James Purefoy
Encyclopedia
James Brian Mark Purefoy (born 3 June 1964) is an English actor best known for portraying Mark Antony
in the HBO series Rome
.
, Somerset. He was a boarder
at Sherborne School
which he left with only one O-level. Later he went to night school and got 11 more, then took his A-levels. He then studied acting at the British drama school the Central School of Speech and Drama
, while trying to sell copies of the Socialist Worker
in his spare time.
in Leatherhead
, Walter in Mary Morgan at the Riverside Studios
and Alan Strang in Equus
on tour.
(RSC) in 1988 and appeared in The Constant Couple, Macbeth
, The Tempest
, The Man Who Came to Dinner
(Gene Saks, Barbican) and King Lear
as Edgar.
Elsewhere, he has also appeared as Laertes in Hamlet
at the Bristol Old Vic
(1991) Brian in William Gaminara
's Back Up the Hearse and Let them Sniff the Flowers at the Hampstead Theatre
(1992), Roland Maule in Noel Coward
's Present Laughter
at the Globe Theatre
(1993), Biff in Death of a Salesman
, alongside Ken Stott
and Jude Law
, at the West Yorkshire Playhouse
(1994), Tony in The Servant
at the Birmingham Rep (1995). He returned to the RSC for Simon Callow
's stage adaptation of the film classic, Les enfants du paradis at the Barbican
. He also played Hugh de Morville in Paul Corcoran's Four Nights in Knaresborough
at the Tricycle Theatre
, (1999) and Loveless in Trevor Nunn
's production of The Relapse
at the National Theatre
in 2001.
Between March and June 2011 he starred as Peter in Trevor Nunn
's production of Flare Path at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, alongside Sheridan Smith
and Sienna Miller
, as part of the playwright Terence Rattigan
's centenary year celebrations.
," in Granada's The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes. One of his notable roles was as Nicholas Jenkins in the eight-part miniseries A Dance to the Music of Time
for Channel 4
in 1997. He played Edward, the Black Prince
in the film A Knight's Tale, Rawdon Crawley in Vanity Fair
with Reese Witherspoon, and Tom Bertram in the 1999 production of Mansfield Park
.
He has played major roles in several television costume dramas, including Sharpe's Sword
, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
, The Prince and the Pauper
, The Mayor of Casterbridge
, Blackbeard: Terror at Sea
, Beau Brummell: This Charming Man
,'The tide of life' Camelot
and Rome
.
in the HBO
/BBC
original television series, Rome
.
At the time there were rumours that at least one nude body in the show had been digitally enhanced. When his Wikipedia entry, which at that time referred to the rumours, was brought up in an interview with Alastair McKay, published in the January 2007 issue of Out magazine
, Purefoy said, "I won't say whose it was, but there was a penis in the series that may have been slightly enhanced. But it wasn't mine. Mine's all mine."
, which aired on NBC beginning on June 2009. His character is a billionaire playboy who decides to use his wealth and power to help others in need
.
ed for the role of James Bond
in 1995 for Goldeneye
, but ultimately lost the role to Pierce Brosnan
. Throughout 2004 and 2005 Purefoy's name was rumoured as a possible candidate to replace Brosnan as agent 007 in future James Bond films.
Originally Purefoy was cast as V in V for Vendetta
, but left six weeks into filming. Parts of the film contain (dubbed)scenes of Purefoy. Speculation suggested that his departure was due to an opportunity to play James Bond in the 2006 film Casino Royale
. However, this news was proven false when Daniel Craig
was announced as the new James Bond. In the commentary track of the A Knight's Tale special edition DVD, director Brian Helgeland
stated his opinion that Purefoy would be the perfect choice to play the "next" James Bond
, well before Purefoy was being considered for the Casino Royale role.
Producer William J. MacDonald
announced that James Purefoy would play Simon Templar
in a new TV series of The Saint
. The new series was scheduled to start shooting in Berlin and Australia in April 2008. However, production ultimately did not occur and in August Purefoy was reported as negotiating with NBC
to star in another series, The Philanthropist.
, after the two met at Brooklands Technical College in Weybridge, Surrey. Afterwards, Purefoy had a relationship with actress Holly Aird from 1996 to 2002. They had a son together, Joseph, who was born in 1997. He has been in a relationship with the art historian and television producer Jessica Adams since 2004. He is a supporter of Yeovil Town
.
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
in the HBO series Rome
Rome (TV series)
Rome is a British-American–Italian historical drama television series created by Bruno Heller, John Milius and William J. MacDonald. The show's two seasons premiered in 2005 and 2007, and were later released on DVD. Rome is set in the 1st century BC, during Ancient Rome's transition from Republic...
.
Early life and work
Purefoy was born in TauntonTaunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, Somerset. He was a boarder
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
at Sherborne School
Sherborne School
Sherborne School is a British independent school for boys, located in the town of Sherborne in north-west Dorset, England. It is one of the original member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference....
which he left with only one O-level. Later he went to night school and got 11 more, then took his A-levels. He then studied acting at the British drama school the Central School of Speech and Drama
Central School of Speech and Drama
The Central School of Speech and Drama was founded in London in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students...
, while trying to sell copies of the Socialist Worker
Socialist Worker
Socialist Worker is the name of several socialist/communist newspapers associated with the International Socialist Tendency...
in his spare time.
Career
Purefoy's early professional roles included Romeo in Romeo and JulietRomeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
in Leatherhead
Leatherhead
Leatherhead is a town in the County of Surrey, England, on the River Mole, part of Mole Valley district. It is thought to be of Saxon origin...
, Walter in Mary Morgan at the Riverside Studios
Riverside Studios
Riverside Studios is a production studio, theatre and independent cinema on the banks of the River Thames in Hammersmith, London, England. It plays host to contemporary and international dramatic and dance performance, film, visual art exhibitions and television production.-History:In 1933, the...
and Alan Strang in Equus
Equus (play)
Equus is a play by Peter Shaffer written in 1973, telling the story of a psychiatrist who attempts to treat a young man who has a pathological religious fascination with horses....
on tour.
The RSC and other stage work
Purefoy subsequently joined the Royal Shakespeare CompanyRoyal 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...
(RSC) in 1988 and appeared in The Constant Couple, Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
, 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,...
, The Man Who Came to Dinner
The Man Who Came to Dinner
The Man Who Came to Dinner is a comedy in three acts by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. It debuted on October 16, 1939 at the Music Box Theatre in New York City. It then enjoyed a number of New York and London revivals. The first London production was staged at The Savoy Theatre starring Robert...
(Gene Saks, Barbican) and King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
as Edgar.
Elsewhere, he has also appeared as Laertes in Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
at the Bristol Old Vic
Bristol Old Vic
The Bristol Old Vic is a theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, King Street, in Bristol, England. The theatre complex includes the 1766 Theatre Royal, which claims to be the oldest continually-operating theatre in England, along with a 1970s studio theatre , offices and backstage facilities...
(1991) Brian in William Gaminara
William Gaminara
William Gaminara is an English actor and screenwriter, best known for playing pathologist Professor Leo Dalton on the television series Silent Witness . His other television credits include Will Newman in Attachments and Dr Andrew Bower in Casualty.Gaminara voiced Dr Richard Locke in the...
's Back Up the Hearse and Let them Sniff the Flowers at the Hampstead Theatre
Hampstead Theatre
Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in the vicinity of Swiss Cottage and Belsize Park, in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. In 2009 it celebrates its 50 year anniversary.The original theatre was...
(1992), Roland Maule in Noel Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
's Present Laughter
Present Laughter
Present Laughter is a comic play written by Noël Coward in 1939 and first staged in 1942 on tour, alternating with his lower middle-class domestic drama This Happy Breed...
at the Globe Theatre
Globe Theatre
The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613...
(1993), Biff in 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...
, alongside Ken Stott
Ken Stott
Kenneth Campbell "Ken" Stott is a Scottish actor, particularly known in the United Kingdom for his many roles in television.-Early life:...
and Jude Law
Jude Law
David Jude Heyworth Law , known professionally as Jude Law, is an English actor, film producer and director.He began acting with the National Youth Music Theatre in 1987, and had his first television role in 1989...
, at the West Yorkshire Playhouse
West Yorkshire Playhouse
The West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, England is a theatre which opened in March 1990 as part of the regeneration of the Quarry Hill area of the city...
(1994), Tony in The Servant
The Servant
The Servant is Harold Pinter's 1963 film adaptation of the 1948 novel by Robin Maugham. A British production directed by Joseph Losey, it stars Dirk Bogarde, Sarah Miles, Wendy Craig, and James Fox....
at the Birmingham Rep (1995). He returned to the RSC for Simon Callow
Simon Callow
Simon Phillip Hugh Callow, CBE is an English actor, writer and theatre director. He is also currently a judge on Popstar to Operastar.-Early years:...
's stage adaptation of the film classic, Les enfants du paradis at the Barbican
Barbican
A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from...
. He also played Hugh de Morville in Paul Corcoran's Four Nights in Knaresborough
Four Nights in Knaresborough
Four Nights in Knaresborough is a play written by Paul Corcoran and first performed at the Tricycle Theatre, London in 1999. It recounts the aftermath of the murder of Thomas Becket by four knights making "the worst career choice in history"...
at the Tricycle Theatre
Tricycle Theatre
The Tricycle Theatre is located on Kilburn High Road in Kilburn in the London Borough of Brent, England. During the last 30 years, the Tricycle has been presenting plays reflecting the cultural diversity of its community; in particular Black, Irish, Jewish, Asian and South African works, as well as...
, (1999) and Loveless in 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...
's production of The Relapse
The Relapse
The Relapse, or, Virtue in Danger is a Restoration comedy from 1696 written by John Vanbrugh. The play is a sequel to Colley Cibber's Love's Last Shift, or, Virtue Rewarded....
at the 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...
in 2001.
Between March and June 2011 he starred as Peter in 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...
's production of Flare Path at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, alongside Sheridan Smith
Sheridan Smith
Sheridan Smith is an English actress and singer who is best known for her contributions to the British sitcoms Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Gavin & Stacey and Benidorm. She has also become a recognised face in West End theatre, where she has appeared in Little Shop of Horrors,...
and Sienna Miller
Sienna Miller
Sienna Rose Diana Miller is a British-American actress, model, and fashion designer, best known for her roles in Layer Cake, Alfie, Factory Girl, The Edge of Love and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. In 2007, the London Film Criticsnamed her British Actress of the Year for Interview...
, as part of the playwright Terence Rattigan
Terence Rattigan
Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan CBE was one of England's most popular 20th-century dramatists. His plays are generally set in an upper-middle-class background...
's centenary year celebrations.
Film and television
He played James McCarthy, a young man accused of murdering his father, in "The Boscombe Valley MysteryThe Boscombe Valley Mystery
"The Boscombe Valley Mystery", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by British author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the fourth of the twelve stories in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in the Strand Magazine in 1891.-Plot summary:Lestrade summons Holmes to a...
," in Granada's The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes. One of his notable roles was as Nicholas Jenkins in the eight-part miniseries A Dance to the Music of Time
A Dance to the Music of Time
A Dance to the Music of Time is a twelve-volume cycle of novels by Anthony Powell, inspired by the painting of the same name by Nicolas Poussin. One of the longest works of fiction in literature, it was published between 1951 and 1975 to critical acclaim...
for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
in 1997. He played Edward, the Black Prince
Edward, the Black Prince
Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Prince of Aquitaine, KG was the eldest son of King Edward III of England and his wife Philippa of Hainault as well as father to King Richard II of England....
in the film A Knight's Tale, Rawdon Crawley in Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (2004 film)
Vanity Fair is a 2004 British-American costume drama film directed by Mira Nair and adapted from William Makepeace Thackeray's novel of the same name...
with Reese Witherspoon, and Tom Bertram in the 1999 production of Mansfield Park
Mansfield Park (film)
Mansfield Park is a 1999 British romantic comedy-drama film loosely based on Jane Austen's novel of the same name, written and directed by Patricia Rozema. The film differs sharply from the original novel in many respects. For example, the life of Jane Austen is incorporated into the film and the...
.
He has played major roles in several television costume dramas, including Sharpe's Sword
Sharpe (TV series)
Sharpe is a British series of television dramas starring Sean Bean about Richard Sharpe, a fictional British soldier in the Napoleonic Wars. Sharpe is the hero of a number of novels by Bernard Cornwell; most, though not all, of the episodes are based on the books...
, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is the second and final novel by English author Anne Brontë, published in 1848 under the pseudonym Acton Bell...
, The Prince and the Pauper
The Prince and the Pauper
The Prince and the Pauper is an English-language novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada before its 1882 publication in the United States. The book represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction...
, The Mayor of Casterbridge
The Mayor of Casterbridge
The Mayor of Casterbridge , subtitled "The Life and Death of a Man of Character", is a tragic novel by British author Thomas Hardy. It is set in the fictional town of Casterbridge . The book is one of Hardy's Wessex novels, all set in a fictional rustic England...
, Blackbeard: Terror at Sea
Blackbeard (2005)
Blackbeard: The Real Pirate Of The Caribbean, a mini-series by the BBC, starring James Purefoy as Blackbeard.It aired in the USA on 12 March 2006 and was released on DVD in The Netherlands in July 2006, by Just Entertainment.-External links:*...
, Beau Brummell: This Charming Man
Beau Brummell: This Charming Man
Beau Brummell: This Charming Man was a 2006 BBC Television drama in based on the biography of Beau Brummell by Ian Kelly.-Production:The film was commissioned by BBC Four for broadcast as part of its 2006 The Century That Made Us season.-Reception:...
,'The tide of life' Camelot
Camelot (TV series)
Camelot is a historical-fantasy-drama television series which premiered on April 1, 2011. It was co-produced by the Starz cable network and GK-TV which began production during the summer of 2010...
and Rome
Rome (TV series)
Rome is a British-American–Italian historical drama television series created by Bruno Heller, John Milius and William J. MacDonald. The show's two seasons premiered in 2005 and 2007, and were later released on DVD. Rome is set in the 1st century BC, during Ancient Rome's transition from Republic...
.
Rome
He played Mark AntonyMark Antony (character of Rome)
Mark Antony is a historical figure who features as a character in the HBO/BBC2 original television series Rome, played by James Purefoy. Like the real Mark Antony he was a Roman general and politician and a close supporter of Julius Caesar.- Season 1 :...
in the HBO
Home Box Office
HBO, short for Home Box Office, is an American premium cable television network, owned by Time Warner. , HBO's programming reaches 28.2 million subscribers in the United States, making it the second largest premium network in America . In addition to its U.S...
/BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
original television series, Rome
Rome (TV series)
Rome is a British-American–Italian historical drama television series created by Bruno Heller, John Milius and William J. MacDonald. The show's two seasons premiered in 2005 and 2007, and were later released on DVD. Rome is set in the 1st century BC, during Ancient Rome's transition from Republic...
.
At the time there were rumours that at least one nude body in the show had been digitally enhanced. When his Wikipedia entry, which at that time referred to the rumours, was brought up in an interview with Alastair McKay, published in the January 2007 issue of Out magazine
Out (magazine)
Out is a popular gay and lesbian fashion, entertainment, and lifestyle magazine, with the highest circulation of any gay monthly publication in the United States. It carries itself in a similar editorial manner to Details, Esquire, and GQ. Out was published by PlanetOut Inc...
, Purefoy said, "I won't say whose it was, but there was a penis in the series that may have been slightly enhanced. But it wasn't mine. Mine's all mine."
The Philanthropist
He starred as Teddy Rist in the summer television series, The PhilanthropistThe Philanthropist (TV series)
The Philanthropist is an American action drama series that premiered on NBC on Wednesday, June 24, 2009. The program is a limited summer series, principally filmed in South Africa. It opened to strong ratings, but saw a drop in viewers in subsequent weeks. The Philanthropist is a Carnival Films...
, which aired on NBC beginning on June 2009. His character is a billionaire playboy who decides to use his wealth and power to help others in need
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
.
Lost roles
Purefoy was screen testScreen test
A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film and/or in a particular role. The performer is generally given a scene, or selected lines and actions, and instructed to perform in front of a camera to see if they are suitable...
ed for the role of James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
in 1995 for Goldeneye
GoldenEye
GoldenEye is the seventeenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was directed by Martin Campbell and is the first film in the series not to take story elements from the works of novelist Ian Fleming...
, but ultimately lost the role to Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brendan Brosnan, OBE is an Irish actor, film producer and environmentalist. After leaving school at 16, Brosnan began training in commercial illustration, but trained at the Drama Centre in London for three years...
. Throughout 2004 and 2005 Purefoy's name was rumoured as a possible candidate to replace Brosnan as agent 007 in future James Bond films.
Originally Purefoy was cast as V in V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta (film)
V for Vendetta is a 2005 dystopian thriller film directed by James McTeigue and produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers, who also wrote the screenplay. It is an adaptation of the V for Vendetta comic book by Alan Moore and David Lloyd...
, but left six weeks into filming. Parts of the film contain (dubbed)scenes of Purefoy. Speculation suggested that his departure was due to an opportunity to play James Bond in the 2006 film Casino Royale
Casino Royale (2006 film)
Casino Royale is the twenty-first film in the James Bond film series and the first to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond...
. However, this news was proven false when Daniel Craig
Daniel Craig
Daniel Wroughton Craig is an English actor. His early film roles include Elizabeth, The Power of One, A Kid in King Arthur's Court and the television episodes Sharpe's Eagle, Zorro and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Daredevils of the Desert...
was announced as the new James Bond. In the commentary track of the A Knight's Tale special edition DVD, director Brian Helgeland
Brian Helgeland
Brian Thomas Helgeland is an American screenwriter, film producer and director. He is most known for writing the screenplays for L.A...
stated his opinion that Purefoy would be the perfect choice to play the "next" James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
, well before Purefoy was being considered for the Casino Royale role.
Producer William J. MacDonald
William J. MacDonald
William J. MacDonald is an American film and television writer and producer.MacDonald is a graduate of Georgetown University, and has a law degree from Fordham University in New York...
announced that James Purefoy would play Simon Templar
Simon Templar
Simon Templar is a British fictional character known as The Saint featured in a long-running series of books by Leslie Charteris published between 1928 and 1963. After that date, other authors collaborated with Charteris on books until 1983; two additional works produced without Charteris’s...
in a new TV series of The Saint
The Saint (TV series)
The Saint was an ITC mystery spy thriller television series that aired in the UK on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It centred on the Leslie Charteris literary character, Simon Templar, a Robin Hood-like adventurer with a penchant for disguise. The character may be nicknamed The Saint because the...
. The new series was scheduled to start shooting in Berlin and Australia in April 2008. However, production ultimately did not occur and in August Purefoy was reported as negotiating with NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
to star in another series, The Philanthropist.
Personal life
Purefoy had an eleven-year relationship with actress Fay RipleyFay Ripley
Fay Ripley is an English actress and recipe author. Born in Wimbledon, London, Ripley is a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama . Her first professional role was in the chorus of a pantomime version of Around the World in 80 Days...
, after the two met at Brooklands Technical College in Weybridge, Surrey. Afterwards, Purefoy had a relationship with actress Holly Aird from 1996 to 2002. They had a son together, Joseph, who was born in 1997. He has been in a relationship with the art historian and television producer Jessica Adams since 2004. He is a supporter of Yeovil Town
Yeovil Town F.C.
Yeovil Town F.C. are an English association football team based in Yeovil, Somerset. The club play in League One after having won the League Two championship in 2004–05...
.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Angels | Victor | |
| 1995 | Feast of July Feast of July Feast of July is a 1995 UK film produced by Merchant Ivory Productions, based on the novel by H. E. Bates, starring Embeth Davidtz and Ben Chaplin.-Plot:... |
Jedd Wainwright | |
| Sharpe's Sword Sharpe (TV series) Sharpe is a British series of television dramas starring Sean Bean about Richard Sharpe, a fictional British soldier in the Napoleonic Wars. Sharpe is the hero of a number of novels by Bernard Cornwell; most, though not all, of the episodes are based on the books... |
Captain Jack the Lord Spears | ||
| 1997 | Jilting Joe | Joe | |
| 1998 | Bedrooms and Hallways Bedrooms and Hallways Bedrooms and Hallways is a 1998 comedy-drama film about bisexuality or the fluidity of sexuality. It was written by Robert Farrar and directed by Rose Troche, starring Kevin McKidd, James Purefoy, Tom Hollander, Julie Graham, Simon Callow and Hugo Weaving.... |
Brendan | |
| 1999 | Mansfield Park Mansfield Park (film) Mansfield Park is a 1999 British romantic comedy-drama film loosely based on Jane Austen's novel of the same name, written and directed by Patricia Rozema. The film differs sharply from the original novel in many respects. For example, the life of Jane Austen is incorporated into the film and the... |
Tom Bertram | |
| Women Talking Dirty Women Talking Dirty Women Talking Dirty is a 1999 Scottish comedy film starring Helena Bonham Carter and Gina McKee. It is an adaptation of the novel, Women Talking Dirty, written by Isla Dewar who wrote the screenplay as well.- Premise :... |
Daniel | ||
| 2000 | Lighthouse Lighthouse (film) Lighthouse is a 2000 British horror film directed by . The film follows survivors of a shipwreck being preyed on by an escaped psychotic convict who beheads his victims... |
Richard Spader | |
| Maybe Baby | Carl Phipps | ||
| The Wedding Tackle | Hal | ||
| Don Quixote Don Quixote (2000 TV film) Don Quixote is a 2000 television film adaptation of the classic novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, made by Hallmark Entertainment and distributed by Turner Network Television A dubbed-into-Spanish version was distributed by Divisa Home Video . It was shown in three parts in... |
Sansón Carrasco | ||
| 2001 | Tomorrow Tomorrow (2001 film) Tomorrow is a 2001 Italian drama film directed by Francesca Archibugi. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Marco Baliani - Paolo Zerenghi* Ornella Muti - Stefania Zerenghi... |
Andrew Spender | |
| A Knight's Tale | Sir Thomas Colville/Edward, the Black Prince of Wales Edward, the Black Prince Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Prince of Aquitaine, KG was the eldest son of King Edward III of England and his wife Philippa of Hainault as well as father to King Richard II of England.... |
||
| 2002 | Resident Evil Resident Evil (film) Resident Evil is a British-German 2002 horror film written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. The film stars Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Eric Mabius, and James Purefoy... |
Spence Parks | |
| 2003 | Photo Finish | James | Won a Jury Award for best actor |
| Lena: The Bride of Ice | Dr. Harper | ||
| 2004 | George and the Dragon | George | |
| Blessed | Craig Howard | ||
| Vanity Fair Vanity Fair (2004 film) Vanity Fair is a 2004 British-American costume drama film directed by Mira Nair and adapted from William Makepeace Thackeray's novel of the same name... |
Rawdon Crawley | ||
| 2005 | Rome Rome (TV series) Rome is a British-American–Italian historical drama television series created by Bruno Heller, John Milius and William J. MacDonald. The show's two seasons premiered in 2005 and 2007, and were later released on DVD. Rome is set in the 1st century BC, during Ancient Rome's transition from Republic... |
Mark Antony Mark Antony (character of Rome) Mark Antony is a historical figure who features as a character in the HBO/BBC2 original television series Rome, played by James Purefoy. Like the real Mark Antony he was a Roman general and politician and a close supporter of Julius Caesar.- Season 1 :... |
2 seasons, 2005–2007 |
| Blackbeard: Terror at Sea Blackbeard (2005) Blackbeard: The Real Pirate Of The Caribbean, a mini-series by the BBC, starring James Purefoy as Blackbeard.It aired in the USA on 12 March 2006 and was released on DVD in The Netherlands in July 2006, by Just Entertainment.-External links:*... |
Edward Teach/Blackbeard | ||
| 2006 | Goose on the Loose | Kenneth Donnelly | |
| Beau Brummell: This Charming Man Beau Brummell: This Charming Man Beau Brummell: This Charming Man was a 2006 BBC Television drama in based on the biography of Beau Brummell by Ian Kelly.-Production:The film was commissioned by BBC Four for broadcast as part of its 2006 The Century That Made Us season.-Reception:... |
Beau Brummell Beau Brummell Beau Brummell, born as George Bryan Brummell , was the arbiter of men's fashion in Regency England and a friend of the Prince Regent, the future King George IV... |
||
| 2009 | The Philanthropist The Philanthropist (TV series) The Philanthropist is an American action drama series that premiered on NBC on Wednesday, June 24, 2009. The program is a limited summer series, principally filmed in South Africa. It opened to strong ratings, but saw a drop in viewers in subsequent weeks. The Philanthropist is a Carnival Films... |
Teddy Rist | Television series, cancelled after one season |
| 2010 | Solomon Kane Solomon Kane (film) Solomon Kane is a 2009 epic action film directed by Michael J. Bassett based on the pulp magazine character Solomon Kane created in 1928 by Robert E. Howard. James Purefoy stars in the title role. Despite optioning the rights in 1997, filming did not begin until January 2008. The film is an origin... |
Solomon Kane Solomon Kane Solomon Kane is a fictional character created by the pulp-era writer Robert E. Howard. A late 16th / early 17th century Puritan, Solomon Kane is a sombre-looking man who wanders the world with no apparent goal other than to vanquish evil in all its forms... |
|
| Ironclad Ironclad (film) Ironclad is a 2011 action film directed by Jonathan English. Written by English and Erick Kastel, based on a screenplay by Stephen McDool, the cast includes Paul Giamatti, James Purefoy, Brian Cox, Mackenzie Crook, Jason Flemying, Derek Jacobi and Kate Mara. The film chronicles the siege of... |
Marshall | Awaiting general release | |
| 2011 | Camelot Camelot (TV series) Camelot is a historical-fantasy-drama television series which premiered on April 1, 2011. It was co-produced by the Starz cable network and GK-TV which began production during the summer of 2010... |
King Lot | Television series, Starz. Episode 1.1,1.2 |
| Injustice | William Travers | ITV 5-part TV-serial | |
| 2012 | John Carter of Mars John Carter of Mars (film) John Carter is a 2012 American epic science fiction film featuring John Carter, the heroic protagonist of Edgar Rice Burroughs' 11-volume Barsoom series. In the film, former Confederate captain John Carter is transported to Mars... |
Kantos Kan | In production |
External links
- Home of the incomparable Mr. James Purefoy
- James Purefoy as Blackbeard
- James Purefoy as Beau Brummell
- Interview with James Purefoy, BBC Somerset, September 2005
- Interview with James Purefoy, BBC Somerset, January 2006
- Interview with James Purefoy, BBC Somerset, February 2007
- Interview in The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, 6 January 2007 - Men's Vogue profile