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{{short description|British RAF officer, actor and theatre manager}}
{{Short description|British RAF officer, actor and theatre manager (1896–1979)}}
{{About|the actor, theatre director and RAF officer|the British Army General|Ronald Forbes Adam}}
{{About|the actor, theatre director and RAF officer|the British Army general|Ronald Forbes Adam}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Ronald Adam
| name = Ronald Adam
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=UK|OBE}}
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=UK|size=100|OBE}}
| image = Actor_Ronald_Adam.gif
| image = Actor_Ronald_Adam.gif
| imagesize =
| imagesize =
Line 11: Line 11:
| birth_name = Ronald George Hinings Adams
| birth_name = Ronald George Hinings Adams
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1896|12|31}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1896|12|31}}
| birth_place = [[Bromyard]], [[Herefordshire]], [[England]], [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|UK]]
| birth_place = [[Bromyard]], [[Herefordshire]], England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|1979|3|28|1896|12|31}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|1979|3|28|1896|12|31}}
| death_place = [[London]], England, UK
| death_place = [[London]], England
| othername =
| othername =
| occupation =
| occupation = Actor
| yearsactive = 1914–1978
| yearsactive = 1914–1978
| spouse = Tanzi Cutava Barozzi<br>Allyne Dorothy Franks
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* Tanzi Cutava Barozzi
* Allyne Dorothy Franks
}}
| domesticpartner =
| domesticpartner =
| website =
| website =
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| embed = yes
| embed = yes
| embed_title = Military career
| embed_title = Military career
| allegiance = [[United Kingdom]]
| allegiance = United Kingdom
| branch = {{unbulleted list|{{army|United Kingdom}}<br/>{{smaller|(1914-{{circa|1917}})}}|[[File:Flag of the Royal Flying Corps.svg|20px]] [[Royal Flying Corps]]<br/>{{smaller|({{circa|1917}}-1918)}}|{{air force|United Kingdom}}<br/>{{smaller|(1918; 1939–1945)}} }}
| branch = {{unbulleted list|[[British Army]]<br/>{{smaller|(1914–{{circa|1917}})}}|[[Royal Flying Corps]]<br/>{{smaller|({{circa|1917}}-1918)}}|[[Royal Air Force]]<br/>{{smaller|(1918; 1939–1945)}} }}
| serviceyears = {{bulleted list|1914–1918 {{smaller|(WWI)}}|1939–1945 {{smaller|(WWII)}}}}
| serviceyears = 1914–1918<br/>1939–1945
| rank = [[Wing commander]]
| rank = [[Wing commander]]
⚫
| awards = [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]]
| awards = {{unbulleted list|[[File:Order of the British Empire (Military) Ribbon.png|50px]] [[Order of the British Empire|Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (1946)|[[File:1939-45 Star & Battle of Britain clasp.png|50px]] [[1939–1945 Star]]|[[File:Defence Medal BAR.svg|50px]] [[Defence Medal (United Kingdom)|Defence Medal]]|[[File:Ribbon - War Medal.png|50px]] [[War Medal 1939–1945|War Medal]]}}
| unit = {{bulleted list|[[No. 18 Squadron RAF|No. 18 Squadron]]|[[No. 44 Squadron RAF|No. 44 Squadron]]|[[No. 73 Squadron]]}}
| unit = {{unbulleted list|[[No. 18 Squadron RAF|No. 18 Squadron]]|[[No. 44 Squadron RAF|No. 44 Squadron]]|[[No. 73 Squadron]]}}
| servicenumber = 76367
| servicenumber = 76367
| battles = {{bulleted list|[[World War I]]|[[World War II]]|[[Battle of Britain]]}}
| battles =
{{tree list}}
* [[World War I]]
* [[World War II]]
** [[Battle of Britain]]
{{tree list/end}}
| website = {{URL|https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/50042/Adams-Ronald-George-Hinings.htm|Profile at Traces of War}}
}}
}}
}}
}}
'''Ronald George Hinings Adams''' {{post-nominals|country=UK|OBE}} (31 December 1896 – 28 March 1979), known professionally as '''Ronald Adam''', was a British officer of the [[Royal Flying Corps|RFC]] and [[Royal Air Force|RAF]], an actor on stage and screen, and a successful theatre manager.
'''Ronald George Hinings Adams''', {{post-nominals|country=UK|size=100|OBE}} (31 December 1896 – 28 March 1979), known professionally as '''Ronald Adam''', was a British officer of the [[Royal Flying Corps]] and [[Royal Air Force]], an actor on stage and screen, and a successful theatre manager.


==Early life==
==Early life==
Adam was born in [[Bromyard]], [[Herefordshire]] on 31 December 1896, the son of Blake Adams and his wife Mona Robin. His parents and grandparents were all in the theatrical profession. He was educated at [[University College School]].<ref name=ww>[https://archive.org/stream/dramaticlistwhos007920mbp#page/n209/mode/2up Who's Who in the Theatre: Adam, Ronald]</ref>
Adam was born in [[Bromyard]], [[Herefordshire]], on 31 December 1896, the son of Blake Adams and his wife Mona Robin. His parents and grandparents were all in the theatrical profession. He was educated at [[University College School]].<ref name=ww>[https://archive.org/stream/dramaticlistwhos007920mbp#page/n209/mode/2up Who's Who in the Theatre: Adam, Ronald]</ref>


==First World War==
==First World War==
When still only 17 years old Adams volunteered to join the [[British Army]] on the outbreak of the [[First World War]]. On 2 December 1914 he was commissioned as a temporary [[Second Lieutenant]] in the 15th (Reserve) Battalion of the [[Middlesex Regiment]]. Adams soon transferred to the [[Royal Flying Corps]] (RFC) and served as an observer with [[No. 18 Squadron RAF|No. 18 Squadron]] in France, before returning home to re-train as a pilot.
When still only 17 years old, Adams volunteered to join the [[British Army]] on the outbreak of the [[World War I|First World War]]. On 2 December 1914, he was [[Commission (document)|commissioned]] as a temporary [[second lieutenant]] in the 15th (Reserve) Battalion of the [[Middlesex Regiment]]. Adams soon transferred to the [[Royal Flying Corps]] (RFC) and served as an observer with [[No. 18 Squadron RAF|No. 18 Squadron]] in France, before returning home to re-train as a pilot.
Once qualified as a pilot, Adams remained in [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Britain]] and flew [[Sopwith Camel]]s with [[No. 44 Squadron RAF|No. 44 Squadron]] on [[Home Defence]] duties. The squadron was based at Hainault Farm aerodrome in [[Essex]] and was pioneering the use of night-fighters against [[Zeppelin]] raids on [[London]].
Once qualified as a pilot, Adams remained in [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Britain]] and flew [[Sopwith Camel]]s with [[No. 44 Squadron RAF|No. 44 Squadron]] on home defence duties. The squadron was based at Hainault Farm aerodrome in [[Essex]] and was pioneering the use of night-fighters against [[Zeppelin]] raids on [[London]]. He was then posted back to [[Western Front (World War I)|France]], still on Sopwith Camels, to [[No. 73 Squadron]], at [[Champien]].
He was then posted back to [[Western Front (World War I)|France]], still on Sopwith Camels, to [[No. 73 Squadron]], at [[Champien]].


On 1 April 1918, the Royal Flying Corps amalgamated with the [[Royal Naval Air Service]] (RNAS) to become the [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF), but Adams had barely had time to get used to the new title before he was shot down, on 7 April 1918, near [[Villers-Bretonneux]] in Northern [[France]], either by [[Hans Kirschstein]], or possibly [[Manfred von Richthofen]] and captured. Adams was badly wounded in the engagement and on the evening of his capture he was visited by a German orderly who passed on the compliments of von Richthofen. Adams spent eight months in hospitals and prison camps before he was repatriated on 17 December 1918.<ref name=imdb>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0010580/bio IMDb biography]</ref><ref name=guttman>{{cite book| title=Sopwith Camel Vs Fokker Dr I: Western Front 1917-18 |author= Jon Guttman |year=2008 |publisher= Osprey Publishing |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Qswwiv7No80C&q=camel+fokker+adams+circus&pg=PA58 | isbn=978-1-84603-293-6}}</ref>
On 1 April 1918, the Royal Flying Corps amalgamated with the [[Royal Naval Air Service]] (RNAS) to become the [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF), but Adams had barely had time to get used to the new title before he was shot down, on 7 April 1918, near [[Villers-Bretonneux]] in Northern [[France]], either by [[Hans Kirschstein]], or possibly [[Manfred von Richthofen]] and [[Prisoner of war|captured]]. Adams was badly wounded in the engagement and on the evening of his capture he was visited by a German orderly who passed on the compliments of von Richthofen. Adams spent eight months in hospitals and [[Prisoner-of-war camp|prison camps]] before he was repatriated on 17 December 1918.<ref name=imdb>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0010580/bio IMDb biography]</ref><ref name=guttman>{{cite book| title=Sopwith Camel Vs Fokker Dr I: Western Front 1917–18 |author= Jon Guttman |year=2008 |publisher= Osprey Publishing |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Qswwiv7No80C&q=camel+fokker+adams+circus&pg=PA58 | isbn=978-1-84603-293-6}}</ref>


== Acting career==
== Acting career==
After the war he trained as a [[chartered accountant]], but his interest moved to theatre. He dropped the final "s" from his surname and adopted the stage name "Ronald Adam".
After the war, he trained as a [[chartered accountant]], but his interest moved to theatre. He dropped the final "s" from his surname and adopted the stage name "Ronald Adam". From 1924 to 1926, he was engaged as manager for [[Leslie Henson]] and [[Dion Titheradge]], and at the [[Little Theatre in the Adelphi|Little]], [[Her Majesty's Theatre|His Majesty's]], and [[Novello Theatre|Strand]] theatres. He entered on the management of the [[Embassy Theatre (London)|Embassy Theatre]], in April 1932, with the production of ''Madame Pepita'', and made over 150 new productions and revivals from 1932 to 1939. Thirty of his productions were transferred to various [[West End theatre]]s, including
From 1924 to 1926, he was engaged as manager for [[Leslie Henson]] and [[Dion Titheradge]], and at the [[Little Theatre in the Adelphi|Little]], [[Her Majesty's Theatre|His Majesty's]], and [[Novello Theatre|Strand]] theatres. He entered on the management of the [[Embassy Theatre (London)|Embassy Theatre]], in April 1932, with the production of ''Madame Pepita'', and made over 150 new productions and revivals from 1932 to 1939. Thirty of his productions were transferred to various West End theatres, including
''Ten Minute Alibi'', ''Close Quarters'', ''The Dominant Sex'', ''[[Professor Bernhardi]]'' and ''Judgment Day''.
''Ten Minute Alibi'', ''Close Quarters'', ''The Dominant Sex'', ''[[Professor Bernhardi]]'' and ''Judgment Day''.
He presented several plays on tour, and acted in many of them, both at the Embassy and on their transfer.<ref name=ww/>
He presented several plays on tour, and acted in many of them, both at the Embassy and on their transfer.<ref name=ww/>


He made his film debut with ''[[Strange Boarders]]'', ''[[The Drum (1938 film)|The Drum]]'' (both 1938) and ''[[Too Dangerous to Live]]'' (1939).<ref name=donnelley/><ref name=imdbfilms>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0010580/filmoyear IMDb films by year]</ref> Meanwhile, he continued with live theatre. At the [[Old Vic]] in June 1939 he played Lord Stagmantle in ''[[The Ascent of F6]]'' and at the [[Phoenix Theatre (London)|Phoenix]] in November 1939, Judge Tsankov in ''Judgment Day''. He was director of [[Howard & Wyndham Ltd|Howard and Wyndham]]'s Repertory Seasons in [[Edinburgh]] and [[Glasgow]], 1938–39.<ref name=ww/>
He made his film debut with ''[[Strange Boarders]]'', ''[[The Drum (1938 film)|The Drum]]'' (both 1938) and ''[[Too Dangerous to Live]]'' (1939).<ref name=donnelley/><ref name=imdbfilms>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0010580/filmoyear IMDb films by year]</ref> Meanwhile, he continued with live theatre. At the [[Old Vic]] in June 1939, he played Lord Stagmantle in ''[[The Ascent of F6]]'' and at the [[Phoenix Theatre (London)|Phoenix]] in November 1939, Judge Tsankov in ''Judgment Day''. He was director of [[Howard & Wyndham Ltd|Howard and Wyndham]]'s Repertory Seasons in [[Edinburgh]] and [[Glasgow]], 1938–39.<ref name=ww/>


==Second World War==
==Second World War==
On the outbreak of the [[Second World War]] Adam rejoined the RAF as a [[wing commander]] and served from 1939 to 1945. During the [[Battle of Britain]] in the summer of 1940 he was the Fighter Controller for the [[RAF Hornchurch|Hornchurch]] sector. It was Adam's job to co-ordinate the [[RAF Fighter Command|fighter command]] interceptions by using data gathered by radar and ground observers and then to dispatch fighters to intercept.There exists brief film footage of him in this role and can often be seen in documentaries on the war in the air.<ref name=imdb/> [[Jeffrey Quill]], the distinguished Spitfire test pilot on attachment to 65 Squadron at Hornchurch during the Battle of Britain, wrote of Adam: 'Apart from being highly competent at the actual job, his voice had a quality of calm and unhesitating certainty. The contribution of such men to the outcome of the Battle of Britain was incalculable.'<ref>{{cite book |first=Jeffrey |last=Quill |title=Spitfire: a Test Pilot's Story |edition=Sixth |publisher=Crecy Publishing |year=2008 |page=190 }}</ref>
On the outbreak of the [[World War II|Second World War]], Adam rejoined the RAF as a [[pilot officer]],<ref>Ronald Adam, ''Readiness at Dawn'', Universal-Tandem Publishing Co., Ltd., UK, 1970, p. 5</ref> eventually rising to the rank of [[wing commander]] and served from 1939 to 1945. During the [[Battle of Britain]] in the summer of 1940, he was a Fighter Controller for the [[RAF Hornchurch|Hornchurch]] sector. It was Adam's job to co-ordinate the [[RAF Fighter Command|fighter command]] interceptions by using data gathered by radar and ground observers and then to dispatch fighters to intercept. There exists brief film footage of him in this role and can often be seen in documentaries on the war in the air.<ref name=imdb/> [[Jeffrey Quill]], the distinguished Spitfire test pilot on attachment to 65 Squadron at Hornchurch during the Battle of Britain, wrote of Adam: "Apart from being highly competent at the actual job, his voice had a quality of calm and unhesitating certainty. The contribution of such men to the outcome of the Battle of Britain was incalculable."<ref>{{cite book |first=Jeffrey |last=Quill |title=Spitfire: a Test Pilot's Story |edition=Sixth |publisher=Crecy Publishing |year=2008 |page=190 }}</ref>


During the war he continued to take part in films, for example as a German bomber chief in ''[[The Lion Has Wings]]'' (1939), as Mons. Besnard in ''[[At the Villa Rose (1940 film)|At the Villa Rose]]'' (1940) and as Sir Charles Fawcett in ''[[The Foreman Went to France]]'' (1942).<ref name=imdbfilms/>
During the war, he continued to take part in films, for example as a German bomber chief in ''[[The Lion Has Wings]]'' (1939), as Mons. Besnard in ''[[At the Villa Rose (1940 film)|At the Villa Rose]]'' (1940) and as Sir Charles Fawcett in ''[[The Foreman Went to France]]'' (1942).<ref name=imdbfilms/>


== Postwar period ==
== Postwar period ==
Adam was appointed an [[Order of the British Empire|Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in 1946.<ref name=donnelley/>
Adam was appointed an [[Order of the British Empire|Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in 1946.<ref name=donnelley/>


After 1946 he continued to act in live theatre. At the [[Garrick Theatre|Garrick]] in March 1950 he played Mr Gibb in ''Mr Gillie''.<ref name=ww/> He made his [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] debut in December 1951 in [[Antony and Cleopatra]] at the [[Ziegfeld Theatre (1927)|Ziegfeld Theatre]].<ref name=donnelley/> In 1954 he featured in [[William Douglas Home]]'s comedy ''[[The Manor of Northstead]]'' in the West End.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theatricalia.com/play/414/the-manor-of-northstead/production/p9x|title=Production of The Manor of Northstead &#124; Theatricalia|website=theatricalia.com}}</ref>
After 1946, he continued to act in live theatre. At the [[Garrick Theatre|Garrick]] in March 1950, he played Mr. Gibb in ''Mr. Gillie''.<ref name=ww/> He made his [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] debut in December 1951 in [[Antony and Cleopatra]] at the [[Ziegfeld Theatre (1927)|Ziegfeld Theatre]].<ref name=donnelley/> In 1954, he featured in [[William Douglas Home]]'s comedy ''[[The Manor of Northstead]]'' in the [[West End theatre|West End]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theatricalia.com/play/414/the-manor-of-northstead/production/p9x|title=Production of The Manor of Northstead &#124; Theatricalia|website=theatricalia.com}}</ref>


His main activity at this stage, however, was in film and television. From 1946 to 1978 he took part in over 140 film or television productions.<ref name=imdbfilms/> He portrayed the Group Controller in ''[[Angels One Five]]'', a 1952 British war film about the [[Battle of Britain]] (Adam reprised his actual wartime role as a fighter Controller).
His main activity at this stage, however, was in film and television. From 1946 to 1978, he took part in over 140 film or television productions.<ref name=imdbfilms/> He portrayed the Group Controller in ''[[Angels One Five]]'', a 1952 British war film about the [[Battle of Britain]]. Adam reprised his actual wartime role as a fighter controller.


==Selected filmography==
==Selected filmography==
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* ''[[Kate Plus Ten (film)|Kate Plus Ten]]'' (1938) as Police Chief
* ''[[Kate Plus Ten (film)|Kate Plus Ten]]'' (1938) as Police Chief
* ''[[Luck of the Navy]]'' (1938) as Enemy Ship's Captain (uncredited)
* ''[[Luck of the Navy]]'' (1938) as Enemy Ship's Captain (uncredited)
* ''[[Q Planes]]'' (1939) as Pollack - Aviation Engineer (uncredited)
* ''[[Q Planes]]'' (1939) as Pollack – Aviation Engineer (uncredited)
* ''[[Inspector Hornleigh (film)|Inspector Hornleigh]]'' (1939) as Wittens, Pheasant Inn Manager
* ''[[Inspector Hornleigh (film)|Inspector Hornleigh]]'' (1939) as Wittens, Pheasant Inn Manager
* ''[[Too Dangerous to Live]]'' (1939) as Murbridge / Wills
* ''[[Too Dangerous to Live]]'' (1939) as Murbridge / Wills
Line 112: Line 117:
* ''[[The Adventurers (1951 film)|The Adventurers]]'' (1951) as van Thaal Snr.
* ''[[The Adventurers (1951 film)|The Adventurers]]'' (1951) as van Thaal Snr.
* ''[[Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.]]'' (1951) as Adm. McCartney
* ''[[Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.]]'' (1951) as Adm. McCartney
* ''[[Hell is Sold Out]]'' (1951) as Specialist
* ''[[Hell Is Sold Out]]'' (1951) as Specialist
* ''[[Laughter in Paradise]]'' (1951) as Mr. Wagstaffe
* ''[[Laughter in Paradise]]'' (1951) as Mr. Wagstaffe
* ''[[The Lavender Hill Mob]]'' (1951) as Turner
* ''[[The Lavender Hill Mob]]'' (1951) as Turner
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* ''[[The Black Knight (film)|The Black Knight]]'' (1954) as The Abbot
* ''[[The Black Knight (film)|The Black Knight]]'' (1954) as The Abbot
* ''[[To Dorothy a Son]]'' (1954) as Parsons
* ''[[To Dorothy a Son]]'' (1954) as Parsons
* ''Thought to Kill'' (1954) as Gooch
* ''[[Tons of Trouble]]'' (1956) as Psychiatrist
* ''[[Tons of Trouble]]'' (1956) as Psychiatrist
* ''[[Private's Progress]]'' (1956) as Doctor at Medical
* ''[[Private's Progress]]'' (1956) as Doctor at Medical
Line 150: Line 154:
* ''[[The Surgeon's Knife]]'' (1957) as Maj. Tilling
* ''[[The Surgeon's Knife]]'' (1957) as Maj. Tilling
* ''[[The Naked Truth (1957 film)|The Naked Truth]]'' (1957) as Chemist (uncredited)
* ''[[The Naked Truth (1957 film)|The Naked Truth]]'' (1957) as Chemist (uncredited)
* ''Woman and the Hunter'' (1957) as Insp. McGregor
* ''[[The Golden Disc]]'' (1958) as Mr. Dryden
* ''[[The Golden Disc]]'' (1958) as Mr. Dryden
* ''[[Carlton-Browne of the F.O.]]'' (1959) as Sir John Farthing
* ''[[Carlton-Browne of the F.O.]]'' (1959) as Sir John Farthing
Line 166: Line 169:
* ''[[Heavens Above!]]'' (1963) as Cabinet Minister #1 (uncredited)
* ''[[Heavens Above!]]'' (1963) as Cabinet Minister #1 (uncredited)
* ''[[The Haunting (1963 film)|The Haunting]]'' (1963) as Eldridge Harper
* ''[[The Haunting (1963 film)|The Haunting]]'' (1963) as Eldridge Harper
* ''[[Espionage (TV series)]]'' ('Do You Remember Leo Winters', episode) (1964) - Roger Upton
* ''[[Espionage (TV series)]]'' ('Do You Remember Leo Winters', episode) (1964) – Roger Upton
* ''[[The Tomb of Ligeia]]'' (1964) as Minister at Graveside
* ''[[The Tomb of Ligeia]]'' (1964) as Minister at Graveside
* ''[[Who Killed the Cat?]]'' (1966) as Gregory
* ''[[Who Killed the Cat?]]'' (1966) as Gregory
Line 172: Line 175:
* ''[[Zeppelin (film)|Zeppelin]]'' (1971) as Prime Minister
* ''[[Zeppelin (film)|Zeppelin]]'' (1971) as Prime Minister
* ''[[The Ruling Class (film)|The Ruling Class]]'' (1972) as Lord
* ''[[The Ruling Class (film)|The Ruling Class]]'' (1972) as Lord
* ''The Zoo Robbery'' (1973) as Zoologist
* The Man from Nowhere (1975) as George Harvey
* ''L'Amour en question'' (1978) as Le juge anglais (final film role)
{{div col end}}
{{div col end}}


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[[Category:1896 births]]
[[Category:1896 births]]
[[Category:1979 deaths]]
[[Category:1979 deaths]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Herefordshire]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
⚫
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:Middlesex Regiment officers]]
[[Category:Middlesex Regiment officers]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War I]]
⚫
[[Category:British World War I pilots]]
[[Category:British World War I prisoners of war]]
⚫
[[Category:English aviators]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male stage actors]]
[[Category:English male stage actors]]
[[Category:English aviators]]
[[Category:Male actors from Herefordshire]]
[[Category:British World War I pilots]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Herefordshire]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
⚫
[[Category:People educated at University College School]]
⚫
[[Category:People from Bromyard]]
⚫
[[Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War I]]
⚫
[[Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II]]
⚫
[[Category:Royal Air Force wing commanders]]
[[Category:Royal Flying Corps officers]]
[[Category:Royal Flying Corps officers]]
[[Category:Shot-down aviators]]
[[Category:Shot-down aviators]]
⚫
[[Category:British World War I prisoners of war]]
[[Category:World War I prisoners of war held by Germany]]
[[Category:World War I prisoners of war held by Germany]]
⚫
[[Category:Royal Air Force wing commanders]]
⚫
[[Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II]]
⚫
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
⚫
[[Category:People educated at University College School]]
⚫
[[Category:Male actors from Herefordshire]]
⚫
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]

Latest revision as of 02:11, 9 November 2024

This article is about the actor, theatre director and RAF officer. For the British Army general, see Ronald Forbes Adam.

Ronald Adam
OBE
in Green for Danger (1946)
Born
Ronald George Hinings Adams

(1896-12-31)31 December 1896
Bromyard, Herefordshire, England
Died28 March 1979(1979-03-28) (aged 82)
London, England
OccupationActor
Years active1914–1978
Spouses
  • Tanzi Cutava Barozzi
  • Allyne Dorothy Franks
Military career
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branch
Years of service1914–1918
1939–1945
RankWing commander
Service number76367
Unit
Battles / wars
AwardsOfficer of the Order of the British Empire

Ronald George Hinings Adams, OBE (31 December 1896 – 28 March 1979), known professionally as Ronald Adam, was a British officer of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force, an actor on stage and screen, and a successful theatre manager.

Early life

[edit]

Adam was born in Bromyard, Herefordshire, on 31 December 1896, the son of Blake Adams and his wife Mona Robin. His parents and grandparents were all in the theatrical profession. He was educated at University College School.[1]

First World War

[edit]

When still only 17 years old, Adams volunteered to join the British Army on the outbreak of the First World War. On 2 December 1914, he was commissioned as a temporary second lieutenant in the 15th (Reserve) Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment. Adams soon transferred to the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and served as an observer with No. 18 Squadron in France, before returning home to re-train as a pilot.

Once qualified as a pilot, Adams remained in Britain and flew Sopwith Camels with No. 44 Squadron on home defence duties. The squadron was based at Hainault Farm aerodrome in Essex and was pioneering the use of night-fighters against Zeppelin raids on London. He was then posted back to France, still on Sopwith Camels, to No. 73 Squadron, at Champien.

On 1 April 1918, the Royal Flying Corps amalgamated with the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) to become the Royal Air Force (RAF), but Adams had barely had time to get used to the new title before he was shot down, on 7 April 1918, near Villers-Bretonneux in Northern France, either by Hans Kirschstein, or possibly Manfred von Richthofen and captured. Adams was badly wounded in the engagement and on the evening of his capture he was visited by a German orderly who passed on the compliments of von Richthofen. Adams spent eight months in hospitals and prison camps before he was repatriated on 17 December 1918.[2][3]

Acting career

[edit]

After the war, he trained as a chartered accountant, but his interest moved to theatre. He dropped the final "s" from his surname and adopted the stage name "Ronald Adam". From 1924 to 1926, he was engaged as manager for Leslie Henson and Dion Titheradge, and at the Little, His Majesty's, and Strand theatres. He entered on the management of the Embassy Theatre, in April 1932, with the production of Madame Pepita, and made over 150 new productions and revivals from 1932 to 1939. Thirty of his productions were transferred to various West End theatres, including Ten Minute Alibi, Close Quarters, The Dominant Sex, Professor Bernhardi and Judgment Day. He presented several plays on tour, and acted in many of them, both at the Embassy and on their transfer.[1]

He made his film debut with Strange Boarders, The Drum (both 1938) and Too Dangerous to Live (1939).[4][5] Meanwhile, he continued with live theatre. At the Old Vic in June 1939, he played Lord Stagmantle in The Ascent of F6 and at the Phoenix in November 1939, Judge Tsankov in Judgment Day. He was director of Howard and Wyndham's Repertory Seasons in Edinburgh and Glasgow, 1938–39.[1]

Second World War

[edit]

On the outbreak of the Second World War, Adam rejoined the RAF as a pilot officer,[6] eventually rising to the rank of wing commander and served from 1939 to 1945. During the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940, he was a Fighter Controller for the Hornchurch sector. It was Adam's job to co-ordinate the fighter command interceptions by using data gathered by radar and ground observers and then to dispatch fighters to intercept. There exists brief film footage of him in this role and can often be seen in documentaries on the war in the air.[2] Jeffrey Quill, the distinguished Spitfire test pilot on attachment to 65 Squadron at Hornchurch during the Battle of Britain, wrote of Adam: "Apart from being highly competent at the actual job, his voice had a quality of calm and unhesitating certainty. The contribution of such men to the outcome of the Battle of Britain was incalculable."[7]

During the war, he continued to take part in films, for example as a German bomber chief in The Lion Has Wings (1939), as Mons. Besnard in At the Villa Rose (1940) and as Sir Charles Fawcett in The Foreman Went to France (1942).[5]

Postwar period

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Adam was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1946.[4]

After 1946, he continued to act in live theatre. At the Garrick in March 1950, he played Mr. Gibb in Mr. Gillie.[1] He made his Broadway debut in December 1951 in Antony and Cleopatra at the Ziegfeld Theatre.[4] In 1954, he featured in William Douglas Home's comedy The Manor of Northstead in the West End.[8]

His main activity at this stage, however, was in film and television. From 1946 to 1978, he took part in over 140 film or television productions.[5] He portrayed the Group Controller in Angels One Five, a 1952 British war film about the Battle of Britain. Adam reprised his actual wartime role as a fighter controller.

Selected filmography

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Personal life

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He married firstly Tanzi Cutava Barozzi; the marriage was dissolved. His second wife was Allyne Dorothy Franks. He had two children, Jane and David.[4] After the Second World War Ronald Adam lived in Surbiton, Surrey, and died on 28 March 1979.

Written works

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Adam was part-adaptor of Professor Bernhardi and The Melody That Got Lost, among other works. He was the author of the plays An English Summer (1948), A Wind on the Heath (1949) and Marriage Settlement (1950), which he also produced.

He published a book on his theatrical memories:

  • Ronald Adam (1938). Overture and Beginners. London: Victor Gollancz Ltd.

In the middle of the war he wrote two novels arising from his experiences in the RAF. Initially they were published using the pseudonym "Blake",

  • Blake (1941). Readiness at Dawn. London: Victor Gollancz Ltd.
  • Blake (1942). We Rendezvous at Ten. London: Victor Gollancz Ltd.

Both of these were later republished under his own name. He wrote again about his wartime experiences in:

  • Blake (1948). To You the Torch. London: The Fortune Press.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Who's Who in the Theatre: Adam, Ronald
  2. ^ a b IMDb biography
  3. ^ Jon Guttman (2008). Sopwith Camel Vs Fokker Dr I: Western Front 1917–18. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-293-6.
  4. ^ a b c d Paul Donnelley (2003). Fade to black: a book of movie obituaries. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-7119-9512-3.
  5. ^ a b c IMDb films by year
  6. ^ Ronald Adam, Readiness at Dawn, Universal-Tandem Publishing Co., Ltd., UK, 1970, p. 5
  7. ^ Quill, Jeffrey (2008). Spitfire: a Test Pilot's Story (Sixth ed.). Crecy Publishing. p. 190.
  8. ^ "Production of The Manor of Northstead | Theatricalia". theatricalia.com.
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