[2] Casper Wrede came from a noble Finnish family of Livonian origin,[1] which owned large estates mainly in eastern Finland between the 17th and 19th centuries, and had been created barons in 1652 by Queen Christina.
In 1951, he left Finland and enrolled at the Old Vic Theatre School in London run by the French director Michel Saint-Denis.
Michael Elliott was appointed assistant artistic director and, although short-lived, the company achieved considerable success with productions of Brand, Little Eyolf and Danton's Death.
During this time, Wrede also directed both the stage debut of Alun Owen's play The Rough and Ready Lot[4] and its 1959 television adaptation.
He directed over 20 productions during the next 15 years, resigning from the company in 1990 and eventually returned to Finland with his second wife, Karen Bang, a friend since childhood.