David Bamber

Last updated

David Bamber
David Bamber in Urban Myths - Madonna and Basquiat 2019.jpg
Bamber in Urban Myths 2019
Born
David James Bamber

(1954-09-19) 19 September 1954 (age 70)
Walkden, Lancashire, England
OccupationActor
Years active1982–present
Spouse
Julia Swift
(m. 1982)
Children2, including Ethan
Relatives David Swift (father-in-law)
Paula Jacobs (mother-in-law)

David James Bamber (born 19 September 1954) is an English actor. His credits include Privates on Parade (1983), Juliet Bravo (1983), Crown Court (1984), Call Me Mister (1986), The Buddha of Suburbia (1993), Pride and Prejudice (1995), Chalk (1997), Mile High (2004), Beethoven (2005), Rome (2005-2007), Valkyrie (2008), Psychoville (2009-2011), The Borgias (2011), The Hollow Crown (2012), What Remains (2013), Darkest Hour (2017), Borg vs McEnroe (2017), Peterloo (2018), A Very English Scandal (2018), Flesh and Blood (2020), and The Regime (2024).

Contents

His most notable achievement was winning the 1995 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance as Guy in My Night with Reg .

Early years

Bamber was born 19 September 1954 in Walkden, Lancashire. [1] His very first stage performance was aged 5 as a pig in Tom Tom the Piper's Son. [1] He joined the Manchester Youth Theatre, [2] playing Pandarus in Troilus and Cressida. Bamber studied acting at Bristol University from 1973 to 1976, [1] graduating with a drama degree. [1] He continued his training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art(RADA) graduating 1979, with an Acting (RADA Diploma). [3]

Career

Bamber's first film role was in 1982 as Sergeant Charles Bishop in the World War II comedy Privates on Parade (1983). [4] he made appearances in Juliet Bravo (1983), [5] and Crown Court (1984), before securing a regular role as Fred Hurley in Call Me Mister (1986). [4]

He appeared in the BBC adaptations of Hanif Kureishi's The Buddha of Suburbia (1993), [5] and Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice , [5] in which he portrayed the Bennets' clergyman cousin, Mr. Collins. He also played the part of a junior treasury minister and stamp collecting enthusiast, Julian Whitaker, in an episode of The New Statesman , [4] in which Alan frames Whitaker and forces his resignation. In 1997 he starred as Eric Slatt in two series of Steven Moffat's Chalk , [5]

His best known international television role to date was his 2005–2007 role as Marcus Tullius Cicero in the HBO/BBC2 original television series, Rome. [5] In Poirot , [4] Series 3: Episode 7 "The Double Clue," he plays the effete middleman to a jewellery collector who is robbed. Bamber also played Adolf Hitler in Bryan Singer's film, Valkyrie . [4] He played the part of Noel in the Sky Atlantic series Camping , and Admiral Ramsay in the 2017 film Darkest Hour . [4]

As a stage actor, Bamber won the 1995 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance as Guy in My Night with Reg , [1] a role he reprised in a 1996 BBC television adaptation. [5] His roles as a voice actor include Emperor Constantine in the Doctor Who audio drama, The Council of Nicaea and as Jeremy Longstaff in the 2008 radio series The Way We Live Right Now . [4]

In 2013, he starred as Mathematics teacher Joe Sellers, alongside David Threlfall and Russell Tovey in the murder mystery miniseries What Remains . [2]

Personal life

Bamber is married to the actress Julia Swift, daughter of actors David Swift and Paula Jacobs. They have two sons, Theo (1991) and Ethan (1998). Ethan has played cricket for England U19s and Middlesex. [6] [7] The family lives in North London.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1983 Privates on Parade Sergeant Charles Bishop
The Oresteia Chorus
1985 The Doctor and the Devils Cronin
1988 High Hopes Rupert
1990 Who Bombed Birmingham? David Mellor MP, Home OfficeTV film
1991Dakota RoadMan on the Train
1993Stalag LuftThe ProfTV film
1995 Heavy Weather P. Frobisher PilbeamTV film
1997 My Night with Reg Guy
1998 Neville's Island AngusTV film
2002 The Bourne Identity Consulate Clerk
George Eliot: A Scandalous LifeGossipTV film
Gangs of New York Passenger on Omnibus
2003 Pollyanna Reverend FordTV film
I Capture the Castle Vicar
2006 Miss Potter Fruing Warne
2007 The All Together Robin Swain
Consenting Adults Dr. Carl WinterTV film
2008 Valkyrie Adolf Hitler
2010 The Village  [ de ]Dr. WagnerTV film
The King's Speech Theatre Director
2012The Nazi Gospels Heinrich Himmler TV film documentary
2015 Christmas Eve Walt
The Sound of Music Live Herr ZellerTV film
2016 The Limehouse Golem Mr. Greatorex
Chubby Funny Mr. White
One Crazy ThingMichael Steel
2017 Mad to Be Normal Dr. Meredith
Darkest Hour Admiral Ramsay
Borg vs McEnroe UK Commentator - George Barnes
2018This Weekend Will Change Your LifeDavid
Peterloo Magistrate Rev Mallory
2020 Enola Holmes Sir Whimbrel
2021End of TermDI Jim Burman

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1983 Brass Heseltine1 episode
Juliet Bravo Mr. SaddlethwaiteEpisode: "Mates"
1984 Crown Court John ElliottEpisode: "Oddball: Part 1"
Cockles GrahamRecurring role
The Brief Lieutenant DaddEpisode: "Long Glyn"
1986 Call Me Mister Fred HurleySeries regular
1987Never Say DieVerger1 episode
1988 A Very Peculiar Practice Professor Eric MiddlingEpisode: "Bad Vibrations"
1991 The New Statesman Julian WhitakerEpisode: "Natural Selection"
Agatha Christie's Poirot Bernard ParkerEpisode: "The Double Clue"
4 PlayTed in 'Well Wishers'Episode: "Seduction"
The Bill George SmithEpisode: "Samaritan"
1992 The Good Guys Hubert ManudenEpisode: "Her Finest Hour"
1993 Comedy Playhouse ChrisEpisode: "The Complete Guide to Relationships"
The Buddha of Suburbia ShadwellTV Mini-series, 4 episodes
1994 The Chief Philip GarrickEpisode #4.9
Murder Most Horrid RayEpisode: "Smashing Bird"
Wycliffe Guy BottrellEpisode: "The Dead Flautist"
The Bill Chris BaxterEpisode: "Games"
1995Capital LivesFryEpisode: "Temp"
Pride and Prejudice Mr. CollinsMini-series, 6 episodes
1996 Heartbeat Adrian ShawEpisode: "Forget Me Not"
Masterpiece P. Frobisher PilbeamEpisode: "Heavy Weather"
1997 Chalk Eric SlattSeries regular
2000 Masterpiece Doctor ForrestEpisode: "The Railway Children"
2001AntonioEpisode: "The Merchant of Venice"
2002 Daniel Deronda LushMini-series
Casualty Dr. Martin CampbellEpisode: "Scapegoat"
2003 Air Crash Investigation NarratorDocumentary series
2004 Mile High Bobbi Donnelly2 episodes
Animated Tales of the World Wang Bao's FatherEpisode: "The Magic Gourd"
2005 Beethoven Prince Lichnowsky Mini-series - documentary
2005-2007 Rome Marcus Tullius Cicero Recurring role
2006 Midsomer Murders John StarkeyEpisode: "Dead Letters"
2007 Trial & Retribution Rex StaffordEpisode: "Curriculum Vitae"
New Tricks Dale HewsonEpisode: "Nine Lives"
The Bill Howard GouldEpisode: "Diamonds Are Deadly"
Robin Hood Physician BlightEpisode: "Ducking and Diving"
Doc Martin Mr. PorterEpisode: "Happily Ever After"
2008 EastEnders Bernard1 episode
The Way We Live Right Now Right Honorable Jeremy Longstaff
2009 Hotel Babylon Robert Carrick2 episodes
Collision Sidney NorrisMini-series
Midsomer Murders Anthony PrideauxEpisode: "The Black Book"
2009-2011 Psychoville RobinRecurring role
2011 The Borgias Theo2 episodes
2012 The Hollow Crown ShallowEpisode: "Henry IV, Part 2"
The Paradise Charles Chisholm1 episode
2013 Blandings Herr SchnellhundEpisode: "Company for Gertrude"
What Remains Joe SellersMini-series
2014 Casualty Anthony KingstonEpisode: "In the Name of Love"
Doctor Who Captain QuellEpisode: "Mummy on the Orient Express"
2015 Father Brown Walter HubbleEpisode: "The Curse of Amenhotep"
Death in Paradise Alan ButlerEpisode: "Damned If You Do..."
Doctors Professor Jeremy BurroughsEpisode: "In the Presence of Beauty"
2016 Midsomer Murders Daniel FargoEpisode: "A Dying Art"
Camping NoelMini-series, 4 episodes
Plebs StraboEpisode: "The Weatherist"
Victoria Duke of Sussex 2 episodes
Medici Pope Eugenius IV 3 episodes
2017 Tina and Bobby Alf RamseyMini-series
Snatch Staff4 episodes
Quacks Dr. WyattEpisode: "The Bishops Appendix"
Gunpowder Lord NorthumberlandMini-series
2018 Silent Witness Brian HawkeEpisode: "Moment of Surrender"
Call the Midwife Stanley Hodgkiss1 episode
A Very English Scandal Lord ArranMini-series
Trust Bela von BlockRecurring role
Doctors Derek BartlettEpisode: "Face-Off"
2019 Queens of Mystery Maximilian SinclairEpisode: "Murder in the Dark: First Chapter"
Urban Myths DrunkEpisode: "Madonna and Basquiat"
2020 Grantchester John GrahamEpisode #5.2
Inside No. 9 RobinEpisode: "Death Be Not Proud"
Flesh and Blood D.I. Doug LinehamTV Mini-series, 4 episodes
2024 The Regime SchiffTV Mini-series, 2 episodes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Bowles</span> English actor (1936–2022)

Peter John Bowles was an English screen and stage actor. He gained prominence for television dramas such as Callan: A Magnum for Schneider and I, Claudius. He is however, best remembered for his roles in sitcoms and television comedy dramas, including: Rumpole of the Bailey, Only When I Laugh, To the Manor Born, The Bounder, The Irish R.M., Lytton's Diary, Executive Stress and Perfect Scoundrels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Macfadyen</span> English actor (born 1974)

David Matthew Macfadyen is an English actor. Known for his performances on stage and screen, he gained prominence for his role as Mr. Darcy in Joe Wright's Pride & Prejudice (2005). He gained wider recognition for playing Tom Wambsgans in the HBO drama series Succession (2018–2023), for which he received two Primetime Emmy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and a Golden Globe Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naveen Andrews</span> British actor (born 1969)

Naveen William Sidney Andrews is a British-American actor. He is best known for his role as Sayid Jarrah in the television series Lost (2004–2010), for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award, as well as winning a Screen Actors Guild Award along with the cast. He has also appeared in films such as The English Patient (1996), Mighty Joe Young (1998), Rollerball (2002), Bride and Prejudice (2004), Planet Terror (2007), The Brave One (2007), and Diana (2013). In 2022, he portrayed Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani in the Hulu miniseries The Dropout.

<i>Chalk</i> (TV series) British sitcom television series

Chalk is a British television sitcom set in a comprehensive school named Galfast High. Two series, both written by Steven Moffat, were broadcast on BBC1 in 1997. Like Moffat's earlier sitcom Joking Apart, Chalk was produced by Andre Ptaszynski for Pola Jones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vincent Kartheiser</span> American actor (born 1979)

Vincent Paul Kartheiser is an American actor. He gained acclaim for his role as Pete Campbell on the AMC drama series Mad Men from 2007 to 2015. He had starring roles in films such as Alaska (1996), Masterminds (1997), and Another Day in Paradise (1998). Kartheiser also played Connor on The WB television series Angel and Dr. Jonathan Crane in the third season of the HBO series Titans. For his role as William Bradford in Saints & Strangers he was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Movie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Hollander</span> British actor (born 1967)

Thomas Anthony Hollander is a British actor. Hollander trained with National Youth Theatre and won the Ian Charleson Award in 1992 for his performance as Witwoud in The Way of the World. He made his Broadway debut in the David Hare play The Judas Kiss in 1998. His performance as Henry Carr in a revival of the Tom Stoppard play Travesties earned nominations for both the Olivier Award and Tony Award.

<i>The Buddha of Suburbia</i> (TV serial) 1993 British TV series or programme

The Buddha of Suburbia is a British four-part television serial, directed by Roger Michell, originally broadcast on BBC Two in November 1993. Based on the 1990 novel of the same name by Hanif Kureishi, the series starred Naveen Andrews as the main character, Karim Amir. Its theme song, as well as other original music for the series, was written and performed by David Bowie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Fleetwood</span> British actress (1944–1995)

Susan Maureen Fleetwood was a British stage, film, and television actress, who specialized in classical theatre. She received popular attention in the television series Chandler & Co and The Buddha of Suburbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Michell</span> South African-born British film director (1956–2021)

Roger Harry Michell was a British theatre, television and film director. He was best known for directing films such as Notting Hill and Venus, as well as the 1995 made-for-television film Persuasion.

Barbara Leigh-Hunt was an English actress. Her numerous theatre credits included Broadway productions of Hamlet (1958), Sherlock Holmes (1973) and Justice (1974), and she won the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress for the National Theatre production of An Inspector Calls. Her film appearances included Frenzy (1972), Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972), Bequest to the Nation (1973), and Billy Elliot (2000).

Tim Wylton is a British actor best known for his television roles as Stanley Dawkins in My Hero, and Lol Ferris in As Time Goes By.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Burke (actor)</span> English actor (born 1981)

Tom Burke is an English actor. He played Athos in the 2014–2016 BBC TV series The Musketeers, Dolokhov in the 2016 BBC literary-adaptation miniseries War & Peace, the eponymous character Cormoran Strike in the BBC series Strike, and Orson Welles in the 2020 film Mank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Schofield (actor)</span> English actor

David Schofield is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Ian Mercer in the films Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007). He also appeared in the films An American Werewolf in London (1981), Gladiator (2000), From Hell (2001), Valkyrie (2008), The Wolfman (2010) and Darkest Hour (2017).

Peter Ellis is an English actor. Ellis has worked extensively in theatre and television both as an actor and director. He spent four seasons with the Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as spending five years at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, and three years with the Old Vic Company which included playing Benvolio in Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet, Hotspur in Henry IV, Part 1 and later Rosencrantz in a world tour of Hamlet starring Derek Jacobi. He also played Guildenstern in Hamlet on the site of the new Globe Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benjamin Whitrow</span> British actor

Benjamin John Whitrow was a British actor. He was nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor for his role as Mr Bennet in the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice, and voiced the role of Fowler in the 2000 animated film Chicken Run. His other film appearances include Quadrophenia (1979), Personal Services (1987) and Bomber (2009).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Ryall</span> English actor (1935-2014)

David John Ryall was an English stage, film and television character actor. He had leading roles in Lytton's Diary and Goodnight Sweetheart, as well as memorable roles in Dennis Potter's The Singing Detective and Andrew Davies's adaptation of To Play the King. He also portrayed Billy Buzzle in the ITV sitcom Bless Me, Father and Frank in the BBC sitcom Outnumbered.

Sinead Matthews is an English actress whose credits include film, television, radio and stage. As well as having extensive theatre experience, her screen credits include He Knew He Was Right (2004), Vera Drake (2004), Pride & Prejudice (2005), Ideal (2005–2010), Terry Pratchett's Hogfather (2006), Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (2010), Black Mirror (2013), The Smoke (2014), Jellyfish (2018), The Crown (2019), and Hullraisers (2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lily James</span> British actress (born 1989)

Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson, known professionally as Lily James, is an English actress. She studied acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and began her career in the British television series Just William (2010). Following a supporting role in the period drama series Downton Abbey (2012–2015), her breakthrough was the title role in the fantasy film Cinderella (2015).

Skylan Brooks is an American actor, best known for playing Mister in The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellie Bamber</span> English actress (born 1997)

Eleanor Elizabeth Bamber is an English actress. She won third prize at the Ian Charleson Awards for her 2017 performance in The Lady from the Sea at the Donmar Warehouse. On television, she is known for her roles in the BBC series Les Misérables (2018), The Trial of Christine Keeler (2019–2020), and The Serpent (2021), and the Disney+ series Willow (2022).

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Interview - David Bamber". londontheatre.co.uk. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Q&A Interview with David Bamber, who plays Joe in BBC One drama What Remains". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  3. "RADA Student and Graduate Profiles - David Bamber". rada.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "David Bamber". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Drama People Index - David Bamber". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  6. "Ethan Bamber". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  7. "Ethan Bamber sets England Under 19's up for Second World Cup Victory". www.middlesexccc.com.

Further reading