Cary Elwes in August 1983

In August of 1983 my late friend the actor Robert Addie had arranged one Saturday night to visit me in Cambridge to see our mutual friend the late Jeremy Sinden, who was appearing at the Cambridge Arts Theatre in "French Without Tears". I therefore took a box, and had some Champagne on ice ready for us. Robert had been shooting the film "Another Country" up in Northamptonshire with an old country house standing in as a set for Eton College. He was playing Delahaye, and brought Cary Elwes, in his first significant role playing James Harcourt, with him, and another young man, Tristram Jellinek, who was playing a more minor role. It was thirty years ago, I was thirty-eight, not yet old, disabled, poorer, and chronically ill, as I am today. I was too plump already to be handsome, but such charm as I have ever had was still intact. After the play we repaired to the Italian Kitchen Restaurant, near the Arts Theatre, in Market Square, where I dined everybody. Robert, whom I had known for a year already, knew me well enough to place Cary next to me. He was as charming in person as he was in the film (in fact, as a young actor he may have found it easier just to stay in character, as it was their only break that week). He said as a possible alternative to acting he'd like to come to Cambridge to read English. He'd been at Harrow, but hadn't done an English A-level. After he said he lived near Old Harrow I said it would surely be easy to find a retired Harrow master to coach him for an A-level. Since he was clearly intelligent, well-bred, rich and obviously fit, I had it in mind to suggest he apply to Magdalene, Cambridge, as I had a friend teaching English there whom I knew would take to Cary as much as had. I suggested he come up for a weekend, and I would introduce him to my Fellow at Magdalene friend. He seemed interested, perhaps he was just being charming, but Sarah, Robert Addie's first wife, later put the kibosh on that plan as soon as they left after dinner. He was such a hit in "Another Country" that he didn't need an alternative to acting, and has done some great work since. None of us are as attractive as we were then, after thirty years, but I still have very fond memories of Robert and Jeremy (who both died young of lung cancer) and of the beautiful boy Cary Elwes then was.