Harrogate born, Bradford Jewish actor, director and writer Nikolas Simmonds.

Nikolas Simmonds was an actor, writer and director. He was born in Harrogate, North Yorkshire on 12th February 1948. Along with his older brother Stefan, Nikolas moved to West Yorkshire in 1958, when his father moved the family to Bradford, while running a camera shop in nearby Halifax.

Although originally an artist, he garnered greater success on the stage and screen. He began his time in the theatre performing under the directorship of Charles Marowitz in the title role of his collage version of the Open Space Company’s production of Macbeth. So impressed was Marowitz with his stagecraft and performance, that he offered Simmonds the role of Hamlet in their next production.

By 1976 he would become disillusioned with acting and would instead become a director. He directed at Bristol’s Old Vic Theatre, after enlisting on an Arts Council Young Directors course. This would then be followed up with a position at the National Theatre. In around 1983 he went to live in South Africa for six months, where he directed two plays, which were shown on South African television.

Simmonds would go onto write a number of books. These included How To Manage An Audition. In addition he would translate two Anton Chekhov plays, both of which were staged in the West End.

He taught at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London until 1994, when illness forced him to bow out. His brother Stefan a successful businessman and property owner still lives in West Yorkshire. Nikolas died on 14th October 2004, after suffering from the condition of narcolepsy compounded by cataplexy for many years.

More information in the Guardian Obituary of Nikolas Simmonds

To watch Nikolas in Days of Hope click on the frames below.

http://bradfordjewish.org.uk/nikolas-simmonds-1948-2004/