Rob Inglis
Robert Keith Inglis entered the world on the 9th of March 1933 in Australia. He lived there until he moved to England in 1955. This relocation marked a significant turning point in his life and career. The move placed him in a new cultural landscape where he would eventually build his reputation as an actor and playwright.
Inglis created Voyage of the Endeavour in 1965 based on Captain James Cook's journal. He followed this with Canterbury Tales in 1968 which featured dramatised readings from Chaucer. His play Erf arrived in 1971 as a one-actor piece set in the twenty-first century. A musical called A Rum Do appeared in 1970 focusing on the governorship of Lachlan Macquarie. Men Who Shaped Australia for Better or for Worse debuted in 1968 dealing with historical figures. These works established his unique style of solo performance.
Recorded Books approached Inglis after seeing his stage adaptations of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. They asked him to narrate an unabridged edition of Lord of the Rings in 1990. He recorded The Hobbit about a year later in 1991. Laura Miller of Salon.com described his narration as feeling like listening to a favourite relative read to a beloved child. Until Andy Serkis released a recording in 2020, Inglis' reading remained the only commercially available unabridged edition of The Hobbit. The Library of Congress produced three recordings of The Hobbit before his version existed.
Inglis spent six weeks recording Lord of the Rings in 1990 at the New York studio of Recorded Books. He prepared with guidance from acting colleges in dramatic societies to perfect character voices. He stated that Tolkien's prose suggested how characters should be brought to life. At times he felt like Tolkien himself was talking through the text. Inglis composed some music for songs while Claudia Howard of Recorded Books composed the rest. The J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia noted his distinctive voices for various characters and his singing of story songs.
His television appearances spanned from 1968 to 2002 across multiple series. He played Ned Kelly in The Stringybark Massacre which aired in 1968. A role as Chief sub appeared in Play for Today during 1978 and 1979. Professor Doom featured in Wizbit in 1986. Alan Clark appeared in Casualty in 2002. These credits demonstrated his versatility across different genres and time periods on screen.
A play about Lisa Pontecorvo played in small theatres around England in 2010 and 2011. In 2012 he received a £16,000 Arts Council grant to write Regent's Canal. This Folk Opera celebrated the 200th anniversary of digging the eight-mile Regent's Canal. As of 2012 he lived in Somers Town in central London. Robert Keith Inglis died on the 23rd of May 2021 at age 88. The cause remained undisclosed though it possibly occurred in Australia.
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Common questions
When was Robert Keith Inglis born and where did he live before moving to England?
Robert Keith Inglis entered the world on the 9th of March 1933 in Australia. He lived there until he moved to England in 1955.
What plays did Robert Keith Inglis create between 1965 and 1971?
Inglis created Voyage of the Endeavour in 1965 based on Captain James Cook's journal. He followed this with Canterbury Tales in 1968 which featured dramatised readings from Chaucer. His play Erf arrived in 1971 as a one-actor piece set in the twenty-first century.
Why is Robert Keith Inglis narration of The Hobbit considered significant compared to other versions?
Until Andy Serkis released a recording in 2020, Inglis' reading remained the only commercially available unabridged edition of The Hobbit. The Library of Congress produced three recordings of The Hobbit before his version existed.
How did Robert Keith Inglis prepare for his Lord of the Rings audio book recordings in 1990?
Inglis spent six weeks recording Lord of the Rings in 1990 at the New York studio of Recorded Books. He prepared with guidance from acting colleges in dramatic societies to perfect character voices.
Which television roles did Robert Keith Inglis perform between 1968 and 2002?
He played Ned Kelly in The Stringybark Massacre which aired in 1968. A role as Chief sub appeared in Play for Today during 1978 and 1979. Professor Doom featured in Wizbit in 1986 and Alan Clark appeared in Casualty in 2002.
When did Robert Keith Inglis die and what was his final known residence?
Robert Keith Inglis died on the 23rd of May 2021 at age 88. As of 2012 he lived in Somers Town in central London.
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22 references cited across the entry
- 2journalAcross the divide: Somali poet finds a voice in King's CrossWiebke Toebelmann — 30 October 2008
- 3bookThe Oxford Companion to Australian Literature (2 ed.)Oxford University Press — 1994
- 4bookRare and Curious Specimens: An Illustrated History of the Australian Museum, 1827-1979Patricia McDonald — Australian Museum — 1979
- 5webLisa the musical – a dramatic tribute to Ms PontecorvoPeter Gruner — 5 February 2010
- 6webMusical writer Rob Inglis finishes off folk opera script from hospital bedPeter Gruner — 23 August 2012
- 7bookThe Best Plays of 1983-1984: The Burns Mantle YearbookDodd, Mead — 1984
- 8bookCity of a thousand worlds: Edinburgh in festivalOwen Dudley Edwards — Mainstream Publishing — 1991
- 9webRob InglisRecorded Books
- 10journalAudiovisual Review: RecordingsMark Phillips Tierney — 1 March 1995
- 11webDeceased Estates
- 12bookJRR Tolkien Companion & Guide: Reader's GuideChristina Scull et al. — Houghton Mifflin — 2006
- 14journalOne-man Chaucer's Tales9 October 1981
- 15journalVirtuoso recreates Tolkien Classic23 April 1993
- 16bookBuilding Imaginary Worlds: The Theory and History of SubcreationMark J. P. Wolf — Routledge — 2013
- 17journalProducing audiobooks: How do they do it?Jo Carr — March 1994
- 18bookInternational Directory of Company HistoriesJay P. Pederson — Gale — 2007
- 19web"The Hobbit" uncut, at lastLaura Miller — 18 October 2013
- 20web'The Hobbit' is getting a new audiobook edition read by Andy SerkisKellen Beck — 5 July 2020
- 21bookJ.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical AssessmentMichael D.C. Drout — Routledge — 2006
- 22webTalking With Rob InglisJoseph P. Menta — December 2001 – January 2002