| Code | DS/UK/21138 |
| Name | Ainley; Henry (1879-1945); English actor |
| Variations of Name | Henry Hinchcliffe Ainley |
| Dates | 21 August 1879-31 October 1945 |
| Gender | Male (cisgender) |
| Place of Birth/Origin | Leeds, England (born) |
| Relationships | Son of Richard Ainley (cloth finisher) and Ada Hinchliffe
Former spouse of Susanne Sheldon, Elaine Fearon and Bettina Riddle (Baroness von Hutten zum Stolzenberg, novelist)
Father of Henry T Ainley (actor), Richard Ainley (actor), Anthony Ainley (actor), Sam Ainley, Timothy Ainley and Henrietta Riddle (who was briefly engaged to Alistair Cooke)
Likely former partner of Laurence Olivier |
| Biography | Henry Hinchliffe Ainley was an English Shakespearean stage and screen actor. He made his professional stage début in F. R. Benson's company as a messenger in Macbeth. He remained with Benson for 2 years, making his London début at the Lyceum Theatre as the Duke of Gloster to Benson's king in Henry V.
After his first Shakespeare roles Ainley returned to Leeds to play at the Grand Theatre. Later roles included Oliver Cromwell, Mark Antony in Julius Caesar and Macbeth himself. He played Malvolio (1912) and Leontes under the direction of Granville-Barker and portrayed Hamlet several times, including a 1930 production that was chosen for a Royal Command Performance. |