Kenneth Halliwell
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
Related e |
Featured: |
Kenneth Halliwell (23 June1926 – August 9, 1967) was a British actor and writer. He was the mentor, partner, and the eventual murderer of playwright Joe Orton.
Murder
On 9 August 1967, Halliwell killed Orton with nine hammer blows to the head and then overdosed on Nembutal sleeping pills. Despite the violence of the murder, it was Halliwell who died first. The bodies of the two men were discovered late the following morning, when a chauffeur arrived at the door of their Noel Road flat in Islington to collect Orton for a meeting with The Beatles regarding a screenplay he had written for them.
Halliwell's suicide note referred to the contents of Orton's diary as an explanation for his actions:
"If you read his diary, all will be explained. KH PS: Especially the latter part."
This is presumed to be a reference to Orton's description of his promiscuity; the diary contains numerous incidents of cottaging in public lavatories and other sexual relationships.