Keith Stanley Baxter-Wright, a renowned actor, director, and playwright, was born in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, to a captain in the Merchant Navy. He was schooled in his hometown and developed an interest in theatre arts, later studying at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 1953.
Baxter's early career was marked by his work in repertory companies in Oxford and Worthing, before making his professional acting debut in 1956 in a small part in Noël Coward's play South Sea Bubble at the Lyric Theatre in London. This was followed by his iconic role as Hal, Prince of Wales, in Orson Welles' celebrated play Chimes at Midnight, which premiered at the Grand Opera House in Belfast in 1960.
Baxter's Broadway debut came in 1962, when he won a Theatre World Award for his portrayal of King Henry VIII in A Man for All Seasons. He went on to play classic roles such as Octavius and Marc Antony in different productions of Antony and Cleopatra, and was awarded a Drama Desk Award for his tour-de-force performance as Milo Tindle in Anthony Shaffer's play Sleuth opposite Anthony Quayle.
Off-Broadway, Baxter essayed seven different parts in the gothic thriller The Woman in Black, and began directing for the stage in the mid-1970s. He was latterly associated with the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington D.C., and has also written several plays, including 'Barnaby and the Old Boys' and a memoir titled 'My Sentiments Exactly', which recounts his collaborations and friendships with notable figures such as Coward, Gielgud, Tennessee Williams, Elizabeth Taylor, and Richard Burton.
Baxter's screen career has been somewhat sporadic, with his first credited appearance being in The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1957) alongside Gielgud. He has also appeared in various television anthology dramas and series, including ITV Play of the Week (1955),The Avengers (1961),and Hawaii Five-O (1968). His final screen role was a small part in the miniseries Merlin (1998),starring Sam Neill and Gielgud.
