Quentin Tod

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Quentin Tod
Quentin Tod.jpg
Born(1884-12-27)27 December 1884
Kent, England
Died 5 May 1947(1947-05-05) (aged 62)
Chelsea, London
Occupation Actor, dancer

Quentin Tod (27 December 1884 – 5 May 1947), sometimes credited as Quentin Todd, was a British actor, dancer, choreographer, television pioneer, and a devotee of Meher Baba.

Actor person who acts in a dramatic or comic production and works in film, television, theatre, or radio

An actor is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is ὑποκριτής (hupokritḗs), literally "one who answers". The actor's interpretation of their role—the art of acting—pertains to the role played, whether based on a real person or fictional character. Interpretation occurs even when the actor is "playing themselves", as in some forms of experimental performance art.

Dance A performing art consisting of movement of the body

Dance is a performing art form consisting of purposefully selected sequences of human movement. This movement has aesthetic and symbolic value, and is acknowledged as dance by performers and observers within a particular culture. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire of movements, or by its historical period or place of origin.

Choreography the art of arranging movements, such as in dance

Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who creates choreographies by practicing the art of choreography, a process known as choreographing. Choreography is used in a variety of fields, including musical theater, cheerleading, cinematography, gymnastics, fashion shows, ice skating, marching band, show choir, theatre, synchronized swimming, cardistry, video game production and animated art. In the performing arts, choreography applies to human movement and form. In dance, choreography is also known as dance choreography or dance composition.

Contents

Biography

Quentin Tod was born in Kent, England, son of Alexander Maxwell Tod, an Englishman, and his American wife Belle Perkins Tod, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Tod made his acting debut in the 1911 Broadway musical comedy Marriage a la Carte . [1] His first credited performance in film was in the 1930 Monty Banks comedy The New Waiter, in which Tod played himself. He was the sole credited dancer in the first British televised version of A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1937 [2] and was ballet choreographer on the 1937 British television pantomime performance of Dick Whittington and His Cat . The following year he devised Have You Brought Your Music? for BBC Television. The show featured music played by the now defunct BBC Television Orchestra. [3]

Kent County of England

Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west. The county also shares borders with Essex along the estuary of the River Thames, and with the French department of Pas-de-Calais through the Channel Tunnel. The county town is Maidstone.

England Country in north-west Europe, part of the United Kingdom

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to the west and Scotland to the north-northwest. The Irish Sea lies west of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North Atlantic, and includes over 100 smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.

Pittsfield, Massachusetts City in Massachusetts

Pittsfield is the largest city and the historic county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. The population was 44,737 at the 2010 census. Although the population has declined in recent decades, Pittsfield remains the third largest municipality in western Massachusetts, behind only Springfield and Chicopee.

Quentin Tod met the Indian spiritual master Meher Baba in London at the home of Helena Davy in 1931 and became a devoted follower for the remainder of his life. [4] He spent time in Meher Baba's ashram in India near Ahmednagar and also traveled with him to the United States in 1932.

Meher Baba Indian mystic

Meher Baba was an Indian spiritual master who said he was the Avatar, God in human form.

Ahmednagar City in Maharashtra, India

Ahmednagar is a city in Ahmednagar district in the state of Maharashtra, India, about 120 km northeast of Pune and 114 km from Aurangabad. Ahmednagar takes its name from Ahmad Nizam Shah I, who founded the town in 1494 on the site of a battlefield where he won a battle against superior Bahamani forces. It was close to the site of the village of Bhingar. With the breakup of the Bahmani Sultanate, Ahmad established a new sultanate in Ahmednagar, also known as Nizam Shahi dynasty.

Tod died in 1947 of malnutrition in St. Stephen's Hospital in Chelsea, London at the age of 62.

Malnutrition Medical condition that results from eating too little, too much, or the wrong nutrients

Malnutrition is a condition that results from eating a diet in which one or more nutrients are either not enough or are too much such that the diet causes health problems. It may involve calories, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins or minerals. Not enough nutrients is called undernutrition or undernourishment while too much is called overnutrition. Malnutrition is often used to specifically refer to undernutrition where an individual is not getting enough calories, protein, or micronutrients. If undernutrition occurs during pregnancy, or before two years of age, it may result in permanent problems with physical and mental development. Extreme undernourishment, known as starvation, may have symptoms that include: a short height, thin body, very poor energy levels, and swollen legs and abdomen. People also often get infections and are frequently cold. The symptoms of micronutrient deficiencies depend on the micronutrient that is lacking.

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Hospital in London

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital is a 430-bed teaching hospital located in Chelsea, London. Although the Hospital has been at its present site since only 1993, the Hospital has a rich history in that it serves as the new site for the Westminster Hospital. It is operated by Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and has close ties with Imperial College London. Many of the hospital's employees hold research contracts with Imperial College London, and the hospital plays an integral role in teaching students at Imperial College London.

Chelsea, London area of central London, England

Chelsea is an affluent area of West London, bounded to the south by the River Thames. Its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above Sloane Square Underground station. The modern eastern boundary is Chelsea Bridge Road and the lower half of Sloane Street, including Sloane Square. To the north and northwest, the area fades into Knightsbridge and Brompton, but it is considered that the area north of King's Road as far northwest as Fulham Road is part of Chelsea.

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References

  1. ↑ Internet Broadway Database
  2. ↑ Internet Shakespeare Editions
  3. ↑ Internet Movie Database
  4. ↑ Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher, The Biography of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba, Bhau Kalchuri, Manifestation, Inc. 1986. p. 1429
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