although Hazeldine was rarely cast in starring roles, he became noted as an exceptionally honest and truthful actor who after his inductory season at the Royal Court was regularly seen in new plays, e.g. The Old Ones by Arnold Wesker, The Foursome by EA Whitehead and Cato Street by Peter Gill. In 1981 he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company for a season to appear in productions of Troilus and Cressida, Timon of Athens, Richard III and Edward Bond's play The Fool.