James Fleet | |
---|---|
Born | James Edward Fleet 11 March 1952 |
Alma mater | Royal Conservatoire of Scotland |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1979–present |
Spouse(s) | Jane Booker (m. 1984) |
Children | 1 |
James Edward Fleet (born 11 March 1952) is an English actor of theatre, radio and screen. He is most famous for his roles as the bumbling and well-meaning Tom in the 1994 British romantic comedy film Four Weddings and a Funeral and the dim-witted but kind-hearted Hugo Horton in the BBC sitcom television series The Vicar of Dibley . Since 2020, he has played King George III in the Netflix Bridgerton .
Fleet was born in Bilston, Staffordshire, [2] [3] to a Scottish mother, Christine, and an English father, Jim. He lived in Bilston until he was 10 but, when his father died, he moved to Aberdeenshire with his mother. [4] He studied engineering at university in Aberdeen, where he joined the university dramatic society. [5] Afterwards, he studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow.
Fleet began his career in the RSC, appearing in several plays in the early 1980s. [6] [7] [8] He has since appeared in touring productions of, among others, Habeas Corpus [9] and In the Club, [10] as well as in Festen and Mary Stuart [11] and others in the West End. He also played Alderman Fitzwarren in Dick Whittington in 2002.
In 2003 he played Kulygin in Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters alongside Kristin Scott Thomas who played Masha.
In 2009 he portrayed Sir Andrew Aguecheek in the RSC Production of Twelfth Night . In 2011 he was in Richard Bean's The Heretic directed by Jeremy Herrin at the Royal Court Theatre in London. Starting in November 2011 he was in the original line-up of The Ladykillers as Major Courtney at the Gielgud Theatre.
Between 2000 and 2006, Fleet played the painfully upright and decent Captain Brimshaw in Revolting People , a BBC Radio 4 comedy set in pre-revolutionary America. He also appeared in the radio legal sitcom Chambers , which later moved onto television. As of 2005, he has starred as Duncan Stonebridge MP in the topical radio sitcom The Party Line .[ citation needed ] He also appeared as the Captain on the BBC Radio 7 series The Spaceship . He also plays the part of Sir John Woodstock in the BBC Radio 4 sitcom The Castle and Inspector Lestrade in the first, third and fourth series of The Rivals. Fleet played John Aubrey in the 2008 BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour production by Nick Warburton of Aubrey's Brief Lives .
In 1999–2001 he was the voice of "Dog" in the children's TV show Dog and Duck . [12] Probably his most famous role is that of Hugo in The Vicar of Dibley ; he appeared in all 20 episodes, broadcast between 1994 and 2007. In 2004 he appeared in an episode of Monarch of the Glen . In 2005 he played a leading role in an episode of the long-running ITV murder mystery series Midsomer Murders . In 2007 he was a guest star in one episode of the sitcom Legit . He appeared as Frederick Dorrit in the BBC's 2008 production of Little Dorrit . [13] When Fleet appeared on the quiz show School's Out , [14] it was revealed that one of his teachers at Banff Academy had written in his school report that "[James] is the stupidest boy I have ever had to teach, out of all the stupid boys I have ever had to teach," and that he was the only student in his sixth form not to have been made a prefect. Despite his apparent lack of scholastic ability, he still won the show. In 2009, Fleet appeared in a cameo role in the third series of Skins .
Earlier in his career, Fleet was seen in a 1983 episode of Grange Hill as a teacher at the eponymous school's upmarket rival Rodney Bennett. In 1992 he played Paul Morgan in an episode of The Bill 'Runaway'. In 1999 he starred in the sitcom Brotherly Love .
Fleet appeared in Coronation Street in 2010. He played a character called Robbie Sloan, a recently released convict, helping escaped prisoner Tony Gordon plot revenge on his ex-wife Carla Connor. They intend to kidnap and kill her. Sloan lures Connor into her Underworld factory, and holds her at gunpoint. Leaving her tied to a chair with her mouth taped shut, Sloan also lures Hayley Cropper into the hostage situation. Sloan was eventually shot by Gordon during a siege at the factory.
In February 2011, Fleet appeared as George (senior), the father of werewolf George Sands, in Being Human .
In December 2013 the BBC aired one of their major dramas for the Christmas season, Death Comes to Pemberley , a three-part British television drama based on characters created by Jane Austen in her novel Pride and Prejudice . The first episode was broadcast on BBC One at 8.15 pm on Boxing Day 2013. It was based on the best-selling novel by P. D. James, in which the characters of Pride and Prejudice are involved in a new story involving a murder. Fleet played the part of Mr Bennett in the series. In September 2014, Fleet appeared in the BBC Three sitcom Bad Education as Richard, an ex-boyfriend of Rosie Gulliver. He has most recently appeared in an episode of ITVs second series of Plebs, as Stylax's racing patron. In 2013, Fleet was engaged to play Scottish historian, the Reverend Dr. Reginald Wakefield, in seasons 1 and 2 of the Award-winning Starz adaptation of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander , broadcast in 2014–2016.
An April 2021 announcement stated that Fleet would be joining the cast of the second season of All Creatures Great and Small in the role of Colonel Merrick. [15]
Fleet has recurred as King George III in the Netflix romantic period drama Bridgerton , reprising the role in spin-off series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
Fleet has appeared in numerous films. He played the role of Kevin's father in the 2000 film Kevin & Perry Go Large . He played the roles of Lefevre in the 2004 film adaptation of Phantom of the Opera, John Dashwood in 1995's Sense and Sensibility , and Lytton Strachey in the 2003 film Al Sur de Granada (South from Granada). In 2014, he played John Constable in the Mike Leigh film Mr Turner. In 2016, he played Sir Reginald DeCourcy in Whit Stillman's Love and Friendship .
Fleet lives in Sibford Gower, Oxfordshire with his wife, actress Jane Booker, and their son Hamish. [4]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1985 | Defence of the Realm | Ministry Man | |
1992 | Electric Moon | Simon Lidell | |
Blue Black Permanent | Jim Thorburn | ||
1994 | Four Weddings and a Funeral | Tom | |
Milner | Hugh Bonning | ||
1995 | 3 Steps to Heaven | Harry Roberts | |
Gentlemen Don't Eat Poets | Inspector Limp | ||
Sense and Sensibility | John Dashwood | ||
The Butterfly Effect | Oswald | ||
1997 | Thursday | Patrick | Short film |
Remember Me? | Donald | ||
1999 | Big Dreams and Paper Planes | Son | Short Movie |
Milk | Adrian | ||
2000 | Kevin & Perry Go Large | Dad | |
2001 | Charlotte Gray | Richard Cannerly | |
2002 | Two Men Went to War | Major Bates | |
2003 | South from Granada | Lytton Strachey | |
Blackball | Alan the Pipe | ||
2005 | The Phantom of the Opera | Monsieur Lefevre | |
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story | Simon | ||
2007 | Lady Godiva: Back in the Saddle | Alan Jenkins | |
2011 | The Decoy Bride | William | |
2013 | Murder on the Home Front | Professor Stephens | |
2014 | Mr. Turner | John Constable | |
2016 | Love & Friendship | Sir Reginald DeCourcy | |
Revolution: New Art For A New World | Wassily Kandinsky (voice) | Documentary | |
2017 | Love of My Life | Tom | |
2018 | The Spy Who Dumped Me | Tom | |
2019 | One Red Nose And A Wedding | Tom | TV Short |
Born a King | George V | ||
2020 | Blithe Spirit | Harry Price | |
2021 | Operation Mincemeat | Charles Fraser-Smith | |
2022 | The Lost King | John Ashdown-Hill | |
Scream of the Wolf | Oliver |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1979 | The Omega Factor | Ian | Episode: "Double Vision" | |
1983 | Grange Hill | Mr Perkins | Episode #6.5 | |
1985 | Dempsey and Makepeace | Man in the Office | Episode: "In the Dark" | |
1987 | The Ruth Rendell Mysteries | Neil Fairfax | Episode: "A Sleeping Life" | |
Still Crazy Like a Fox | Bellhop | TV movie | ||
1991 | Boon | Keith Dawson, Prosecution Barrister | Episode: "Trial and Error" | |
1991–1996 | Screen Two | Prime Minister / Algie / Peter Wentworth | ||
1992 | The Advocates | Philip Jackson | Episode 2 | |
The Bill | Paul Morgan | Episode: "Runaway" | ||
Screen One | James Grahame | Episode: "Running Late" | ||
1993 | A Year in Provence | Hugo Compton | Episode: "Room Service" | |
An Exchange of Fire | Michael Shanks | Episode #1.1 & #1.2 | ||
1994–2013, 2020 | The Vicar of Dibley | Hugo Horton | ||
1994 | Headhunters | Alan Spence | Episodes: "Right as Rain" & "Maradona Land" | |
Murder Most Horrid | Tom | Episode: "We All Hate Granny" | ||
Cracker | Michael Trant | Episode: "The Big Crunch" | ||
1996 | Lord of Misrule | Prime Minister | TV movie | |
The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders | James Bland | |||
Interview Day | Simon | |||
1997 | The Cows | Thor Johnson | ||
Gobble | Prime Minister (voice) | |||
Harry Enfield and Chums | Teacher Mr Banks | Episode #2.3 | ||
A Dance to the Music of Time | Moreland | Mini series | ||
Spark | Ashley Parkerwell | |||
1998 | Frenchman's Creek | Sir Harry | TV movie | |
1999 | The Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything | William the Conqueror | ||
2000 | Brotherly Love | Frank Robertson | ||
2000–2001 | Chambers | Hilary Tipping | ||
2002 | Young Arthur | Merlin | TV movie | |
Dick Whittington | Alderman Fitzwarren | |||
Fields of Gold | Alan Buckley | |||
2003 | Promoted to Glory | Michael Prendergast | ||
2004 | Family Business | David | Episode #1.5 | |
Murder in Suburbia | John Stanton | Episode: "A Good Deal of Attention" | ||
Monarch of the Glen | Liam | Episode #6.6 | ||
Three Sisters | Kulygin | TV movie | ||
2005 | Sea of Souls | Findlay Morrison | Episode: Amulet Part 1 & 2 | |
2005, 2017 | Midsomer Murders | Ralph Plummer / Michael Falconer | "Sauce for the Goose", "The Curse of the Ninth" | |
2007 | Legit | Peter | Episode: "Danny, Champion of the World" | |
2008 | Harley Street | Max Rogers | Episode #1.5 | |
Little Dorrit | Frederick Dorrit | |||
2009 | Skins | Martin | ||
Micro Men | Kenneth Baker | TV movie | ||
Hotel Babylon | Martin Armstrong | |||
2010 | Coronation Street | Robbie Sloan | ||
2011 | Being Human | George Senior | ||
2012 | Lewis | Dr Alex Falconer | Episode: "The Soul of Genius" | |
Comedy Showcase | Arthur Marvin | |||
2013 | Death in Paradise | Jeremy Tipping | ||
Toast Of London | Various | Episodes #2.1, | ||
Big Bad World | Kevin | Episodes #1.1, #1.2, #1.4, #1.6 & #1.7 | ||
Citizen Khan | Professor Stevens | |||
Death Comes to Pemberley | Mr Bennett | |||
2014 | Father Brown | Dr Adam Crawford | ||
Bad Education | Richard | |||
Blandings | Colonel Fanshawe | |||
Plebs | Gaius Maecenas | |||
2014–2016 | Outlander | Reverend Wakefield | 6 episodes | |
2015 | Love and Friendship | Sir Reginald DeCourcy | TV movie | |
Partners in Crime | Major Anthony Carter | Mini Series; 6 episodes | ||
Top Coppers | Charles Leatherby | Mini Series, 2 episodes | ||
2016 | Indian Summers | Lord Hawthorne | 4 episodes | |
Houdini and Doyle | Dr Pilsen | |||
The Hollow Crown | Hastings | |||
Billionaire Boy | Mr Darrow | TV movie | ||
2017 | Tracey Ullman's Show | Various – Archie / Awards Host / Tough Man | ||
Urban Myths | The Professor | |||
Hospital People | Neville Burley | Episode: "The Charity Single" | ||
2018 | Unforgotten | Chris Lowe | 6 episodes | |
Patrick Melrose | Sir Victor Eisen | Mini Series, Episode: "Never Mind" | ||
Death on the Tyne | Jack | TV movie | ||
2019 | Thanks for the Memories | Patrick Conway | Episode #1.1 & #1.2 | |
2020 | The Watch | Archchancellor of Unseen University | ||
The Pale Horse | Oscar Venables | |||
Belgravia | The Reverend Stephen Bellasis | |||
2020-present | Bridgerton | King George III | Recurring character | |
2021 | All Creatures Great and Small | Colonel Merrick | Episode: "Semper Progrediens" | |
2022-2023 | Dodger | Judge Fang | 6 episodes | |
2023 | Tom Jones | Squire Allworthy | Mini Series; 3 episodes | |
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story | King George III | Mini Series; Episode: "Crown Jewels" | ||
Beyond Paradise | Ernest Buchanan | Episode: Christmas Special | ||
2025 | The Feud | Derek | Filming [16] |
Year | Title | Role | Radio | Notes | Ref. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1986 | The Vacillations of Poppy Carew | Victor | BBC Radio 4 | [17] | ||
1996–1999 | Chambers | Hilary Tripping | ||||
2000 | As You Like It | Touchstone | BBC Radio 3 | Sunday Play | [18] | |
2000–2006 | Revolting People | Captain Brimshaw | BBC Radio 4 | |||
2005 | The Party Line | Duncan Stonebridge MP | ||||
The Spaceship | Captain Gordon "Flashdance" Taylor | BBC Radio 7 | ||||
2006 | Quartermaine's Terms | Mark Sackling | BBC Radio 4 | |||
2007–2012 | The Castle | Sir John Woodstock | ||||
2008 | Brief Lives | John Aubrey | ||||
Fortunes of War | Yakimov | Classic Serial | ||||
Max Warp | O'Reilley | BBC Radio 7 | Big Finish Productions | |||
2011 | Gormenghast | Prunesquallor | BBC Radio 4 | Classic Serial | ||
The History of Titus Groan | ||||||
The Rivals | Inspector Lestrade | |||||
2013 | Greenmantle | Sandy Arbuthnot | BBC Radio 4 Extra | |||
2015 | Decline and Fall | Prendergast | BBC Radio 4 | [19] | ||
2018–2020 | Quanderhorn | Professor Darius Quanderhorn | BBC Radio 4 | |||
2019 | Coriolanus | Menenius Agrippa | BBC Radio 3 | [20] | ||
2023 | Henry IV, Part 2 | Robert Shallow | [21] |
Year | Title | Role | Director | Venue | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1981 | The Witch of Edmonton | Somerton | Barry Kyle | The Other Place | Press night | |
1981-1982 | Money | Club Member / Servant | Bill Alexander | Barbican Theatre | ||
A Midsummer Night's Dream | Francis Flute | Ron Daniels | Royal Shakespeare Theatre | [22] | ||
1982 | Henry IV, Part 1 | Peto | Trevor Nunn | Barbican Theatre | [23] | |
Henry IV, Part 2 | Peto / Francis Feeble | [24] | ||||
Within a Word | Performer | Cicely Berry | Gulbenkian Studio | |||
The Twin Rivals | Subtleman | John Caird | Pit Theatre | Press night | ||
1982-1983 | Peter Pan | Slightly | Trevor Nunn & John Caird | Barbican Theatre | World premiere | [25] |
1983 | The Dillen | Joshua Farr/ Postmaster / Walt Clack | Barry Kyle | The Other Place | Press night | |
A New Way to Pay Old Debts | Amble / Creditor | Adrian Noble | ||||
The Time of Your Life | Willie | Howard Davies | ||||
Volpone | Peregrine | Bill Alexander | ||||
1984 | Gulbenkian Studio | |||||
Pit Theatre | ||||||
1984-1985 | A New Way to Pay Old Debts | Amble / Creditor | Adrian Noble | Barbican Theatre | ||
Waste | John Barton | |||||
1987 | The Taming of the Shrew | Hortensio | Jonathan Miller | Royal Shakespeare Theatre | [26] | |
Hyde Park | Barry Kyle | Barbican Theatre | ||||
1987-1988 | The Jew of Malta | Lodowick | [27] | |||
1988 | The Churchill Play | Captain Thompson | ||||
1989 | As You Like It | Oliver | Tim Albery | The Old Vic | [28] | |
1990 | Berenice | Arsace | Royal National Theatre | [29] | ||
1991 | The Government Inspector | Bobchinsky | Matthew Francis | Greenwich Theatre | ||
Just Between Ourselves | Neil | Terry Johnson | Bristol Old Vic | [30] | ||
1999 | The Late Middle Classes | Charles Smithers / Holly in 40s | Harold Pinter | Watford Palace Theatre | [31] | |
2005 | Mary Stuart | Sir Amyas Paulet | Phyllida Lloyd | Donmar Warehouse | [32] | |
2005- 2006 | Apollo Theatre | [33] | ||||
2009 | Cloud 9 | Clive | Thea Sharrock | Almeida Theatre | [34] | |
Twelfth Night | Sir Andrew Aguecheek | Gregory Doran | Courtyard Theatre | [35] | ||
The Observer | Saunders | Richard Eyre | Royal National Theatre | [36] | ||
2011 | The Heretic | Professor Kevin Maloney | Jeremy Herrin | Royal Court Theatre | [37] | |
The Ladykillers | Major Courtney | Sean Foley | Gielgud Theatre | [38] | ||
2016 | Les Blancs | Dr. Willy Dekoven | Yaël Farber | Royal National Theatre | [39] | |
2023 | Noises Off | Selsdon Mowbray | Lindsay Posner | Theatre Royal Haymarket | [40] | |
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