James Wilby
Encyclopedia
James Jonathon Wilby is an English
film, television and theatre actor.
, Burma to a corporate executive father. He was educated at Sedbergh School
in Cumbria
, and from there went on to study for a degree at Grey College
, University of Durham, and then at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
.
alongside Hugh Grant
. He is known to an international audience for roles in Maurice
(1987), for which he received Venice Film Festival
's Best Actor award with co-star Hugh Grant. Then he starred in A Handful of Dust
(1988), Howards End
(1992) and Gosford Park
(2001) and Alain Robbe-Grillet
's C'est Gradiva qui vous appelle (2006) co-starring Arielle Dombasle
which premiered at the Venice Film Festival
.
On stage, he starred in the 1995 revival of John Osborne
's A Patriot for Me
by the Royal Shakespeare Company
at the Barbican Theatre.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
film, television and theatre actor.
Early life and education
He was born in RangoonYangon
Yangon is a former capital of Burma and the capital of Yangon Region . Although the military government has officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw since March 2006, Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial...
, Burma to a corporate executive father. He was educated at Sedbergh School
Sedbergh School
Sedbergh School is a boarding school in Sedbergh, Cumbria, for boys and girls aged 13 to 18. Nestled in the Howgill Fells, it is known for sporting sides, such as its Rugby Union 1st XV.-Background:...
in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, and from there went on to study for a degree at Grey College
Grey College, Durham
Grey College is a college of the University of Durham in England. Although it was originally planned that the college was to be named Oliver Cromwell College, this proved too controversial and it was instead named after Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, who was Prime Minister at the time of the...
, University of Durham, and then at 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...
.
Career
Wilby's first appearance on screen was in the Oxford Film Company 1982 production PrivilegedPrivileged (1982 film)
Privileged is a 1982 film, the first theatrical release from the Oxford Film Foundation and was Hugh Grant's screen debut playing Lord Adrian...
alongside Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
. He is known to an international audience for roles in Maurice
Maurice (film)
Maurice is a 1987 British film based on the novel of the same title by E. M. Forster. It is a tale of homosexual love in early 20th century England, following its main character Maurice Hall from his school days through university until he is united with his life partner.It was produced by Ismail...
(1987), for which he received Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
's Best Actor award with co-star Hugh Grant. Then he starred in A Handful of Dust
A Handful of Dust
A Handful of Dust is a novel by Evelyn Waugh published in 1934. It is included in Modern Library List of Best 20th-Century Novels, and was chosen by TIME magazine as one of the one hundred best English-language novels from 1923 to present....
(1988), Howards End
Howards End (film)
Howards End is a 1992 film based upon the novel of the same title by E. M. Forster , a story of class relations in turn-of-the-20th-century England...
(1992) and Gosford Park
Gosford Park
Gosford Park is a 2001 British-American mystery comedy-drama film directed by Robert Altman and written by Julian Fellowes. The film stars an ensemble cast, which includes Helen Mirren, Maggie Smith, Eileen Atkins, Alan Bates, and Michael Gambon...
(2001) and Alain Robbe-Grillet
Alain Robbe-Grillet
Alain Robbe-Grillet , was a French writer and filmmaker. He was, along with Nathalie Sarraute, Michel Butor and Claude Simon, one of the figures most associated with the Nouveau Roman trend. Alain Robbe-Grillet was elected a member of the Académie française on March 25, 2004, succeeding Maurice...
's C'est Gradiva qui vous appelle (2006) co-starring Arielle Dombasle
Arielle Dombasle
Arielle Dombasle is a French-American singer, actress, director and model. Her breakthrough roles were in Éric Rohmer's Pauline at the Beach and Alain Robbe-Grillet's The Blue Villa...
which premiered at the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
.
On stage, he starred in the 1995 revival of John Osborne
John Osborne
John James Osborne was an English playwright, screenwriter, actor and critic of the Establishment. The success of his 1956 play Look Back in Anger transformed English theatre....
's A Patriot for Me
A Patriot for Me
A Patriot For Me is a 1965 play by the English playwright John Osborne, based on the true story of Alfred Redl. It was notable for being denied a licence for performance by the censor of the time....
by 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...
at the Barbican Theatre.
Filmography and television work
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Privileged Privileged - Television :* Privileged , a 2008 US television series- Film :* The Privileged Planet, a 2004 American documentary* Privileged , a 1982 Hollywood film- Other uses :... |
Jamie | |
| 1984 | The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | Young Barclay | TV series (1 episode: "The Crooked Man") |
| The Bill The Bill The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work... |
Higgins | TV series (1 episode: "A Friend in Need") | |
| 1985 | Dutch Girls Dutch Girls Dutch Girls is a 1985 film, released by the London Weekend Television Company, produced by Sue Birtwistle, directed by Giles Foster, and written by William Boyd. The film is about a group of young men who go to Holland to play hockey. Along the way they drink, smoke, and try to have sex... |
Dundine | TV movie |
| Dreamchild Dreamchild Dreamchild is a 1985 British drama film produced by Verity Lambert, directed by Gavin Millar and written by Dennis Potter. It stars Coral Browne, Ian Holm, Peter Gallagher, Nicola Cowper and Amelia Shankley and is a fictionalized account of Alice Liddell, the child who inspired Lewis Carroll's... |
Baker | ||
| A Room with a View A Room with a View (film) A Room with a View is a 1985 British drama film directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant. The film is a close adaptation of E. M... |
Party Guest | uncredited | |
| 1987 | Maurice Maurice (film) Maurice is a 1987 British film based on the novel of the same title by E. M. Forster. It is a tale of homosexual love in early 20th century England, following its main character Maurice Hall from his school days through university until he is united with his life partner.It was produced by Ismail... |
Maurice Hall | |
| 1988 | A Handful of Dust A Handful of Dust (film) A Handful of Dust is a 1988 film directed by Charles Sturridge. It stars James Wilby and Kristin Scott Thomas.-Cast:*James Wilby as Tony Last*Kristin Scott Thomas as Brenda Last*Rupert Graves as John Beaver*Anjelica Huston as Mrs. Rattery... |
Tony Last | |
| 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.... |
Prince | TV series (1 episode: "Sapsorrow") | |
| A Summer Story A Summer Story A Summer Story is a 1988 British drama film directed by Piers Haggard, with the script written by Penelope Mortimer, and starring James Wilby, Imogen Stubbs and Susannah York. In 1922, a man recalls the love affair he enjoyed with a woman before the First World War. The film is based on the John... |
Mr. Ashton | ||
| 1989 | A Tale of Two Cities | Sydney Carton | TV mini-series |
| Conspiracy | Stringer | ||
| Mother Love Mother Love (TV series) Mother Love is a British television drama that first aired in 1989. It was adapted by Andrew Davies from Laura Black's novel concerning a mother's obsessive love for her son, vengeful hatred of his father, her ex-husband, and the effect on her daughter-in-law and grandchildren... |
Christopher "Kit" Vesey | TV mini-series | |
| 1991 | The Siege of Venice | Milord Runbiff | |
| Adam Bede | Arthur Donnithorne | ||
| Screen One | Michael Evans | TV series (1 episode: "Tell Me That You Love Me") | |
| 1992 | Howards End Howards End (film) Howards End is a 1992 film based upon the novel of the same title by E. M. Forster , a story of class relations in turn-of-the-20th-century England... |
Charles Wilcox | |
| Immaculate Conception | Alistair | ||
| 1993 | You, Me and It | Charles Henderson | TV mini-series (3 episodes) |
| Lady Chatterley | Sir Clifford Chatterley | TV series (4 episodes) | |
| 1994 | La partie d'échecs | Lord Staunton | |
| Crocodile Shoes Crocodile Shoes Crocodile Shoes is a British 7-part television series made by the BBC and screened on BBC One in 1994.The series was written by and starred Jimmy Nail as a factory worker who becomes a country and western singer... |
Ade Lynn | TV mini-series (1 episode: "The Tape") | |
| 1996 | The Treasure Seekers The Treasure Seekers (1996 film) The Treasure Seekers is a 1996 British television family film directed by Juliet May and starring Camilla Power, Felicity Jones and Kristopher Milnes. In Edwardian England, a family have only a few days to raise enough money to stop their home being repossessed. It is based on the novel The Story... |
Henry Carlisle | TV movie |
| Witness Against Hitler | Helmuth James von Moltke | TV movie | |
| 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... |
Nick Marvin | TV series (1 episode: "Horrors in the Night") | |
| 1997 | The Woman in White The Woman in White (1997 TV series) The Woman in White is a BBC television adaptation of the 1859 novel of the same name by Wilkie Collins. Unlike the epistolary style of the novel, the 2-hour dramatisation uses Marian as the main character. She bookends the film with her narration.... |
Sir Percival Glyde | TV movie |
| Original Sin | Gerard Etienne | TV series | |
| Regeneration Regeneration (1997 film) Regeneration is a 1997 film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Pat Barker. The film is directed by Gillies MacKinnon. It was released as Behind the Lines in the USA in 1998.-Plot:... |
2nd Lt. Siegfried Sassoon | ||
| 1998 | An Ideal Husband An Ideal Husband (1998 film) An Ideal Husband is a 1998 film based on the play of the same name by Oscar Wilde.- Plot :While the film retains the premise of Wilde's play and much of the original dialogue, it updates the action to the present-day... |
Sir Robert Chiltern | |
| 1999 | The Dark Room | Dr. Alan Protheroe | TV movie |
| Tom's Midnight Garden Tom's Midnight Garden (film) Tom's Midnight Garden is a 1999 family fantasy film directed by Willard Carroll and starring Nigel Le Vaillant, Marlene Sidaway and Serena Gordon. After going to stay with his uncle a boy is disappointed that he doesn't have a garden he can play in. However, he discovers a secret garden that only... |
Uncle Alan Kitson | ||
| Cotton Mary Cotton Mary Cotton Mary is a 1999 film directed by Ismail Merchant, best known as the producer half of Merchant Ivory and Madhur Jaffrey, actress and author of cookery books. It was filmed in India.-Plot:... |
John MacIntosh | ||
| 2000 | Trial & Retribution Trial & Retribution Trial & Retribution is a feature-length ITV police proceduraltelevision drama series that began in 1997. It was devised and written by Lynda La Plante as a follow-on from her successful television series Prime Suspect. Each episode of the Trial & Retribution series is broadcast over two nights. The... |
James McCready | TV series (2 episodes) |
| 2001 | Jump Tomorrow | Nathan | |
| Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years is the fifth book in the Adrian Mole series, written by Sue Townsend. The book was first published in 1999 by Michael Joseph. It is set from April 30, 1997 until May 2, 1998. Adrian is 30 years of age... |
Zippo Montefiore | TV series | |
| Gosford Park Gosford Park Gosford Park is a 2001 British-American mystery comedy-drama film directed by Robert Altman and written by Julian Fellowes. The film stars an ensemble cast, which includes Helen Mirren, Maggie Smith, Eileen Atkins, Alan Bates, and Michael Gambon... |
Freddie Nesbitt | ||
| 2002 | Bertie and Elizabeth Bertie and Elizabeth Bertie & Elizabeth is a 2002 television film produced by Carlton Television. The film explores the relationship between King George VI and his wife Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon from their very first meeting to the King's death in the winter of 1952... |
King George VI, aka "Bertie" | TV movie |
| Westlife: Unbreakable – The Greatest Hits, Volume I | High class costumer ("Uptown Girl") | video | |
| George Eliot: A Scandalous Life | George Spencer | TV movie | |
| 2003 | Murder in Mind | Daniel Morton/Sir Richard Morton | TV series (1 episode: "Echoes") |
| Sparkling Cyanide | Stephen Farraday | TV movie | |
| 2004 | De-Lovely De-Lovely De-Lovely is a 2004 musical biopic directed by Irwin Winkler. The screenplay by Jay Cocks is based on the life and career of Cole Porter, from his first meeting with Linda Lee Thomas until his death... |
Edward Thomas | |
| Island at War Island at War Island at War is a British television series that tells the story of the German Occupation of the Channel Islands. It primarily focuses on three local families: the upper class Dorrs, the middle class Mahys and the working class Jonases, and four German officers. The fictional island of St... |
Sen. James Dorr | TV mini-series (3 episodes) | |
| Silent Witness Silent Witness Silent Witness is a BBC crime thriller series focusing on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in February 1996, the series is still airing to the present day, with a fifteenth series expected to air in January 2012. The series was... |
Matt Gibb | TV series (2 episodes) | |
| Foyle's War Foyle's War Foyle's War is a British detective drama television series set during World War II, created by screenwriter and author Anthony Horowitz, and was commissioned by ITV after the long-running series Inspector Morse came to an end in 2000. It has aired on ITV since 2002... |
Major Cornwall | TV series (1 episode: "They Fought in the Fields") | |
| 2005 | Jericho | Alan Mills | TV series (1 episode: "The Hollow Men") |
| 2006 | Surviving Disaster Surviving Disaster Surviving Disaster is a BBC, Discovery Channel, and ProSieben co-production documentary series about disasters in the 20th century, starring people who survived them. It was produced in association with France 5.... |
David Sheahan | TV series (1 episode: "Fastnet Yacht Race") |
| Agatha Christie's Marple: The Sittaford Mystery | Stanley Kirkwood | TV movie | |
| Gradiva (C'est Gradiva qui vous appelle) | John Locke | ||
| Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire is a 2006 BBC One docudrama series, with each episode looking at a different key turning point in the history of the Roman Empire.-Production:... |
Ofonius Tigellinus | TV series (1 episode: "Nero") | |
| 2007 | Lewis | Hugh Mallory | TV series (1 episode: "Expiation") |
| The Last Days of the Raj | Lord Mountbatten | TV movie | |
| Clapham Junction Clapham Junction (film) Clapham Junction is a 2007 British television film, written by Kevin Elyot. Directed by Adrian Shergold, the film centers on the experiences of several gay men during a 36 hour period in the Clapham area of London and the consequences when their lives collide... |
Julian Rowan | TV movie | |
| Little Devil | Adrian Bishop | TV mini-series (1 episode: "Episode #1.3") | |
| Impact Earth | Josh Hayden | TV movie | |
| 2008 | Lady Godiva Lady Godiva (film) Lady Godiva is a British romantic comedy film made in 2006 and released in 2008. It was directed by Vicky Jewson. It starred Phoebe Thomas, Matthew Chambers and Natalie Walter. Based on the historic tale of Lady Godiva, it was set in modern-day Oxford.... |
Leofric | |
| A Risk Worth Taking | Patrick Trenchard | TV movie | |
| Agatha Christie's Poirot Agatha Christie's Poirot Agatha Christie's Poirot is a British television drama that has aired on ITV since 1989. It stars David Suchet as Agatha Christie's fictional detective Hercule Poirot. It was originally made by LWT and is now made by ITV Studios... |
Andrew Restarick | TV series (1 episode: "Third Girl") | |
| 2009 | Shadows in the Sun Shadows in the Sun Shadows in the Sun is a television movie starring Harvey Keitel and Joshua Jackson. It premiered on ABC Family in 2005. It was written and directed by Brad Mirman, and was filmed under the title The Shadow Dancer.-Plot:... |
Robert | |
| 2010 | Midsomer Murders Midsomer Murders Midsomer Murders is a British television detective drama that has aired on ITV since 1997. The show is based on the books by Caroline Graham, as originally adapted by Anthony Horowitz. The lead character is DCI Tom Barnaby who works for Causton CID. When Nettles left the show in 2011 he was... |
Edward Milton | TV series (1 episode: "The Made-to-Measure Murders") |
| 2011 | Secret Diary of a Call Girl Secret Diary of a Call Girl Secret Diary of a Call Girl is a British television drama broadcast on ITV2 from 2007-2011 based on the blog and books by the pseudonymous "Belle de Jour," starring Billie Piper as Belle, a high-class London call girl. The series was written by Lucy Prebble, who is also known as the author of The... |
Henry | TV series (1 episode: "Episode #4.4") |
| We Need to Talk About Keiran | Professor Hugh Merrill | post-production |