The Dresser
The Dresser is a 1980 play by Ronald Harwood about an aging actor and his devoted personal assistant, who tries to keep the actor’s life from falling apart. Harwood based the story on his own work as a dresser to the English actor-manager Sir Donald Wolfit, who inspired the character “Sir.”
The play premiered on March 6, 1980 at the Royal Exchange in Manchester and moved to London’s Queen’s Theatre on April 30, 1980. Freddie Jones played Sir and Tom Courtenay played Norman. It was nominated for Best Play at the Olivier Awards in 1980.
A 2016 West End revival directed by Sean Foley starred Ken Stott and Reece Shearsmith.
The Dresser opened on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on November 9, 1981, running for 200 performances. Courtenay again played Norman and Paul Rogers played Sir; Freddie Jones could not reprise the role because of union rules. It received Tony Award nominations in 1982 for Best Play and Best Actor (Tom Courtenay), and a Drama Desk nomination for Paul Rogers.
In 1983, the play was adapted into a film of the same title, written by Harwood and directed by Peter Yates. Albert Finney played Sir and Tom Courtenay played Norman. The film’s supporting cast included Zena Walker, Eileen Atkins and Edward Fox. Finney and Courtenay were nominated for major awards, and Courtenay won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama (tied with Robert Duvall).
A BBC television version aired on October 31, 2015, directed by Richard Eyre, with Anthony Hopkins as Sir and Ian McKellen as Norman. The cast also included Emily Watson, Sarah Lancashire and Edward Fox.
There was a BBC Radio 4 adaptation broadcast on December 11, 1993, directed by David Blount, with Freddie Jones as Sir and Michael Palin as Norman.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 15:41 (CET).