Frank Benson

Sir Francis Robert Benson (4 November 1858 – 31 December 1939) was an English actor-manager. He founded his own company in 1883 and produced all but two of Shakespeare's plays. His thirty-year association with the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre and the annual Shakespeare Festival in Stratford-upon-Avon laid down foundations for the creation of the Royal Shakespeare Company after his death. Benson's company toured widely, with few London seasons, and became a training ground for several generations of young performers, including Henry Ainley, Oscar Asche, Lilian Braithwaite, Isadora Duncan, Nigel Playfair, Nancy Price,Harcourt Williams and Moffat Johnston. Benson was also the older cousin of the Oscar nominated, and Tony winning actor Basil Rathbone, to whom he bore a strong resemblance. Life and career