Devine, George Alexander Cassady

Devine, George Alexander Cassady (1910–65), English actor and theatre director, who made his professional début in 1932 and later joined Gielgud's company at the Queen's Theatre. He was on the staff of the London Theatre Studio founded by Michel Saint-Denis, 1936–9. After six years in the army he joined Saint-Denis at the Old Vic school, being also a director of the Young Vic company. In 1954 he gave an outstanding performance as Tesman in Ibsen's Hedda Gabler to the Hedda of Peggy Ashcroft, and in 1955 at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre directed an interesting King Lear with décor by the Japanese artist Isamu Noguchi. A year later he was appointed Artistic Director of the newly formed English Stage Company. In addition to directing a number of plays for it he gave some fine performances, particularly as Mr Shu Fu in Brecht's The Good Woman of Setzuan (1956), Mr Pinchwife in Wycherley's The Country Wife, and the Old Man in Ionesco's The Chairs (both 1957). In 1966 a George Devine Award was instituted in his memory to provide financial encouragement to young workers in the theatre.