George Devine - Early Life and Education

Early Life and Education

Devine was born in Hendon, London. His father, Georgios Devine, a clerk in Martin's Bank, was the son of an Irish father and a Greek mother, and his mother, Ruth Eleanor Cassady, came from Vancouver, Canada. His mother became mentally unstable after Devine's birth, and his parents' marriage, deeply unhappy throughout his early childhood, had broken down by the time he was in his early teens. At this time he was sent to Clayesmore School, an independent boys boarding school founded by his uncle Alexander Devine, known as Lex, who took his nephew under his wing and hoped that he would take over the running of the school. In 1929 Devine went up to Oxford University to read for a degree in history at Wadham College. It was at Oxford that his interest in theatre, which had begun at school, came to fruition, and in 1931 he became the President of the prestigious Oxford University Dramatic Society, or OUDS. In early 1932, he invited the young actor John Gielgud to direct a production of Romeo and Juliet, and, as the OUDS did not admit women, Peggy Ashcroft and Edith Evans were invited to play Juliet and the Nurse. Gielgud insisted on having the costumes designed by Motley, a newly formed theatre-design team consisting of Sophie Harris, her sister Margaret Harris (known as Percy) and Elizabeth Montgomery. The great success of the production encouraged Devine to abandon his degree before sitting his finals and to move to London to begin an acting career. He also worked for the Motleys as their business manager.