Stephen Haggard - Training and Career

Training and Career

After an initial foray into journalism, and determined to obtain some overseas experience, Haggard moved to Munich, where he studied for stage at the Munich State Theatres under Frau Magda Lena. He made his stage debut at the Schauspelhaus in October 1930 in the play Das Kluge Kind directed by Max Reinhardt. He later appeared as Hamlet at the same theatre.

Returning to the United Kingdom in 1931, Haggard's career path was initially discouraging: he received only small parts in various London plays and worked in repertory in Worthing. He undertook further study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. and subsequently received good notices when he played Silvius in Shakespeare's As You Like It in London in 1933. He was noticed by the playwright Clemence Dane and Haggard made his first appearance in New York in 1934 as the poet Thomas Chatterton in her play Come of Age. Returning to Britain, he had successful roles in a number of plays, including Flowers of the Forest, a production of Mazo de la Roche's Whiteoaks, and appeared as Konstantin in Chekhov's The Seagull, and was hailed as one of the most promising and handsome classical actors of the era.

Haggard married Morna Gillespie in September 1935, and they had three children, of whom one died young.

In 1938 Haggard returned to New York to reprise his role as Finch in "Whiteoaks", which he also directed. His novel Nya was published in the same year. He appeared as Mozart in the 1936 film Whom the Gods Love. The film was not a success, in part because Haggard was considered to be inexperienced and unknown. He also appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's 1939 film Jamaica Inn. He subsequently appeared as Lord Nelson in the 1942 Carol Reed film The Young Mr Pitt.