Robert Helpmann

Dancer, actor, choreographer, director and producer

• Born: April 9, 1909
• Birthplace: Mount Gambier, South Australia
• Died: September 28, 1986
• Place of death: Sydney, New South Wales

Also known as: Bobby Helpmann; Robert Murray Helpman

Education: Prince Alfred College (attended)

Significance: Sir Robert Helpmann was an Australian ballet dancer, actor, choreographer, producer and director. The South Australian became one of the premier male dancers in the burgeoning British ballet scene. His flamboyant personality and acting abilities led to a successful career in film, including a notable role in the family film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) and several ballet films. He was also an accomplished producer and director, overseeing numerous Australian and British stage productions and codirecting the Australian Ballet.

Background

Robert Murray Helpman was born to James Helpman, a British-born station agent, and Mary Gardiner in Gambier, South Australia, in 1909. His mother was an aspiring entertainer and helped instil in him an interest in the theatre arts. He attended school in Adelaide's Prince Alfred College but left school at the age of fourteen to pursue a career as a ballet dancer. His first stage appearance was at the Theatre Royal in Adelaide, where he performed as a solo dancer in The Ugly Duckling. In 1926 he joined Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova's touring company while it travelled through Australia. In 1927 he was selected to serve as the principal dancer in the Australian tour of the ballet Frasquita. He remained with the production's company, J. C. Williamson Ltd, for five years.

In 1931 British actress Margaret Rawlings, who was in Australia for a tour of The Barretts of Wimpole Street, was so impressed by one of Helpmann's performance that she offered him a small role in her own show. With a lack of consistent opportunities to perform in Australia, Rawlings encouraged Helpmann to move to London, England, where she introduced him to Dame Ninette de Valois, who directed the Vic-Wells Ballet. Around 1934, Helpmann added the extra n in his family name; various reasons for this change have been suggested, including that it made him appear more exotic.

Versatile Theatrical Talent

Robert Helpmann did not demonstrate what many of his London colleagues considered the characteristics of a classical dancer. However, what he lacked in grace he more than compensated with his dramatic and charismatic stage presence. Helpmann performed for seventeen years with Vic-Wells (which would evolve into Sadler's Wells Ballet and then the Royal Ballet), gradually rising through the company's ranks. He also established successful partnerships with others—among them Alicia Markova and Margot Fonteyn, both eventual prima ballerinas with the Royal Ballet.

Helpmann's strong personality, along with his desire to build on his interest in all entertainment media, led him to pursue acting and voice lessons in addition to honing his ballet skills. In 1937 he appeared on stage with Vivien Leigh in the Old Vic stage production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. He continued to build his acting career while commuting to London for ballet performances. Helpmann also used his opportunities in theatre not only to act but to direct. Beginning in 1942, with Vic-Wells choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton enlisted in military service, Helpmann stepped in to choreograph several major ballets.

In the 1940s Helpmann also built a presence on the silver screen. He acted in the 1942 film One of Our Aircraft is Missing, and in 1944 he joined Sir Lawrence Olivier in the film production of Henry V. While his acting in these works was well-received, it was a pair of ballet films that made him best known in international circles. In 1948 Helpmann landed the role of Ivan Boleslawski in the British dance film The Red Shoes, for which he also directed the choreography. The film illustrated to audiences the intensity of the world of ballet and won multiple Academy Awards and lasting acclaim. Tales of Hoffman (1950) was the next notable ballet film in which Helpmann featured.

Helpmann focused mainly on theatre in the 1950s. Among his works as a director during this period were Murder in the Cathedral by T. S. Eliot in 1953 and several works of Shakespeare from 1954 to 1957. He also acted in numerous Shakespearean and other works. He returned to Australia for the first time in over twenty years in 1955, touring with an Old Vic company featuring film legend Katharine Hepburn that produced three Shakespeare shows. He also toured in ballet performances in 1958. Helpmann also became involved in the young Australian Ballet, and in 1965 he became codirector of that company with Peggy van Praagh. While in that capacity, he successfully pursued the rights to transform the play The Merry Widow into a ballet, which was a critical success. During his tenure he also directed the 1970 Adelaide Festival of Arts. He became sole director of the Australian Ballet in 1975 but left the following year.

Helpmann's accomplishments in ballet, on stage and on screen endeared him to audiences and royalty alike. He was named the Australian of the Year for 1965. In 1968 Helpmann was knighted in recognition of his diverse contributions to theatre. He also continued to work into his later years, in all the capacities he had taken throughout his career. Among his best-known later acting roles was his appearance as the villainous Child Catcher in the 1968 children's fantasy classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. His last stage appearance came only months before his death in 1986.

Impact

Sir Robert Helpmann was considered by his early ballet mentors, his peers and audiences as a natural performer and entertainer. He helped foster the burgeoning Australian ballet scene both before and after advancing his own career overseas. Gifted not only as a dancer but also as an actor, choreographer and director, he left a mark on ballet, theatre and film alike. He received numerous awards and other recognition throughout his career and remains acknowledged as an important figure in Australian and British theatre. The Australian Entertainment Industry Association created the Helpmann Awards in 2001 to recognise excellence and achievement in Australian performing arts.

Personal Life

Helpmann lived in Sydney at the end of his career. In contrast to his showy public persona, he was guarded about his private life. He had a long relationship with Michael Benthall, with whom he lived in London. Helpmann died at the age of seventy-seven in 1986 after a long illness.

Principal Works

Ballet

The Ugly Duckling, 1922

Frasquita, 1927

The Barretts of Wimpole Street, 1932

Hamlet, 1942

Film

One of Our Aircraft Is Missing, 1942

Henry V, 1944

The Red Shoes, 1948

Tales of Hoffmann, 1950

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, 1968

Bibliography

Basler, Barbara. "Sir Robert Helpmann Is Dead; A Dancer, Actor and Director." The New York Times, 29 Sept. 1986, www.nytimes.com/1986/09/29/obituaries/sir-robert-helpmann-is-dead-a-dancer-actor-and-director.html. Accessed 13 Nov. 2017.

Denton, Meg. "Sir Robert Helpmann, CBE." Adelaidia, 17 Sept. 2014, adelaidia.sa.gov.au/people/sir-robert-helpmann-cbe. Accessed 13 Nov. 2017.

Sexton, Christopher. "Helpmann, Sir Robert Murray (1909–1986)." Australian Dictionary of Biography, 2007, adb.anu.edu.au/biography/helpmann-sir-robert-murray-12620. Accessed 13 Nov. 2017.

"Sir Robert Helpmann." Helpmann Awards, 2017, www.helpmannawards.com.au/history/sir-robert-helpmann. Accessed 13 Nov. 2017.

"Sir Robert Helpmann CBE." Australian of the Year Awards, NADC, 2017, www.australianoftheyear.org.au/honour-roll/?view=fullView&recipientID=65. Accessed 13 Nov. 2017.

Van Straten, Frank. "Sir Robert Helpmann OBE 1909–1986." Live Performance Australia Hall of Fame, 2007, liveperformance.com.au/halloffame/roberthelpmann1.html. Accessed 13 Nov. 2017.