Jim Broadbent
Encyclopedia
James "Jim" Broadbent is an English theatre, film, and television actor. He is known for his roles in Iris, Moulin Rouge!
, Topsy-Turvy
, Hot Fuzz
, and Bridget Jones' Diary. He also appears in the Harry Potter
films as Horace Slughorn.
, the son of Doreen "Dee" Broadbent (née Findlay), a sculptor, and Roy Laverick Broadbent, an artist, sculptor, interior designer, and furniture maker who turned a former church into a theatre named after him. Broadbent's parents were both amateur actors who co-founded the Holton Players acting troupe at Holton cum Beckering; the two were described by the BBC
as conscientious objector
s who "worked the land" rather than participate in World War II. He had a twin sister who died at birth. Broadbent was educated at Leighton Park School
, a Quaker school in Reading
, and briefly attended art college before transferring to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
from which he graduated in 1972.
's self-important actor/manager character Desmond Olivier Dingle. Broadbent and Barlow played many male and female character roles in comically less-than-epic tellings of historical and religious stories such as The Messiah, The Complete Guide to Sex, The Greatest Story Ever Told
, Revolution!!
, and All The World's A Globe. These were hits at the Edinburgh Fringe, in London, and on tour. Later stage work included the original productions of Kafka's Dick
(1986) and Our Country's Good
(1988) at the Royal Court Theatre
and work for the Royal National Theatre
including "The Government Inspector". Work on the stage with Mike Leigh
includes Goosepimples and Ecstasy.
Broadbent made his film debut in 1978 with a tiny role in Jerzy Skolimowski
's The Shout
, and made his television debut the following year. He went on to work with Stephen Frears
(for television and in The Hit (1984)) and Terry Gilliam
(in Time Bandits
(1981) and Brazil
(1985)) before establishing himself in Mike Leigh
's Life Is Sweet
(1990). He proved his ability as a character actor
in films including The Crying Game
(1992), Enchanted April
(1992), Bullets Over Broadway
(1994), The Borrowers
(1997), and Little Voice
(1998) before taking a leading role in another Mike Leigh film, Topsy-Turvy
(1999), playing dramatist Sir William S. Gilbert. He played "The Shy Doctor" in the 1999 Comic Relief parody Doctor Who
sketch, Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death
. In 2001, Broadbent starred in three of the year's most successful films: Bridget Jones's Diary
; Moulin Rouge!
, for which he won a BAFTA; and Iris, for which he won an Oscar
for his portrayal of John Bayley.
Broadbent voiced the secondary antagonist Madame Gasket from the 2005 film Robots
, which won him an award. Broadbent also appeared as DCI Roy Slater
, an associate character in the enormously popular sitcom Only Fools and Horses
. The character appeared in three episodes over an eight-year period. He had originally been offered the lead role of Del Trotter in the series, but he turned it down due to other commitments. He has also played a role in the Inspector Morse
series. Other comic roles include the lead role in the sitcom The Peter Principle
and occasional guest appearances in Not The Nine O'Clock News
, Only Fools and Horses, and Victoria Wood As Seen On TV
. He played Don Speekingleesh in The Queen of Spain's Beard
in the first series of The Black Adder
in 1983. He also played the role of Prince Albert in Blackadder's Christmas Carol
, first broadcast in 1988. He joined Rowan Atkinson
in his Spider-Man spoof Spider-Plant Man
, as a disgruntled Batman
, jealous of Spider-Plant Man's success.
Broadbent played the title role in the Channel 4 drama Longford
in October 2006, earning a BAFTA TV Award, a Golden Globe, and a 2007 Emmy nomination for his performance as Frank Pakenham (1905–2001), Earl of Longford , which was centred on the late Lord's ultimately unsuccessful campaign for the parole
of Myra Hindley from her life imprisonment
for the Moors Murders
.
Broadbent appeared as Inspector Frank Butterman in Hot Fuzz in 2007.
He appeared in the original radio production
of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
, playing the character Vroomfondel. He was also a regular in Stephen Fry
's radio comedy show Saturday Night Fry
, which aired on BBC Radio 4 in 1988.
Broadbent played Dean Charles Stanforth in the fourth film in the Indiana Jones series, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; King William IV
in The Young Victoria
; and Horace Slughorn in the sixth Harry Potter
movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
, as well as its two sequels. In 2008, he starred as pro-Newtonian
physicist Sir Oliver Lodge in the fact-based single drama Einstein and Eddington
, for the BBC
.
In 2009, he portrayed Sam Longson, chairman of Derby County football club
in the 1960s and 1970s, in the film The Damned United; the starring character in the film was football manager Brian Clough
, played by Michael Sheen
.
In 2010, he provides the voice for the character Major Mouse in a series of radio adverts and one produced for television for energy company; E.ON
for their 'eonenergyfit.com' website campaign. He also starred as the older Logan Mountstuart in the TV adaptation
of William Boyd's novel Any Human Heart
.
He had a lead role in Exile
, a BBC One drama, starring John Simm
and written by Danny Brocklehurst
.
He is an atheist.
Moulin Rouge!
Moulin Rouge! is a 2001 romantic jukebox musical film directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. Following the Red Curtain Cinema principles, the film is based on the Orphean myth, La Traviata, and La Bohème...
, Topsy-Turvy
Topsy-Turvy
Topsy-Turvy is a 1999 musical drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh and stars Allan Corduner as Arthur Sullivan and Jim Broadbent as W. S. Gilbert, along with Timothy Spall and Lesley Manville. The story concerns the 15-month period in 1884 and 1885 leading up to the premiere of Gilbert...
, Hot Fuzz
Hot Fuzz
Hot Fuzz is a 2007 British action dark comedy film written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, and starring Pegg and Nick Frost. The three had previously worked together on the 2004 film Shaun of the Dead as well as the television series Spaced...
, and Bridget Jones' Diary. He also appears in the Harry Potter
Harry Potter (film series)
The Harry Potter film series is a British-American film series based on the Harry Potter novels by the British author J. K. Rowling...
films as Horace Slughorn.
Early life
Broadbent was born in Holton cum BeckeringHolton cum Beckering
Holton cum Beckering is a small village and civil parish in West Lindsey, Lincolnshire, England. It lies south of Market Rasen at the junction of the B1202 and B1399 roads. At the 2001 Census it had a population of 140.-History:...
, the son of Doreen "Dee" Broadbent (née Findlay), a sculptor, and Roy Laverick Broadbent, an artist, sculptor, interior designer, and furniture maker who turned a former church into a theatre named after him. Broadbent's parents were both amateur actors who co-founded the Holton Players acting troupe at Holton cum Beckering; the two were described by the 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...
as conscientious objector
Conscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
s who "worked the land" rather than participate in World War II. He had a twin sister who died at birth. Broadbent was educated at Leighton Park School
Leighton Park School
Leighton Park School is a co-educational Quaker independent school for both day and boarding pupils. It is situated in the large town of Reading in Berkshire, in South East England...
, a Quaker school in Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, and briefly attended art college before transferring to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art is a leading British drama school in west London. LAMDA's president is Timothy West and its new principal is Joanna Read, who recently succeeded Peter James...
from which he graduated in 1972.
Career
Broadbent's early stagework included a number of productions for The National Theatre of Brent, as the downtrodden assistant Wallace to Patrick BarlowPatrick Barlow
Patrick Barlow is an English actor, comedian and playwright. His comedic alter ego, Desmond Olivier Dingle, is the founder, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of the two-man National Theatre of Brent, which has performed on stage, on television and on radio.-Radio:Barlow is the scriptwriter, as...
's self-important actor/manager character Desmond Olivier Dingle. Broadbent and Barlow played many male and female character roles in comically less-than-epic tellings of historical and religious stories such as The Messiah, The Complete Guide to Sex, The Greatest Story Ever Told
The Greatest Story Ever Told
The Greatest Story Ever Told is a 1965 American epic film produced and directed by George Stevens and distributed by United Artists. It is a retelling of the story of Jesus Christ, from the Nativity through the Resurrection. This film is notable for its large ensemble cast and for being the last...
, Revolution!!
Revolution!!
Revolution!! is a 1989 television comedy film by the National Theatre of Brent, the British comedy double-act. It stars Patrick Barlow as Desmond Olivier Dingle and Jim Broadbent as Wallace, and is written by Patrick Barlow, with Jim Broadbent and Martin Duncan...
, and All The World's A Globe. These were hits at the Edinburgh Fringe, in London, and on tour. Later stage work included the original productions of Kafka's Dick
Kafka's Dick
Kafka's Dick is a 1986 play by Alan Bennett. It is play about the nature of fame and how reputations are made.-Plot:Set in the present-day in a suburban Yorkshire dwelling, Kafka aficionado Sydney, and his wife Linda, are visited by Franz Kafka and his friend Max Brod who are both long dead...
(1986) and Our Country's Good
Our Country's Good
Our Country's Good is a 1988 play written by British playwright, Timberlake Wertenbaker, adapted from the Thomas Keneally novel The Playmaker. The story concerns a group of Royal Marines and convicts in a penal colony in New South Wales, in the 1780s, who put on a production of The Recruiting...
(1988) 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...
and work for the Royal 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...
including "The Government Inspector". Work on the stage with Mike Leigh
Mike Leigh
Michael "Mike" Leigh, OBE is a British writer and director of film and theatre. He studied theatre at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and studied further at the Camberwell School of Art and the Central School of Art and Design. He began as a theatre director and playwright in the mid 1960s...
includes Goosepimples and Ecstasy.
Broadbent made his film debut in 1978 with a tiny role in Jerzy Skolimowski
Jerzy Skolimowski
Jerzy Skolimowski is a Polish film director, screenwriter, dramatist and actor. A graduate of the prestigious National Film School in Łódź, Skolimowski has directed more than twenty films since his 1960 début Oko wykol...
's The Shout
The Shout
The Shout is a 1978 British horror film directed by Jerzy Skolimowski, based on a short story by Robert Graves which was adapted for the screen by Michael Austin...
, and made his television debut the following year. He went on to work with Stephen Frears
Stephen Frears
Stephen Arthur Frears is an English film director.-Early life:Frears was born in Leicester, England to Ruth M., a social worker, and Dr Russell E. Frears, a general practitioner and accountant. He did not find out that his mother was Jewish until he was in his late 20s...
(for television and in The Hit (1984)) and Terry Gilliam
Terry Gilliam
Terrence Vance "Terry" Gilliam is an American-born British screenwriter, film director, animator, actor and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam is also known for directing several films, including Brazil , The Adventures of Baron Munchausen , The Fisher King , and 12 Monkeys...
(in Time Bandits
Time Bandits
Time Bandits is a 1981 British fantasy film produced and directed by Terry Gilliam.Terry Gilliam wrote the screenplay with fellow Monty Python alumnus Michael Palin, who appears with Shelley Duvall in the small, recurring roles of Vincent and Pansy. The film is one of the most famous of more than...
(1981) and Brazil
Brazil (film)
Brazil is a 1985 British science fiction fantasy/black comedy film directed by Terry Gilliam. It was written by Gilliam, Charles McKeown, and Tom Stoppard and stars Jonathan Pryce. The film also features Robert De Niro, Kim Greist, Michael Palin, Katherine Helmond, Bob Hoskins, and Ian Holm...
(1985)) before establishing himself in Mike Leigh
Mike Leigh
Michael "Mike" Leigh, OBE is a British writer and director of film and theatre. He studied theatre at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and studied further at the Camberwell School of Art and the Central School of Art and Design. He began as a theatre director and playwright in the mid 1960s...
's Life Is Sweet
Life Is Sweet (film)
Life Is Sweet is a 1991 British film directed by Mike Leigh, starring Jim Broadbent, Alison Steadman, Claire Skinner, Jane Horrocks and Timothy Spall. Leigh's third cinematic film, it was his most commercially successful title at the time of its release...
(1990). He proved his ability as a character actor
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...
in films including The Crying Game
The Crying Game
The Crying Game is a 1992 psychological thriller drama film written and directed by Neil Jordan. The film explores themes of race, gender, nationality, and sexuality against the backdrop of the Irish Troubles...
(1992), Enchanted April
Enchanted April
Enchanted April is the second film adaptation Elizabeth von Arnim's 1922 novel, The Enchanted April. The novel was adapted as a Broadway play in 1925, and as an RKO Radio film in 1935 - both using the same title as the novel. The 1992 film release received several Golden Globe and Academy Award...
(1992), Bullets Over Broadway
Bullets Over Broadway
Bullets Over Broadway is a 1994 crime-comedy film written by Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath and directed by Woody Allen. It stars an ensemble cast including John Cusack, Dianne Wiest, Chazz Palminteri, and Jennifer Tilly....
(1994), The Borrowers
The Borrowers (1997 film)
The Borrowers is a 1997 film based on the children's novel of the same name by author Mary Norton. In 1998 it was nominated for the title of Best British Film in the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards, but lost to Gary Oldman's Nil by Mouth...
(1997), and Little Voice
Little Voice (film)
Little Voice is a 1998 British drama film with music written and directed by Mark Herman. The screenplay is based on the play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice by Jim Cartwright.- Plot :...
(1998) before taking a leading role in another Mike Leigh film, Topsy-Turvy
Topsy-Turvy
Topsy-Turvy is a 1999 musical drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh and stars Allan Corduner as Arthur Sullivan and Jim Broadbent as W. S. Gilbert, along with Timothy Spall and Lesley Manville. The story concerns the 15-month period in 1884 and 1885 leading up to the premiere of Gilbert...
(1999), playing dramatist Sir William S. Gilbert. He played "The Shy Doctor" in the 1999 Comic Relief parody Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
sketch, Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death
Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death
Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death is a four-episode special of Doctor Who made for the Red Nose Day charity telethon in the United Kingdom, and broadcast on BBC One on 12 March 1999...
. In 2001, Broadbent starred in three of the year's most successful films: Bridget Jones's Diary
Bridget Jones's Diary (film)
Bridget Jones's Diary is a 2001 British romantic comedy film based on Helen Fielding's novel of the same name. The adaptation stars Renée Zellweger as Bridget, Hugh Grant as the caddish Daniel Cleaver, and Colin Firth as Bridget's "true love", Mark Darcy...
; Moulin Rouge!
Moulin Rouge!
Moulin Rouge! is a 2001 romantic jukebox musical film directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. Following the Red Curtain Cinema principles, the film is based on the Orphean myth, La Traviata, and La Bohème...
, for which he won a BAFTA; and Iris, for which he won an Oscar
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for his portrayal of John Bayley.
Broadbent voiced the secondary antagonist Madame Gasket from the 2005 film Robots
Robots (film)
Robots is a 2005 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Blue Sky Studios for 20th Century Fox, and was released theatrically on March 11, 2005. The story was created by Chris Wedge and William Joyce, a children's book author/illustrator. The two were trying to create a film version of...
, which won him an award. Broadbent also appeared as DCI Roy Slater
DCI Roy Slater
Detective Chief Inspector Roy Slater is a recurring character in the British sitcom Only Fools and Horses. He is played by Jim Broadbent and, in the prequel Rock and Chips, by Calum MacNab.-Background:...
, an associate character in the enormously popular sitcom Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
. The character appeared in three episodes over an eight-year period. He had originally been offered the lead role of Del Trotter in the series, but he turned it down due to other commitments. He has also played a role in the 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....
series. Other comic roles include the lead role in the sitcom The Peter Principle
The Peter Principle (TV series)
The Peter Principle is a BBC television show about a branch of the fictional County and Provincial Bank, which ran from 1995 to 2000. It is now a part of the PBS program lineup at some PBS stations, which call it The Boss...
and occasional guest appearances in Not The Nine O'Clock News
Not the Nine O'Clock News
Not the Nine O'Clock News is a television comedy sketch show which was broadcast on BBC 2 from 1979 to 1982.Originally shown as a comedy "alternative" to the BBC Nine O'Clock News on BBC 1, it featured satirical sketches on current news stories and popular culture, as well as parody songs, comedy...
, Only Fools and Horses, and Victoria Wood As Seen On TV
Victoria Wood As Seen On TV
Victoria Wood As Seen On TV was a British comedy sketch series starring comedienne Victoria Wood, with Julie Walters, Celia Imrie, Duncan Preston, Susie Blake and Patricia Routledge...
. He played Don Speekingleesh in The Queen of Spain's Beard
The Queen of Spain's Beard
"The Queen of Spain's Beard" was the fourth episode of the first series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder.- Plot :In 1492, Richard IV's court is in disarray. In order to secure Spain's allegiance in a war with France, the king tries to get Harry to marry the Spanish Infanta...
in the first series of The Black Adder
The Black Adder
The Black Adder is the first series of the BBC situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson, directed by Martin Shardlow and produced by John Lloyd...
in 1983. He also played the role of Prince Albert in Blackadder's Christmas Carol
Blackadder's Christmas Carol
Blackadder's Christmas Carol is a one-off episode of Blackadder, a parody of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. It is set between Blackadder the Third and Blackadder Goes Forth , and is narrated by Hugh Laurie...
, first broadcast in 1988. He joined Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Sebastian Atkinson is a British actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is most famous for his work on the satirical sketch comedy show Not The Nine O'Clock News, and the sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean and The Thin Blue Line...
in his Spider-Man spoof Spider-Plant Man
Spider-Plant Man
Spider-Plant Man is a parody of Spider-Man, made for the Comic Relief 2005 appeal and aired on BBC One on March 11, 2005. It featured Rowan Atkinson as Peter Piper/Spider-Plant Man and Rachel Stevens as his love-interest Jane-Mary...
, as a disgruntled Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, jealous of Spider-Plant Man's success.
Broadbent played the title role in the Channel 4 drama Longford
Longford (film)
Longford is a 2006 drama television film directed by Tom Hooper and written by Peter Morgan.The film centres on Labour Party peer Lord Longford and his campaign for the parole of Moors Murderer Myra Hindley....
in October 2006, earning a BAFTA TV Award, a Golden Globe, and a 2007 Emmy nomination for his performance as Frank Pakenham (1905–2001), Earl of Longford , which was centred on the late Lord's ultimately unsuccessful campaign for the parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
of Myra Hindley from her life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
for the Moors Murders
Moors murders
The Moors murders were carried out by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley between July 1963 and October 1965, in and around what is now Greater Manchester, England. The victims were five children aged between 10 and 17—Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey and Edward Evans—at least...
.
Broadbent appeared as Inspector Frank Butterman in Hot Fuzz in 2007.
He appeared in the original radio production
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a science fiction comedy radio series written by Douglas Adams . It was originally broadcast in the United Kingdom by BBC Radio 4 in 1978, and afterwards on global short wave radio on the BBC World Service, National Public Radio in the U.S. and CBC Radio in...
of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a science fiction comedy series created by Douglas Adams. Originally a radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1978, it was later adapted to other formats, and over several years it gradually became an international multi-media phenomenon...
, playing the character Vroomfondel. He was also a regular in Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
's radio comedy show Saturday Night Fry
Saturday Night Fry
Saturday Night Fry was a six-part comedy series on BBC Radio 4, first broadcast between the 30th of April and the 4th of June 1988. Episode One had previously been broadcast as a pilot on 19 December 1987, under the title 'Fry on Saturday'....
, which aired on BBC Radio 4 in 1988.
Broadbent played Dean Charles Stanforth in the fourth film in the Indiana Jones series, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; King William IV
William IV of the United Kingdom
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death...
in The Young Victoria
The Young Victoria
The Young Victoria is a 2009 period drama film based on the early life and reign of Queen Victoria, and her marriage to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The film was directed by Jean-Marc Vallée and written by screenwriter Julian Fellowes. Graham King, Martin Scorsese, Sarah, Duchess of...
; and Horace Slughorn in the sixth Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a 2009 fantasy film directed by David Yates and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the sixth instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman and David Barron...
, as well as its two sequels. In 2008, he starred as pro-Newtonian
Newtonian
Newtonian refers to the work of Isaac Newton, in particular:* Newtonian mechanics, also known as classical mechanics* Newtonian telescope, a type of reflecting telescope* Newtonian cosmology* Newtonian dynamics...
physicist Sir Oliver Lodge in the fact-based single drama Einstein and Eddington
Einstein and Eddington
Einstein and Eddington is a British single drama produced by Company Pictures and the BBC, in association with HBO. It featured David Tennant as British scientist Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington, and Andy Serkis as Albert Einstein...
, for the 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...
.
In 2009, he portrayed Sam Longson, chairman of Derby County football club
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
in the 1960s and 1970s, in the film The Damned United; the starring character in the film was football manager Brian Clough
Brian Clough
Brian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and football manager. He is most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. His achievement of winning back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest, a traditionally moderate provincial English club, is considered to be...
, played by Michael Sheen
Michael Sheen
Michael Christopher Sheen, OBE , is a Welsh stage and screen actor. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England and made his professional debut opposite Vanessa Redgrave in When She Danced at the Globe Theatre in 1991...
.
In 2010, he provides the voice for the character Major Mouse in a series of radio adverts and one produced for television for energy company; E.ON
E.ON
E.ON AG, marketed with an interpunct as E•ON, is the holding company of the world's largest investor-owned energy service provider based in Düsseldorf, Germany. The name comes from the Greek word aeon which means eternity....
for their 'eonenergyfit.com' website campaign. He also starred as the older Logan Mountstuart in the TV adaptation
Any Human Heart (TV series)
Any Human Heart is a 2010 BAFTA award–winning TV adaptation of the novel Any Human Heart by William Boyd. It was announced in April 2010 and broadcast in four parts from 21 November to 12 December 2010 on Channel 4 in the UK and in three parts during February 2011 on the PBS series Masterpiece in...
of William Boyd's novel Any Human Heart
Any Human Heart
Any Human Heart: The Intimate Journals of Logan Mountstuart is a 2002 novel by William Boyd, a Scottish writer. It is written as a lifelong series of journals kept by the protagonist, Logan Mountstuart, a writer whose life spanned the defining episodes of the twentieth century, crossed several...
.
He had a lead role in Exile
Exile (TV series)
Exile is a British psychological thriller television series dealing with the topic of Alzheimer's disease against a background of corruption. It stars John Simm and Jim Broadbent and was broadcast on BBC One...
, a BBC One drama, starring John Simm
John Simm
John Simm is an English stage and screen actor. In recent years he is best known for his roles as Sam Tyler in the detective drama Life on Mars and as The Master in the revival of the science fiction series Doctor Who, but he has also starred in many highly acclaimed award-winning television...
and written by Danny Brocklehurst
Danny Brocklehurst
Danny Brocklehurst is a BAFTA and International Emmy -winning English screenwriter. Brocklehurst worked as a journalist for several years before becoming a full-time screenwriter.He has written acclaimed television drama...
.
Personal life
Broadbent is married to painter and former theatre designer, Anastasia Lewis.He is an atheist.
Filmography and awards
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | The Shout The Shout The Shout is a 1978 British horror film directed by Jerzy Skolimowski, based on a short story by Robert Graves which was adapted for the screen by Michael Austin... |
Fielder in cowpat | |
| 1980 | Breaking Glass Breaking Glass Breaking Glass is a 1980 British film starring Hazel O'Connor, Phil Daniels and Jonathan Pryce. The film was co-produced by Dodi Fayed and written and directed by Brian Gibson. The film was screened out of competition at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival.... |
Station Porter | |
| 1981 | Film crew | ||
| 1981 | Time Bandits Time Bandits Time Bandits is a 1981 British fantasy film produced and directed by Terry Gilliam.Terry Gilliam wrote the screenplay with fellow Monty Python alumnus Michael Palin, who appears with Shelley Duvall in the small, recurring roles of Vincent and Pansy. The film is one of the most famous of more than... |
Compere | |
| 1982 | Birth of a Nation Birth of a Nation (1982 film) Birth of a Nation is a 1982 film starred Jim Broadbent as teacher Geoff Figg. Scripted by David Leland and directed by Mike Newell, the film was part of a series titled "Tales Out Of School", which included R.H.I.N.O.; Really Here in Name Only, Flying Into The Wind and the Tim Roth film Made in... |
Geoff Fig | |
| 1983 | Don Speekingleesh | ||
| 1983-1991 | Only Fools and Horses Only Fools and Horses Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003... |
Det. Chief Insp. Roy Slater | Television Series: 3 Episodes |
| 1985 | Brazil Brazil (film) Brazil is a 1985 British science fiction fantasy/black comedy film directed by Terry Gilliam. It was written by Gilliam, Charles McKeown, and Tom Stoppard and stars Jonathan Pryce. The film also features Robert De Niro, Kim Greist, Michael Palin, Katherine Helmond, Bob Hoskins, and Ian Holm... |
Dr. Jaffe | |
| 1985 | Roger Miles | ||
| 1985 | Happy Families Happy Families (TV series) Happy Families was a rural comedy drama written by Ben Elton which appeared on the BBC in 1985 and told the story of the dysfunctional Fuddle family.... |
Dalcroix | Television Series: 3 Episodes |
| 1987 | Superman IV: The Quest for Peace Superman IV: The Quest for Peace Superman IV: The Quest for Peace is a 1987 superhero film directed by Sidney J. Furie. It is the fourth film in the Superman film series and the last installment to star Christopher Reeve as the Man of Steel. It is the first film in the series not to be produced by Alexander and Ilya Salkind, but... |
Jean Pierre Dubois | |
| 1988 | Blackadder's Christmas Carol Blackadder's Christmas Carol Blackadder's Christmas Carol is a one-off episode of Blackadder, a parody of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. It is set between Blackadder the Third and Blackadder Goes Forth , and is narrated by Hugh Laurie... |
Prince Albert | Television Special |
| 1989 | Revolution!! Revolution!! Revolution!! is a 1989 television comedy film by the National Theatre of Brent, the British comedy double-act. It stars Patrick Barlow as Desmond Olivier Dingle and Jim Broadbent as Wallace, and is written by Patrick Barlow, with Jim Broadbent and Martin Duncan... |
Wallace | Television Film Also Writer |
| 1989 | Erik the Viking Erik the Viking Erik the Viking is a 1989 feature film written and directed by Terry Jones. The film was inspired by Jones's children's book The Saga of Erik the Viking , but the plot is completely different. Jones also appears in the film as King Arnulf.... |
Ernest the Viking | |
| 1990 | Life Is Sweet Life Is Sweet (film) Life Is Sweet is a 1991 British film directed by Mike Leigh, starring Jim Broadbent, Alison Steadman, Claire Skinner, Jane Horrocks and Timothy Spall. Leigh's third cinematic film, it was his most commercially successful title at the time of its release... |
Andy | |
| 1991 | Gone to the Dogs Gone to the Dogs (TV series) Gone to the Dogs is a comedy-drama television miniseries that aired in 1991 in the UK. It starred Alison Steadman, Jim Broadbent, Harry Enfield, Warren Clarke and Sheila Hancock and told the story of a group of people involved in the business of racing greyhounds... |
Jim Morley | |
| 1992 | Enchanted April Enchanted April Enchanted April is the second film adaptation Elizabeth von Arnim's 1922 novel, The Enchanted April. The novel was adapted as a Broadway play in 1925, and as an RKO Radio film in 1935 - both using the same title as the novel. The 1992 film release received several Golden Globe and Academy Award... |
Frederick Arbuthnot | |
| 1992 | Col | ||
| 1993 | Prince Cinders | Ugly Brother | |
| 1994 | Bullets Over Broadway Bullets Over Broadway Bullets Over Broadway is a 1994 crime-comedy film written by Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath and directed by Woody Allen. It stars an ensemble cast including John Cusack, Dianne Wiest, Chazz Palminteri, and Jennifer Tilly.... |
Warner Purcell | |
| 1994 | Princess Caraboo Princess Caraboo (film) Princess Caraboo is a 1994 British-American historical comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Michael Austin, based on the real-life 19th-century character Princess Caraboo, who passed herself off in British society as an exotic princess who spoke a strange foreign language; she is portrayed... |
Mr. Worrall | |
| 1994 | Widows' Peak Widows' Peak Widows' Peak is a 1994 British-Irish film. It stars Mia Farrow, Dame Joan Plowright, Natasha Richardson, Adrian Dunbar and Jim Broadbent. It is directed by John Irvin... |
Con Clancy | |
| 1995 | Richard III Richard III (1995 film) Richard III is a 1995 drama film adapted from William Shakespeare's play of the same name, starring Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Jim Broadbent, Robert Downey Jr., Nigel Hawthorne, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith, John Wood and Dominic West.... |
The Duke of Buckingham Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, KG played a major role in Richard III of England's rise and fall. He is also one of the primary suspects in the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower... |
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| 1995 | The Last Englishman | Col. Alfred D. Wintle Alfred Wintle Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Daniel Wintle MC, better known as A.D. Wintle, was a British military officer in the 1st The Royal Dragoons who served in the First and Second World Wars... |
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| 1997 | Pod Clock | ||
| 1998 | Mother | ||
| 1998 | Little Voice Little Voice (film) Little Voice is a 1998 British drama film with music written and directed by Mark Herman. The screenplay is based on the play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice by Jim Cartwright.- Plot :... |
Mr. Boo | Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
| 1999 | Topsy-Turvy Topsy-Turvy Topsy-Turvy is a 1999 musical drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh and stars Allan Corduner as Arthur Sullivan and Jim Broadbent as W. S. Gilbert, along with Timothy Spall and Lesley Manville. The story concerns the 15-month period in 1884 and 1885 leading up to the premiere of Gilbert... |
W. S. Gilbert W. S. Gilbert Sir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, of which the most famous include H.M.S... |
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| 1999 | Doctor Who Doctor Who Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior... : Curse of Fatal Death |
Unofficial Eleventh Doctor | Televison Special |
| 2001 | Bridget Jones's Diary | Colin Jones, Bridget's father | |
| 2001 | Moulin Rouge! Moulin Rouge! Moulin Rouge! is a 2001 romantic jukebox musical film directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. Following the Red Curtain Cinema principles, the film is based on the Orphean myth, La Traviata, and La Bohème... |
Harold Zidler | |
| 2001 | Iris | John Bayley | |
| 2002 | Desmond Morton | ||
| 2002 | Gangs of New York Gangs of New York Gangs of New York is a 2002 historical film set in the mid-19th century in the Five Points district of New York City. It was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan. The film was inspired by Herbert Asbury's 1928 nonfiction book, The Gangs of New... |
Boss Tweed | |
| 2002 | Nicholas Nickleby Nicholas Nickleby (2002 film) Nicholas Nickleby is a 2002 comedy-drama film written and directed by Douglas McGrath. The screenplay is based on The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens, which originally was published in serial form between March 1838 and September 1839.-Plot:In a prologue we are... |
Mr. Wackford Squeers | National Board of Review Award for Best Cast National Board of Review Award for Best Cast The National Board of Review Award for Best Acting by an Ensemble is an annual film award given by the National Board of Review.-1990s:... |
| 2003 | Bright Young Things Bright Young Things Bright Young Things is a 2003 British drama film written and directed by Stephen Fry. The screenplay, based on the 1930 novel Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh, provides satirical social commentary about the Bright Young People: young and carefree London aristocrats and bohemians, as well as society in... |
Drunk Major | |
| 2003 | Alfred Salteena | ||
| 2004 | Around the World in 80 Days Around the World in 80 Days (2004 film) Around the World in 80 Days is a 2004 American comedy adventure film based on Jules Verne's novel of the same name. It stars Jackie Chan, Steve Coogan and Cécile de France. The film is set in 19th-century Britain and centers on Phileas Fogg , here reimagined as an eccentric inventor, and his... |
Lord Kelvin | |
| 2004 | Pride | Eddie | Voice Role Television Film |
| 2004 | 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... |
Mr. Osborne | |
| 2004 | Vera Drake Vera Drake Vera Drake is a 2004 British drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh, telling the story of a working-class woman in London in 1950 who performs illegal abortions... |
Judge | |
| 2004 | Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (film) # Will Young - "Your Love Is King"# Jamelia - "Stop"# Kylie Minogue - "Can't Get You Out of My Head"# Joss Stone - "Super Duper Love Pt. 1"# Mary J... |
Colin Jones, Bridget's father | |
| 2005 | Robots Robots (film) Robots is a 2005 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Blue Sky Studios for 20th Century Fox, and was released theatrically on March 11, 2005. The story was created by Chris Wedge and William Joyce, a children's book author/illustrator. The two were trying to create a film version of... |
Madame Gasket | Voice Role |
| 2005 | Valiant Valiant (film) Valiant is a 2005 British computer-animated film produced by Vanguard Animation and Odyssey Entertainment, and released by Entertainment Film Distributors in the United Kingdom on March 25 2005 and by Walt Disney Pictures in the United States on August 19 2005. Set in May of the year 1944, it tells... |
Sergeant | Voice Role |
| 2005 | Professor Kirke | ||
| 2006 | Free Jimmy Free Jimmy Free Jimmy is a Norwegian/British computer animated feature film first released in Norwegian language in 2006, and later in English language in 2008. The film was written and directed by acclaimed Norwegian subculture comic book artist Christopher Nielsen... |
Igor Stromowskij | Voice Role for 2008 English version |
| 2006 | Stan McDermott | ||
| 2006 | Longford Longford (film) Longford is a 2006 drama television film directed by Tom Hooper and written by Peter Morgan.The film centres on Labour Party peer Lord Longford and his campaign for the parole of Moors Murderer Myra Hindley.... |
Lord Longford Frank Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford Francis Aungier Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford KG, PC , known as the Lord Pakenham from 1945 to 1961, was a British politician, author, and social reformer... |
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| 2006 | Art School Confidential | Jimmy | |
| 2007 | Hot Fuzz Hot Fuzz Hot Fuzz is a 2007 British action dark comedy film written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, and starring Pegg and Nick Frost. The three had previously worked together on the 2004 film Shaun of the Dead as well as the television series Spaced... |
Inspector Frank Butterman | |
| 2007 | And When Did You Last See Your Father? And When Did You Last See Your Father? And When Did You Last See Your Father? is a 2007 British drama film directed by Anand Tucker. The screenplay by David Nicholls is based on the 1993 memoir of the same title by Blake Morrison.-Plot:... |
Arthur Morrison | |
| 2008 | Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull | Dean Charles Stanforth | |
| 2008 | Einstein and Eddington Einstein and Eddington Einstein and Eddington is a British single drama produced by Company Pictures and the BBC, in association with HBO. It featured David Tennant as British scientist Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington, and Andy Serkis as Albert Einstein... |
Sir Oliver Lodge | Television Film |
| 2008 | Inkheart Inkheart (film) Inkheart is a 2008 fantasy film directed by Iain Softley and starring Brendan Fraser, Eliza Bennett, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Andy Serkis and Jim Broadbent. It is based on the novel with the same name by Cornelia Funke... |
Fenoglio | |
| 2009 | King William IV William IV of the United Kingdom William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death... |
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| 2009 | Sam Longson | Nominated — British Independent Film Award British Independent Film Awards The Moët British Independent Film Awards is an annual award ceremony celebrating achievement in independently funded British film and cinema. Nominations and jury are announced at the beginning of November with the award ceremony taking place in late November or early December.-History:The British... for Best Supporting Actor |
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| 2009 | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a 2009 fantasy film directed by David Yates and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the sixth instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman and David Barron... |
Horace Slughorn | |
| 2009 | Perrier's Bounty Perrier's Bounty Perrier's Bounty is an Irish crime thriller comedy set in modern-day Dublin. Describing it as an "urban western", sophomore director Ian Fitzgibbon directs the film, which stars Brendan Gleeson, who plays the villainous title character, as well as Cillian Murphy and Jim Broadbent as son and... |
Jim McCrea | |
| 2010 | Another Year | Tom | |
| 2010 | Animals United | Winston | |
| 2010 | Any Human Heart Any Human Heart (TV series) Any Human Heart is a 2010 BAFTA award–winning TV adaptation of the novel Any Human Heart by William Boyd. It was announced in April 2010 and broadcast in four parts from 21 November to 12 December 2010 on Channel 4 in the UK and in three parts during February 2011 on the PBS series Masterpiece in... |
Logan Mountstuart (older) | |
| 2011 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is a 2011 epic fantasy film directed by David Yates and the second of two films based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the eighth and final instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David... |
Horace Slughorn | |
| 2011 | Exile Exile (TV series) Exile is a British psychological thriller television series dealing with the topic of Alzheimer's disease against a background of corruption. It stars John Simm and Jim Broadbent and was broadcast on BBC One... |
Sam Ronstadt | Television Series: 3 Episodes |
| 2011 | Arthur Christmas Arthur Christmas Arthur Christmas is a 2011 British/American 3-D computer animated fantasy comedy film produced by Aardman Animations and Sony Pictures Animation, and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was released on November 11, 2011, in the UK, and on November 23, 2011, in the USA... |
Santa | Voice Role |
| 2011 | The Iron Lady The Iron Lady (film) The Iron Lady is an upcoming biographical film about former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, portrayed by Meryl Streep. Thatcher's husband, Denis Thatcher, will be portrayed by Jim Broadbent, and Thatcher's longest-serving cabinet member and eventual deputy, Geoffrey Howe, will be... |
Denis Thatcher Denis Thatcher Major Sir Denis Thatcher, 1st Baronet, MBE, TD was a British businessman, and the husband of the former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. He was born in Lewisham, London, the elder child of a New Zealand-born British businessman, Thomas Herbert Thatcher, and his wife Kathleen, née Bird... |
Other awards
- 2004; Nominated Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for ChildrenGrammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for ChildrenThe Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for works containing quality "spoken word" performances aimed at children...
for Winnie-the-PoohWinnie-the-PoohWinnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear, is a fictional anthropomorphic bear created by A. A. Milne. The first collection of stories about the character was the book Winnie-the-Pooh , and this was followed by The House at Pooh Corner...
. - 2007; British Independent Film AwardsBritish Independent Film AwardsThe Moët British Independent Film Awards is an annual award ceremony celebrating achievement in independently funded British film and cinema. Nominations and jury are announced at the beginning of November with the award ceremony taking place in late November or early December.-History:The British...
– Richard Harris Award