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Sir Terence
Rattigan His Story
Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan was born in Kensington, London on 10 June 1911
and died of cancer on 30 November 1977. He was one of the 20th century’s
best known playwrights. He was educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Oxford.
Rattigan’s father was an international diplomat and his mother came from a family
of Irish lawyers. As his parents travelled a great deal, he spent increasing amounts
of his childhood with his paternal grandmother. It seems his interest in theatre was
roused at age 6 when his Aunt Barbara took him to see Cinderella. By the end of
his time at Harrow Rattigan had become a quiet, gentle and popular young man.
He was, however, something of a rebel, passing round banned works of literature
and participating in protests aimed to bring an end to compulsory Officer Training
Corps parades at the school.
After Harrow, Rattigan won a partial scholarship to Oxford to read History. He
continued writing plays during his time at Oxford and took part in theatrical life as
a performer too.
When First Episode was staged at the Comedy Theatre in the West End, Rattigan
left Oxford to focus on his writing. When the play closed, he was broke and
returned home to his father. By leaving Oxford without a degree Rattigan had
ruined his chances of becoming a diplomat; fortunately his father took pity on him.
He offered him an allowance of £200 a year for two years to allow him to stay at
home and write, on the condition that, if at the end of that time he still could not
support himself as writer, Rattigan would allow his father to choose a different job for him.
Rattigan formed a close friendship with actor John Gielgud and together they wrote and adaptation of Charles Dicken’s A
Tale of Two Cities. Rattigan was profoundly affected by Gielgud’s arrest when he was accused of homosexual offences; it is
said to have triggered him writing Separate Tables.
It seems Rattigan was not only inspired by events in his life but also by his middle class upbringing, which is reflected in
most of his plays.
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