Alun Armstrong (actor)
Encyclopedia
Alun Armstrong is a prolific British character actor
. Armstrong grew up in County Durham
in North East England
. He first became interested in acting through Shakespeare productions at his grammar school
. Since his career began in the early 1970s, he has played, in his words, "the full spectrum of characters from the grotesque to musicals... I always play very colourful characters, often a bit crazy, despotic, psychotic."
His numerous credits include seven different Dickens
adaptations and eight series as eccentric ex-detective Brian Lane in New Tricks. Armstrong is also an accomplished stage actor who spent nine years with the Royal Shakespeare Company
. He originated the role of Thénardier
in the London production of Les Misérables
and he won an Olivier Award for playing the title role in Sweeney Todd.
, near Stanley
, County Durham
. His father was a coal miner and both his parents were Methodist lay preachers. He attended Annfield Plain Junior School and then went on to Consett
Grammar School, where a teacher inspired him to try acting. In the lower sixth
, he played Petruchio
in The Taming of the Shrew
– a role he would later perform with the Royal Shakespeare Company
.
He took part in the National Youth Theatre
summer school in 1964, but his background and his northern accent
made him feel out of place. Armstrong auditioned for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
but was not accepted. He instead studied fine art at Newcastle University. He found the course pretentious and felt that he did not fit in, and he was expelled after two years because he stopped attending classes.
Armstrong had jobs with a bricklayer and as a gravedigger before he decided to try acting again. He started out by working as an assistant stage manager at the Cambridge Arts Theatre
. He then went on to a Theatre in Education company affiliated with the Sheffield Repertory Theatre
, and he performed in several Radio 4
dramas.
. He wrote a letter to MGM when he learned they were making the film in Newcastle, and he was invited to meet director Mike Hodges
, who wanted to cast local actors.
Armstrong has appeared in a number of films, although in this medium he has usually played supporting roles. In the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far, he had a small role as one of the British troops at the Battle of Arnhem
. He had a supporting role as the bandit leader Torquil in the 1983 fantasy film Krull
.
In Patriot Games
(1992), Armstrong played an SO-13
officer. In Braveheart
(1995), he played the Scottish noble Mornay who betrayed William Wallace
. He was the villainous Egyptian cult leader Baltus Hafez in The Mummy Returns
(2001), and he portrayed Saint Peter
with a Geordie
accent in Millions
(2004). He also had small roles as the High Constable in Sleepy Hollow
(1999), Cardinal Jinette in Van Helsing
(2004), Magistrate Fang in Roman Polanski
's Oliver Twist
(2005) and Uncle Garrow in Eragon
(2006).
and The Sweeney
starring his future New Tricks co-stars James Bolam
and Dennis Waterman
, respectively.
In 1975, he was cast in two mini-series dealing with coal miners in North East England
. He played Joe Gowlan in The Stars Look Down based on the novel by A. J. Cronin
, and he appeared in Ken Loach
's Days of Hope
set in his native Durham
. In a 2007 interview, Armstrong singled out Days of Hope as a favourite: "I loved that because it was my own history and background that was being dramatised and, in a way, nothing gets better than that."
In the comedy series A Sharp Intake of Breath
, he played a variety of characters who complicate the life of the main character played by David Jason
. In 1977, he was the strict Deputy Headmaster in Willy Russell's Our Day Out
, a television play about a group of underprivileged students on a daytrip. He also starred in the 1981 Yorkshire Television
drama Get Lost!
Armstrong has portrayed a number of characters from the works of Charles Dickens
. He played Wackford Squeers and Mr. Wagstaff in an eight-hour stage performance of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby that was filmed for television in 1982. He has appeared in two versions of Oliver Twist
: the 1999 ITV mini-series
as Agnes Fleming's father Captain Fleming and the 2005 Roman Polanski film
as Magistrate Fang. He has had roles in four BBC Dickens adaptations: as Daniel Peggotty in David Copperfield
(1999); as Inspector Bucket in Bleak House (2005); as Jeremiah and Ephraim Flintwinch in Little Dorrit
(2008); and as Hiram Grewgious in The Mystery of Edwin Drood
(2012). Armstrong has been a fan of Dickens since reading David Copperfield
aloud in school. He particularly remembered Dan Peggotty's houseboat on the beach, and in order to play the role he turned down an offer from Clint Eastwood
, with whom he had worked on White Hunter Black Heart
.
In the 1996 BBC drama series Our Friends in the North
, he played Austin Donohue, a character based on the politician T. Dan Smith
. Armstrong portrayed 18th century politician Henry Fox
in the 1999 BBC miniseries Aristocrats. In the 2000 TV movie This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper, he portrayed George Oldfield
, the Assistant Chief Constable for Crime at West Yorkshire Police whose health deteriorated during the investigation as he received messages purportedly from the killer. He was nominated for a Royal Television Society
award for his role in This Is Personal.
In the second series of Bedtime
(2002), he played a widower concerned about his son's suspicious behavior. He and Brenda Blethyn
co-starred in Between the Sheets
(2003) as a frustrated married couple in sex therapy. In an adaptation of Carrie's War
, he played a strict man who reluctantly takes in two children evacuated to Wales during World War II.
Armstrong is known for his role as Brian Lane in the popular BBC series New Tricks about a group of former police detectives who help investigate unsolved and open cases for London's Metropolitan Police
. The character of Brian Lane is an obsessive and socially inept recovering alcoholic who has a great capacity for remembering details of old cases and colleagues. New Tricks has run for eight series from 2003 to 2011 and has been renewed for two more series through 2013.
During the run of New Tricks, Armstrong continued to take on other projects. He starred in the 2004 TV movie When I'm 64 about a lonely retired schoolteacher who starts a relationship with another man. He chose the role, despite his apprehension about filming a love scene with co-star Paul Freeman, because he thought it was a lovely and thought-provoking story. He also starred in The Girls Who Came to Stay (2006), about a British couple who take in two girls exposed to the effects of the Chernobyl disaster
, and Filth
(2008), as the husband of "Clean Up TV" activist Mary Whitehouse
.
For three series from 2009 to 2011, he played William Garrow
's mentor John Southouse in the BBC period legal drama Garrow's Law
. In 2012, he will play the Earl of Northumberland
in Henry IV, Part 1
and Henry IV, Part 2
for BBC2's Shakespeare Season. His son Joe Armstrong
plays Northumberland's son Hotspur.
's play The Changing Room
at the Royal Court Theatre
directed by Lindsay Anderson
in 1971. In 1975, he played Touchstone
in As You Like It
directed by Peter Gill
at the Nottingham Playhouse
.
Armstrong spent nine years with the Royal Shakespeare Company
from 1979 to 1988. On tour and at the Donmar Warehouse
in 1979–80, he played Dogberry
in Much Ado About Nothing
and Azdak in The Caucasian Chalk Circle
.
In 1981, Armstrong joined the cast of the eight-hour production of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby as Wackford Squeers. The company went on tour to perform on Broadway
at the Plymouth Theatre
. The play was filmed for television at the Old Vic Theatre in 1982.
In productions at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre
, the Theatre Royal, Newcastle
, and the Barbican Theatre in 1982–83, Armstrong played Trinculo in The Tempest
and Petruchio
in The Taming of the Shrew
with Sinéad Cusack
as Kate
. In 1983, he played Ralph Trapdoor in The Roaring Girl
starring Helen Mirren
. He performed the roles of Leontes
in The Winter's Tale
and John Proctor
in The Crucible
on a national tour that included Christ Church, Spitalfields in 1984 and on tour to Poland in 1985. In 1985–86, he played Thersites
in Troilus and Cressida
.
In the autumn of 1985, Armstrong took on what is perhaps his best-known stage role: Thénardier
in the original London production of Les Misérables
. Thénardier and his wife, played by Susan Jane Tanner
, are innkeepers whose shady practices are revealed in the song "Master of the House." Armstrong described Thénardier as "a gruesome and comic character."
Armstrong was one of the first to be cast, along with fellow Royal Shakespeare Company members Sue Jane Tanner and Roger Allam
. He was involved in fleshing out his role, particularly in the second act song "Dog Eats Dog." He was surprised by the success of Les Misérables "because it is different to other musicals. Different because it is a sung musical throughout and also a little operatic; I didn't think it would be very popular." He left the production after a year because he became bored with the repetition and wanted to move on to other things.
He sings on Original London Cast Recording. He reprised the role, paired with Jenny Galloway
as Mme. Thénardier, in Les Misérables - The Dream Cast in Concert
at the Royal Albert Hall
in October 1995, which was filmed and released on DVD. He also appeared in the 25th Anniversary concert, though Matt Lucas
performed the role of Thénardier.
Armstrong received nominations in two categories for the 1985 Olivier Award: Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Musical for Les Misérables
and Actor of the Year for The Crucible
and The Winter's Tale
. In 1988, he was again nominated for the Olivier Award for the roles of Barabas
in an RSC production of The Jew of Malta
and the Captain in a National Theatre
production of The Father by August Strindberg
. The New York Times review of The Father said: "At its imploding center is the superb actor Alun Armstrong... 'To eat or be eaten, that is the question,' says the captain. By evening's end, Mr. Armstrong seems to have been devoured alive by his inner demons..."
During the short run of the musical The Baker's Wife
at the Phoenix Theatre
in 1989–90, he played the role of the baker Aimable Castagnet. The production, directed by Trevor Nunn
, received positive reviews but did not attract large audiences and closed after 56 performances. He was nominated for an Olivier Award for Outstanding Performance of the Year by an Actor in a Musical.
Armstrong won the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 1994 for his performance as Sweeney Todd
in the 1993 London revival of the musical at the National Theatre. The play also won for Best Musical Revival and his co-star Julia McKenzie
won Best Actress in a Musical.
At the Donmar Warehouse
, Armstrong appeared as Albert Einstein
in Terry Johnson's
Insignificance in 1995, and he played Hamm in Samuel Beckett
's Endgame
in 1996. He starred as Willy Loman in a 1996–97 National Theatre production of Death of a Salesman
. In 1997–98, he appeared in a production of the comedy The Front Page
directed by Sam Mendes
at the Donmar Warehouse. The Independent review noted: "As for Alun Armstrong, we don't meet him until late in the second of three acts but he dominates the entire evening. He barks, bleats and bellows across the stage, grabbing Hildy and the show by the scruff of the neck and hurtling through to a zinger of a climax."
Armstrong took the lead role at short notice in Shelagh Stephenson
's play Mappa Mundi in 2002, replacing Ian Holm
who withdrew due to illness. In 2006, he returned to the stage to star in Trevor Nunn's production of The Royal Hunt of the Sun
at the National Theatre.
is also an actor. Father and son played older and younger versions of the same character in the 2010 BBC drama A Passionate Woman, and they will play Northumberland and his son Hotspur in the 2012 BBC adaptation of Henry IV, Part 1
.
In July 2009, Armstrong was awarded two honorary degrees in recognition of his contributions to the arts. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of East Anglia
and an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of Sunderland
.
He supports AFC Wimbledon
, as does his character in New Tricks.
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
. Armstrong grew up in County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
in North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
. He first became interested in acting through Shakespeare productions at his grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
. Since his career began in the early 1970s, he has played, in his words, "the full spectrum of characters from the grotesque to musicals... I always play very colourful characters, often a bit crazy, despotic, psychotic."
His numerous credits include seven different Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
adaptations and eight series as eccentric ex-detective Brian Lane in New Tricks. Armstrong is also an accomplished stage actor who spent nine years with the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
. He originated the role of Thénardier
Thénardiers
The Thénardiers, commonly known as Thénardier and Madame Thénardier , are two of the primary villains in Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables and the stage musical of the same name...
in the London production of Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
and he won an Olivier Award for playing the title role in Sweeney Todd.
Early life
Alun Armstrong was born in Annfield PlainAnnfield Plain
Annfield Plain is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated on a plateau between the towns of Stanley, to the north-east, and Consett, to the west. According to the 2001 census, Annfield Plain has a population of 3,569. Along with much of the surrounding area, Annfield Plain's...
, near Stanley
Stanley, County Durham
Stanley is a former colliery town and civil parish in County Durham, England. Centred on a hilltop between Chester-le-Street and Consett, the town lies south west of Gateshead....
, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
. His father was a coal miner and both his parents were Methodist lay preachers. He attended Annfield Plain Junior School and then went on to Consett
Consett
Consett is a town in the northwest of County Durham, England, about southwest of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is home to 27,394 .Consett sits high on the edge of the Pennines. In 1841, it was a village community of only 145, but it was about to become a boom town: below the ground was coking coal and...
Grammar School, where a teacher inspired him to try acting. In the lower sixth
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
, he played Petruchio
Petruchio
Petruchio is the male romantic lead in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew . Petruchio is a fortune seeker who enters into a marriage with a strong-willed young woman named Kate and then proceeds to "tame" her temperamental spirit...
in The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself...
– a role he would later perform with the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
.
He took part in the National Youth Theatre
National Youth Theatre
The National Youth Theatre is a registered charity in London, Great Britain, committed to creative, personal and social development of young people through the medium of creative arts....
summer school in 1964, but his background and his northern accent
Northern English
Northern English is a group of dialects of the English language. It includes the North East England dialects, which are similar in some respects to Scots....
made him feel out of place. Armstrong auditioned for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school located in London, United Kingdom. It is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1904.RADA is an affiliate school of the...
but was not accepted. He instead studied fine art at Newcastle University. He found the course pretentious and felt that he did not fit in, and he was expelled after two years because he stopped attending classes.
Armstrong had jobs with a bricklayer and as a gravedigger before he decided to try acting again. He started out by working as an assistant stage manager at the Cambridge Arts Theatre
Cambridge Arts Theatre
Cambridge Arts Theatre is a 666-seat theatre on Peas Hill in central Cambridge, England. The theatre presents a varied mix of drama, dance, opera and pantomime. It attracts some of the highest-quality touring productions in the country, as well as many shows direct from, or prior to, seasons in the...
. He then went on to a Theatre in Education company affiliated with the Sheffield Repertory Theatre
Sheffield Repertory Theatre
The Sheffield Repertory Theatre was a theatre company in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.The foundation of the Sheffield Repertory Company is generally considered to date from 1923, however the first recorded meetings of an amateur company of the same name were held at the Oxford Street...
, and he performed in several Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
dramas.
Film
Armstrong made his screen debut in the 1971 film Get CarterGet Carter
Get Carter is a 1971 British crime film directed by Mike Hodges and starring Michael Caine as Jack Carter, a gangster who sets out to avenge the death of his brother in a series of unrelenting and brutal killings played out against the grim background of derelict urban housing in the city of...
. He wrote a letter to MGM when he learned they were making the film in Newcastle, and he was invited to meet director Mike Hodges
Mike Hodges
Mike Hodges is an English screenwriter, film director, playwright and novelist. His films as writer/director include Get Carter, Pulp, The Terminal Man and Black Rainbow; as director his films include Flash Gordon, Croupier and I'll Sleep When I'm Dead...
, who wanted to cast local actors.
Armstrong has appeared in a number of films, although in this medium he has usually played supporting roles. In the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far, he had a small role as one of the British troops at the Battle of Arnhem
Battle of Arnhem
The Battle of Arnhem was a famous Second World War military engagement fought in and around the Dutch towns of Arnhem, Oosterbeek, Wolfheze, Driel and the surrounding countryside from 17–26 September 1944....
. He had a supporting role as the bandit leader Torquil in the 1983 fantasy film Krull
Krull (film)
Krull is a 1983 heroic fantasy film directed by Peter Yates and produced by Ron Silverman. Released by Columbia Pictures, it stars Ken Marshall as Prince Colwyn and Lysette Anthony as Princess Lyssa....
.
In Patriot Games
Patriot Games (film)
Patriot Games is a 1992 film directed by Phillip Noyce and based on Tom Clancy's the novel of the same name. It is a sequel to the 1990 film The Hunt for Red October. In the movie, Jack Ryan is played by Harrison Ford, Jack's surgeon-wife, Dr...
(1992), Armstrong played an SO-13
Metropolitan Police Anti-Terrorist Branch
The Anti-Terrorist Branch was a Specialist Operations branch of London's Metropolitan Police Service, formed to respond to terrorist activities within the capital....
officer. In Braveheart
Braveheart
Braveheart is a 1995 epic historical drama war film directed by and starring Mel Gibson. The film was written for the screen and then novelized by Randall Wallace...
(1995), he played the Scottish noble Mornay who betrayed William Wallace
William Wallace
Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight and landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence....
. He was the villainous Egyptian cult leader Baltus Hafez in The Mummy Returns
The Mummy Returns
The Mummy Returns is a 2001 American adventure film written and directed by Stephen Sommers, starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, Patricia Velásquez and Freddie Boath. The film is a sequel to the 1999 film The Mummy...
(2001), and he portrayed Saint Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
with a Geordie
Geordie
Geordie is a regional nickname for a person from the Tyneside region of the north east of England, or the name of the English-language dialect spoken by its inhabitants...
accent in Millions
Millions
Millions is a 2004 British comedy-drama film, directed by Academy Award–winning director Danny Boyle, and starring Alex Etel, Lewis McGibbon, and James Nesbitt. The screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce adapted his novel while the film was in the process of being made...
(2004). He also had small roles as the High Constable in Sleepy Hollow
Sleepy Hollow (film)
Sleepy Hollow is a 1999 American period horror film directed by Tim Burton. It is a film adaptation loosely inspired by the 1820 short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving and stars Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Marc Pickering, Michael Gambon, Jeffrey Jones,...
(1999), Cardinal Jinette in Van Helsing
Van Helsing (film)
Van Helsing is a 2004 American action horror film directed by Stephen Sommers. It stars Hugh Jackman as vigilante monster hunter Gabriel Van Helsing, and Kate Beckinsale...
(2004), Magistrate Fang in Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski is a French-Polish film director, producer, writer and actor. Having made films in Poland, Britain, France and the USA, he is considered one of the few "truly international filmmakers."...
's Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist (2005 film)
Oliver Twist is a 2005 British drama film directed by Roman Polanski. The screenplay by Ronald Harwood is based on the 1838 novel of the same title by Charles Dickens....
(2005) and Uncle Garrow in Eragon
Eragon (film)
Eragon is a 2006 fantasy-adventure film based on the novel of the same name by author Christopher Paolini. The cast includes Edward Speleers in the title role, Jeremy Irons, Garrett Hedlund, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, John Malkovich, Djimon Hounsou, Alun Armstrong, Joss Stone, and the voice...
(2006).
Television
Armstrong has played over 80 different roles in television productions in the course of his career. During the 1970s, he appeared in various TV series, including episodes of Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?
Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? is a 1970s British sitcom broadcast between 9 January 1973 and 9 April 1974 on BBC1. It is the colour sequel to the mid-1960s hit The Likely Lads. It was created and written, as was its predecessor, by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais...
and The Sweeney
The Sweeney
The Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London...
starring his future New Tricks co-stars James Bolam
James Bolam
James Christopher Bolam, MBE is a British actor, best known for his roles as Jack Ford in When the Boat Comes In, Trevor Chaplin in The Beiderbecke Trilogy, Terry Collier in The Likely Lads and its sequel Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, Roy Figgis in Only When I Laugh, Dr Arthur Gilder in...
and Dennis Waterman
Dennis Waterman
Dennis Waterman is a British actor and singer, best known for his tough-guy roles in television series including The Sweeney, Minder and New Tricks.-Early life:...
, respectively.
In 1975, he was cast in two mini-series dealing with coal miners in North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
. He played Joe Gowlan in The Stars Look Down based on the novel by A. J. Cronin
A. J. Cronin
Archibald Joseph Cronin was a Scottish physician and novelist. His best-known works are Hatter's Castle, The Stars Look Down, The Citadel, The Keys of the Kingdom and The Green Years, all of which were adapted to film. He also created the Dr...
, and he appeared in Ken Loach
Ken Loach
Kenneth "Ken" Loach is a Palme D'Or winning English film and television director.He is known for his naturalistic, social realist directing style and for his socialist beliefs, which are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as homelessness , labour rights and child abuse at the...
's Days of Hope
Days of Hope
Days of Hope is a BBC television drama serial produced in 1975. The series dealt with the lives of a working-class family from the turmoils of the First World War in 1916 to the General Strike in 1926...
set in his native Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
. In a 2007 interview, Armstrong singled out Days of Hope as a favourite: "I loved that because it was my own history and background that was being dramatised and, in a way, nothing gets better than that."
In the comedy series A Sharp Intake of Breath
A Sharp Intake of Breath
A Sharp Intake of Breath was a British sitcom starring David Jason, Jacqueline Clarke, Richard Wilson and Alun Armstrong which ran from 1977 to 1981. It was made for the ITV network by ATV. The opening titles featured cartoons by Mel Calman....
, he played a variety of characters who complicate the life of the main character played by David Jason
David Jason
Sir David John White, OBE , better known by his stage name David Jason, is an English BAFTA award-winning actor. He is best known as the main character Derek "Del Boy" Trotter on the BBC sit-com Only Fools and Horses from 1981, the voice of Mr Toad in The Wind In The Willows and as detective Jack...
. In 1977, he was the strict Deputy Headmaster in Willy Russell's Our Day Out
Our Day Out
Our Day Out is a television play about deprived children from Liverpool in the United Kingdom. It was written by Willy Russell and first aired on 28 December 1977, at 9pm on BBC2...
, a television play about a group of underprivileged students on a daytrip. He also starred in the 1981 Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
drama Get Lost!
Get Lost!
Get Lost! is a British television drama serial made by Yorkshire Television in 1981 for the ITV network. Written by Alan Plater, the plot concerns the disappearance of the husband of Leeds schoolteacher Judy Threadgold...
Armstrong has portrayed a number of characters from the works of Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
. He played Wackford Squeers and Mr. Wagstaff in an eight-hour stage performance of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby that was filmed for television in 1982. He has appeared in two versions of Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens, published by Richard Bentley in 1838. The story is about an orphan Oliver Twist, who endures a miserable existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. He escapes and travels to...
: the 1999 ITV mini-series
Oliver Twist (TV miniseries)
Oliver Twist is a 1999 television mini-series produced by ITV based on the book Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.-Plot:The first episode revolved around Oliver's parents as they struggled to fight their love for each other...
as Agnes Fleming's father Captain Fleming and the 2005 Roman Polanski film
Oliver Twist (2005 film)
Oliver Twist is a 2005 British drama film directed by Roman Polanski. The screenplay by Ronald Harwood is based on the 1838 novel of the same title by Charles Dickens....
as Magistrate Fang. He has had roles in four BBC Dickens adaptations: as Daniel Peggotty in David Copperfield
David Copperfield (1999 film)
David Copperfield is a two part BBC television drama adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel David Copperfield, adapted by Adrian Hodges. The first part was shown on Christmas Day and the second on Boxing Day in 1999...
(1999); as Inspector Bucket in Bleak House (2005); as Jeremiah and Ephraim Flintwinch in Little Dorrit
Little Dorrit (TV serial)
Little Dorrit is a 2008 British television serial directed by Adam Smith, Dearbhla Walsh, and Diarmuid Lawrence. The teleplay by Andrew Davies is based on the serial novel of the same title by Charles Dickens, originally published between 1855 and 1857....
(2008); and as Hiram Grewgious in The Mystery of Edwin Drood
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
The Mystery of Edwin Drood is the final novel by Charles Dickens. The novel was left unfinished at the time of Dickens' death, and his intended ending for it remains unknown. Though the novel is named after the character Edwin Drood, the story focuses on Drood's uncle, choirmaster John Jasper, who...
(2012). Armstrong has been a fan of Dickens since reading David Copperfield
David Copperfield (novel)
The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger of Blunderstone Rookery , commonly referred to as David Copperfield, is the eighth novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a novel in 1850. Like most of his works, it originally appeared in serial...
aloud in school. He particularly remembered Dan Peggotty's houseboat on the beach, and in order to play the role he turned down an offer from Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
, with whom he had worked on White Hunter Black Heart
White Hunter Black Heart
White Hunter Black Heart is a 1990 American film, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood as John Wilson, based on the book by Peter Viertel. Viertel also co-wrote the script with James Bridges and Burt Kennedy. The film was based on several Golden Age of Hollywood movie producers...
.
In the 1996 BBC drama series Our Friends in the North
Our Friends in the North
Our Friends in the North is a British television drama serial, produced by the BBC and originally broadcast in nine episodes on BBC Two in early 1996...
, he played Austin Donohue, a character based on the politician T. Dan Smith
T. Dan Smith
Thomas Daniel Smith was a British politician who was Leader of Newcastle upon Tyne City Council from 1960 to 1965. He was a prominent figure in the Labour Party in the north east of England, such that he was nicknamed 'Mr Newcastle'...
. Armstrong portrayed 18th century politician Henry Fox
Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland
Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland, of Foxley, MP, PC was a leading British politician of the 18th century. He identified primarily with the Whig faction...
in the 1999 BBC miniseries Aristocrats. In the 2000 TV movie This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper, he portrayed George Oldfield
George Oldfield
George Oldfield was a British police detective who finished his career as Assistant Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police. He is known for leading major criminal inquiries by the force, including the M62 coach bombing and the 'Yorkshire Ripper' series of murders...
, the Assistant Chief Constable for Crime at West Yorkshire Police whose health deteriorated during the investigation as he received messages purportedly from the killer. He was nominated for a Royal Television Society
Royal Television Society
The Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world...
award for his role in This Is Personal.
In the second series of Bedtime
Bedtime (TV series)
Bedtime was a British comedy-drama written and directed by Andy Hamilton and broadcast by the BBC. It ran for three series for a total of fifteen episodes between August 2001 and December 2003. The first two series had six episodes each and the third series had three episodes...
(2002), he played a widower concerned about his son's suspicious behavior. He and Brenda Blethyn
Brenda Blethyn
Brenda Anne Blethyn, OBE is an English actress who has worked in theatre, television and film. Blethyn has received two Academy Award nominations, two SAG Award nominations, two Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
co-starred in Between the Sheets
Between the Sheets (TV series)
Between the Sheets is a 2003, British television mini series. This carnal drama is based around the love life and sexual hangups of several different couples that we find are all linked in some way...
(2003) as a frustrated married couple in sex therapy. In an adaptation of Carrie's War
Carrie's War
Carrie's War is a 1973 children's novel by Nina Bawden, set during the Second World War and following two evacuees, Carrie and her younger brother Nick. It is a common fixture in secondary schools.-Plot:...
, he played a strict man who reluctantly takes in two children evacuated to Wales during World War II.
Armstrong is known for his role as Brian Lane in the popular BBC series New Tricks about a group of former police detectives who help investigate unsolved and open cases for London's Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
. The character of Brian Lane is an obsessive and socially inept recovering alcoholic who has a great capacity for remembering details of old cases and colleagues. New Tricks has run for eight series from 2003 to 2011 and has been renewed for two more series through 2013.
During the run of New Tricks, Armstrong continued to take on other projects. He starred in the 2004 TV movie When I'm 64 about a lonely retired schoolteacher who starts a relationship with another man. He chose the role, despite his apprehension about filming a love scene with co-star Paul Freeman, because he thought it was a lovely and thought-provoking story. He also starred in The Girls Who Came to Stay (2006), about a British couple who take in two girls exposed to the effects of the Chernobyl disaster
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
, and Filth
Filth: The Mary Whitehouse Story
Filth: The Mary Whitehouse Story is a 2008 BBC Television docudrama written by Amanda Coe, telling the life story of the British morality campaigner Mary Whitehouse...
(2008), as the husband of "Clean Up TV" activist Mary Whitehouse
Mary Whitehouse
Mary Whitehouse, CBE was a British campaigner against the permissive society particularly as the media portrayed and reflected it...
.
For three series from 2009 to 2011, he played William Garrow
William Garrow
Sir William Garrow KC, PC, FRS was a British barrister, politician and judge known for his indirect reform of the advocacy system, which helped usher in the adversarial court system used in most common law nations today...
's mentor John Southouse in the BBC period legal drama Garrow's Law
Garrow's Law
Garrow's Law is a British period legal drama about the 18th-century lawyer William Garrow. The series debuted on 1 November 2009 on BBC One and BBC HD. A second series was announced on 7 July 2010 and aired from 14 November 2010...
. In 2012, he will play the Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, 4th Baron Percy, titular King of Mann, KG, Lord Marshal was the son of Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy and a descendent of Henry III of England. His mother was Mary of Lancaster, daughter of Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster, son of Edmund, Earl of Leicester and...
in Henry IV, Part 1
Henry IV, Part 1
Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
and Henry IV, Part 2
Henry IV, Part 2
Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
for BBC2's Shakespeare Season. His son Joe Armstrong
Joe Armstrong (actor)
Joe Armstrong is an English actor. He played Allan A Dale in the BBC series Robin Hood. He plays Hotspur in the forthcoming BBC production of Henry IV, Part 1 and he will appear in the film Closer to the Moon by Nae Caranfil...
plays Northumberland's son Hotspur.
Theatre
In addition to his film and television work, Armstrong has acted in many theatre productions. One of his early roles was Billy Spencer in David StoreyDavid Storey
David Rhames Storey is an English playwright, screenwriter, award-winning novelist and a former professional rugby league player....
's play The Changing Room
The Changing Room
The Changing Room is a 1971 play by David Storey, set in a men's changing room before, during and after a rugby game. It premiered at the Royal Court Theatre on 9 November 1971, directed by Lindsay Anderson...
at the Royal Court Theatre
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
directed by Lindsay Anderson
Lindsay Anderson
Lindsay Gordon Anderson was an Indian-born, British feature film, theatre and documentary director, film critic, and leading light of the Free Cinema movement and the British New Wave...
in 1971. In 1975, he played Touchstone
Touchstone (As You Like It)
Touchstone is an interesting fictional character in Shakespeare's play As You Like It. Touchstone is the court fool or jester, portrayed as a wise man with a dry, cynical wit. Throughout the play he comments on the other characters of the play and thus, contributes to a better understanding of the...
in As You Like It
As You Like It
As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
directed by Peter Gill
Peter Gill (playwright)
Peter Gill, theatre director, playwright and former actor, was born in Cardiff, Wales, on 7 September 1939, son of George John Gill and his wife Margaret Mary .He was educated at St Illtyd's College, Cardiff.-Career:...
at the Nottingham Playhouse
Nottingham Playhouse
The Nottingham Playhouse is a theatre in Nottingham, England. It was first established as a repertory theatre in the 1950s when it operated from a former cinema. Directors during this period included Val May and Frank Dunlop.-The building:...
.
Armstrong spent nine years with the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
from 1979 to 1988. On tour and at the Donmar Warehouse
Donmar Warehouse
Donmar Warehouse is a small not-for-profit theatre in the Covent Garden area of London, with a capacity of 251.-About:Under the artistic leadership of Michael Grandage, the theatre has presented some of London’s most memorable award-winning theatrical experiences, as well as garnered critical...
in 1979–80, he played Dogberry
Dogberry
Dogberry is a self-satisfied night constable in Shakespeare's Much Ado about Nothing.In the play, Dogberry is the chief of the citizen-police in Messina. As is usual in Shakespearean comedy, and Renaissance comedy generally, he is a figure of comic incompetence...
in Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by William Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero....
and Azdak in The Caucasian Chalk Circle
The Caucasian Chalk Circle
The Caucasian Chalk Circle is a play by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. An example of Brecht's epic theatre, the play is a parable about a peasant girl who rescues a baby and becomes a better mother than its natural parents....
.
In 1981, Armstrong joined the cast of the eight-hour production of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby as Wackford Squeers. The company went on tour to perform on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
at the Plymouth Theatre
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 236 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan named for Gerald Schoenfeld....
. The play was filmed for television at the Old Vic Theatre in 1982.
In productions at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Royal Shakespeare Theatre
The Royal Shakespeare Theatre is a 1,040+ seat thrust stage theatre owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company dedicated to the British playwright and poet William Shakespeare. It is located in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon - Shakespeare's birthplace - in the English Midlands, beside the River Avon...
, the Theatre Royal, Newcastle
Theatre Royal, Newcastle
The Theatre Royal is a Grade I listed building situated on Grey Street in Newcastle upon Tyne. It was designed by local architects John and Benjamin Green as part of Richard Grainger's grand design for the centre of Newcastle, and was opened on 20 February 1837 with a performance of The Merchant...
, and the Barbican Theatre in 1982–83, Armstrong played Trinculo in The Tempest
The Tempest
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
and Petruchio
Petruchio
Petruchio is the male romantic lead in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew . Petruchio is a fortune seeker who enters into a marriage with a strong-willed young woman named Kate and then proceeds to "tame" her temperamental spirit...
in The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself...
with Sinéad Cusack
Sinéad Cusack
Sinéad Moira Cusack is an Irish stage, television and film actress. She has received two Tony Award nominations: once for Best Leading Actress in Much Ado About Nothing , and again for Best Featured Actress in Rock 'n' Roll .-Background:...
as Kate
Kate (The Taming of the Shrew)
Katherina Minola is a fictional character and the female romantic lead in the comedy The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare. Kate is the elder outspoken daughter of Baptista Minola and the sister of apparently sweet-tempered Bianca...
. In 1983, he played Ralph Trapdoor in The Roaring Girl
The Roaring Girl
The Roaring Girl is a Jacobean stage play, a comedy written by Thomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker ca. 1607-10.The play was first published in quarto in 1611, printed by Nicholas Okes for the bookseller Thomas Archer...
starring Helen Mirren
Helen Mirren
Dame Helen Mirren, DBE is an English actor. She has won an Academy Award for Best Actress, four SAG Awards, four BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, four Emmy Awards, and two Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Awards.-Early life and family:...
. He performed the roles of Leontes
Leontes
King Leontes is the father of Perdita and husband to Queen Hermione in Shakespeare's play The Winter's Tale. He becomes obsessed with the belief that his wife has been having an affair with Polixenes, his childhood friend and King of Bohemia. Because of this, he tries to have his friend poisoned,...
in The Winter's Tale
The Winter's Tale
The Winter's Tale is a play by William Shakespeare, originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, some modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some critics, among them W. W...
and John Proctor
John Proctor
John Proctor was a farmer in 17th century Massachusetts. He married three women in his life, and divorced the first two. The last one he married was Elizabeth Proctor, who gave birth to two children, William and Sarah...
in The Crucible
The Crucible
The Crucible is a 1952 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism, when the US government blacklisted accused communists...
on a national tour that included Christ Church, Spitalfields in 1984 and on tour to Poland in 1985. In 1985–86, he played Thersites
Thersites
In Greek mythology, Thersites was a soldier of the Greek army during the Trojan War. In the Iliad, he does not have a father's name, which may suggest that he should be viewed as a commoner rather than an aristocratic hero...
in Troilus and Cressida
Troilus and Cressida
Troilus and Cressida is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1602. It was also described by Frederick S. Boas as one of Shakespeare's problem plays. The play ends on a very bleak note with the death of the noble Trojan Hector and destruction of the love between Troilus...
.
In the autumn of 1985, Armstrong took on what is perhaps his best-known stage role: Thénardier
Thénardiers
The Thénardiers, commonly known as Thénardier and Madame Thénardier , are two of the primary villains in Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables and the stage musical of the same name...
in the original London production of Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
. Thénardier and his wife, played by Susan Jane Tanner
Susan Jane Tanner
Susan Jane Tanner is an English theatre actress, best known for playing the role of Madame Thénardier in the original London cast of Les Misérables and as Jellylorum in the original London version of Cats and reprising her role in the 1998 video version. She currently resides with her husband in...
, are innkeepers whose shady practices are revealed in the song "Master of the House." Armstrong described Thénardier as "a gruesome and comic character."
Armstrong was one of the first to be cast, along with fellow Royal Shakespeare Company members Sue Jane Tanner and Roger Allam
Roger Allam
Roger Allam is an English actor, known primarily for his stage career, although he has performed in film and television. He played Inspector Javert in the original London production of the stage musical Les Misérables....
. He was involved in fleshing out his role, particularly in the second act song "Dog Eats Dog." He was surprised by the success of Les Misérables "because it is different to other musicals. Different because it is a sung musical throughout and also a little operatic; I didn't think it would be very popular." He left the production after a year because he became bored with the repetition and wanted to move on to other things.
He sings on Original London Cast Recording. He reprised the role, paired with Jenny Galloway
Jenny Galloway
Jenny Galloway is a British actress, and singer best known for her stage career.Theatre credits include:* Madame Thénardier - Les Misérables* Widow Corney - Oliver!...
as Mme. Thénardier, in Les Misérables - The Dream Cast in Concert
Les Misérables - The Dream Cast in Concert
Les Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert a.k.a. Les Misérables in Concert is a concert version of the musical Les Misérables, produced to celebrate its 10th anniversary. It was filmed in October 1995 at the Royal Albert Hall and released on DVD, VHS and LD in 1998 and re-released on DVD in North...
at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
in October 1995, which was filmed and released on DVD. He also appeared in the 25th Anniversary concert, though Matt Lucas
Matt Lucas
Matthew Richard "Matt" Lucas is an English comedian, screenwriter and actor best known for his acclaimed work with David Walliams in the television show Little Britain; as well as for his portrayals of the scorekeeping baby George Dawes in the comedy panel game Shooting Stars, Tweedledee and...
performed the role of Thénardier.
Armstrong received nominations in two categories for the 1985 Olivier Award: Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Musical for Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
and Actor of the Year for The Crucible
The Crucible
The Crucible is a 1952 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism, when the US government blacklisted accused communists...
and The Winter's Tale
The Winter's Tale
The Winter's Tale is a play by William Shakespeare, originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, some modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some critics, among them W. W...
. In 1988, he was again nominated for the Olivier Award for the roles of Barabas
Barabas the Jew
Barabas is a fictional character who appears at the centre of Christopher Marlowe's play The Jew of Malta.He is named after Barabbas, the thief, murderer and terrorist who was released from prison and pardoned from crucifixion in place of Jesus in the Bible...
in an RSC production of The Jew of Malta
The Jew of Malta
The Jew of Malta is a play by Christopher Marlowe, probably written in 1589 or 1590. Its plot is an original story of religious conflict, intrigue, and revenge, set against a backdrop of the struggle for supremacy between Spain and the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean that takes place on the...
and the Captain in a National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
production of The Father by August Strindberg
August Strindberg
Johan August Strindberg was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg's career spanned four decades, during which time he wrote over 60 plays and more than 30 works of fiction, autobiography,...
. The New York Times review of The Father said: "At its imploding center is the superb actor Alun Armstrong... 'To eat or be eaten, that is the question,' says the captain. By evening's end, Mr. Armstrong seems to have been devoured alive by his inner demons..."
During the short run of the musical The Baker's Wife
The Baker's Wife
The Baker's Wife is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and the book by Joseph Stein, based on the French film La Femme du Boulanger by Marcel Pagnol and Jean Giono...
at the Phoenix Theatre
Phoenix Theatre (London)
The Phoenix Theatre is a West End theatre in the London Borough of Camden, located on Charing Cross Road . The entrance is in Phoenix Street....
in 1989–90, he played the role of the baker Aimable Castagnet. The production, directed by Trevor Nunn
Trevor Nunn
Sir Trevor Robert Nunn, CBE is an English theatre, film and television director. Nunn has been the Artistic Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. He has directed musicals and dramas for the stage, as well as opera...
, received positive reviews but did not attract large audiences and closed after 56 performances. He was nominated for an Olivier Award for Outstanding Performance of the Year by an Actor in a Musical.
Armstrong won the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 1994 for his performance as Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as then antagonist of the Victorian penny dreadful The String of Pearls and he was later introduced as an antihero in the broadway musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and its film adaptation...
in the 1993 London revival of the musical at the National Theatre. The play also won for Best Musical Revival and his co-star Julia McKenzie
Julia McKenzie
Julia McKenzie is an English actress, singer, and theatre director. She is best-known for her performance in Fresh Fields, but to current television audiences, she is best known for her role as Miss Marple in Agatha Christie's Marple...
won Best Actress in a Musical.
At the Donmar Warehouse
Donmar Warehouse
Donmar Warehouse is a small not-for-profit theatre in the Covent Garden area of London, with a capacity of 251.-About:Under the artistic leadership of Michael Grandage, the theatre has presented some of London’s most memorable award-winning theatrical experiences, as well as garnered critical...
, Armstrong appeared as Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
in Terry Johnson's
Terry Johnson (dramatist)
Terry Johnson is a British dramatist and director working for stage, television and film. He is a Literary Associate at the Royal Court Theatre. At The Court he directed Dumb Show by Joe Penhall and opened his play Piano/Forte...
Insignificance in 1995, and he played Hamm in Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet. He wrote both in English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.Beckett is widely regarded as among the most...
's Endgame
Endgame (play)
Endgame, by Samuel Beckett, is a one-act play with four characters, written in a style associated with the Theatre of the Absurd. It was originally written in French ; as was his custom, Beckett himself translated it into English. The play was first performed in a French-language production at the...
in 1996. He starred as Willy Loman in a 1996–97 National Theatre production of Death of a Salesman
Death of a Salesman
Death of a Salesman is a 1949 play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. It was the recipient of the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. Premiered at the Morosco Theatre in February 1949, the original production ran for a total of 742 performances.-Plot :Willy Loman...
. In 1997–98, he appeared in a production of the comedy The Front Page
The Front Page
The Front Page is a hit Broadway comedy about tabloid newspaper reporters on the police beat, written by one-time Chicago reporters Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur which was first produced in 1928.-Synopsis:...
directed by Sam Mendes
Sam Mendes
Samuel Alexander "Sam" Mendes, CBE is an English stage and film director. He is best known for his Academy Award-winning work on his debut film American Beauty and his dark re-inventions of the stage musicals Cabaret , Oliver! , Company and Gypsy . He's currently working on the 23rd James Bond...
at the Donmar Warehouse. The Independent review noted: "As for Alun Armstrong, we don't meet him until late in the second of three acts but he dominates the entire evening. He barks, bleats and bellows across the stage, grabbing Hildy and the show by the scruff of the neck and hurtling through to a zinger of a climax."
Armstrong took the lead role at short notice in Shelagh Stephenson
Shelagh Stephenson
Shelagh Stephenson is a playwright, born in Northumberland and read drama at Manchester University. Her stage plays include The Memory of Water , An Experiment with an Air Pump, Ancient Lights, Five Kinds of Silence and Mappa Mundi...
's play Mappa Mundi in 2002, replacing Ian Holm
Ian Holm
Sir Ian Holm, CBE is an English actor known for his stage work and for many film roles. He received the 1967 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor for his performance as Lenny in The Homecoming and the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance in the title role of King Lear...
who withdrew due to illness. In 2006, he returned to the stage to star in Trevor Nunn's production of The Royal Hunt of the Sun
The Royal Hunt of the Sun
The Royal Hunt of the Sun is a 1964 play by Peter Shaffer that portrays the destruction of the Inca empire by conquistador Francisco Pizarro.-Premiere:...
at the National Theatre.
Personal life
Alun Armstrong and his wife Sue have three sons: Tom, Joe and Dan. Joe ArmstrongJoe Armstrong (actor)
Joe Armstrong is an English actor. He played Allan A Dale in the BBC series Robin Hood. He plays Hotspur in the forthcoming BBC production of Henry IV, Part 1 and he will appear in the film Closer to the Moon by Nae Caranfil...
is also an actor. Father and son played older and younger versions of the same character in the 2010 BBC drama A Passionate Woman, and they will play Northumberland and his son Hotspur in the 2012 BBC adaptation of Henry IV, Part 1
Henry IV, Part 1
Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
.
In July 2009, Armstrong was awarded two honorary degrees in recognition of his contributions to the arts. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of East Anglia
University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia is a public research university based in Norwich, United Kingdom. It was established in 1963, and is a founder-member of the 1994 Group of research-intensive universities.-History:...
and an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of Sunderland
University of Sunderland
The University of Sunderland is located in Sunderland, north east England. The university has more than 17,500 students, including 7,000-plus international students from some 70 countries....
.
He supports AFC Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon is a professional English football club that traces its origins to Wimbledon in the London Borough of Merton. Based at Kingsmeadow, Kingston upon Thames, the club are members of Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football....
, as does his character in New Tricks.
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Get Carter Get Carter Get Carter is a 1971 British crime film directed by Mike Hodges and starring Michael Caine as Jack Carter, a gangster who sets out to avenge the death of his brother in a series of unrelenting and brutal killings played out against the grim background of derelict urban housing in the city of... |
Keith | |
| 1973 | The 14 The 14 The 14 is a 1973 British film directed by David Hemmings. It was also released as Existence and, in the USA, as The Wild Little Bunch. It was entered into the 23rd Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Silver Bear.-Cast:... |
Tommy | Also known as Existence and The Wild Little Bunch |
| 1973 | The Sex Victims | George | Short film |
| 1976 | Don't Tell the Lads | Dramatized health and safety documentary on lead poisoning | |
| 1976 | The Likely Lads The Likely Lads (film) The Likely Lads is a 1976 British comedy film directed by Michael Tuchner, starring James Bolam and Rodney Bewes. It's a spin-off from the popular 1960s British television series The Likely Lads, from which it takes its title, though in fact it's closer in tone to the more recent sequel series... |
Milkman | |
| 1977 | A Bridge Too Far | Corporal Davies | |
| 1977 | The Duellists The Duellists The Duellists is a 1977 historical drama film that was Ridley Scott's first feature film as a director. It won the Best Debut Film award at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival... |
Lacourbe | |
| 1981 | The French Lieutenant's Woman The French Lieutenant's Woman (film) The French Lieutenant's Woman is a 1981 film directed by Karel Reisz and adapted by playwright Harold Pinter. It is based on the novel of the same title by John Fowles... |
Grimes | |
| 1983 | Krull Krull (film) Krull is a 1983 heroic fantasy film directed by Peter Yates and produced by Ron Silverman. Released by Columbia Pictures, it stars Ken Marshall as Prince Colwyn and Lysette Anthony as Princess Lyssa.... |
Torquil | |
| 1985 | Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire is a 1985 British musical film starring Phil Daniels and Alun Armstrong. The film was directed by Alan Clarke and written by Trevor Preston.-Plot:... |
Maxwell Randall | |
| 1985 | Number One | Blackpool Sergeant | |
| 1989 | The Childeater | Stefano | Short film |
| 1989 | That Summer of White Roses That Summer of White Roses That Summer of White Roses is a 1989 Yugoslav-British film directed by Rajko Grlić.-External links:* at Filmski-Programi.hr... |
Zemba | Also known as Djavolji raj |
| 1990 | White Hunter Black Heart White Hunter Black Heart White Hunter Black Heart is a 1990 American film, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood as John Wilson, based on the book by Peter Viertel. Viertel also co-wrote the script with James Bridges and Burt Kennedy. The film was based on several Golden Age of Hollywood movie producers... |
Ralph Lockhart | |
| 1991 | American Friends American Friends American Friends is a 1991 film starring Michael Palin. It was written by Palin and Tristram Powell, and directed by Powell.-Plot:Palin plays Francis Ashby, a senior Oxford professor on holiday in the Swiss Alps in 1861. There he meets the American Caroline Hartley and her 18-year old ward Elinor... |
Dr. Weeks | |
| 1991 | London Kills Me London Kills Me London Kills Me is a 1991 film written and directed by Hanif Kureshi and starred Justin Chadwick and Steven Mackintosh. Set in West London it tells the tale of a group of homeless drugtakers and general losers with black humour. Even so, the portrayal of life on London's streets was sympathetic if... |
John Stone | |
| 1992 | Blue Ice Blue Ice (film) Blue Ice is a 1992 film directed by Russell Mulcahy and stars Michael Caine and Sean Young. It is a crime thriller involving a former spy , who is presently a jazz-club owner, who becomes immersed again in the world of espionage and counter-intelligence.Caine plays Harry Anders, who according to... |
Osgood | |
| 1992 | My Little Eye | Dad | Short film |
| 1992 | Patriot Games Patriot Games (film) Patriot Games is a 1992 film directed by Phillip Noyce and based on Tom Clancy's the novel of the same name. It is a sequel to the 1990 film The Hunt for Red October. In the movie, Jack Ryan is played by Harrison Ford, Jack's surgeon-wife, Dr... |
Sgt. Owens | |
| 1992 | Split Second Split Second (1992 film) Split Second is a 1992 British science fiction film starring Rutger Hauer, Kim Cattrall, and Neil Duncan. The film is directed by Tony Maylam and Ian Sharp.-Plot summary:... |
Thrasher | |
| 1994 | Black Beauty Black Beauty (1994 film) Black Beauty is a 1994 film adaptation of Anna Sewell's novel by the same name directed by Caroline Thompson in her directorial debut. The film stars Andrew Knott, Sean Bean and David Thewlis. The film is also treated as an autobiography of the horse Black Beauty as in the original novel, and is... |
Reuben Smith | |
| 1995 | An Awfully Big Adventure An Awfully Big Adventure An Awfully Big Adventure is a 1995 British coming-of-age film directed by Mike Newell. The story focuses on a teenage girl who joins a seedy theatre troupe in Liverpool... |
Uncle Vernon | |
| 1995 | Braveheart Braveheart Braveheart is a 1995 epic historical drama war film directed by and starring Mel Gibson. The film was written for the screen and then novelized by Randall Wallace... |
Mornay | |
| 1997 | The Saint The Saint (film) The Saint is a 1997 film based on the character of Simon Templar created by Leslie Charteris in 1928 for a series of books published as "The Saint." The film stars Val Kilmer, Elisabeth Shue and Rade Šerbedžija... |
Inspector Teal Claud Eustace Teal Claud Eustace Teal is a fictional character who made many appearances in a series of novels, novellas and short stories by Leslie Charteris entitled The Saint, starting in 1929... |
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| 1999 | G:MT – Greenwich Mean Time | Uncle Henry | |
| 1999 | Onegin Onegin (film) Onegin is a 1999 British-American romantic drama film based on Alexander Pushkin's novel in verse Eugene Onegin, co-produced by British and American companies and shot mostly in the United Kingdom... |
Zaretsky | |
| 1999 | Sleepy Hollow Sleepy Hollow (film) Sleepy Hollow is a 1999 American period horror film directed by Tim Burton. It is a film adaptation loosely inspired by the 1820 short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving and stars Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Marc Pickering, Michael Gambon, Jeffrey Jones,... |
High Constable | |
| 1999 | With or Without You | Sammy | |
| 2000 | Harrison's Flowers Harrison's Flowers Harrison's Flowers is a 2000 French film by Elie Chouraqui. It stars, among others, Andie MacDowell, Elias Koteas, Brendan Gleeson, Adrien Brody, Marie Trintignant, Gerard Butler and David Strathairn.... |
Samuel Brubeck | |
| 2000 | Proof of Life Proof of Life Proof of Life is a 2000 American film, directed by Taylor Hackford. The title refers to a phrase commonly used to indicate proof that a kidnap victim is still alive... |
Wyatt | |
| 2001 | The Mummy Returns The Mummy Returns The Mummy Returns is a 2001 American adventure film written and directed by Stephen Sommers, starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, Patricia Velásquez and Freddie Boath. The film is a sequel to the 1999 film The Mummy... |
Baltus Hafez | |
| 2001 | Strictly Sinatra Strictly Sinatra Strictly Sinatra is a 2001 British drama film directed by Peter Capaldi. The film was released in the UK in 2001 by Focus Features and stars Ian Hart, Kelly Macdonald, and Brian Cox.-Synopsis:... |
Bill | |
| 2003 | It's All About Love It's All About Love It's All About Love is a 2003 film written and directed by Thomas Vinterberg. Its narrative can be classified as apocalyptic science fiction, but Vinterberg prefers to call it "a dream". Unlike the director's earlier Danish-language films, It's All About Love is entirely in English and stars... |
David | |
| 2003 | Paradise Found Paradise Found (film) Paradise Found is a 2003 biographical film based on the life of Post-Impressionist painter Paul Gauguin.-Plot:The film covers a later part of Gauguin's life when he resigned his job as a stock broker to paint full-time and journey to Polynesia... |
Pissarro Camille Pissarro Camille Pissarro was a French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter born on the island of St Thomas . His importance resides in his contributions to both Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, as he was the only artist to exhibit in both forms... |
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| 2004 | Millions Millions Millions is a 2004 British comedy-drama film, directed by Academy Award–winning director Danny Boyle, and starring Alex Etel, Lewis McGibbon, and James Nesbitt. The screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce adapted his novel while the film was in the process of being made... |
Saint Peter Saint Peter Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle... |
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| 2004 | Van Helsing Van Helsing (film) Van Helsing is a 2004 American action horror film directed by Stephen Sommers. It stars Hugh Jackman as vigilante monster hunter Gabriel Van Helsing, and Kate Beckinsale... |
Cardinal Jinette | |
| 2005 | Oliver Twist Oliver Twist (2005 film) Oliver Twist is a 2005 British drama film directed by Roman Polanski. The screenplay by Ronald Harwood is based on the 1838 novel of the same title by Charles Dickens.... |
Magistrate Fang | |
| 2006 | Eragon Eragon (film) Eragon is a 2006 fantasy-adventure film based on the novel of the same name by author Christopher Paolini. The cast includes Edward Speleers in the title role, Jeremy Irons, Garrett Hedlund, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, John Malkovich, Djimon Hounsou, Alun Armstrong, Joss Stone, and the voice... |
Uncle Garrow | |
| 2006 | A Ticket too Far | Dad | Short film |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Advent of Steam | William Hedley William Hedley William Hedley was one of the leading industrial engineers of the early 19th century, and was very instrumental in several major innovations in early railway development... |
Series 1, Episode 6: "The Iron Horse: Part 2" |
| 1972 | Dividing Fence | Geordie Gilroy | Part of the Full House on Tyneside live arts program |
| 1972 | New Scotland Yard | Ray Davies | Series 1, Episode 7: "The Wrong 'Un" |
| 1972 | Villains | Terence 'Tel' Boldon | Series 1, Episode 1: "George" Series 1, Episode 6: "Sand Dancer" Series 1, Episode 8: "Move In, Move On" |
| 1973 | Armchair 30 | Glazier | Series 1, Episode 8: "Ross Evans' Story" |
| 1973 | Hunter's Walk | Lorry Driver | Series 1, Episode 7: "Discretion" |
| 1973 | Only Make Believe | Michael Biddle | Part of the BBC Play for Today Play for Today Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted... series |
| 1973 | Six Days of Justice | P.C. Williamson | Series 3, Episode 4: "The Complaint" |
| 1973 | Softly, Softly: Taskforce Softly, Softly: Taskforce Softly, Softly the popular BBC television police drama series, was revamped in 1969, partly to coincide with the coming of colour broadcasting to BBC 1... |
David Miller | Series 9, Episode 3: "A Quiet Man" |
| 1973 | Thriller Thriller (UK TV series) Thriller is a British television series, originally broadcast in the UK from 1973 to 1976. It is an anthology series: each episode has a self-contained story and its own cast... |
Mike | Series 1, Episode 9: "The Eyes Have It" |
| 1974 | Easy Go | First docker | Part of the BBC Play for Today Play for Today Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted... series |
| 1974 | Father Brown Father Brown (TV series) Father Brown is a British television series which originally aired on ITV in 1974. It featured Kenneth More as Father Brown, a Roman Catholic Priest who solved crime mysteries. The episodes were loosely based on the stories by G.K. Chesterton.-Main cast:... |
Joe | Series 1, Episode 1: "The Hammer of God" |
| 1974 | Justice | Bob Graham | Series 3, Episode 6: "It's Always a Gamble" |
| 1974 | Sporting Scenes | Bernie | Series 1, Episode 3: "The Needle Match" |
| 1974 | Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? is a 1970s British sitcom broadcast between 9 January 1973 and 9 April 1974 on BBC1. It is the colour sequel to the mid-1960s hit The Likely Lads. It was created and written, as was its predecessor, by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais... |
Dougie Scaife | Series 2, Episode 12: "Conduct Unbecoming" |
| 1975 | Days of Hope Days of Hope Days of Hope is a BBC television drama serial produced in 1975. The series dealt with the lives of a working-class family from the turmoils of the First World War in 1916 to the General Strike in 1926... |
Billy Shepherd | TV mini-series |
| 1975 | Public Eye | Vince Gregson | Series 7, Episode 9: "The Fatted Calf" |
| 1975 | The Squirrels The Squirrels (TV series) The Squirrels is a British television sitcom, written by Eric Chappell, who went on to then later create to write Yorkshire Television sitcoms Rising Damp and Only When I Laugh. It ran for 3 series and 28 episodes and was made and broadcast from 1974 to 1977 on the ITV network, by ATV... |
Jim | Series 1, Episode 6: "The Favourite" |
| 1975 | The Stars Look Down | Joe Gowlan | TV mini-series |
| 1975 | The Sweeney The Sweeney The Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London... |
Peter Jenner | Series 2, Episode 9: "Stay Lucky Eh?" |
| 1976 | Chester Mystery Plays Chester Mystery Plays The Chester Mystery Plays is a cycle of mystery plays dating back to at least the early part of the 15th century.A record of 1422 shows that the plays took place at the feast of Corpus Christi and this appears to have continued until 1521. Plays on Corpus Christi Day in 1475 included 'The trial... |
Lightborne / Secundus Demon | Part of the BBC Play of the Month Play of the Month Play of the Month is a BBC television anthology series featuring productions of classic and contemporary stage plays which were usually broadcast on BBC1. Each production featured a different work, often using prominent British stage actors in the leading roles... series |
| 1976 | The New Avengers | Private George Harris | Series 1, Episode 12: "Dirtier by the Dozen" |
| 1977 | Centre Play | Richard Clewes | Series 6, Episode 8: "Risking It" |
| 1977 | Our Day Out Our Day Out Our Day Out is a television play about deprived children from Liverpool in the United Kingdom. It was written by Willy Russell and first aired on 28 December 1977, at 9pm on BBC2... |
Mr. Briggs | Part of the BBC2 Play of the Week series Rebroadcast in 1978 in the Play for Today Play for Today Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted... series |
| 1977 | Shooting the Chandelier | Brodovich | Part of the BBC2 Play of the Week series |
| 1977 | Porridge Porridge (TV series) Porridge is a British situation comedy broadcast on BBC1 from 1974 to 1977, running for three series, two Christmas specials and a feature film. Written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, it stars Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale as two inmates at the fictional HMP Slade in Cumberland... |
Spraggon | Series 3, Episode 5: "A Test of Character" |
| 1977 | Romance | Weaver | Series 1, Episode 5: "House of Men" |
| 1977 | The Squirrels The Squirrels (TV series) The Squirrels is a British television sitcom, written by Eric Chappell, who went on to then later create to write Yorkshire Television sitcoms Rising Damp and Only When I Laugh. It ran for 3 series and 28 episodes and was made and broadcast from 1974 to 1977 on the ITV network, by ATV... |
Sweeney | Series 3, Episode 8: "Shoulder to Shoulder" |
| 1978 | Enemy at the Door Enemy at the Door Enemy At The Door is a British television drama series made by London Weekend Television for ITV. The series was shown between 1978 and 1980 and dealt with the German occupation of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands, during the Second World War... |
Louis Mendoza | Series 1, Episode 8: "Officers of the Law" |
| 1978 | Freedom of the Dig | Part of the BBC2 Premiere drama series | |
| 1978 | Liza | Mikhalevich | Part of the BBC2 Play of the Week series |
| 1978 | Z-Cars Z-Cars Z-Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby in the outskirts of Liverpool in Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.-Origins:The series was developed by... |
Det. Supt. Boley | Series 13, Episode 13: "Pressure" |
| 1978–79 | A Sharp Intake of Breath A Sharp Intake of Breath A Sharp Intake of Breath was a British sitcom starring David Jason, Jacqueline Clarke, Richard Wilson and Alun Armstrong which ran from 1977 to 1981. It was made for the ITV network by ATV. The opening titles featured cartoons by Mel Calman.... |
Various characters | Series 1–2: 13 episodes |
| 1979 | All Day on the Sands | Dad | Part of the Six Plays by Alan Bennett Alan Bennett Alan Bennett is a British playwright, screenwriter, actor and author. Born in Leeds, he attended Oxford University where he studied history and performed with The Oxford Revue. He stayed to teach and research mediaeval history at the university for several years... series |
| 1979 | Measure for Measure Measure for Measure Measure for Measure is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604. It was classified as comedy, but its mood defies those expectations. As a result and for a variety of reasons, some critics have labelled it as one of Shakespeare's problem plays... |
Provost | Part of the BBC Television Shakespeare BBC Television Shakespeare The BBC Television Shakespeare was a set of television adaptations of the plays of William Shakespeare, produced by the BBC between 1978 and 1985.-Origins:... series |
| 1980 | Armchair Thriller Armchair Thriller Armchair Thriller is a British television programme, broadcast on ITV in two series in 1978 and 1980. Owing something to some of the off-shoots of the earlier Armchair Theatre, the new series used scripts adapted from published novels and stories. Although not properly a horror series it included... |
Trahearne | Series 3, Episodes 17–20: "Fear of God" |
| 1981 | Get Lost! Get Lost! Get Lost! is a British television drama serial made by Yorkshire Television in 1981 for the ITV network. Written by Alan Plater, the plot concerns the disappearance of the husband of Leeds schoolteacher Judy Threadgold... |
Neville Keaton | 4 episodes |
| 1981 | One in a Thousand | Dick Hayes | Dramatized documentary |
| 1982 | The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby | Wackford Squeers Mr. Wagstaff |
Stage performance filmed for television |
| 1983 | Mr. Moon's Last Case | Narrator | TV play |
| 1984 | The Book Tower The Book Tower The Book Tower is a British television series for children, produced by Yorkshire Television, that ran for 11 series from 3 January 1979 to 30 May 1989.... |
Presenter | Children's program; 7 episodes |
| 1984 | The House | Mr. Smeth | TV movie |
| 1984 | Sharing Time | Luke | Series 1, Episode 1: "Guilt on the Gingerbread" |
| 1985 | Bulman Bulman Bulman was a Granada TV series which ran from 1985-1987 and followed the fortunes of the major character from the earlier XYY Man and Strangers series.... |
DS Figg | Series 1, Episode 4: "Death of a Hitman" |
| 1987 | Christmas Is Coming ... This Is a Government Health Warning! | Informational program with comedy sketches | |
| 1988 | Number 27 | Murray Lester | |
| 1988 | The Storyteller The Storyteller The StoryTeller is a live-action/puppet television series. It was an American/British co-production which originally aired in 1988 and was created and produced by Jim Henson.... |
The Troll (voice) | Series 1, Episode 9: "The True Bride" |
| 1988 | This is David Lander This is David Lander This is David Lander was a TV show that parodies Roger Cook style door-stepping investigative journalism shows, starring Stephen Fry as David Lander and written by Tony Sarchet.... |
Councillor Stennalling | Series 1, Episode 1: "Not a Pretty Site" |
| 1989 | A Night on the Tyne | Willy | TV movie |
| 1989 | Nineteen 96 | Det. Supt. Frank Burroughs | Part of the BBC Screen One series |
| 1990 | Looking after Number One | Dick | Part of the BBC Screenplay Firsts series |
| 1990 | Sticky Wickets | Evans | Part of the BBC Screen One series |
| 1990 | The Widowmaker The Widowmaker The Widowmaker is a 1990 made for television film starring Annabelle Apsion, Alun Armstrong, David Morrissey and Kenneth Walsh. The film deals with a woman who's husband has been arrested after going on a killing rampage and the reaction of her local community. It was produced In the United... |
Dad | TV movie |
| 1991 | Murder in Eden Murder in Eden (TV series) Murder in Eden is a British television series directed by Nicholas Renton and featuring Ian Bannen, Peter Firth and Alun Armstrong. It was first aired on the BBC in 1991 in three episodes of 55 minutes. It was set in a remote part of rural County Donegal where a landlord of a pub murders his barmen... |
Sgt. McGing | TV mini-series |
| 1991 | Stanley and the Women | Rufus Hilton | TV mini-series |
| 1992 | Goodbye Cruel World Goodbye Cruel World (miniseries) Goodbye Cruel World is a 1992 British miniseries starring Sue Johnston, Alun Armstrong and Brenda Bruce. The three part series was aired on BBC One during January 1992 and was aired again in summer 1993... |
Roy Grade | TV mini-series |
| 1992 | Inspector Morse Inspector Morse (TV series) Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis. Dexter makes a cameo appearance in all but three of the episodes.... |
Superintendent Holdsby | Series 6, Episode 2: "Happy Families" |
| 1992 | The Life and Times of Henry Pratt | Uncle Teddy | TV mini-series |
| 1992 | Married... with Children Married... with Children Married... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created... |
Trevor | Season 6, Episodes 24–26: "England Show," Parts I, II and III |
| 1992 | Shakespeare: The Animated Tales Shakespeare: the Animated Tales thumb|right|[[Banquo]] and [[Fleance]] from the "Macbeth" episode. Shakespeare: The Animated Tales comprised two six-part television series, first broadcast in 1992 and 1994... |
Caliban Caliban Caliban is a character in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.Caliban may also refer to:* Caliban , a moon of Uranus* Caliban , a metalcore band from Germany* Caliban , an acoustic Celtic folk duo... (voice) |
Series 1, Episode 2: "The Tempest" |
| 1993 | Goggle-Eyes Goggle-Eyes Goggle-Eyes is a children's novel by Anne Fine, first published in 1989. The book won the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Fiction Award. American editions are titled My War with Goggle-Eyes.... |
Gerald Faulkner | TV mini-series |
| 1994 | Doggin' Around | Charlie Foster | TV movie |
| 1994 | MacGyver: Trail to Doomsday | Chief Superintendent Capshaw | TV movie |
| 1995 | Sorry about Last Night | Mickey | TV movie |
| 1996 | Brazen Hussies | Jimmy Hardcastle | TV movie |
| 1996 | Breaking the Code Breaking the Code Breaking the Code is a 1986 play by Hugh Whitemore about British mathematician Alan Turing, who was a key player in the breaking of the German Enigma code at Bletchley Park during World War II... |
Mick Ross | TV movie |
| 1996 | Our Friends in the North Our Friends in the North Our Friends in the North is a British television drama serial, produced by the BBC and originally broadcast in nine episodes on BBC Two in early 1996... |
Austin Donohue | TV mini-series |
| 1996 | Tales from the Crypt Tales from the Crypt (TV series) Tales from the Crypt, sometimes titled HBO's Tales from the Crypt, is an American horror anthology television series that ran from 1989 to 1996 on the premium cable channel HBO... |
Inspector Herbert | Season 7, Episode 12: "Confession" |
| 1996 | Witness Against Hitler | Pastor Harald Poelchau | TV movie |
| 1997 | Underworld | Teddy Middlemass | 6 episodes |
| 1998 | In the Red | DCI Frank Jefferson | TV mini-series |
| 1998 | Shell Shock | Narrator | 3-part documentary |
| 1999 | Aristocrats Aristocrats (TV mini-series) Aristocrats is a 1999 Television series, based on the biography by Stella Tillyard. The series consists of six episodes of 50 minutes each and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC, starting on 22 June 1999... |
Henry Fox Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland, of Foxley, MP, PC was a leading British politician of the 18th century. He identified primarily with the Whig faction... |
TV mini-series |
| 1999 | David Copperfield David Copperfield (1999 film) David Copperfield is a two part BBC television drama adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel David Copperfield, adapted by Adrian Hodges. The first part was shown on Christmas Day and the second on Boxing Day in 1999... |
Daniel Peggotty | TV movie |
| 1999 | Oliver Twist Oliver Twist (TV miniseries) Oliver Twist is a 1999 television mini-series produced by ITV based on the book Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.-Plot:The first episode revolved around Oliver's parents as they struggled to fight their love for each other... |
Mr. Fleming | TV mini-series |
| 2000 | 7Up 2000 7Up 2000 The 7Up 2000 series is a new version of the Up! Series, recreated with 21st century children.The series is directed by Julian Farino, and the next installment, 14 up 2000, aired on BBC television in 2007.... |
Narrator | Documentary |
| 2000 | Challenger: Go for Launch | Narrator | Documentary |
| 2000 | This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper | George Oldfield George Oldfield George Oldfield was a British police detective who finished his career as Assistant Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police. He is known for leading major criminal inquiries by the force, including the M62 coach bombing and the 'Yorkshire Ripper' series of murders... |
TV movie Nominated: Royal Television Society Royal Television Society The Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world... award |
| 2001 | Adrian Mole: the Cappuccino Years Adrian Mole: the Cappuccino Years (TV series) Adrian Mole: the Cappiccino Years is a television series aired by the BBC in 2001. The series was based on the book from the Adrian Mole series, The Cappuccino Years.-Premise:... |
George Mole | 6 episodes |
| 2001 | Extinct Extinct (2001 TV series) Extinct was a Channel 4 TV series, that originally aired in late 2001. There were 6 episodes.-Episodes:1. DodoIn this episode it recounts how the dodo became extinct. It starts with the introduction of people on the island of Mauritius. Animals are soon introduced that make life harder for the... |
Narrator | 6-part documentary |
| 2001 | Score | George Devon | TV movie |
| 2001 | Waiters | Oscar | Part of the ITV First Cut series |
| 2002 | Bedtime Bedtime (TV series) Bedtime was a British comedy-drama written and directed by Andy Hamilton and broadcast by the BBC. It ran for three series for a total of fifteen episodes between August 2001 and December 2003. The first two series had six episodes each and the third series had three episodes... |
Neil Henshall | Series 2: 6 episodes |
| 2002 | Inquisition | Martin | TV movie |
| 2002 | Sparkhouse Sparkhouse Sparkhouse is a BBC drama, originally shown in 2002, written by Sally Wainwright which is a modern take on Wuthering Heights.-Synopsis:Two young lovers battle against the odds to be together... |
Richard Bolton | TV movie |
| 2003 | Between the Sheets Between the Sheets (TV series) Between the Sheets is a 2003, British television mini series. This carnal drama is based around the love life and sexual hangups of several different couples that we find are all linked in some way... |
Peter Delany | TV mini-series |
| 2003 | Messiah 2: Vengeance is Mine Messiah (TV series) Messiah is a British television drama series, broadcast on the BBC One network and produced in-house by BBC Northern Ireland, although the series itself is set in England. Made up of a series of occasional serials, the first, with two parts subtitled The First Killings & The Reckoning, was... |
DCI Charlie Macintyre | TV mini-series |
| 2003–present | New Tricks | Brian Lane | Series 1–8: 67 episodes |
| 2004 | Carrie's War Carrie's War Carrie's War is a 1973 children's novel by Nina Bawden, set during the Second World War and following two evacuees, Carrie and her younger brother Nick. It is a common fixture in secondary schools.-Plot:... |
Samuel Evans | TV movie |
| 2004 | When I'm 64 | Jim | TV movie |
| 2005 | Bleak House | Inspector Bucket | TV mini-series |
| 2006 | The Girls Who Came to Stay | Bob Jenkins | TV movie Also known as The Girls of Belarus |
| 2007 | The Dinner Party | Jim | TV movie |
| 2008 | Filth: The Mary Whitehouse Story Filth: The Mary Whitehouse Story Filth: The Mary Whitehouse Story is a 2008 BBC Television docudrama written by Amanda Coe, telling the life story of the British morality campaigner Mary Whitehouse... |
Ernest Whitehouse | TV movie |
| 2008 | Little Dorrit Little Dorrit (TV serial) Little Dorrit is a 2008 British television serial directed by Adam Smith, Dearbhla Walsh, and Diarmuid Lawrence. The teleplay by Andrew Davies is based on the serial novel of the same title by Charles Dickens, originally published between 1855 and 1857.... |
Jeremiah and Ephraim Flintwinch | TV mini-series |
| 2009–2011 | Garrow's Law Garrow's Law Garrow's Law is a British period legal drama about the 18th-century lawyer William Garrow. The series debuted on 1 November 2009 on BBC One and BBC HD. A second series was announced on 7 July 2010 and aired from 14 November 2010... |
John Southouse | Series 1–3: 11 episodes |
| 2010 | A Passionate Woman | Donald | TV movie (Part 2) |
| 2012 | The Mystery of Edwin Drood The Mystery of Edwin Drood The Mystery of Edwin Drood is the final novel by Charles Dickens. The novel was left unfinished at the time of Dickens' death, and his intended ending for it remains unknown. Though the novel is named after the character Edwin Drood, the story focuses on Drood's uncle, choirmaster John Jasper, who... |
Hiram Grewgious | TV movie |
| 2012 | Henry IV, Part 1 Henry IV, Part 1 Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V... and Henry IV, Part 2 Henry IV, Part 2 Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:... |
Earl of Northumberland Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, 4th Baron Percy, titular King of Mann, KG, Lord Marshal was the son of Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy and a descendent of Henry III of England. His mother was Mary of Lancaster, daughter of Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster, son of Edmund, Earl of Leicester and... |
TV movies |
Theatre
| Year | Play | Playwright | Role | Theatre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | I Was Hitler's Maid | Christopher Wilkinson | Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945... |
King's Head Theatre Club, London | |
| 1971 | The Changing Room The Changing Room The Changing Room is a 1971 play by David Storey, set in a men's changing room before, during and after a rugby game. It premiered at the Royal Court Theatre on 9 November 1971, directed by Lindsay Anderson... |
David Storey David Storey David Rhames Storey is an English playwright, screenwriter, award-winning novelist and a former professional rugby league player.... |
Billy Spencer | Royal Court Theatre Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre... , London |
|
| 1973 | Dracula Dracula Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor... |
Bram Stoker Bram Stoker Abraham "Bram" Stoker was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula... Stanley Eveling Stanley Eveling Stanley Eveling, or Harry Stanley Eveling was an English playwright and academic, based in Scotland. Eveling was educated at Rutherford College and Samuel King's School... et al. (adaptation) |
Renfield Renfield R. M. Renfield is a fictional character in the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker.-In the novel:A description of Renfield from the novel:R. M. Renfield, aetat 59. Sanguine temperament, great physical strength, morbidly excitable,... |
Bush Theatre Bush Theatre The Bush Theatre is based in Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 above The Bush public house by Brian McDermott, and has since become one of the most celebrated new writing theatres in the world. An intimate venue renowned for its close-up... , London |
|
| 1973 | A Fart for Europe | Howard Brenton Howard Brenton -Early years:Brenton was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, son of Methodist minister Donald Henry Brenton and his wife Rose Lilian . He was educated at Chichester High School For Boys and read English Literature at St Catharine's College, Cambridge. In 1964 he was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal... David Edgar David Edgar (playwright) David Edgar is a British playwright and author who has had more than sixty of his plays published and performed on stage, radio and television around the world, making him one of the most prolific dramatists of the post-1960s generation in Great Britain.He was resident playwright at the Birmingham... |
Edgar | Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, London | |
| 1973 | Cromwell | David Storey | Morgan Wallace |
Royal Court Theatre, London | |
| 1975 | As You Like It As You Like It As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility... |
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"... |
Touchstone Touchstone (As You Like It) Touchstone is an interesting fictional character in Shakespeare's play As You Like It. Touchstone is the court fool or jester, portrayed as a wise man with a dry, cynical wit. Throughout the play he comments on the other characters of the play and thus, contributes to a better understanding of the... |
Nottingham Playhouse Nottingham Playhouse The Nottingham Playhouse is a theatre in Nottingham, England. It was first established as a repertory theatre in the 1950s when it operated from a former cinema. Directors during this period included Val May and Frank Dunlop.-The building:... |
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| 1976 | The Sons of Light | David Rudkin David Rudkin James David Rudkin is an English playwright of Northern Irish descent. Coming from a family of strict evangelical Christians, Rudkin was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham and read Mods and Greats at St Catherine's College, Oxford... |
Yescanab | University Theatre Northern Stage, Newcastle upon Tyne Northern Stage is a theatre and producing theatre company based in Newcastle upon Tyne. It is adjacent to Newcastle University's city centre campus on King's Walk, opposite the students' union building. It hosts various local, national and international productions in addition to those produced by... , Newcastle Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne... |
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| 1976 | Mother's Day | David Storey | Gordon | Royal Court Theatre, London | |
| 1978 | The Passion The Mysteries The Mysteries is a version of the medieval English mystery plays presented at London's National Theatre in 1977. The cycle of three plays tells the story of the Bible from the creation to the last judgement.... |
Tony Harrison Tony Harrison Tony Harrison is an English poet and playwright. He is noted for controversial works such as the poem V and Fram, as well as his versions of ancient Greek tragedies, including the Oresteia and Hecuba... (adaptation) |
Fourth Soldier | Cottesloe Theatre, London | |
| 1978 | One for the Road One for the Road (Willy Russell play) One For The Road is a comedic play by Willy Russell, written in 1976 and published in 1980. The script was revised and updated by Russell in 1985 and the rights are held by Samuel French Ltd. It is not to be confused with the Harold Pinter play of the same name... |
Willy Russell | Dennis | National tour | Alternate titles: Dennis the Menace Happy Returns |
| 1979–80 | Much Ado About Nothing Much Ado About Nothing Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by William Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero.... |
William Shakespeare | Dogberry Dogberry Dogberry is a self-satisfied night constable in Shakespeare's Much Ado about Nothing.In the play, Dogberry is the chief of the citizen-police in Messina. As is usual in Shakespearean comedy, and Renaissance comedy generally, he is a figure of comic incompetence... |
Small-scale tour Donmar Warehouse Donmar Warehouse Donmar Warehouse is a small not-for-profit theatre in the Covent Garden area of London, with a capacity of 251.-About:Under the artistic leadership of Michael Grandage, the theatre has presented some of London’s most memorable award-winning theatrical experiences, as well as garnered critical... , London |
Royal Shakespeare Company Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across... |
| 1979–80 | The Caucasian Chalk Circle The Caucasian Chalk Circle The Caucasian Chalk Circle is a play by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. An example of Brecht's epic theatre, the play is a parable about a peasant girl who rescues a baby and becomes a better mother than its natural parents.... |
Bertolt Brecht Bertolt Brecht Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the... |
Azdak | Small-scale tour Donmar Warehouse, London |
Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 1980 | Bastard Angel | Barrie Keeffe Barrie Keeffe Barrie Colin Keeffe is an English dramatist and screenwriter, best known for his screenplay for the 1981 film The Long Good Friday.... |
Alun | Donmar Warehouse, London | Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 1980 | The Loud Boy's Life | Howard Barker Howard Barker Howard E. Barker is a British playwright.-The Theatre of Catastrophe :Barker has coined the term "Theatre of Catastrophe" to describe his work... |
Harry Baker Lionel Frontage Norman Leathers |
Donmar Warehouse, London | Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 1981–82 | The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby | Charles Dickens Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic... David Edgar (adaptation) |
Wackford Squeers Mr. Wagstaff |
Aldwych Theatre Aldwych Theatre The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Aldwych in the City of Westminster. The theatre was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200.-Origins:... , London Plymouth Theatre Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 236 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan named for Gerald Schoenfeld.... , Broadway Old Vic Old Vic The Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, it was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 when it was known formally as the Royal Victoria Hall. In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian... , London (filmed for TV) |
Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 1982–83 | The Tempest The Tempest The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,... |
William Shakespeare | Trinculo | Royal Shakespeare Theatre Royal Shakespeare Theatre The Royal Shakespeare Theatre is a 1,040+ seat thrust stage theatre owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company dedicated to the British playwright and poet William Shakespeare. It is located in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon - Shakespeare's birthplace - in the English Midlands, beside the River Avon... , Stratford Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers... Theatre Royal, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Newcastle The Theatre Royal is a Grade I listed building situated on Grey Street in Newcastle upon Tyne. It was designed by local architects John and Benjamin Green as part of Richard Grainger's grand design for the centre of Newcastle, and was opened on 20 February 1837 with a performance of The Merchant... Barbican Theatre, London |
Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 1982–83 | The Taming of the Shrew The Taming of the Shrew The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself... |
William Shakespeare | Petruchio Petruchio Petruchio is the male romantic lead in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew . Petruchio is a fortune seeker who enters into a marriage with a strong-willed young woman named Kate and then proceeds to "tame" her temperamental spirit... |
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford Theatre Royal, Newcastle Barbican Theatre, London |
Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 1983 | The Roaring Girl The Roaring Girl The Roaring Girl is a Jacobean stage play, a comedy written by Thomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker ca. 1607-10.The play was first published in quarto in 1611, printed by Nicholas Okes for the bookseller Thomas Archer... |
Thomas Middleton Thomas Middleton Thomas Middleton was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. Middleton stands with John Fletcher and Ben Jonson as among the most successful and prolific of playwrights who wrote their best plays during the Jacobean period. He was one of the few Renaissance dramatists to achieve equal success in... Thomas Dekker |
Ralph Trapdoor | Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford Barbican Theatre, London |
Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 1983 | Reflections | Jasper Rootham Jasper Rootham Jasper St John Rootham , was a civil servant, soldier, central banker, merchant banker, writer and poet.-Childhood and adolescence:Rootham was an only child.... |
Performer | Gulbenkian Studio Northern Stage, Newcastle upon Tyne Northern Stage is a theatre and producing theatre company based in Newcastle upon Tyne. It is adjacent to Newcastle University's city centre campus on King's Walk, opposite the students' union building. It hosts various local, national and international productions in addition to those produced by... , Newcastle Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne... |
Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 1984 | Serjeant Musgrave's Dance Serjeant Musgrave's Dance Serjeant Musgrave's Dance, An Un-historical Parable is a play by English playwright John Arden, written in 1959 and premiered at the Royal Court Theatre on October 22 of that year. In Arden's introductory note to the text, he describes it as "a realistic, but not a naturalistic" play... |
John Arden John Arden John Arden is an award-winning English playwright from Barnsley . His works tend to expose social issues of personal concern. He is a member of the Royal Society of Literature.... |
Private Hurst | Old Vic, London | |
| 1984–85 | The Crucible The Crucible The Crucible is a 1952 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism, when the US government blacklisted accused communists... |
Arthur Miller Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons , Death of a Salesman , The Crucible , and A View from the Bridge .Miller was often in the public eye,... |
John Proctor John Proctor John Proctor was a farmer in 17th century Massachusetts. He married three women in his life, and divorced the first two. The last one he married was Elizabeth Proctor, who gave birth to two children, William and Sarah... |
Small-scale tour Christ Church, Spitalfields Polish tour |
Royal Shakespeare Company Nominated: Olivier Award |
| 1984–85 | The Winter's Tale The Winter's Tale The Winter's Tale is a play by William Shakespeare, originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, some modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some critics, among them W. W... |
William Shakespeare | Leontes Leontes King Leontes is the father of Perdita and husband to Queen Hermione in Shakespeare's play The Winter's Tale. He becomes obsessed with the belief that his wife has been having an affair with Polixenes, his childhood friend and King of Bohemia. Because of this, he tries to have his friend poisoned,... |
Small-scale tour Christ Church, Spitalfields Polish tour |
Royal Shakespeare Company Nominated: Olivier Award |
| 1985–86 | Troilus and Cressida Troilus and Cressida Troilus and Cressida is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1602. It was also described by Frederick S. Boas as one of Shakespeare's problem plays. The play ends on a very bleak note with the death of the noble Trojan Hector and destruction of the love between Troilus... |
William Shakespeare | Thersites Thersites In Greek mythology, Thersites was a soldier of the Greek army during the Trojan War. In the Iliad, he does not have a father's name, which may suggest that he should be viewed as a commoner rather than an aristocratic hero... |
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford Barbican Theatre, London |
Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 1985–86 | Les Misérables Les Misérables (musical) Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo.... |
Claude-Michel Schönberg Claude-Michel Schönberg Claude-Michel Schönberg is a French record producer, actor, singer, songwriter, and musical theatre composer, best known for his collaborations with the lyricist Alain Boublil.These include the musicals:... Alain Boublil Alain Boublil Alain Boublil is a musical theatre lyricist and librettist, best known for his collaborations with the composer Claude-Michel Schönberg for musicals on Broadway and London's West End... Herbert Kretzmer Herbert Kretzmer Herbert Kretzmer OBE is a South African-born English journalist and lyric writer. He is perhaps best known as the lyricist for the English-language musical adaptation of Les Misérables.-Journalist:... |
Thénardier Thénardiers The Thénardiers, commonly known as Thénardier and Madame Thénardier , are two of the primary villains in Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables and the stage musical of the same name... |
Barbican Theatre, London Palace Theatre, London Palace Theatre, London The Palace Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster in London. It is an imposing red-brick building that dominates the west side of Cambridge Circus and is located near the intersection of Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road... |
Royal Shakespeare Company Nominated: Olivier Award |
| 1987–88 | Fashion | Doug Lucie | Stuart Clarke | The Other Place The Other Place (theatre) The Other Place was a black box theatre on Southern Lane, near to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. It was owned and operated by the Royal Shakespeare Company.... , Stratford The Pit Barbican Centre The Barbican Centre is the largest performing arts centre in Europe. Located in the City of London, England, the Centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions. It also houses a library, three restaurants, and a conservatory... , London |
Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 1987–88 | The Jew of Malta The Jew of Malta The Jew of Malta is a play by Christopher Marlowe, probably written in 1589 or 1590. Its plot is an original story of religious conflict, intrigue, and revenge, set against a backdrop of the struggle for supremacy between Spain and the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean that takes place on the... |
Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. As the foremost Elizabethan tragedian, next to William Shakespeare, he is known for his blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his mysterious death.A warrant was issued for Marlowe's arrest on 18 May... |
Barabas the Jew Barabas the Jew Barabas is a fictional character who appears at the centre of Christopher Marlowe's play The Jew of Malta.He is named after Barabbas, the thief, murderer and terrorist who was released from prison and pardoned from crucifixion in place of Jesus in the Bible... |
Swan Theatre Swan Theatre (Stratford) The Swan Theatre is a theatre belonging to the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. It is built on to the side of the larger Royal Shakespeare Theatre, occupying the Victorian Gothic structure that formerly housed the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre that preceded the RST but was... , Stratford People's Theatre, Newcastle Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne... Barbican Theatre, London |
Royal Shakespeare Company Nominated: Olivier Award |
| 1988 | The Father | August Strindberg August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg's career spanned four decades, during which time he wrote over 60 plays and more than 30 works of fiction, autobiography,... |
The Captain | Cottesloe Theatre, London | Nominated: Olivier Award |
| 1989–90 | The Baker's Wife The Baker's Wife The Baker's Wife is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and the book by Joseph Stein, based on the French film La Femme du Boulanger by Marcel Pagnol and Jean Giono... |
Stephen Schwartz Stephen Schwartz (composer) Stephen Lawrence Schwartz is an American musical theatre lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over four decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as Godspell , Pippin and Wicked... Joseph Stein Joseph Stein Joseph Stein was an American playwright best known for writing the books for such musicals as Fiddler on the Roof and Zorba.-Biography:... |
Aimable Castagnet | Phoenix Theatre Phoenix Theatre (London) The Phoenix Theatre is a West End theatre in the London Borough of Camden, located on Charing Cross Road . The entrance is in Phoenix Street.... , London |
Nominated: Olivier Award |
| 1993 | Sweeney Todd | Stephen Sondheim Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award... Hugh Wheeler Hugh Wheeler Hugh Callingham Wheeler was an English-born playwright, screenwriter, librettist, poet, and translator. He resided in the United States from 1934 until his death and became a naturalized citizen in 1942. He had attended London University.Under the noms de plume Patrick Quentin, Q... |
Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as then antagonist of the Victorian penny dreadful The String of Pearls and he was later introduced as an antihero in the broadway musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and its film adaptation... |
Cottesloe Theatre, London | Won: Olivier Award |
| 1995 | Insignificance | Terry Johnson Terry Johnson (dramatist) Terry Johnson is a British dramatist and director working for stage, television and film. He is a Literary Associate at the Royal Court Theatre. At The Court he directed Dumb Show by Joe Penhall and opened his play Piano/Forte... |
Albert Einstein Albert Einstein Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history... |
Donmar Warehouse, London | |
| 1995 | Les Misérables - The Dream Cast in Concert Les Misérables - The Dream Cast in Concert Les Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert a.k.a. Les Misérables in Concert is a concert version of the musical Les Misérables, produced to celebrate its 10th anniversary. It was filmed in October 1995 at the Royal Albert Hall and released on DVD, VHS and LD in 1998 and re-released on DVD in North... |
Claude-Michel Schönberg Claude-Michel Schönberg Claude-Michel Schönberg is a French record producer, actor, singer, songwriter, and musical theatre composer, best known for his collaborations with the lyricist Alain Boublil.These include the musicals:... Alain Boublil Alain Boublil Alain Boublil is a musical theatre lyricist and librettist, best known for his collaborations with the composer Claude-Michel Schönberg for musicals on Broadway and London's West End... Herbert Kretzmer Herbert Kretzmer Herbert Kretzmer OBE is a South African-born English journalist and lyric writer. He is perhaps best known as the lyricist for the English-language musical adaptation of Les Misérables.-Journalist:... |
Thénardier Thénardiers The Thénardiers, commonly known as Thénardier and Madame Thénardier , are two of the primary villains in Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables and the stage musical of the same name... |
Royal Albert Hall Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941.... , London |
8 October 1995 Released on DVD |
| 1996 | Endgame Endgame (play) Endgame, by Samuel Beckett, is a one-act play with four characters, written in a style associated with the Theatre of the Absurd. It was originally written in French ; as was his custom, Beckett himself translated it into English. The play was first performed in a French-language production at the... |
Samuel Beckett Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet. He wrote both in English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.Beckett is widely regarded as among the most... |
Hamm | Donmar Warehouse, London | |
| 1996–97 | Death of a Salesman Death of a Salesman Death of a Salesman is a 1949 play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. It was the recipient of the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. Premiered at the Morosco Theatre in February 1949, the original production ran for a total of 742 performances.-Plot :Willy Loman... |
Arthur Miller | Willy Loman | Lyttelton Theatre, London | |
| 1997–98 | The Front Page The Front Page The Front Page is a hit Broadway comedy about tabloid newspaper reporters on the police beat, written by one-time Chicago reporters Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur which was first produced in 1928.-Synopsis:... |
Ben Hecht Ben Hecht Ben Hecht was an American screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, and novelist. Called "the Shakespeare of Hollywood", he received screen credits, alone or in collaboration, for the stories or screenplays of some 70 films and as a prolific storyteller, authored 35 books and created some of... Charles MacArthur Charles MacArthur Charles Gordon MacArthur was an American playwright and screenwriter.-Biography:Charles MacArthur was the second youngest of seven children born to stern evangelist William Telfer MacArthur and Georgiana Welsted MacArthur. He early developed a passion for reading... |
Walter Burns | Donmar Warehouse, London | |
| 2002 | Mappa Mundi | Shelagh Stephenson Shelagh Stephenson Shelagh Stephenson is a playwright, born in Northumberland and read drama at Manchester University. Her stage plays include The Memory of Water , An Experiment with an Air Pump, Ancient Lights, Five Kinds of Silence and Mappa Mundi... |
Jack | Cottesloe Theatre, London | |
| 2006 | The Royal Hunt of the Sun The Royal Hunt of the Sun The Royal Hunt of the Sun is a 1964 play by Peter Shaffer that portrays the destruction of the Inca empire by conquistador Francisco Pizarro.-Premiere:... |
Peter Shaffer Peter Shaffer Sir Peter Levin Shaffer is an English dramatist and playwright, screenwriter and author of numerous award-winning plays, several of which have been filmed.-Early life:... |
Francisco Pizarro Francisco Pizarro Francisco Pizarro González, Marquess was a Spanish conquistador, conqueror of the Incan Empire, and founder of Lima, the modern-day capital of the Republic of Peru.-Early life:... |
Olivier Theatre, London | |
| 2009 | A House Not Meant to Stand A House Not Meant to Stand A House Not Meant to Stand is the last play written by Tennessee Williams. It was produced during the 1981–82 season at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago by Gregory Mosher and published for the first time in 2008 by New Directions... |
Tennessee Williams Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs... |
Cornelius McCorkle | Donmar Warehouse, London | Rehearsed reading 14 September 2009 |