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Robert Hardy

Robert Hardy

Birthday: 1925-10-29 | Place of Birth: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, UK

One of England's most successful and enduring character actors, with a prolific screen career on television and in films, Robert Hardy was acclaimed for his versatility and the depth of his performances. Born in Cheltenham in 1925, he studied at Oxford University and, in 1949, he joined the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon. Television viewers most fondly remember him as the overbearing Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small (1978) but his most critically acclaimed performance was as the title character of Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years (1981). His portrayal of Britain's wartime leader was so accurately observed that, in the following years, he was called on to reprise the role in such productions as The Woman He Loved (1988) and War and Remembrance (1988). Unlike some British character actors, Hardy was not a Hollywood name and his work in films was therefore restricted to appearances in predominantly British-based productions such as The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1965), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) and Sense and Sensibility (1995). However, in the 21st century, Hardy came to the attention of a whole new generation for his performances in the hugely successful Harry Potter films, while also continuing to make regular appearances in British television series. His co-star from All Creatures Great and Small (1978), Peter Davison, quite simply described Hardy as an "extraordinary" actor who would "never do the same thing twice" when he was acting with him. He was awarded the CBE for services to acting. He died in August 2017.

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Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

2009
Margaret

as    Willie Whitelaw

2009
Margaret

as    Willie Whitelaw

2004
Making Waves

as    Father Parry

2003
The Gathering

as    Bishop

2003
Death in Holy Orders

as    Father Martin Petrie

2003
Lucky Jim

as    Professor Neddy Welch

2002
The Falklands Play

as    Sir Anthony Parsons

2002
Shackleton

as    Sir James Caird

1996
Gulliver's Travels

as    Dr. Parnell

1995
A Feast At Midnight

as    Headmaster

1994
Middlemarch

as    Arthur Brooke

1994
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

as    Prof. Krempe

1992
The Master Blackmailer

as    Charles Augustus Milverton

1989
Bomber Harris

as    Winston Churchill

1988
The Woman He Loved

as    Winston Churchill

1988
War and Remembrance

as    Winston Churchill

1985
The Shooting Party

as    Bob, Lord Lilburn

1984
The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood

as    King Richard

1980
Twelfth Night

as    Sir Toby Belch

1979
Speed King

as    Dorothy Campbell

1978
All Creatures Great and Small

as    Siegfried Farnon

1976
The Slap

as    Robert Dickinson

1974
Dark Places

as    Edward Foster / Andrew Marr