Tales of the unexpected series 9
Actors in twisty tales
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Charles Dance is an English actor, screenwriter, and film director. Dance typically plays assertive bureaucrats or villains. Some of his most high-profile roles are Tywin Lannister in HBO's Game of Thrones (2011), Guy Perron in The Jewel in the Crown (1984), Sardo Numspa in The Golden Child (1986), Dr. Jonathan Clemens in Alien 3 (1992), Benedict in Last Action Hero (1993), the Master Vampire in Dracula Untold (2014), Lord Havelock Vetinari in Terry Pratchett's Going Postal (2010), Alastair Denniston in The Imitation Game (2014) and William Randolph Hearst in Mank (2020).
He played the role of Tywin Lannister in HBO's Game of Thrones (2011), based on the Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R. R. Martin.
In 1989, he played Bond creator Ian Fleming in Anglia Television's drama biography.- Zoë Wanamaker is an American expatriate actress, who has spend most of her career in the United Kingdom. She has worked extensively in the theatre. She has been nominated for 9 Laurence Olivier Awards, wining twice. She has also been nominated for 4 Tony Awards, without ever winning. In television, she is known for the main role of Susan Harper in the long-running sitcom "My Family" (2000-2011).
In 1949, Wanamaker was born in New York City. Her father the American film director Sam Wanamaker (1919 -1993). Sam was born in Chicago to Ukrainian-Jewish immigrants. Wanamaker's mother was the Canadian actress Charlotte Hollan, who was also of Jewish descent. Wanamaker's paternal grandfather was the tailor Maurice Wanamaker, whose original family name was "Watmacher".
Sam Wanamaker was a veteran of World War II, and an adherent of communism. In the early 1950s, the United States was experiencing the Second Red Scare. Communists, real or suspected ones, were seen as potential foreign agents and were targeted by political purges. In 1952, Sam was blacklisted in the United States. He decided to settle in the United Kingdom with his family. Zoë consequently settled in the United Kingdom at the age of 3.
Wanamaker received her early education at the King Alfred School, a co-educational independent school located in London. She later attended the Sidcot School, a co-educational boarding school located in the village of Winscombe, Somerset. Sidcot was a Quaker school, but was open to students from various faiths and cultures. Sidcot had served as a co-educational school since 1808. one of the earliest British schools of its kind.
Following her graduation, Wanamaker pursued a pre-diploma course at the Hornsey College of Art. Having decided to follow an acting career, Wanamaker was trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama. The school had been operating since 1906, when founded by the teacher Elsie Fogerty (1865 -1945). The school was initially based around Fogerty's theories about teaching proper elocution.
In the early 1970s, Wanamaker was primarily a theatrical actress. In 1976, she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. It is a prestigious theatrical company, headquartered in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. It specializes in performing the plays of William Shakespeare, though it has performed plays by many other playwrights. Wanamaker served as a member until 1984.
In 1979, Wanamaker won her first Olivier Award for her role in a revival of the play "Once in a Lifetime" (1930) by Moss Hart (1904 -1961) and George Simon Kaufman (1889-1961). The play is a satire of American show business. It depicts veteran vaudeville performers trying to re-establish their careers in the Hollywood film industry.
In the 1980s, Wanamaker frequently appeared in television films and other television production. She played an intelligence agent in the mini-series "Edge of Darkness" (1985), which combined elements from the genres of crime drama, political thriller, and science fiction. She was part of the cast of the historical drama series "Paradise Postponed" (1986), which depicts the changes experienced by British from the 1940s to the 1970s. She was part of the cast in the biographical film "Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story" (1987), based on the life and long-term problems of American heiress Barbara Hutton (1912 -1979). She had a one-shot role in the anthology series "Tales of the Unexpected" (1979-1988), which typically adapted short stories into its episodes.
In 1991, Wanamaker played manicurist Moyra Henson in the first season of the police procedural "Prime Suspect" (1991-2006). Henson's common-law husband is suspected serial killer George Marlow, and police authorities eventually realize that all the recent victims were Henson's clients. Wanamaker's role was critically well-received. She was nominated for the "British Academy Television Award for Best Actress" for this role, but the award was instead won by her co-star Helen Mirren (1945-).
In 1993, Wanamaker had a co-starring role in the drama film "The Countess Alice". In the film, she played Konstanza (nicknamed "Connie"), the German daughter of British aristocrat Countess Alice von Holzendorf (played by Wendy Hiller). Connie investigates her own past and realizes that the real Konstanza died in childhood. She is a child of obscure origins, who was secretly adopted by Alice as a replacement. The film was well-received at the time, though it is mostly remembered for Hiller's last role in a film.
In 1997, Wanamaker had a supporting role in the biographical film "Wide", based on the life of the writer Oscar Wilde (1854 -1900). She played the role of the novelist Ada Leverson (1862 -1933), a close friend of Wilde who offered him hospitality when he became an outcast. The film was well-received by critics. Wanamaker was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, but the award was instead won by rival actress Sigourney Weaver (1949-).
In 2000, Wanamaker gained a major television role, when cast as Susan Harper in the sitcom "My Family" (2001-2011). Harper was depicted as a tour guide who is married and has three children. Her so-called "control freak" nature often has her clash with her family. Her problems include being married to a husband who clearly does not care about her, and having immature kids.
In 2000, Wanamaker finally gained British citizenship, after residing in the country for 48 years. She also maintained her American citizenship. In January 2001, Wanamaker was appointed a "Commander of the Order of the British Empire" for her services to drama. This is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences.
In 2001, Wanamaker had a supporting role in the fantasy film "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", an adaptation of a novel by J. K. Rowling (1965-). Wanamaker played the role of Rolanda Hooch, a Quidditch referee and flying instructor for first-year students at the magic school Hogwarts. The film was a box office hit. Wanamaker did not appear in the film's sequels.
In 2005, Wanamaker had a role in the science fiction series "Doctor Who" (2005-) as the villain Lady Cassandra, who is obsessed with prolonging her own life. Wanamaker returned to this role in 2006.
Also in 2005, Wanamaker joined the cast of the mysteries series "Agatha Christie's Poirot" (1989-2013) as crime novelist Ariadne Oliver. Oliver was a recurring character created by writer Agatha Christie (1890-1976), and was intended as a self-portrait of Christie. Wanamaker played this role in 6 feature-length episodes, broadcast from 2005 to 2013. Oliver was depicted as a close friend and ally of detective Hercule Poirot (played by David Suchet).
In 2008, Wanamaker voiced the blind seeress Theresa in the role-playing video game "Fable II". Her character guides the game's protagonist through its story. The video game was quite successful. Wanamaker returned to this role in two of the game's sequels: "Fable III" (2010), and Fable: The Journey (2012). This has been Wanamaker's most prominent performance in voice acting.
In 2011, Wanamaker had a supporting role in the drama film "My Week with Marilyn", which depicted Marilyn Monroe brief stay in the United Kingdom during the shooting of the classic film "The Prince and the Showgirl" (1957). Wanamaker played the role of Paula Strasberg (1909-1966), Monroe's acting coach. The film performed well at the box office, and was critically acclaimed.
In 2015, Wanamaker joined the cast of the period drama series "Mr Selfridge" (2013-2016). The series was based on the life of retail magnate Harry Gordon Selfridge (1858-1947). Wanamaker played the role of Princess Marie Wiasemsky de Bolotoff, a Russian aristocrat who serves at the mother-in-law of Rosalie Selfridge.
In 2018, Wanamaker gained the major role of Queen Antedia in the historical fantasy series "Britannia" (2018-).Antedia was depicted as the Queen regnant of the Regni tribe, a Celtic tribe struggling against the rival Cantii tribe.
As of 2021, Wanamaker is 72-years-old. She has never retired from acting, and continues to appear regularly in television. She is quite familiar to the British public, through decades of notable roles. - Actor
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Joss Ackland, the distinguished English actor who has appeared in over 100 movies, scores of plays and a plethora of television programs in his six-decade career, was born Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland on February 29, 1928, in North Kensington, London. After attending London's Central School of Speech and Drama, the 17-year-old Ackland made his professional stage debut in "The Hasty Heart" in 1945.
Although he first appeared on film in John Boulting's and Roy Boulting's Oscar-winning thriller Seven Days to Noon (1950) in an uncredited bit role, he made his credited debut in a supporting role in Vernon Sewell's Ghost Ship (1952). He would not again grace the big screen until the end of the decade. Instead, Ackland spent the latter half of the 1940s and the first half of the 1950s honing his craft in regional theatrical companies.
In 1955 he left the English stage behind and moved to Africa to manage a tea plantation, an experience that likely informed his heralded performance 20 years later in White Mischief (1987). In his two years in Africa he wrote plays and did service as a radio disc jockey. Upon his return to England in 1957, he joined the Old Vic company.
From 1962-64 he served as associate director of the Mermaid Theatre. Subsequently, his stage acting career primarily was in London's commercial West End theater, where he made a name for himself in musicals. He was distinguished as Captain Hook in the musical version of "Peter Pan" and as Juan Peron in "Evita". In the straight theater he was a memorable Falstaff in William Shakespeare's "Henry IV Parts 1 & 2" and as Captain Shotover in George Bernard Shaw's "Heartbreak House". In the 1960s Ackland began appearing more regularly in films, and his career as a movie character actor picked up rapidly in the 1970s and began to flourish in the 1980s. It has shown little sign of abating in the 21st century, even though he's well into his 70s.
In addition to his performance in "White Mischief", among his more notable turns as an actor before the camera came in the BBC-TV production of Shadowlands (1986), in which he played 'C.S. Lewis', and in Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) as the ruthless South African heavy, Arjen Rudd.
He is the father of seven children, whom he listed as his "hobby" in a 1981 interview. On December 31, 2000, Joss Ackland was named a Commander of the British Empire on the New Year's Honours List for his 50 years of service to the English stage, cinema and television.- Actress
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Collins entered motion pictures as a stripper in the exploitation film, Secrets of a Windmill Girl (1966), and television, as a maid in the British drama series Upstairs, Downstairs (1971). In 1988, she starred in the one-woman play 'Shirley Valentine' in London, and soon after, brought the role to Broadway, winning a Tony Award. She collected a BAFTA Film Award and was nominated an Academy Award for her performance in the film version, Shirley Valentine (1989). Several stage, film and television performances followed.- Actor
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An English actor active in the theater since 1961, having made few theatrical movies, none of which particularly outstanding, with the exception of John Boorman's Zardoz (1974) and Nigel Cole's popular Calendar Girls (2003), John Alderton has become famous thanks to British television. Appearing in approximately two hundred TV series episodes, TV movies or specials, he is best remembered as the teacher facing the rowdy students in the series Please Sir! (1968), from 1968 to 1972, Thomas, the chauffeur, in Upstairs, Downstairs (1971), between 1971 and 1975, and the narrator and sole voice artist for the English dub of Fireman Sam (1987) from 1987 to 1994.- Jonathan Coy was born on 24 April 1953 in Hammersmith, London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The Scarlet Pimpernel (1999), Horatio Hornblower: The Fire Ship (1998) and Underworld (1997). He has been married to Emma Amos since 1998. They have one child. He was previously married to Louisa Rix.
- British actor of mixed heritage father from Iraq and mother from the Caucuses. Raised and educated primarily in Cairo, Geneva, Paris and California. Trained as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Appeared in numerous theatre productions with the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company and Royal Exchange Manchester. Toured US in The Great Game playing at the Public/Skirball NY, the Guthrie in Minneapolis and Berkeley Rep. Did two seasons as General Tariq in US show Tyrant for FX and was in award-winning The Honorable Woman for SundanceTV. Appeared alongside Don Cheadle in the film Traitor, with Jaimie Foxx in The Kingdom and Paul Greengrass' Green Zone. Recently played Gaddafi in Matthew Heineman's A Private War alongside Rosamund Pike.
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Richard Briers was born on 14 January 1934 in Merton, Surrey, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Watership Down (1978), Much Ado About Nothing (1993) and Peter Pan (2003). He was married to Ann Davies. He died on 17 February 2013 in London, England, UK.- Actress
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Daughter of Catherine and Isaac Routledge. Her father was a haberdasher, and, during WWII, the family lived weeks at a time in the basement of her father's shop. She attended Birkenhead High School, where she sang in the choir and ran the Sunday School. She studied English at Liverpool University, and, after graduation, worked without pay at the Liverpool Playhouse. She was asked to join the company, and she later studied at Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol. She then moved to London, where she built an impressive stage career over the next several years, also appearing on Broadway 1966-1968. Patricia has worked in TV since the early 1950s, most recently in Keeping Up Appearances (1990). She also recorded an album, "Presenting Patricia Routledge", and worked in film and radio. She has never married or had children, has said that she will not retire, and lives in Kensington and Surrey when not working.- Actor
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One of England's most versatile character actors, Jim Broadbent was born on May 24, 1949, in Lincolnshire, the youngest son of furniture maker Roy Laverick Broadbent and sculptress Doreen "Dee" (Findlay) Broadbent. Jim attended a Quaker boarding school in Reading before successfully applying for a place at an art school. His heart was in acting, though, and he would later transfer to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). Following his 1972 graduation, he began his professional career on the stage, performing with the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, and as part of the National Theatre of Brent, a two-man troupe which he co-founded. In addition to his theatrical work, Broadbent did steady work on television, working for such directors as Mike Newell and Stephen Frears. Broadbent made his film debut in 1978 with a small part in Jerzy Skolimowski's The Shout (1978). He went on to work with Frears again in The Hit (1984) and with Terry Gilliam in Time Bandits (1981) and Brazil (1985), but it was through his collaboration with Mike Leigh that Broadbent first became known to an international film audience. In 1990 he starred in Leigh's Life Is Sweet (1990), a domestic comedy that cast him as a good-natured cook who dreams of running his own business. Broadbent gained further visibility the following year with substantial roles in Neil Jordan's The Crying Game (1992) and Mike Newell's Enchanted April (1991), and he could subsequently be seen in such diverse fare as Woody Allen's Bullets Over Broadway (1994), Widows' Peak (1994), Richard Loncraine's highly acclaimed adaptation of Shakespeare's Richard III (1995) and Little Voice (1998), the last of which cast him as a seedy nightclub owner. Appearing primarily as a character actor in these films, Broadbent took center stage for Leigh's Topsy-Turvy (1999), imbuing the mercurial W.S. Gilbert with emotional complexity and comic poignancy. Jim's breakthrough year was 2001, as he starred in three critically and commercially successful films. Many would consider him the definitive supporting actor of that year. First he starred as Bridget's dad (Colin Jones) in Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), which propelled Renée Zellweger to an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Next came the multiple Oscar-nominated film (including Best Picture) Moulin Rouge! (2001), for which he won a Best Supporting Actor BAFTA award for his scene-stealing performance as Harold Zidler. Lastly, came the small biopic Iris (2001), for which he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor as devoted husband John Bayley to Judi Dench's Iris Murdoch, the British novelist who suffered from Alzheimer's disease. The film hit home with Jim, since his own mother had passed away from Alzheimer's in 1995.- Benedict Taylor was born on 18 April 1960 in London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Notes on a Scandal (2006), Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) and Beau Geste (1982).
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Peter Davison was born as Peter Malcolm Gordon Moffett on 13 April 1951 in Streatham, London. A decade later, he and his family - his parents, Sheila and Claude (an electrical engineer who hailed from British Guiana), and his sisters, Barbara, Pamela and Shirley, moved to Knaphill, Woking, Surrey, where Davison was educated at the Winston Churchill School. It was here that he first became interested in acting, taking parts in a number of school plays, and this eventually led to him joining an amateur dramatic society, the Byfleet Players.
Upon leaving school at the age of sixteen, having achieved only modest academic success with three O Levels of undistinguished grades, he took a variety of short-lived jobs ranging from hospital porter to Hoffman press operator. He was still keen to pursue an acting career, however, and so applied for a place at drama school.
Davison was accepted into the Central School of Speech and Drama and stayed there for three years. His first professional acting work came in 1972 when, after leaving drama school in the July of that year, he secured a small role in a run of "Love's Labour's Lost" at the Nottingham Playhouse. This marked the start of a three-year period in which he worked in a variety of different repertory companies around Great Britain, often in Shakespearean roles. He then made his television debut, playing a blond-wigged space cowboy character called Elmer in "A Man for Emily", a three-part story in the Thames TV children's series The Tomorrow People (1973) (April 1975). Appearing alongside him in this production was his future wife, American actress Sandra Dickinson, whom he had first met during a run of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in Edinburgh. They married on 26 December 1978 in Dickinson's home town of Rockville, Maryland, USA.
Davison spent the following eighteen months working as a file clerk at Twickenham tax office. He also took the opportunity to pursue an interest in singing and songwriting, which led him to record several singles with his wife. He later provided the theme tunes for a number of TV series, including Mixed Blessings (1978) and Button Moon (1980). Davison played the romantic lead, Tom Holland in Love for Lydia (1977), a London Weekend Television (LWT) period drama serial transmitted in 1977.
Davison's greatest acting breakthrough came when he played Tristan in the BBC's All Creatures Great and Small (1978), based on the books of country vet James Herriot. It was a highly successful series, which ran initially for three seasons between 1978-1980. His success in All Creatures Great and Small (1978) brought him many other offers of TV work. Among those that he took up were lead roles in two sitcoms: LWT's Holding the Fort (1980), in which he played Russell Milburn, and the BBC's Sink or Swim (1980), in which he played Brian Webber. Three seasons of each were transmitted between 1980-82, consolidating Davison's position as a well-known and popular television actor.
In 1980, Doctor Who (1963) producer John Nathan-Turner, who had worked with Davison as the production unit manager on All Creatures Great and Small (1978), cast him as the Fifth Doctor in the series. Taking over from Tom Baker, who had been in the role for an unprecedented seven years, Davison was seen as a huge departure as he was by far the youngest actor to date. Davison announced he was taking the lead role in Doctor Who (1963) on the BBC's lunchtime magazine program Pebble Mill at One (1972) on 3 December 1980, when he discussed with the presenter a number of costume ideas sent in by viewers and was particularly impressed by a suggestion from one of a panel of young fans assembled in the studio that the new Doctor should be "like Tristan Farnon, but with bravery and intellect".
His appearance in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1981), was recorded on 19 December 1980 and transmitted on 2 February 1981, by which time the viewing public were well aware that he would soon be taking over the lead role in Doctor Who. There was in fact only a month to go before he would make his on-screen debut in the series - albeit a brief one, in the regeneration sequence at the end of Logopolis: Part Four (1981).
His first full story was in Castrovalva: Part One (1982), the first story of season nineteen transmitted on 4 January 1982. Another significant change for the series was that it was taken off Saturdays for the first time, instead being broadcast on Mondays and Tuesdays. Davison was an immediate hit as the Doctor, with ratings picking up considerably from Tom Baker's final season. Several episodes from Davison's first season achieved over 10 million viewers, which would be the last time these numbers would be achieved in the original run of Doctor Who (1963). One particular success from Davison's first season was the stylish return of the Cybermen in Earthshock: Part One (1982), which became the most popular Cybermen story since the 1960s.
As the incumbent Doctor, Davison took part in the major celebrations of the 20th anniversary of Doctor Who (1963) in 1983, which included the multi-Doctor special The Five Doctors (1983). Nevertheless, Davison found himself dissatisfied with his second season on Doctor Who (1963), feeling that the writing, directing, budgets and tight recording schedules in the studio were frequently letting it down. With this in mind and fearing typecasting, he finished his tenure at the end of his third season in The Caves of Androzani: Part Four (1984). He left on a high, as it has been repeatedly voted one of the best stories ever by fans.
Davison became a father when, on December 25, 1984 (one day before the couple's sixth wedding anniversary), Dickinson gave birth to a daughter, Georgia Elizabeth, at Queen Charlotte's Hospital in London. Ten years later, however, the marriage broke down and they separated and later divorced. Most of Davison's work since then has been in the medium for which he is best known: television.
His credits include regular stints as Henry Myers in Anna of the Five Towns (1985), as Dr. Stephen Daker in A Very Peculiar Practice (1986), as Albert Campion in Mystery!: Campion (1989) and as Clive Quigley in Ain't Misbehavin (1994) all for the BBC, and as Ralph in Yorkshire TV's Fiddlers Three (1991). In addition, he has reprized his popular role of Tristan Farnon on a number of occasions for one-off specials and revival seasons of All Creatures Great and Small (1978).
Davison has returned several times to the world of Doctor Who (1963). In 1993 he appeared as the Fifth Doctor in Doctor Who: Dimensions in Time (1993), a brief two-part skit transmitted as part of the BBC's annual Children in Need Charity appeal, and in 1985 he narrated an abridged novelization of the season twenty-one story "Warriors of the Deep" for BBC Worldwide's Doctor Who audio book series. In addition, he has appeared in a number of video dramas produced by Bill Baggs Video. In 2003 and 2004 he appeared as quiet and unassuming detective "Dangerous Davies" in The Last Detective (2003), the Meridian TV adaptations of Leslie Thomas's novels.- Actress
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Liza Goddard was born on 20 January 1950 in Smethwick, Sandwell, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Doctor Who (1963), Woof! (1989) and The Intruders (1969). She was previously married to David Cobham, Alvin Stardust and Colin Baker.- Actress
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Born in Britain to Australian parents, Caroline Goodall is internationally known as a leading actress who has starred in some of the biggest blockbusters of the 90's, including Schindler's List (1993), Hook (1991), Cliffhanger (1993), Disclosure (1994), White Squall (1996) and The Princess Diaries (2001).
She is a graduate of Bristol University where she gained a BA Hons. in Drama and English, and studied alongside other notable screenwriters such as Jeremy Brock (Mrs. Brown). As a writer, in addition to "The Bay of Silence" for Radiant Pictures, credits include screen adaptations of Rupert Thomson's "Dreams Of Leaving" for HKM Films.
A former member of The Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre of Great Britain, Caroline appeared extensively on stage before being chosen by Steven Spielberg to star in Hook (1991) in 1991. Since then, she has worked on film and TV projects in the USA, Canada, Europe and Australia, striking a balance between Independent and Studio films, as well as maintaining a TV presence in Britain and Australia. She was nominated for Best Actress by the Australian Film Institute in 1990 for Cassidy (1989) and again in 1995 for Hotel Sorrento (1995). There followed a Logie nomination for Best Actress for A Difficult Woman (1998) which also won best TV mini series at the New York Festival in 1998.
She is married to Nicola Pecorini and has two children, Gemma and Leone. She is sister to producer Victoria Goodall, who is married to actor/director Dallas Campbell.- Actor
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The son of a car mechanic he grew up in Brooklyn. He was in a street gang at 6 and was carrying a knife at 9, He lived with Kim Novak for 18 months then met Lindsay Wagner while she was still unknown and they lived together for 2 years before marrying but it only lasted 18 months. He then married Glynis Barber and had a son Alexander- Nadim Sawalha was born on 9 September 1933 in Madaba, Jordan. He is an actor, known for The Living Daylights (1987), Captain Abu Raed (2007) and The Avengers (1998). He has been married to Roberta Lane since 1961. They have three children.
- Stefan Kalipha was born in 1940 in Trinidad, British West Indies [now Trinidad and Tobago]. He is an actor, known for For Your Eyes Only (1981), The Nativity Story (2006) and Ali G Indahouse (2002).
- Rob Spendlove was born on 1 May 1953 in London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for In the Name of the Father (1993), A Taste for Death (1988) and TECX (1990). He has been married to Rosie Rowell since 2003. They have two children. He was previously married to Sandy Hendrickse.
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Widely regarded as one of England's finest stage, screen and TV actors, David Suchet's international reputation has only grown over the years, greatly enhanced by his definitive interpretation of Agatha Christie's suave Belgian super-sleuth Hercule Poirot, a character he played for nearly 25 years in various TV episodes (1988-2013). Born in London on May 2, 1946, the son of actress Joan Patricia Jarché and renowned Lithuanian-Jewish obstetrician and gynecologist Jack Suchet, David, following boarding school, took an early desire in acting and was given a membership with the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain at age 16. He then studied for three years at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts and, after a significant route in repertory work, became a company member of the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1973 where he evolved into one of its most dominant players.
In the 1970s, Suchet also began to come into his own on British television. In classical tradition, his first television movie was A Tale of Two Cities (1980). His first cinematic detective was as a Greek inspector in the Disney mystery comedy Trenchcoat (1983). This was followed by a versatile range of film roles that also express the width of his acting nationalities, such as a Middle Eastern terrorist in The Little Drummer Girl (1984), a Russian operative in The Falcon and the Snowman (1985), a French hunter in Harry and the Hendersons (1987), a Polish bishop in To Kill A Priest (1988), and the emperor Napoleon in Sabotage! (2000).
Suchet's masterful work in television roles also includes portrayals of historical, biblical, entertainment and fictional figures, such as Sigmund Freud in Freud (1984), news reporter William L. Shirer in Murrow (1986), Aaron in Moses (1995), movie mogul Louis B. Mayer in RKO 281 (1999), Cardinal Wolsey in Henry VIII (2003), vampire nemesis Van Helsing in Dracula (2006), and Robert Maxwell in Maxwell (2007).
Suchet's memorable theatre incarnations have included Shakespearean interps of Iago in "Othello", Tybalt in "Romeo and Juliet", Caliban in "The Tempest", and the title role of "Timon of Athens", as well as vibrant classical roles such as George in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (1996), as composer Salieri in "Amadeus" (1998), a mesmerizing performance that earned both Olivier and Tony nominations, as Joe Keller in "All My Sons" (2010), as James Tyrone in "Long Day's Journey Into Night" (2012) (and in the 2014 film), as Lady Bracknell in "The Importance of Being Earnest" (2015) (and in the 2015 film), and as Gregory Solomon in "The Price" (2019).
Long married to former actress Sheila Ferris, the couple have two children: Robert Suchet (born 1981) and Katherine Suchet (born 1983). His older brother is BBC newscaster-turned-journalist John Suchet. David was awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) at the 2011 Queen's Birthday Honours for his services to drama. He was awarded Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire at the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours for his services to drama and to charity.- Actress
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Nina van Pallandt became famous in the United States in the early 1970s as the mistress of hoaxer Clifford Irving, who went to jail when his biography of Howard Hughes, allegedly written with Hughes' co-operation, proved to be a fake when Hughes himself came out of seclusion to repudiate the work. Van Pallandt helped expose Irving's fraud by revealing that he was vacationing with her in Mexico at the time he was allegedly interviewing Hughes. She appears, as herself, in Orson Welles' non-fiction film "F For Fake" (F for Fake (1973)). Van Pallandt was known in Europe as a singer of folk songs before her involvement with Irving and subsequent film career, having been married to her fellow folk singer, Baron Frederik van Pallandt, with whom she toured Europe and had many hit records as "Nina & Frederik". The height of Van Pallandt's film career was her appearance in four Robert Altman movies: The Long Goodbye (1973), A Wedding (1978), Quintet (1979), and O.C. and Stiggs (1985).- Jemma Redgrave was born on 14 January 1965 in London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for The Beekeeper (2024), Howards End (1992) and Love & Friendship (2016). She was previously married to Timothy W. Owen.
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Topol was born on 9 September 1935 in Tel Aviv, Palestine [now Israel]. He was an actor and producer, known for Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Flash Gordon (1980) and For Your Eyes Only (1981). He was married to Galia Topol. He died on 8 March 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel.- Born in Scotland, raised in Surrey by her Scottish grandparents. Kim was trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama, London. An early break came in playing the lead in the TV mini-series 'Cover Her Face'. First film credit was "Stealing Heaven". Kim has gone on to work extensively in film, TV, and theatre in both the UK and USA.
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Eamonn Walker was born on 12 June 1962 in London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Oz (1997), Unbreakable (2000) and Lord of War (2005). He is married to Sandra Walker. They have three children.