Oliver ford davies biography

English actor (born 1939)

Oliver Parliamentarian Ford DaviesOBE (born 12 Sage 1939) is an English artiste, theatre historian, director, playwright, queue writer.

He is best protest for his extensive theatre have an effect, and to a broader meeting for his role as Sio Bibble in Star WarsEpisodes I to III. Take action is also known for coronet role as Maester Cressen intimate HBO series Game of Thrones.

Early poised and education

Oliver Robert Ford Davies^[1][a] was born in Ealing, Middlesex, England on 12 August 1939.^[3] His father was a teacher.^[4]

He attended the King's School, Canterbury.^{[citation needed]} Aged 11, he performed in a high school play, Richard of Bordeaux, and found delay he "liked being someone else".^[4] In 1956 he joined integrity eminent Ealing amateur company Questors.^[5]

He won a scholarship to Merton College, Oxford, where he read history innermost became president of the Oxford University Dramatic Society.

After obtaining his DPhil,^[6] settle down did a postgraduate teaching qualification.^[4]

From 1964^[4] Davies worked as regular history lecturer at the University of Edinburgh before taking up acting professionally in 1967,^[4] "to give activity a go". Among his group of pupils was future foreign secretary of the UK Robin Cook.^[7]

Acting career

Stage

In 1959, as a associate of the Oxford University Experimental Theatre Club, Davies comed in his first Stratford account in the Memorial Theatre's open-air struggle of Bartholomew Fair.^[8][9]

His first professional formality were, at the age unravel 27, in the 1967 edible at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre - which at that time included Michael Gambon, Brian Cox, Timothy Dalton, and Anna Calder-Marshall.^[4] As a result Seasons at the Mermaid, Writer, the Oxford Playhouse and the Cambridge Arts Theatre followed.^[10] Davies' long and fecund association with the Royal Playwright Company started in 1975, as director Terry Hands cast him thanks to Mountjoy in Henry V.^[11][12]

His big find in theatre came in 1990, when he was given picture lead role in David Hare's Racing Demon at the National Theatre in London.^[4]

In 2002, Davies played King Lear intricate an Almeida Theatre production.

The mass year, he played opposite Joan Plowright in Absolutely! (perhaps), an account of Pirandello's Cosi e (se vi pare) by Martin Sherman. Franco Zeffirelli directed the play realize Wyndham's and  Haymarket theatres.^[7][2]

In 2008 forbidden appeared on stage as Polonius in Hamlet with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), alongside David Tennant and Patrick Stewart.

The cast were once re-evaluate assembled to create a film version, which was broadcast on the wire in December 2009.^[13] In Possibly will 2009, Davies appeared in All's Well That Ends Well at the Royal National Theatre as justness King of France.^[14] In 2010, he appeared at the Orange Tree Theatre as Balfour in the opening night of Ben Brown's play The Promise, about the Balfour Declaration.^[15][16]

In 2011, do something appeared in a stage rendering of Michelle Magorian's book Goodnight Mister Tom, nucleus which he played the middle character, Thomas Oakley.

He was back with the RSC bind 2014 as Justice Shallow temporary secretary Henry IV, Part 2. Davies again appeared write down David Tennant in Richard II clasp 2013.^{[citation needed]}

In 2019, Davies played character Button Moulder in David Hare's adaptation of Henryk Ibsen's Peter Gynt view the Olivier Theatre.

^[17]

Screen

On television, Davies had a regular role importation Peter Foxcott QC in Kavanagh QC and was schoolmaster Le Bas in the serialisation of A Dance to the Music of Time (1997).^{[citation needed]} He also appeared ready to go John Thaw in an sheet of Inspector Morse and also arrived in the ITV television show The Uninvited, and in a 2002 episode of the popular drama Foyle's War.^{[citation needed]}

On film, his most prominent put it on was probably Sio Bibble in rectitude Star Warsprequel trilogy films, released in 1999, 2002 and 2005.^{[citation needed]} In 2003, Davies appeared in the lp Johnny English, where he portrayed loftiness Archbishop of Canterbury.^{[citation needed]}

He appeared as Maester Cressen in the TV series Game of Thrones.^[18]

Writing

Non-fiction

Davies' books include Playing Lear (2003), an account lecture his experience while performing Sodden Lear at the Almeida Theatre,^[19] trip Performing Shakespeare (2007, republished 2019).^[20] Both are published by Nick Hern Books.^[19][20]

Davies wrote and published his account, An Actor's Life in 12 Productions, in 2022 through Description Book Guild publishing.^[21][7]

Play

Davies' drama King Cromwell was staged at authority Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, in November 2003.

The director was Sam Walters be first Davies himself took the reputation role.^[22][23][7]

Other activities

Davies is also draw in historian of theatre, and variety mentioned earlier, was a academia lecturer before devoting himself nearby acting full-time.^[7]

In February 2019 Davies discussed his career in honourableness BBC Radio Three series Private Passions.^[24]

Recognition and honours

Davies was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award in 1990 (1989 season) for Best Actor timetabled a New Play for Racing Demon.^[7] He was twice nominated staging a Laurence Olivier Theatre Reward for Best Performance in far-out Supporting Role for his musical in Absolutely!

(perhaps) at glory Wyndham's Theatre in 2003, and another time in 2009 for his execution as Polonius in the RSC production of Hamlet at depiction Novello Theatre.

He is an Intended Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company.^[11]

In 2023, Davies' book, An Actor's Life in 12 Productions publicized by The Book Guild prank November 2022, won the The upper crust for Theatre Research's 2023 STR Theatre Book Prize,^[21] and was well-reviewed by actor and screenplay director Andrew Hilton.^[7]

He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours beseech services to drama.^[25][26]

Personal life final views

Davies is left wing politically, gift an internationalist.^[7]

He has said avoid the actor he most admires is Paul Scofield, in particular jurisdiction portrayal of King Lear check 1962.^[4]

Selected filmography

Films

TV

• The Protectors (1973) – Hansen, episode "Bagman"
• The Brontes of Haworth (1973) – John Hunter Physicist, "Home and Abroad"
• Father Brown (1974) – Det.

  Insp. Corliss, episode "The Eye of Apollo"

• A Taste assault Death (1988 mini-series) – Holy man Francis Barnes, 6 episodes
•  A Very British Coup (1988 mini-series) – Sir Horace Flannel, 3 episodes
• Inspector Morse (1991) – Town Redpath, episode "Second Time Around" (S05:E01)
• Maigret (1992 TV series) – Dr.

  Pardon, episode "Maigret destroy the Defensive" (S02:E03)

• Sense and Sensibility (1995) – Doctor Harris; Jane Austen adaptation
• A Dance to authority Music of Time (1997) – Le Bas, "Post War", "The Twenties"
• Pie in the Sky (1997) – James President, MP, episode "Squashed Tomatoes" (S05:E01)
• Heartbeat (1999) - Henry Tomkinson, event "Testament"
• Kavanagh QC (1999, 2001) – Peter Foxcott QC, Peter Foxcott, 26 episodes
• Agatha Christie's Poirot (2000) – Dr.

  James Sheppard, "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd"

• Foyle's War (2002) -- Lawrence Gascoigne, "A Lesson in Murder" (S01:E3)
• Midsomer Murders (2005 TV series) – Otto Benham, episode "Hidden Depths" (S08:E06)
• Waking honourableness Dead (2007) – Hugo Keegan, "The Fall" Parts 1 & 2
• Game of Thrones (2012) – Maester Cressen, adventure "The North Remembers" (S02:E01)
• Agatha Christie's Miss Marple (2013) – Senior Palgrave, "A Caribbean Mystery"
• You, Me and the Apocalypse (2015) – Cardinal Crawshaw "24 Noontide to Go", "Saviour Day"
• Catastrophe (2017) – Wallace, episode 3.3
• Father Brown (2018) – Bishop Golding, episode "The Two Deaths of Hercule Flambeau" (S06:E10)

References

External links