Miller, Sir Jonathan Wolfe, 1934–2019, English director, actor, writer, and physician; during his long career in the performing arts, he at times devoted himself to medicine. Miller made his first London (1961) and New York (1962) stage appearances as coauthor and actor in the zany satirical revue Beyond the Fringe. He directed The Old Glory in New York and Danton's Death, The School for Scandal, and The Merchant of Venice for London's National Theatre, and in 1969 he toured the United States as director of the Oxford and Cambridge Shakespeare Company. From 1975 he also directed operas, including the highly successful 1984 Mafia-themed production of Verdi's Rigoletto for the English National Opera and his 1998 staging of Mozart's Marriage of Figaro. As a director, he eschewed elaborate productions and encouraged his actors to attempt new interpretations of their roles, while often setting his productions and interpreting his characters in ways that were recognizable to contemporary audiences. He also wrote and directed radio shows; wrote and hosted television series, some of which were grounded in his medical background, e.g., The Body in Question (1978), States of Mind (1983), and Madness (1991); was a theater and art critic; and wrote a book on the theater, Subsequent Performances (1986), and other works. He was knighted in 2002.
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