As Miles in The Innocents (1961)
We are delighted to welcome Martin Stephens for an evening of clips and conversation.
Martin Stephens was the foremost British child actor of his generation, prolific in the 1950s and early 1960s, though he never received any formal acting training.
Village of the Damned (1960)
He started his film career at the age of four in The Divided Heart (1954) with Yvonne Mitchell. Three years later he was back on a film set working on Law and Disorder with Robert Morley and Sir Michael Redgrave. This signalled an intense time of film-making which was to encompass another ten films over four years, as well as several television plays. He acted with Lana Turner, Glynis Johns and Sean Connery in Another Time, Another Place (1958). The following year he worked with Deborah Kerr, Rossano Brazzi and Maurice Chevalier in Count Your Blessings (1959) which was shot in Paris and Hollywood. This period culminated with the two cult classics, Village of the Damned (1960) and The Innocents (1961), both of which intrigue and captivate audiences to this day.
In 1961 Martin acted the lead in the London stage musical Oliver! He withdrew from the part after eight months in order to take exams for boarding school. Although he went on to make two more films – The Battle of the Villa Fiorita (1965), set mostly in Italy, and The Witches (1966) – he intentionally wound down his acting career in favour of studies. It was always understood in his family that he would leave the profession and pursue another career, and he went on to become an architect. He and his wife, who live in Portugal, are meditation teachers.
Doors open at 18.30 for a 19.30 start.
Refreshments will be available in our licenced cafe/bar.
TICKETS & PRICING
Autumn Season 2013 ticketing applies.
Advance tickets may be purchased from WeGotTickets, or direct from the Museum by calling 020 7840 2200 in office hours.
