‘The Crown’ EP, Broadway & West End Producer He was 73

Robert Fox, who went from being a film studio executive to assisting directors at London’s Royal Court in the early 1970s to the highest level of theater production that saw him present Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren and Vanessa Redgrave in new and old plays in the West End and on Broadway, has died. He was 73 years old. His wife Fiona Golfar confirmed his death on Friday.

Golfar said her husband died “the way he planned: at home facing his garden full of flowers surrounded by his wife and five children on a glorious spring afternoon.”

He had a wonderful air of confidence with class and refined taste – he had a good heart too.

Fox also produced films such as Richard Eyre Iris (2001), about the writer Iris Murdoch and John Bayley starring Kate Winslet and Hugh Bonneville, portraying their youth, and Dench and Jim Broadbent as a couple in their old age.

Broadbent won the 2002 Oscar for best supporting actress.

Fox’s production of Peter Morgan’s West End and Broadway hit The audiencedirected by Stephen Daldry and Mirren playing the late Queen Elizabeth II, it was the inspiration for what would become a Netflix drama juggernaut. The crownFox was a major producer.

It seemed entirely appropriate for him to be involved in the project because he himself was a product of the stage and royalty. Fox’s empire grew exponentially.

He was the youngest son of theater agent Robin Fox and actress Angela Worthington, once the subject of Noël Coward’s witticism “Don’t Put Your Daughter on the Stage, Mrs. Worthington.” She was the daughter of playwright Frederick Lonsdale (Don’t We All?, Admittedly).

His brothers are actors Edward Fox (It’s Awkward Day, Hackers) and James Fox (Performance, The Thoroughly Modern Millie). He was also an uncle to a skulk of Fox thespians including Emilia Fox (Witness was silentand Freddie Fox (The House of the Beast).

The stars on the stage admired him a lot because he was good at alleviating nervousness, especially when they were about to enter a brand new play.

Fox produced many shows with Smith in the lead. They include Peter Shaffer’s Lettice and Lovage and Margaret Tyzack. When the show hit London, Smith told Fox that he wouldn’t take it to New York unless Tyzack went with him. Fox agreed, “If Maggie is happy, the whole company is happy.”

Some battles were unwinnable. When Smith starred as Lady Bracknell in Nicholas Hytner’s 1993 revival of The Importance of Being Honest at the Aldwych Theatre, Fox had a feeling from the first preview that all would not go well.

RELATED: Remembering Maggie Smith: A Work in Pictures

Smith said he wouldn’t transfer the production to Woking, “let alone Broadway.”

He also produced Smith and Dench in David Hare’s The Spirit of Lifewhen he said, “Maggie found herself in a situation, even though she ended up being beautiful.”

Hare on Friday praised Fox’s tenacity, saying, “Anyone who was the unfailing producer of Maggie Smith had a special patience with incomparable rewards.”

Hare also said: “What I’d like to say is that Robert Fox was not the last of the noble producers but he was the epitome of them – honorable, honest, uncomplaining, supportive, understanding, with wonderful taste but also recklessly funny about show business and all the nonsense.”

That’s a view echoed by Richard Eyre, who interrupted the shooting Sekhaya in Cornwall to see that “Robert was a great producer and friend—unbiased and smart and smart and knowledgeable. I will miss him dearly.”

Fox’s frequent partner on Broadway was Scott Rudin, who hailed Fox as “as bold and original a producer as any of the greats. He had all the ingredients that anybody uses — taste, drive, insight, instinct, intelligence, charm, ambition, intelligence, fearlessness, dedication, ferocity and style. We did a lot of work that was challenging and fun and rewarding together, and there was no one funnier. I’ve ever worked with him.” he was smarter about how to do something good than Robert.

For several years Fox worked in the office of producer Michael White, then he worked alone.

Fox has produced many shows over the years. They include:

Goose Pimples by Mike Leigh; Who is Dennis? by John Wells, which was his first major hit after founding Robert Fox Ltd.; Another World Julian Mitchell and Rupert Everett, Kenneth Branagh, Daniel Day-Lewis and Colin Firth all making their West End stage debuts; The Seagull by Anton Chekhov starring Vanessa Redgrave, Jonathan Pryce and Natasha Richardson; Torch Song Trilogy by Harvey Fierstein starring Anthony Sher; This is Ronald Harwood’s place Interpreters starring Smith and Edward Fox; JJ Farr starring Albert Finney; Chess by Tim Rice, Benny Anderson and Björn Ulvaeus; Anything Goes starring Elaine Paige; Martin Sherman’s Madhouse in Goa again When It Rainsboth cast Redgrave; Burn This by Lanford Wilson starring John Malkovich; the world premiere of Arthur Miller Ride Down Mt. Morgan directed by Michael Blakemore; Edward Albee Three Tall Women starring Smith, directed by Anthony Page, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? starring Diana Rigg and directed by Howard Davies; A Delicate Balancestarring Smith and Eileen Atkins; This is David Hare’s site Skylight starring Michael Gambon and Lia Williams, Judas Kiss starring Liam Neeson and Amy’s idea starring Dench – all three directed by Richard Eyre; The Green Room on Broadway starring Nicole Kidman and directed by Sam Mendes; The Boy From OzAustralian music; Little Malcolm starring Ewan McGregor; Nearby written and directed by Patrick Marber; the world premiere of Alan Bennett Evenini’s wife starring Smith and directed by Nicholas Hytner; Harold Pinter’s Caretaker starring Michael Gambon; and the World Premiere of David Hare The Spirit of Life starring Judi Dench and Maggie Smith. Gypsy starring Bernadette Peters directed by Sam Mendes; Salome starring Al Pacino and The Boy From Oz starring Hugh Jackman; Peter Morgan Snow/Nixon starring Frank Langella and Michael Sheen; Albee’s Lady of Dubuque starring Smith; The Standing Hour written by David Hare, starring Julianne Moore and Bill Nighy; Photo by Eugène Ionesco Get out Kingstarring Geoffrey Rush; God of Destruction starring Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Harden; Bargaining in Spokane starring Christopher Walken, Sam Rockwell, Anthony Mackie and Zoe Kazan; Hugh Jackman Back on Broadway; Judas Kiss starring Rupert Everett; The audience by Peter Morgan, starring Mirren, directed by Daldry; Stephen Ward with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber;Fatal Attraction directed by Trevor Nunn and starring Mark Blazeley, Natascha McElhone and Kristen Davis; Skylight on Broadway, directed by Daldry, starring Bill Nighy and Carey Mulligan; Hugh Jackman The wide road to Oz; Lazarusdirected by Ivo Van Hove, written by David Bowie and Enda Walsh and starring Michael C Hall; Martin McDonagh’s The hanging ones starring David Morrissey.

The revival of music Chess currently on Broadway. Fox produced the original 1984 production in London. Singer Tim Rice sent a message to the Chess company saying:

“We are very sad to say that one of the most inspiring and dedicated fans ChessRobert Fox, died in England.

Most of you would not have had the opportunity to meet Robert, who was very sad to miss your opening night in November due to illness. He saw the show in America in Washington at the Kennedy Center, and at Broadhurst he won in 2022 which was the product that became the basis of the successful Imperial show.

It is impossible to overstate the contribution that Robert made to Chess for over four decades. Many producers would have abandoned ship after some of the problems that Chess went through even before the London production opened in 1986. But the show survived – in large part because of Robert’s belief and tenacity. It wouldn’t be playing as well at Imperial today without his unwavering support and belief in the game, and it’s a shame he didn’t get to see it.

His loss will be felt especially in his home country as he played an amazing role in many theater and cinema successes, in addition to being a prominent member of one of Great Britain’s great theater families.
He was down to earth, funny, completely unpretentious and honest (sometimes too honest!). Most of all, we are very happy that he knew that the show he believed in was finally successful on Broadway. That he never met many of those who participated in this success is your loss as much as his.

RIP Robert.”

Robert E. Wankel, chairman and CEO of The Shubert Organization, which produced many of Fox’s plays at Shubert’s theaters, offered this tribute: “We here at The Shubert Organization consider ourselves fortunate to have had a close working relationship with Robert Fox since 1986. For nearly four decades we have enjoyed his wisdom, his integrity and his leadership through the changes brought about by Robert’s retirement. He is rooted in his friendship and support. He is a partner. special.

On screen, Fox also produced The Moon by the Sea starring Redgrave, Edward Fox and Uma Thurman; An hours starring Meryl Streep, Kidman and Julianne Moore, directed by Daldry and screenplay by David Hare; again Notes on Scandal starring Dench, Cate Blanchett and Nighy; again Wilde Salomewritten and directed by and starring Al Pacino. He was the chief producer on Another World starring Rupert Everett and Colin Firth; Nearbydirected by Mike Nichols and starring Julia Roberts; again Atonementdirected by Joe Wright.

Back in the day, Fox spent three days scouting Bob Fosse while he was playing Cabaretbut the role eventually went to Michael York. Soon after, Fox realized that being a producer was the hat he wanted to wear.

Fox was married three times. First he was the respected director of actors Celestia Fox – who was a respected director in her day alongside Mary Selway and Susie Figgis – (Robert’s son is Sam Fox, owner of B-Side), then the actress Natasha Richardson. She later met and married Golfar, a prominent writer and former editor Vogue.