The man who made Kenneth Branagh: “It’s more difficult to get into RADA than it is to Oxbridge”

Just over 23 years ago, Stephen Evans, a corporate stockbroker bored with City life, took a punt on a promising young actor called Kenneth Branagh. With no previous experience in the arts, Evans put up £10,000 to launch Branagh as a theatrical impresario having read about him in a newspaper article. As Thor is about to hit the screens Evans remembers the young upstart:

“I remember him telling me, ‘I always feel inferior because I didn’t go to university’, and I said, ‘Ken, it’s more difficult to get into RADA than it is to Oxbridge.’ His understanding of Shakespeare is unparalleled.“

Gramilano( Editor )

Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano’) about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.

His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia’ column for Dancing Times magazine.