Robert Hardy

Known for ActingBorn 1925-10-29Died 2017-08-03Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, UK

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.Read more

Movies & web series

Le Grand Charles

The Woman He Loved

Victorian Scandals

The Secret Agent

The Incredible Robert Baldick: Never Come Night

Son of Man

Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair

Between the Wars

The Tichborne Claimant

The Death of the Heart

Hallmark Hall of Fame

Othello

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Sherlock Holmes

Raffles

Nancherrow

The Gathering Storm

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Agatha Christie's Marple

Middlemarch

Foyle's War

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Inspector Morse

War and Remembrance

Bomber Harris

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Spooks

Getting In

The Duchess of Duke Street

Lewis

The 10th Kingdom

All Creatures Great and Small

Shades of Darkness

Upstairs, Downstairs

The Lost World

Midsomer Murders

The Veil

Strange Report

Sense and Sensibility

The Far Pavilions

Shackleton

Natural World

Elizabeth R

Gulliver's Travels

A Ghost Story for Christmas

Goodbye Mr Snuggles

The Barber of Siberia

Lucky Jim