Guthrie McClintic

Guthrie McClintic (August 6, 1893 – October 29, 1961) was an American theatre director, producer, and actor born in Seattle, Washington. He trained at Washington University in St. Louis and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, beginning his career as a performer before transitioning into stage management and casting direction under prominent Broadway producer Winthrop Ames.

McClintic's Broadway acting credits spanned from 1913 to 1942 and included productions such as Captain Brassbound's Conversion, The Earth, Major Barbara, The Liars, and The New York Idea. His directorial career eventually eclipsed his work as a performer, with his Broadway debut as a director coming on A. A. Milne's The Dover Road. His first major directorial success arrived in 1931 with The Barretts of Wimpole Street, which starred his wife, actress Katharine Cornell.

McClintic and Cornell married and subsequently formed a joint production company, M.C. & C Company, which produced theatrical work for the remainder of his career. McClintic directed every production in which Cornell appeared, a body of work that included Romeo and Juliet, Candida, Antony and Cleopatra, No Time for Comedy, Antigone, Saint Joan, The Doctor's Dilemma, Three Sisters, There Shall Be No Night, and The Constant Wife. Through their company, McClintic brought a number of leading Shakespearean actors to prominent Broadway roles, among them John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Maurice Evans, and Laurence Olivier. McClintic directed Gielgud in a New York production of Hamlet in 1936.

Cornell served on the Board of Directors of The Rehearsal Club, an organization that provided housing for young actresses seeking work in the theatre, and McClintic at times cast those women in his productions. In addition to his stage work, McClintic directed the films On Your Back (1930), Once a Lady (1931), and Once a Sinner (1931).

McClintic died of cancer on October 29, 1961, at his home in Sneden's Landing, New York. Cornell retired from acting shortly after his death, her final role being in Jerome Kilty's Dear Liar in 1961.