Michael Allinson

Michael Allinson (30 December 1920 – 30 December 2010) was a British-American stage and film actor whose Broadway career spanned four decades, from 1956 to 1996. Born John Michael Allinson in London, he came from a distinguished family: his father was Adrian Allinson, a British painter and sculptor and founding member of the avant-garde London Group, while his grandfather was Thomas Allinson, a doctor, nutritionist, and founder of the Allinson Bread Company. He was educated at Ryeford Hall, Wycliffe College in Gloucestershire, and the University of Lausanne, before training for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. During World War II, Allinson served as a captain. He emigrated to the United States in the summer of 1958 and became a naturalized American citizen on 30 November 1964.

Among his most prominent Broadway achievements was assuming the role of Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady during the 1960 season, opposite Pamela Charles as Eliza Doolittle, having previously toured as standby for Rex Harrison. He also understudied both Rex Harrison and George Rose in the production of Kingfisher. On Broadway, Allinson created the role of Warnie in the original production of Shadowlands, which starred Nigel Hawthorne and Jane Alexander. His other Broadway credits included the dramas Angel Street and Sleuth, as well as Hostile Witness, An Ideal Husband, Oliver!, Coco, and Oliver Oliver, among additional productions. He also appeared as Hobson in the short-lived musical Arthur, based on the Dudley Moore film of the same name.

Beyond Broadway, Allinson portrayed Sir Arthur Sullivan in the Huntington Theatre Company's 1985 production of Kenneth Ludwig's Sullivan & Gilbert at the Boston University Theatre. In the 1990s he performed a one-man show titled Meet George Orwell at venues including the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Theatre in Boston and Trinity College, Oxford. He appeared in numerous films, with his final screen role being Sir David in Syriana. Allinson also served as President Emeritus of the Players' Club, a position he assumed following the departure of Lynn Redgrave.

His wife, Judi Schiver, was a dancer in the original Broadway production of Camelot. Together they had two sons, David, born in 1962, and Timothy, born in 1963. Allinson died on 30 December 2010 in Los Angeles, California, on his 90th birthday.