Acting · Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, UK · Born October 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.
Snapshot Wedding
2017
as Donald
MovieJoseph's Reel
2015
as Old Joseph
MovieChurchill: 100 Days That Saved Britain
2015
as Winston Churchill
MovieNarnia's Lost Poet: The Secret Lives and Loves of C.S. Lewis
2013
as Self - Interviewee
Ghosts in the Machine
2009
as Narrator
MovieMargaret
2009
as Willie Whitelaw
MovieCentenary: The BP Story
2009
as George Reynolds (voice)
Elementary My Dear Viewer
2007
as Self
The Alan Titchmarsh Show
2007
as Self
MovieHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2007
as Cornelius Fudge
TVLewis
2007
as Sir Arnold Raeburn
MovieGoodbye Mr Snuggles
2006
as Mr. Stiles
TVLe Grand Charles
2006
as Franklin D. Roosevelt
MovieLassie
2005
as Judge Murray
MovieHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2005
as Cornelius Fudge
TVAgatha Christie's Marple
2004
as Winston Churchill
MovieMaking Waves
2004
as Father Parry
MovieHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
2004
as Cornelius Fudge
TVDeath in Holy Orders
2003
as Father Martin Petrie
MovieLucky Jim
2003
as Professor Neddy Welch
MovieThe Gathering
2003
as Bishop
MovieHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
2002
as Cornelius Fudge
TVFoyle's War
2002
as Henry Beaumont
MovieBertie and Elizabeth
2002
as President Roosevelt
MovieThunderpants
2002
as Doctor
TVSpooks
2002
as Sir John Barry
MovieThe Falklands Play
2002
as Sir Anthony Parsons
TVShackleton
2002
as Sir James Caird
MovieThe Lost World
2001
as Prof. Illingworth
TVThe Lost World
2001
as Professor Illingworth
TVThe 10th Kingdom
2000
as Chancellor Griswold
MovieThe Tichborne Claimant
1999
as Lord Rivers
MovieAn Ideal Husband
1999
as Lord Caversham
TVNancherrow
1999
MovieNancherrow
1999
as Viscount Berryan
MovieThe Barber of Siberia
1998
as Forsten
MovieCastle Ghosts of Wales
1997
as Self
MovieMrs. Dalloway
1997
as Sir William Bradshaw
TVMidsomer Murders
1997
as Robert Cavendish
TVTestament: The Bible in Animation
1996
as Abraham (voice)
MovieCastle Ghosts of Ireland
1996
as Self
TVGulliver's Travels
1996
as Dr. Parnell
MovieSense and Sensibility
1995
as Sir John Middleton
MovieCastle Ghosts of England
1995
as Self
Look at the State We're In!
1995
as Judge Sutcliffe
TVBramwell
1995
as Sir Herbert Hamilton
MovieMary Shelley's Frankenstein
1994
as Prof. Krempe
MovieA Feast at Midnight
1994
as Headmaster
TVMiddlemarch
1994
as Arthur Brooke
MovieThe Master Blackmailer
1992
as Charles Augustus Milverton
MovieBomber Harris
1989
as Winston Churchill
MovieParis by Night
1989
as Adam Gillvray
MovieMarcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair
1988
as Dr. Price
TVWar and Remembrance
1988
as Winston Churchill
MovieIn from the Cold? A Portrait of Richard Burton
1988
as Self
MovieThe Woman He Loved
1988
as Winston Churchill
MovieBlat
1987
as Sidney Tolland
MovieThe Death of the Heart
1987
as Major Brutt
MovieNorthanger Abbey
1987
as General Tilney
TVInspector Morse
1987
as Andrew Baydon
MovieMake and Break
1987
as John Garrard
MoviePaying Guests (Part 2)
1986
as Colonel Chase
MoviePaying Guests (Part 1)
1986
as Colonel Chase
Sunday Premiere
1986
as Sidney Tolland
TVScreenPlay
1986
as Colonel Chase
MovieThe Demon Lover
1986
as William Drover
TVHot Metal
1986
as Twiggy Rathbone / Russell Spam
MovieJenny's War
1985
as Klein
TVJenny's War
1985
as Klein
MovieThe Shooting Party
1985
as Bob, Lord Lilburn
TVScreen Two
1985
as General Tilney
MovieThe Zany Adventures of Robin Hood
1984
as King Richard
TVSherlock Holmes
1984
as Charles Augustus Milverton
TVThe Far Pavilions
1984
as The Commandant
MovieJames Mason: The Star They Loved to Hate
1984
as Lord Bob Lilburn (archive footage) (uncredited)
TVNatural World
1983
as Narrator
TVShades of Darkness
1983
as William Drover
TVThe Cleopatras
1983
as Julius Caesar
TVCountdown
1982
TVWinston Churchill: The Wilderness Years
1981
as Winston Churchill
MovieFothergill
1981
as John Fothergill
MovieThe Pied Piper of Hamelin
1980
as Narrator (voice)
MovieTwelfth Night
1980
as Sir Toby Belch
Speed King
1979
as Dorothy Campbell
TVBuck Rogers in the 25th Century
1979
as Clayton
TVThe BBC Television Shakespeare
1978
as Sir Toby Belch
TVAll Creatures Great and Small
1978
as Siegfried Farnon
TVSupernatural
1977
as Adrian Gall
TVRaffles
1977
The Velvet Glove
1977
as Charles Bradlaugh
TVThe Duchess of Duke Street
1976
as George Duggan
TVVictorian Scandals
1976
as Arthur Munby
TVBill Brand
1976
as Mr. Marples
The Secret Agent
1975
as The Assistant Commissioner
MovieCaesar and Claretta
1975
as Benito Mussolini
Private Affairs
1975
as Benito Mussolini
TVEdward the Seventh
1975
as Prince Albert
TVChurchill's People
1974
as King Oswy
MovieThe Gathering Storm
1974
as Joachim von Ribbentrop
MovieThe Slap
1974
as Robert Dickinson
TVShoulder to Shoulder
1974
as Asquith
TVPlayhouse
1974
as John Fothergill
MovieYellow Dog
1973
as Alexander
European Heritage
1973
as Narrator (voice)
MovieGawain and the Green Knight
1973
as Sir Bertilak
Between the Wars
1973
as Col. Tonge
MovieDark Places
1973
as Edward Foster / Andrew Marr
MoviePsychomania
1973
as Chief Inspector Hesseltine
MovieThe Silent One
1973
as Assistant
MovieDemons of the Mind
1972
as Zorn
MovieThe Incredible Robert Baldick: Never Come Night
1972
as Doctor Sir Robert Baldick
MovieYoung Winston
1972
as Prep School Headmaster
MovieThe Stalls of Barchester
1971
as Archdeacon Haynes
TVA Ghost Story for Christmas
1971
as Archdeacon Haynes
Getting In
1971
as Official
TVUpstairs, Downstairs
1971
as Sir Guy Paynter
TVElizabeth R
1971
as Robert Dudley
Movie10 Rillington Place
1971
as Malcolm Morris
TVGreat Performances
1971
as Self
Warm Feet, Warm Heart
1970
as Albert Purvis
Big Brother
1970
as John Edge
MovieMarie Stopes: Sexual Revolutionary
1970
as Narrator
TVManhunt
1970
as Abwehr Sergeant Gratz
TVStrange Report
1969
as Doctor Michael Sanders
MovieSon of Man
1969
as Pontius Pilate
TVITV Saturday Night Theatre
1969
as Christopher Moore
MovieBerserk!
1967
as Detective Superintendent Brooks
MovieHow I Won the War
1967
as British General
TVITV Playhouse
1967
as Ray Malcolm
TVMystery and Imagination
1966
as William Oke
MovieThe Spy Who Came In from the Cold
1965
as Dick Carlton
TVThirty-Minute Theatre
1965
as The Official
TVThe Troubleshooters
1965
as Alec Stewart
Old Man's Fancy
1965
as Jason
Thursday Theatre
1964
as Anatol
TVThe Wednesday Play
1964
as Nick Prockter
TVTheatre 625
1964
TVThe Spread of the Eagle
1963
as Caius Martius Coriolanus
TVThe Saint
1962
as Walter Faber
The Dark Island
1962
Drama 61-67
1961
as Adam Irwin
TVAn Age of Kings
1960
as Henry, Prince of Wales
MovieTorpedo Run
1958
as Lt. Redley
TVThe Veil
1958
TVThe Buccaneers
1956
as Lord Hinch
TVThe Adventures of Sir Lancelot
1956
as Sir Rupert
TVArmchair Theatre
1956
as Albert Purvis
MovieOthello
1955
as Cassio
TVGeneral Electric Theater
1953
TVHallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Joachim von Ribbentrop
TVSunday Night Theatre
1950
as Orsino
MovieBlack Legend
1949
as Mad Thomas
