Birthday profile

Giles Havergal

Giles Havergal, Scottish actor, director, and playwright

Born
June 9, 1938
Age in 2026
88
Zodiac sign
Gemini
Birth year
1938

About Giles Havergal

Giles Pollock Havergal CBE (9 June 1938 – 23 August 2025) was a Scottish theatre director and actor, opera stage director, teacher and adaptor. He was artistic director of Glasgow's Citizens Theatre from 1969 until he stepped down in 2003, one of the triumvirate of directors at the theatre, alongside Philip Prowse and Robert David MacDonald. Their input and influence within the theatre landscape of Glasgow - and the city itself - were significant, inspiring and supporting several notable actors and designers. == Early life == Giles Pollock Havergal was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on 9 June 1938, to Dr. Henry MacLeod Havergal (died 1989) and his wife, Margaret (nee Chitty). == Career == Havergal was director of Watford Palace Theatre (1965–69) and director of the Citizens Theatre from 1969 to 2003. He directed over 80 plays in Glasgow including works by Shakespeare and Bertolt Brecht, including a number of European works in translation which was unusual for its time - frequently presenting them in new or daring ways. He has also directed over 20 children and family Christmas productions, as well as guest-directing for companies including Scottish Opera, Welsh National Opera, Opera North, Shared Experience, 7:84, Wexford Festival Opera, Buxton Festival, Vancouver Opera, Minnesota Opera, Gelsenkirchen Opera, National Theatre Mannheim. Havergal's production of Travels with My Aunt, adapted from the Graham Greene novel of the same title, was first presented in Glasgow in 1989 and then played in the West End where it won a Laurence Olivier Award in 1993, and off Broadway in 1995. Havergal's production of his and Robert David Macdonald's adaptation of Death in Venice by Thomas Mann was first presented in Glasgow in 2000.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

Giles Havergal timeline

  1. Havergal was the recipient of the 1994 St Mungo Prize, awarded to the individual who has done most in the previous three years to improve and promote the city of Glasgow.
  2. Havergal's production of his and Robert David Macdonald's adaptation of Death in Venice by Thomas Mann was first presented in Glasgow in 2000.
  3. He was awarded a CBE for services to theatre in the 2002 New Year Honours.

The world when Giles Havergal was born

Giles Havergal was born in 1938. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1938

  • #1 song"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" – Ella Fitzgerald
  • Top movieThe Adventures of Robin Hood
  • Best-selling bookRebecca – Daphne du Maurier

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentJoe Louis knocks out Max Schmeling in round 1
  • Top headlineWar of the Worlds broadcast causes nationwide panic
  • Technology milestoneNuclear fission discovered
  • Defining fadSuperman debuts in Action Comics #1
  • Notable inventionInstant coffee (Nescafé)
  • World population2.30 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderFranklin D. Roosevelt
  • Sports championNew York Yankees (World Series)
  • U.S. population129.8M

1938 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Giles Havergal's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19382026
Gas$0.20$3.45/gal
Average home$5,100$435,000
Average income$2,800$67,500
Minimum wage$0.25$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.25$11.95
Postage stamp$0.03$0.73
Population129.8M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.