Christopher Morahan (born 9 July 1929 in London) is an English stage and television director and a producing manager, the son of Thomas Hugo Morahan and his wife Nancy Charlotte (Barker). After the death of his first wife Joan Murray, he married actress Anna Carteret and they have one child Hattie Morahan.

He was educated at Highgate School in London and trained for the stage at the Old Vic Theatre School with Michel Saint-Denis, and designer Margaret Harris and theatre director George Devine.

Television career

Initially an actor, he was subsequently a television director from 1957, starting with the long-running ITV series Emergency Ward 10.

From 1972 to 1976 he was Head of Plays for BBC Television, responsible for productions including Frederic Raphael's The Glittering Prizes (1976); Just Another Saturday (which won the Italia Prize); 84 Charing Cross Road (1975); and The Chester Mystery Cycle.

He has also directed:

• Talking to a Stranger (BBC 1966)
• Uncle Vanya (1970)
• Old Times
• Fathers and Families (BBC series 1977)
• The Jewel in the Crown (Granada 1984)
• In the Secret State (1985)
• The Heat of the Day (1989)
• Ashenden (1991)
• Unnatural Pursuits (Simon Gray two-part play, 1992)
• A Dance to the Music of Time (eight-part mini-series 1997)

Films include:

• Diamonds for Breakfast (1968)
• All Neat in Black Stockings (1969)
• Clockwise (1986)
• After Pilkington (BBC 1987)
• Troubles (1988)
• Paper Mask (1990)
• Element of Doubt (1996)

Theatre career

Morahan joined the National Theatre in 1977 as Deputy Director and was appointed Co-Director of the Olivier Theatre.

His first stage production was Jules Feiffer's Little Murders for the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Aldwych Theatre in July 1967, starring Brenda Bruce, Barbara Jefford, Derek Godfrey and Roland Curram.

Since then he has directed the following plays:

• This Story of Yours (John Hopkins), Royal Court (December 1968)
• Flint (David Mercer), Criterion Theatre (May 1970)
• The Caretaker (Harold Pinter), starring Leonard Rossiter at the Mermaid Theatre (March 1972)
• State of Revolution (Robert Bolt), National Lyttelton (1977)
• Sir Is Winning (Shane Connaughton), National Cottesloe (1977)
• The Lady from Maxim’s (Georges Feydeau), National Lyttelton (1977)
• Brand Ibsen), National Olivier (1978)
• The Philanderer (Shaw), National Lyttelton (1978)
• Strife (John Galsworthy, National Olivier(1978)
• The Fruits of Enlightenment (Tolstoy), National Olivier (1979)
• Richard III, National Olivier (1979)
• The Wild Duck (Ibsen), Nartional Olivier (1979)
• Line ‘Em (Nigel Williams), National Cottesloe (1980)
• Man and Superman (Shaw), National Olivier (1980)
• Wild Honey (Chekhov/Michael Frayn), National Lyttelton (Evening Standard Best Director Award, 1984) and New York (1986)
• Melon (Simon Gray), Theatre Royal Haymarket, (1987)
• The Devil's Disciple (Shaw), National Olivier, (1994)
• A Letter of Resignation (Hugh Whitemore)'', Comedy Theatre (October 1997)
• Ugly Rumours (Tariq Ali/Howard Brenton), Tricycle Theatre, Kilburn (November 1998)
• Semi-Detached (David Turner), Chichester Festival Theatre (May 1999)
• The Importance of Being Earnest (Wilde), Chichester Festival Theatre and Theatre Royal Haymarket (1999)
• Quartet (Ronald Harwood), Albery Theatre (September 1999)
• Heartbreak House (Shaw), Chichester (May 2000)
• Naked Justice (John Mortimer), West Yorkshire Playhouse and tour, (January 2001)
• The Importance of Being Earnest (Wilde), Savoy Theatre (2001)
• The Dwarfs (Harold Pinter novel adapted by Kerry Lee Crabbe), Tricycle (April 2003)
• The Linden Tree (J B Priestley), Orange Tree Theatre (February 2006)
• Legal Fictions double bill: The Dock Brief and Edwin (John Mortimer) Richmond Theatre and touring (November 2007)

References

• Who’s Who in the Theatre 17th edition, Gale (1981) ISBN 0810302157
• The National: The Theatre and its Work 1963-1997 by Simon Callow, Nick Hern Books/NT (1997) ISBN 1854593234
• Theatre Record and Theatre Record annual indexes
• Halliwell’s Television Companion, Third edition, Grafton (1986) ISBN 0246128380
• Halliwell’s Who’s Who in the Movies, Fourth edition, ed John Walker, HarperCollins (2006) ISBN 0007169574

External links

• Christopher Morahan at the Internet Movie Database