Micheál Mac Liammóir

Micheál Mac Liammóir (25 October 1899 – 6 March 1978), born Alfred Willmore, was an English-born Irish actor, dramatist, impresario, writer, poet and painter. As Alfred Willmore, he was one of the leading child actors on the English stage, in the company of Noël Coward. He studied painting at London's Slade School of Art, continuing to paint throughout his lifetime. In the 1920s he travelled all over Europe. Willmore was captivated by Irish culture: he learnt Irish which he spoke and wrote fluently and he changed his name to an Irish version, presenting himself in Ireland as a descendant of Irish Catholics from Cork.[1] Later in his life, he wrote three autobiographies in Irish and translated them into English. Mac Liammóir wrote and performed a one-man show, The Importance of Being Oscar, based on the life and work of Oscar Wilde. The Telefís Éireann production won him a Jacob's Award in December 1964. It was later filmed by the BBC with Mac Liammóir reprising the role.