Nigel Le Vaillant

Last updated

Nigel Le Vaillant (born 11 June 1958) is a British former actor, who worked in television in the United Kingdom during the 1990s.

Contents

Early life

Le Vaillant's English father moved to Pakistan after service during the Second World War, and worked in the tea plantation industry there, eventually becoming Chief Executive for Brooke Bond in South Asia. [1] Le Vaillant was born in the country and raised in Karachi. [2] [1] The family returned to England, settling in Sussex when he was 16, although he regularly returned to Asia, especially India, in the following years. [1] He was educated at Bryanston school in England and at St Peter's College, Oxford, although he later stated that, despite his outward appearance, he "never felt like a Westerner". [1]

Acting career

Le Vaillant began acting soon after the family returned to England, [1] although he initially struggled to find work in the industry and spent nine years unemployed. [3] After short appearances, such as P.C. Miller in The Gentle Touch in 1980, he spent three series in the BBC One drama Casualty playing the character of Dr. Julian Chapman, before leaving to star as the title character in the prime-time BBC series Dangerfield . [4] He left the production in 1997, having married former Casualty star Nicola Jeffries two years earlier. [3] [5] He also appeared in the short-lived sitcom Honey for Tea , [6] and in the cinema film Tom's Midnight Garden , playing the adult Tom. His performance of Volpone at Oxford Playhouse(1980) was noted approvingly by William W E Slights in 'Ben Jonson and the Art of Secrecy'(1994)

He briefly returned to acting in 2009 to play British Prime Minister Edward Heath in the television drama Margaret . [2]

Post acting life

He abandoned the acting profession in the early 2000s, being uneasy with the fame that comes with being a recognized figure on national television, and spends much of his time in Southern India where he is a property developer, while also maintaining a residence in Brixton, South London. [5] [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigel Havers</span> British actor and presenter (born 1951)

Nigel Allan Havers is an English actor and presenter. His film roles include Lord Andrew Lindsay in the 1981 British film Chariots of Fire, which earned him a BAFTA nomination; as Dr. Rawlins in the 1987 Steven Spielberg war drama Empire of the Sun; and as Ronny in the 1984 David Lean epic A Passage to India. Television roles include Tom Latimer in the British TV comedy series Don't Wait Up and Lewis Archer in Coronation Street, between 2009 and 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Williams (actor)</span> British actor

Simon Williams is a British actor known for playing James Bellamy in the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. Frequently playing upper middle class or aristocratic upper class roles, he is also known for playing Charles Cartwright in the sitcom Don't Wait Up and Charles Merrick in medical drama Holby City. Since 2014, he has played the character of Justin Elliott in the long-running BBC Radio 4 series The Archers.

Nigel Derek Harman is an English actor. Beginning his career as a child actor, he has played various roles across theatre, stage and television, including as Sky Masterson in Michael Grandage's revival of Guys and Dolls and as Lord Farquaad in the original London production of Shrek the Musical, for which he received an Olivier Award.

George Layton is a British actor, director, screenwriter and author best known for three television roles – junior doctor Paul Collier in the comedy series Doctor in the House and its sequels Doctor at Large, Doctor in Chargeand Doctor at the Top, that of Bombardier 'Solly' Solomons in the first two series of It Ain't Half Hot Mum, and as Des the mechanic in early episodes of Minder. He also appeared in two episodes of The Sweeney and played Norman Simmonds in EastEnders as well as a few early appearances as himself on the light entertainment BBC1 consumer show That's Life!.

Michael Melia is a British actor best known for his work on television. He appeared as Queen Vic landlord Eddie Royle in BBC One soap opera EastEnders between 1990 and 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon MacCorkindale</span> British actor (1952–2010)

Simon Charles Pendered MacCorkindale was a British actor, film director, writer, and producer. He spent much of his childhood moving around owing to his father's career as an officer with the Royal Air Force. Poor eyesight prevented him from following a similar career in the RAF, so he instead planned to become a theatre director. Training at Studio 68 of Theatre Arts in London, he started work as an actor, making his West End debut in 1974. He went on to appear in numerous roles in television, including the series I, Claudius and Jesus of Nazareth, before starring as Simon Doyle in the film Death on the Nile (1978). This proved to be a breakthrough role. He appeared in a variety of films and TV series including Quatermass (1979), The Riddle of the Sands (1979), The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982) and Jaws 3-D (1983).

Lorraine Chase is an English actress and former model. She became well known for her strong south east London accent and frequent use of cockney slang, and found fame through a series of television adverts for Campari before embarking on an acting career. She is best known for playing the role of Steph Stokes in ITV soap opera Emmerdale from 2002 to 2006, with a brief return in 2013. Her partner, John Knight, died from cancer in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Barron</span> English actor (1934–2017)

Keith Barron was an English actor and television presenter who appeared in films and on television from 1961 until 2017. His television roles included the police drama The Odd Man, the sitcom Duty Free, and Gregory Wilmot in Upstairs, Downstairs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Barraclough</span> British actor

Roy Senior Barraclough was an English comic actor. He was best known for his role as Alec Gilroy, the devious, mournful landlord of the Rovers Return in the long-running British TV soap Coronation Street, and for the double-act Cissie and Ada with comedian Les Dawson.

<i>Dangerfield</i> (TV series) British television drama series (1995–1999)

Dangerfield is a British television medical drama series, first broadcast on BBC One, which described the activities of small-town doctor and police surgeon Paul Dangerfield, played by Nigel Le Vaillant. The series places particular emphasis on Dangerfield's constant struggle to manage the conflicting demands of his two jobs, to come to terms with the death of his wife Celia in a car accident a few years earlier, and to bring up his two initially teenaged, but later grown up, children, Alison and Marty. Six series of the programme were produced, broadcasting from 27 January 1995 until 19 November 1999. After Le Vaillant left the role in 1997, Dr. Jonathan Paige, played by Nigel Havers, became the new central character, after previously appearing in the final two episodes of Le Vaillant's tenure. The BBC decided to end the series in November 1999 when Havers announced his decision to quit. The BBC felt viewers would not find the series credible if the main character was changed for a second time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randhir Kapoor</span> Indian actor (born 1947)

Randhir Raj Kapoor is a retired Indian actor, film producer and director who worked in Hindi cinema.

Lucy Renee Speed is an English actress best known for her television roles as Natalie Evans in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders appearing in 526 episodes between 1994 and 2004, and as DS Stevie Moss in the ITV police drama series The Bill from 2008 to 2010. She has also starred in the BBC One sitcom Cradle to Grave (2015) and ITV dramas Marcella (2018) and Unforgotten (2021). Speed is also a prolific stage performer, appearing in numerous theatrical productions.

Honey for Tea is a British sitcom that aired on BBC1 in 1994. Starring Felicity Kendal, it was written by Michael Aitkens. The series was poorly received at the time, receiving a particularly scathing review from Victor Lewis-Smith in the London Evening Standard. He later described Felicity Kendal's attempt at an American accent as 'Britain's revenge' for Dick Van Dyke's cockney accent in Mary Poppins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Faulkner</span> Actress and TV presenter

Lisa Tamsin Faulkner is an actress, presenter and television chef. She has had roles in The Lover (1992), Dangerfield (1995), Brookside (1997–1998), Holby City (1999–2001), Spooks (2002), Burn It (2003), Murder in Suburbia (2004–2005), New Street Law (2006–2007), Murdoch Mysteries (2010–2012), EastEnders (2017) and The Girl Before (2021).

Nigel Pivaro is a British actor and journalist. He is best known for playing Terry Duckworth, the son of Jack and Vera Duckworth in Coronation Street.

The sixth series of the British medical drama television series Casualty commenced airing in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 6 September 1991 and finished on 27 February 1992.

The fifth series of the British medical drama television series Casualty commenced airing in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 7 September 1990 and finished on 7 December 1990.

The seventh series of the British medical drama television series Casualty commenced airing in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 12 September 1992 and finished on 27 February 1993.

Ralph Valladares, often known as Ralphie Valladares, was a roller derby skater and coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honey Wright</span> Fictional character from the BBC medical drama Casualty

Honey Wright is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Casualty, played by Chelsee Healey. She first appears in the series twenty-nine episode "The Last Call", originally broadcast on 11 October 2014. Honey is introduced as the new tea lady in the emergency department (ED) of Holby City Hospital. The character and Healey's casting details were announced in May 2014. Producers approached Healey's agent about a role as a nurse, but she struggled with the medical terminology, so the character of Honey was created instead. The actress was contracted for four months as a semi-regular character and began filming in May 2014. Honey is characterised as a vivacious person who is "fun, bubbly, nice" and caring. Despite being based in the ED's coffee shop, Honey travels around the department with a tea trolley. She has a pink car with big eyelashes attached to the headlamps.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Earls, John (14 September 1997). "'MY HEART IS IN THE EAST - I DON'T FEEL LIKE A WESTERNER!' I'LL NEVER FORGET...MY FIRST TRIP TO INDIA; as Dr Paul Dangerfield in BBC1's Medical Drama Dangerfield, Nigel le Vaillant Is a Typically Smooth English Gent. but Nigel's Own Background Is Rather More Exotic. JOHN EARLS Heard about His Early Life in Pakistan - and the First Time He "Popped Next Door"". The Sunday People .
  2. 1 2 3 Dangerfield TV star who turned his back on fame
  3. 1 2 "WHY I'M HANGING UP STETHOSCOPE; Nigel Quits Show to Be 'Own Boss'". Daily Mirror . 30 August 1997. Archived from the original on 4 October 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  4. ↑ THE VALIANT SIDE OF LE VAILLANT
  5. 1 2 "Question Time; Your Letters". Daily Mirror . 24 January 2011. Archived from the original on 4 October 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  6. ↑ Honey For Tea
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.