Michael Denison: A Legendary Light Comedy Actor
Michael Denison was a renowned light comedy actor who enjoyed a highly successful career on both stage and screen. He and his wife, actress Dulcie Gray, appeared in over 100 West End shows and had a marriage that lasted nearly sixty years, earning them a reputation as one of the happiest in British showbusiness.
Born in Doncaster, Denison was the son of a paint manufacturer and was raised by his aunt and her husband. He was educated at Harrow and Magdalen College, where he studied modern languages. Denison trained for the stage at Webber Douglas School in London, where he met and married Dulcie Gray in 1939.
During World War II, Denison served in the Royal Intelligence Corps. Upon his return to the theatre, his wife had already become a major film star in Britain. She secured him a role in the 1947 film My Brother Jonathan (1948),which was followed by their appearance together in The Glass Mountain (1949),an international hit.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the couple was a staple of the West End stage, attracting a loyal following. Denison also appeared solo with great success in the TV series Boyd Q.C. (1956-63).
On Broadway, Denison appeared in Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband, and shortly before his death, he and his wife appeared in a two-hander production, Curtain Up, in a London fringe theatre.
Denison published two volumes of memoirs, Overture and Beginners (1973) and Double Act (1985),and contributed many entries to the Dictionary of National Biography. He and Dulcie Gray were appointed CBE in 1983.
A true legend of light comedy, Michael Denison left an indelible mark on the world of entertainment.
