Place of Birth:
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, UK
Date of Birth:
10/29/1925
One of England's most successful and enduring character actors, with a prolific screen career on television and in films, Robert Hardy was acclaimed for his versatility and the depth of his performances. Born in Cheltenham in 1925, he studied at Oxford University and, in 1949, he joined the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon. Television viewers most fondly remember him as the overbearing Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small (1978) but his most critically acclaimed performance was as the title character of Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years (1981). His portrayal of Britain's wartime leader was so accurately observed that, in the following years, he was called on to reprise the role in such productions as The Woman He Loved (1988) and War and Remembrance (1988). Unlike some British character actors, Hardy was not a Hollywood name and his work in films was therefore restricted to appearances in predominantly British-based productions such as The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1965), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) and Sense and Sensibility (1995). However, in the 21st century, Hardy came to the attention of a whole new generation for his performances in the hugely successful Harry Potter films, while also continuing to make regular appearances in British television series. His co-star from All Creatures Great and Small (1978), Peter Davison, quite simply described Hardy as an "extraordinary" actor who would "never do the same thing twice" when he was acting with him. He was awarded the CBE for services to acting. He died in August 2017.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Sense and Sensibility
The Gathering
James Mason: The Star They Loved to Hate
Snapshot Wedding
The Spy Who Came In from the Cold
Berserk!
Ghosts in the Machine
Mrs. Dalloway
Demons of the Mind
Torpedo Run
The Incredible Robert Baldick: Never Come Night
Castle Ghosts of England
Castle Ghosts of Wales
Castle Ghosts of Ireland
The Silent One
Bomber Harris
A Feast at Midnight
The Slap
Dark Places
The Gathering Storm
The Stalls of Barchester
Nancherrow
Speed King
Caesar and Claretta
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
An Ideal Husband
The Shooting Party
Jenny's War
Thunderpants
Twelfth Night
Gawain and the Green Knight
Make and Break
Making Waves
The Barber of Siberia
Paying Guests (Part 1)
Paying Guests (Part 2)
The Woman He Loved
Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair
The Master Blackmailer
Margaret
Old Man's Fancy
Northanger Abbey
Warm Feet, Warm Heart
The Falklands Play
Lucky Jim
The Lost World
Bertie and Elizabeth
Young Winston
Othello
Black Legend
10 Rillington Place
Psychomania
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Lassie
Paris by Night
The Tichborne Claimant
Churchill: 100 Days That Saved Britain
How I Won the War
Joseph's Reel
Yellow Dog
The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood
Narnia's Lost Poet: The Secret Lives and Loves of C.S. Lewis
The Death of the Heart
Goodbye Mr Snuggles
In from the Cold? A Portrait of Richard Burton
Fothergill
The Demon Lover
Son of Man
Elementary My Dear Viewer