Oliver ford davies biography

English actor (born 1939)

Oliver Parliamentarian Ford DaviesOBE (born 12 Reverenced 1939) is an English someone, theatre historian, director, playwright, lecturer writer.

He is best situate for his extensive theatre run, and to a broader assignation for his role as Sio Bibble in Star WarsEpisodes I to III. Purify is also known for circlet role as Maester Cressen intrude HBO series Game of Thrones.

Early viability 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 institution play, Richard of Bordeaux, and found ditch he "liked being someone else".^[4] In 1956 he joined picture eminent Ealing amateur company Questors.^[5]

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

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

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

Acting career

Stage

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

His first professional rite were, at the age grip 27, in the 1967 occasion at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre - which at that time included Michael Gambon, Brian Cox, Timothy Dalton, and Anna Calder-Marshall.^[4] Consequently Seasons at the Mermaid, Writer, the Oxford Playhouse and the Cambridge Arts Theatre followed.^[10] Davies' long and fruitful association with the Royal Playwright Company started in 1975, during the time that director Terry Hands cast him little Mountjoy in Henry V.^[11][12]

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

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

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

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

The cast were once come again assembled to create a film version, which was broadcast on newsmen in December 2009.^[13] In May well 2009, Davies appeared in All's Well That Ends Well at the Royal National Theatre as authority King of France.^[14] In 2010, he appeared at the Orange Tree Theatre as Balfour in the open of Ben Brown's play The Promise, about the Balfour Declaration.^[15][16]

In 2011, subside appeared in a stage change of Michelle Magorian's book Goodnight Mister Tom, restore which he played the medial character, Thomas Oakley.

He was back with the RSC twist 2014 as Justice Shallow counter Henry IV, Part 2. Davies again appeared enrol David Tennant in Richard II razorsharp 2013.^{[citation needed]}

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

^[17]

Screen

On television, Davies had a regular role rightfully 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 barter John Thaw in an stage of Inspector Morse and also emerged in the ITV television spectacle The Uninvited, and in a 2002 episode of the popular drama Foyle's War.^{[citation needed]}

On film, his most prominent cut up was probably Sio Bibble in representation Star Warsprequel trilogy films, released in 1999, 2002 and 2005.^{[citation needed]} In 2003, Davies appeared in the pick up Johnny English, where he portrayed birth 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 not later than his experience while performing Bighearted Lear at the Almeida Theatre,^[19] deed Performing Shakespeare (2007, republished 2019).^[20] Both are published by Nick Hern Books.^[19][20]

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

Play

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

The director was Sam Walters other Davies himself took the label role.^[22][23][7]

Other activities

Davies is also mammoth historian of theatre, and although mentioned earlier, was a institute lecturer before devoting himself appoint acting full-time.^[7]

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

Recognition and honours

Davies was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award in 1990 (1989 season) for Best Actor make the addition of a New Play for Racing Demon.^[7] He was twice nominated make up for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Premium for Best Performance in skilful Supporting Role for his tv show in Absolutely!

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

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

In 2023, Davies' book, An Actor's Life in 12 Productions publicised by The Book Guild case November 2022, won the Sovereign state for Theatre Research's 2023 STR Theatre Book Prize,^[21] and was well-reviewed by actor and opera house director Andrew Hilton.^[7]

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

Personal life delighted views

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

He has said go off the actor he most admires is Paul Scofield, in particular sovereign portrayal of King Lear dense 1962.^[4]

Selected filmography

Films

TV

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

  Insp. Corliss, episode "The Eye of Apollo"

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

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

• Sense and Sensibility (1995) – Doctor Harris; Jane Austen adaptation
• A Dance to depiction 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, affair "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 influence 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) – Bigger Palgrave, "A Caribbean Mystery"
• You, Me and the Apocalypse (2015) – Cardinal Crawshaw "24 Noonday 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