Julian Hope, 2nd Baron Glendevon
Julian John Somerset Hope, 2nd Baron Glendevon (6 March 1950 – 29 September 2009) was a British opera producer and aristocrat. He was the resident producer at the Welsh National Opera from 1973 to 1979 and the associate producer at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera from 1974 to 1981.
He was the grandson of the writer Somerset Maugham. Born on 6 March 1950, he was the elder son of John Hope, 1st Baron Glendevon, and Mary Elizabeth Maugham. His mother was the daughter of novelist W. Somerset Maugham and Syrie Barnardo Wellcome, who was herself the daughter of Barnardo’s founder, Thomas John Barnardo. Hope had one younger brother, Jonathan, and two older half-siblings from his mother's first marriage. His godparents included British Prime Minister Anthony Eden and American horticulturist Bunny Mellon. His nephew is the pianist Derek Paravicini.
Hope was raised in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, and educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford. After Oxford, he trained at Glyndebourne before joining the Welsh National Opera. At Welsh National Opera, he directed Il Trovatore and Manon Lescaut. His productions included a revival of The Rocky Horror Show (1980) and Violet (2009). His work was also seen at the Wexford Festival, Edinburgh Festival, San Francisco Opera, Dallas Opera and Paris.
Hope administered his grandfather's estate and played a key role in bringing Somerset Maugham’s works to the screen, contributing to films such as Up at the Villa and The Painted Veil and the TV series Ashenden. He also worked in film and television, supervising the musical scores for Princess Caraboo and Onegin. Hope inherited his father's title in 1996. He never married, and upon his death in 2009 his title passed to his younger brother, Jonathan Hope, the 3rd Baron Glendevon.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 14:56 (CET).