External links
- James Fleet at IMDb
| International | |
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James Fleet | |
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| Born | James Edward Fleet 11 March 1952 |
| Alma mater | Royal Conservatoire of Scotland |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Spouse | 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 series 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 .
From 1999–2001, Fleet 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 from 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 - Wedding One | |
| 1995 | The Grotesque | Inspector Limp | aka Grave Indiscretion and Gentlemen Don't Eat Poets |
| 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 film |
| 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 | aka Al sur de Granada (original title) |
| Blackball | Alan the Pipe | ||
| 2004 | The Phantom of the Opera | Monsieur Lefevre | |
| 2005 | Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story | Simon | |
| 2007 | Lady Godiva: Back in the Saddle | Alan Jenkins | |
| 2011 | The Decoy Bride | William | |
| 2014 | Mr. Turner | John Constable | |
| 2016 | Love & Friendship | Sir Reginald DeCourcy | |
| Revolution: New Art for a New World | Wassily Kandinsky (voice) | Documentary film | |
| 2017 | Love of My Life | Tom | |
| 2018 | The Spy Who Dumped Me | Tom | |
| 2019 | Born a King | George V | |
| 2020 | Blithe Spirit | Harry Price | |
| 2021 | Operation Mincemeat | Charles Fraser-Smith | |
| 2022 | Wolf Manor | Oliver | aka Scream of the Wolf (U.S. title) |
| The Lost King | John Ashdown-Hill | ||
| 2023 | North Star | Actor | aka My Mother's Wedding (U.S. title) |
| 2024 | Broken Bird | Mr. Thomas |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | The Omega Factor | Ian | Episode 9: "Double Vision" |
| 1983 | Grange Hill | Mr. Perkins | Series 6; episode 5 |
| 1984 | All the World's a Stage | Reading from the 1572 Act of Parliament | Mini-series; episode 5: "A Muse of Fire" |
| 1985 | Dempsey and Makepeace | Man in Office | Series 2; episode 9: "In the Dark" |
| 1987 | Still Crazy Like a Fox | Bellhop | Television film, aka Crazy Like a Fox: The Movie |
| The Ruth Rendell Mysteries | Neil Fairfax | Series 3; episodes 4 & 5: "A Sleeping Life: Parts One & Two" | |
| 1991 | Boon | Keith Dawson, Prosecution Barrister | Series 6; episode 3: "Trial and Error" |
| Screen Two | Bob | Series 7; episode 11: "They Never Slept" | |
| 1992 | Peter Wentworth | Series 8; episode 8: "Common Pursuit" | |
| The Advocates | Philip Jackson | Series 2; episodes 1–3 | |
| The Bill | Paul Morgan | Series 8; episode 43: "Runaway" | |
| Screen One | James Grahame | Series 4; episode 6: "Running Late" | |
| 1993 | Screen Two | Algie | Series 9; episode 4: "Femme Fatale" |
| A Year in Provence | Hugo Compton | Mini-series; episode 7: "Room Service" | |
| An Exchange of Fire | Michael Shanks | Episodes 1 & 2 | |
| 1994 | Headhunters | Alan Spence | Episodes 1–3: "The Golden Hello", "Maradonna Land" & "Right as Rain" |
| Murder Most Horrid | Tom | Series 2; episode 4: "We All Hate Granny" | |
| Cracker | Michael Trant | Series 2; episodes 4–6: "The Big Crunch: Parts 1–3" | |
| Milner | Hugh Bonning | Television film | |
| 1994–2020 | The Vicar of Dibley | Hugo Horton | Series 1–3 & various specials; 29 episodes |
| 1995 | 3 Steps to Heaven | Harry Roberts | Television films |
| 1996 | Lord of Misrule | Prime Minister | |
| Eskimo Day | Simon | ||
| Screen Two | Prime Minister | Series 14; episode 1: "Crossing the Floor" | |
| The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders | James Bland | Mini-series; episode 3 | |
| 1997 | Cows | Thor Johnson | Pilot episode |
| Harry Enfield and Chums | Teacher, Mr. Banks | Series 2; episode 3 | |
| Gobble | Prime Minister (voice) | Television film | |
| A Dance to the Music of Time | Moreland | Mini-series; episodes 2–4 | |
| Underworld | William Smith | Mini-series; episodes 1–6 | |
| Spark | Ashley Parkerwell | Episodes 1–6 | |
| 1998 | Frenchman's Creek | Sir Harry | Television films |
| 1999 | The Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything | William the Conqueror | |
| 2000 | Brotherly Love | Frank Robertson | Episodes 1–6 |
| 2000–2001 | Chambers | Hilary Tipping | Series 1 & 2; 12 episodes |
| 2002 | Dick Whittington | Alderman Fitzwarren | Television films |
| Fields of Gold | Alan Buckley | ||
| Dog and Duck | Dog (voice) | Series 1–3; 195 episodes | |
| Young Arthur | Merlin | Television films | |
| 2003 | Promoted to Glory | Michael Prendergast | |
| 2004 | Three Sisters | Kulygin | |
| Family Business | David | Episode 5 | |
| Murder in Suburbia | John Stanton | Series 1; episode 5: "A Good Deal of Attention" | |
| Monarch of the Glen | Liam | Series 6; episode 6 | |
| 2005 | Midsomer Murders | Ralph Plummer | Series 8; episode 7: "Sauce for the Goose" |
| Sea of Souls | Findlay Morrison | Series 2; episodes 1 & 2: "Amulet: Parts 1 & 2" | |
| 2007 | Legit | Peter | Episode 5: "Danny, Champion of the World" |
| 2008 | Harley Street | Max Rogers | Episode 5 |
| Little Dorrit | Frederick Dorrit | Mini-series; 9 episodes | |
| 2009 | Skins | Martin | Series 3; episode 4: "Pandora" |
| Hotel Babylon | Martin Armstrong | Series 4; episode 5 | |
| Micro Men | Kenneth Baker | Television film | |
| 2010 | Coronation Street | Robbie Sloan | 7 episodes |
| 2011 | Being Human | George Senior | Series 3; episode 6: "Daddy Ghoul" |
| 2012 | Lewis | Dr. Alex Falconer | Series 6; episode 1: "The Soul of Genius" |
| Comedy Showcase | Arthur Marvin | Series 3; episode 6: "The Function Room" | |
| Just Around the Corner | Ed | Television film | |
| 2013 | Death in Paradise | Jeremy Tipping | Series 2; episode 3: "Death in the Clinic" |
| Red Nose Day 2013 | Hugo Horton | Vicar of Dibley sketch for Comic Relief | |
| It's Kevin | Various characters | Episodes 1 & 3–5 | |
| Murder on the Home Front | Professor Stephens | Television film | |
| Toast of London | Various characters | Series 2; episode 1 | |
| Big Bad World | Neil Turnbull | 5 episodes | |
| Citizen Khan | Professor Stevens | Series 2; episode 1: "Alia's College" | |
| Death Comes to Pemberley | Mr. Bennett | Mini-series; episodes 1 & 2 | |
| 2014 | Father Brown | Dr. Adam Crawford | Series 2; episode 9: "The Grim Reaper" |
| Blandings | Colonel Fanshawe | Series 2; episode 5: "Sticky Wicket at Blandings" | |
| Comedy Playhouse | Father Abbot | Series 16; episode 3: "Monks" | |
| Bad Education | Richard | Series 3; episodes 2 & 3: "After School Clubs" & "Sports Day" | |
| Plebs | Gaius Maecenas | Series 2; episode 4: "The Patron" | |
| 2014–2016 | Outlander | Reverend Wakefield | Series 1 & 2; 6 episodes |
| 2015 | Partners in Crime | Major Anthony Carter | Mini-series; episodes 1–6 |
| Top Coppers | Charles Leatherby | Episodes 2 & 3: "The Girdle of Randall Rogers" & "The Venom of Doctor Schafer" | |
| 2016 | Billionaire Boy | Mr. Darrow | Television film |
| Indian Summers | Lord Hawthorne | Series 2; episodes 2–5 | |
| Houdini and Doyle | Dr. Pilsen | Mini-series; episode 7: "Bedlam" | |
| The Hollow Crown | Hastings | Series 2; episodes 2 & 3: "Henry VI, Part 2" & "Richard III" | |
| 2017 | Urban Myths | The Professor | Series 1; episode 3: "Hitler the Artist" |
| Tracey Ullman's Show | Tough Man / Award's Host / Archie | Series 2; episodes 1, 5 & 6 | |
| Hospital People | Neville Burley | Episode 6: "The Charity Single" | |
| Midsomer Murders | Michael Falconer | Series 19; episode 6: "The Curse of the Ninth" | |
| 2018 | Unforgotten | Chris Lowe | Series 3; episodes 1–6 |
| Patrick Melrose | Sir Victor Eisen | Mini-series; episode 2: "Never Mind" | |
| Death on the Tyne | Jack | Television film | |
| 2019 | One Red Nose and a Wedding | Tom | Television short film for Comic Relief |
| The Importance of Being Oscar | Canterville Ghost / Basil Hallward | Television documentary film | |
| Thanks for the Memories | Patrick Conway | Mini-series; episodes 1 & 2 | |
| 2020 | The Pale Horse | Oscar Venables | Mini-series; episode 1: "Part One" |
| Belgravia | Reverend Stephen Bellasis | Mini-series; episodes 2–6 | |
| The Watch | Archchancellor of Unseen University | Episodes 2 & 5: "Ook" & "Not on My Watch" | |
| 2020–2022 | Bridgerton | King George III | Series 1; episodes 5 & 6, & series 2; episode 6 |
| 2021 | All Creatures Great and Small | Colonel Merrick | Series 2; episode 2: "Semper Progrediens" |
| 2022–2023 | Dodger | Judge Fang | Series 1 & 2; 6 episodes |
| 2023 | Tom Jones | Squire Allworthy | Mini-series; episodes 1, 2 & 4 |
| Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story | King George III | Mini-series; episode 6: "Crown Jewels" | |
| Beyond Paradise | Ernest Buchanan | Series 2; episode: "Christmas Special" | |
| 2024 | The Devil's Hour | Greg Wiseman | Series 2; episode 3: "Something Beginning with D" |
| 2025 | Brian and Maggie | Ronnie Millar | Episode 1 |
| I, Jack Wright | Bobby | 6 episodes | |
| TBA | The Feud | Derek Abshire | 6 episodes. Completed [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 | |||
| 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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