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Born September 7, 1913 John Anthony Quayle was the son of a Lancashire lawyer. He spend a brief time as a rugby star, but in 1931 he traded in his uniform for acting. Anthony was tall, possessed a resonant voice and was a natural. He appeared in many London stage plays and in 1936 he appeared on Broadway in The Country Wife. He was known as a Shakespearean actor. Quayle enlisted in the Royal Artillery and his wartime experiences were the inspiration to publish two novels, On Such a Night and Eight Hours from England.

Quayle directed the on-stage version of Crime and Punishment in 1946 and soon became the principal director and actor of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre. He introduced Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud to the stage. Quayle was a natural for films and he often portrayed dependable and tough authority figures. He was awesome in Pursuit of the Graf Spee (1956), Ice Cold in Alex in 1958 and in Lawrence of Arabia in 1962. He was an excellent epic actor and won an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Cardinal Wolsey in Anne of a Thousand Days (1969).

Before receiving knighthood, Quayle founded the Compass Theatre Company. He was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1952 and Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in 1985. He was a British army major during WWII and portrayed a British Major in The Guns of Navarone (1961).

In 1956 Quayle was nominated for Broadways' Tony Award as best featured or Supporting Actor for his role in Tamburlain the Great (1956). He 1979 Quaylee played Sir Charles Warren In Murder by Decree.

He died of liver cancer on October 20, 1989 in London, England. He is survived by his spouse Dorothy Hyson and three children.