Peter Glenville, a talented actor and distinguished stage director, was the son of Shaun Glenville, a renowned British music hall artist and notable pantomime dame. Born in London, Glenville received his education at the Jesuit's Stonyhurst College, where he made his stage debut in a production of Hamlet in the 1930s, captivating critics with his matinee idol looks.
During the 1940s, Glenville played small roles in West End shows, but it was his talent as a director that truly set him apart. He joined the Old Vic Theatre in 1944 and collaborated with some of the era's most prominent playwrights, including Tennessee Williams, Jean Anouilh, Terence Rattigan, and Graham Greene.
In 1949, Glenville brought Rattigan's The Browning Version to Broadway, followed by his direction of Separate Tables, starring Eric Portman and Margaret Leighton. His subsequent stage productions included The Prisoner, featuring Alec Guinness, and Romeo and Juliet, starring Olivia de Havilland.
One of Glenville's most enduring commercial successes was Feydeau's Hotel Paradiso, which ran on Broadway and in London, starring Alec Guinness, Douglas Byng, and Martita Hunt. On Broadway, Byng's role was taken over by Bert Lahr.
In a reflective interview, Glenville shared his thoughts on his life in the theatre and cinema, stating, "I believe that the director should, like a conductor, be an interpreter of a particular world of each playwright with whom he works. On occasion, the style of the play should call for the most delicate and unobtrusive staging. Sometimes other plays allow for broad and colourful strokes of direction, involving all the tricks that theatre magic can provide."
