Trader Faulkner

Ronald "Trader" Faulkner (7 September 1927 – 14 April 2021) was an Australian actor, raconteur and flamenco dancer, best known for his work in the UK on the stage and television.

Early life Faulkner was born in Manly, Australia, the son of inventor and actor John Faulkner and the Scottish ballerina Sheila Whytock, who had danced in Diaghilev's company in London and with Anna Pavlova in South America. He was dubbed "Trader" after being caught stealing his father's illicit bathtub whiskey with his schoolmates to exchange for marbles. He was educated at the Jesuit St Aloysius College, Sydney. He was a student and protege of Peter Finch and worked with many of the great stage actors of the twentieth century, including John Gielgud, Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier and Anthony Quayle.

His acting debut saw him play the part of a Messenger in Shakespeare's Hamlet, although he missed his cue and did not get to the stage on time. His friend and mentor, Peter Finch, forgave him and offered him further parts in his Mercury Theatre company in Sydney, Australia. The two men emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1950, where Finch introduced him to John Gielgud. This saw a turning point in his career. Gielgud coached him and encouraged him to lose his Australian accent. He also saw the name "Ronald" as rather dreary, and billed him using his nickname Trader. This became his professional name for the rest of his career.

On television he was known for playing Prince John in the 1962 series Richard the Lionheart and in cinema for starring in the 1952 film A Killer Walks and appearing in the 1965 film A High Wind in Jamaica. A young Martin Amis appeared alongside him in this film, and later named one of his characters after him in his 1997 murder mystery novel, Night Train. However, when this book was turned into a film in 2018, Faulkner objected to his name being used, and the character was renamed Duncan Reynolds. In the late 1950s, he formed Trader Faulkner's Quadro Flamenco, a dancing group, taking lessons in Seville from Enrique El Cojo, the celebrated flamenco maestro. In a Times review of his autobiography, Faulkner was described as "never...a big star, but every triumph, setback or small humiliation has been equal grist to his storytelling mill. He's proof that in showbiz the most interesting people are often not the celebrities but those a notch below, laughing on the edges and doing their bit."

A fluent Spanish speaker, Faulkner concentrated on writing Spanish translations of plays during the 1970s, particularly those of Federico García Lorca. Noël Coward, Marlene Dietrich and Ted Hughes.

His last public appearance was at the cabaret venue Crazy Coqs in Soho, London, in November 2020.

Personal life Faulkner lived with his mother on a houseboat, the Stella Maris, moored in Chelsea Harbour during the 1950s, and was a neighbour of the actress Dorothy Tutin. He was also a confidante of both Laurence Olivier and his wife Vivien Leigh.

Faulkner was married to the English model, television personality, and interior designer Ann "Bobo" Minchin from 1963 to 1973. and was a committed Roman Catholic. The Enchanted Tree - Theatre Royal, Sydney, NSW, 6 December 1949 Fly Away Peter - Theatre Royal, Sydney, NSW, Theatre Royal, Adelaide, SA, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, VIC - 1949 The Lady's Not for Burning (as assistant stage manager and replacement for Richard Burton) – Royale Theatre, Broadway – 1950/51 Much Ado About Nothing – Phoenix Theatre, London – with John Gielgud – 1952 Henry V – The Old Vic/Bristol Old Vic – 1952/53 Blood Wedding – Arts Theatre – directed by Peter Hall – 1954 Twelfth Night – with Vivien Leigh – 1955 Macbeth – Royal Shakespeare Company – with Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh – 1955 The Merry Wives of Windsor – Royal Shakespeare Company – with Anthony Quayle – 1955 Titus Andronicus – Royal Shakespeare Company – Royal Shakespeare Theatre – 1955 The Waltz of the Toreadors – directed by Peter Hall – 1956 Queen After Death by Henry de Montherlant – Oxford Playhouse – with Diane Cilento, Leo McKern – 1961 The Imaginary Invalid – Vaudeville Theatre – 1968 – Gerard The Cudgelled Cuckold by Alejandro Casona – Lyric Theatre, Belfast – 1969 (translated and directed) Hamlet – Royal Shakespeare Company 1970 – Bernardo/Sailor The Two Gentlemen of Verona – Royal Shakespeare Company – 1970 – Antonio Measure for Measure – Royal Shakespeare Company – 1970 – Elbow Richard III – Royal Shakespeare Company – 1970 – Sir William Catesby Lorca, An Evocation – Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith) – 1986 – Solo performance Losing My Marbles – Jermyn Street Theatre – 1999 – Solo performance Classic Gershwin, Wilton's Music Hall, London, England, 23 June 2015

Writing Peter Finch – A Biography (Taplinger, 1979; Pan Macmillan 1980) Losing My Marbles: How an Actor Learnt the Hard Way (Oberon, 2002), with John Goodwin