Co-director (with Laurence Olivier) of the National Theatre of Great Britain. It
was Tynan who said that he would only accept the post if Olivier played
Othello in Shakespeare's "Othello", something that Olivier had always
resisted doing (he had played Iago on stage opposite Ralph Richardson as Othello
in the 1930s).
Was merciless in his reviews of Vivien Leigh's theatre performances. Laurence Olivier
wrote in his autobiography that Tynan's harsh criticism was responsible
for at least one of Leigh's nervous breakdowns.