Martin Jarvis(I)
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Martin Jarvis OBE is one of Britain's most versatile leading actors.
His distinguished career continues to encompass just about every aspect
of the entertainment industry: film, television, theatre, radio and
audio recording. He is also the author of two bestselling books: a
hilarious autobiography Acting Strangely and a compelling account of
his award-winning time on Broadway in 2001: Broadway, Jeeves - The
Diary of a Theatrical Adventure, both published by Methuen. In 2010 he
starred as Vincent Hogg in a new production of Agatha Christie's The
Mirror Cracked in ITV/WGHB's popular 'Miss Marple' series. In 2009, he
starred in BBC2's comedy/drama Taking the Flak, receiving outstanding
reviews for his performance as national treasure tv journalist David
Bradburn. He stars in the feature film Neander Jin - Return of the
Neanderthal Man (US/ Germany co-production, 2010) as Peter Blodnik,
network mogul.
Alongside his screen and theatre career he is a prolific
director of radio drama and, with his wife, actress/director Rosalind
Ayres, produces plays and readings for BBC. His award-winning
productions include Shadowlands, David Mamet's Keep Your Pantheon,
Ayckbourn's Man of the Moment and Ian Fleming's Dr No. He has homes in
London and Los Angeles. He trained at RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic
Arts in London, England), where he won the Vanbrugh Award and the
Silver Medal. He is an Associate of RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic
Arts in London, England). He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the
British Empire) in the 2000 Queen's New Years Honors List for his
services to drama.
In 2006, he appeared at the Santa Fe Arts Festival
in New Mexico in Wilde's The Canterville Ghost with Shirley Maclaine
and Ali McGraw. Earlier in the same year, he starred in Honour at
Wyndham's Theatre, London giving an acclaimed performance opposite Dame
Diana Rigg. On screen that year he played Leonard in BBC-TV's modern
version of "Much Ado About Nothing" and (in 2005) starred as "Malvolio"
in "Twelfth Night" at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. He received a
Theatre World Award on Broadway in 2001 for his title role performance
in "By Jeeves" which he also filmed. His West End, National, Almeida
and Donmar theatre appearances include works by Sir Alan Ayckbourn,
Michael Frayn, Harold Pinter CH, Somerset Maugham, Sir George Bernard
Shaw and Oscar Wilde. He played Jack Worthing opposite Dame Judi
Dench's Lady Bracknell in Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" at
the National Theatre in the 1980s directed by Sir Peter Hall, and
premiered Pinter's "Other Places" in the National's Cottesloe Theatre.
Pinter directed him in the leading role of Hector in Giraudoux's "The
Trojan War Will Not Take Place."
He met Sir Alan Ayckbourn at the
National and subsequently went on to star in his "Woman in Mind,"
"Henceforward," "Just Between Ourselves" and "By Jeeves." His Screen
credits include leading roles in the British/Australian mini-series
"Bootleg," "Inspector Lynley Mysteries," "Lorna Doone," Frayn's "Make
and Break," "Ike - The War Years" (with Robert Duvall) and "The Bunker"
(with Sir Anthony Hopkins.) He was "Linus" in Sir Richard Eyre's film,
"Absence of War written by Sir David Hare. He has guest starred (very
often as villains) in "Inspector Morse," "Frost," "Lovejoy,"
"Casualty," "Murder Most Horrid," "Dr Who," "Space Above and Beyond,"
"Murder, She Wrote" and "Walker: Texas Ranger" in the US. He played
monstrous Neil Biddle in "Sex 'N' Death" and was a memorable television
Uriah Heep in "David Copperfield" on British television. First major
screen role: 'Jon' in the multi-award winning "The Forsyte Saga." He
followed this with many 'classic serials' including "The Way of All
Flesh (in which he starred as Ernest Pontifex), "Nicholas Nickleby"
(title role), "The Moonstone," "Little Women" and "The Pallisers." His
feature films include the psychological thriller "Framed" (2007), "Mrs
Caldicot's Cabbage War," James Cameron's "Titanic," "Kid With the X-Ray
Eyes," "Buster," "The Last Escape," and "Taste the Blood of Dracula."
His voice can be heard in numerous television animation series as well
as feature films including "Flushed Away" and "Eragon." He has narrated
"Peter and the Wolf at the Barbican" and appeared with City of
Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Scottish Chamber Orchestra as
Narrator for Egmont and "A Midsummer Night's Dream." At the Chichester
Festival Theatre he starred with Sir John Gielgud in "Paradise Lost,"
with Googie Withers CBE and Susan Hampshire OBE in "The Circle" and
with concert pianist Lucy Parham in "Beloved Clara." Jarvis & Ayres
Productions, which he founded with his wife, Rosalind Ayres, has
produced many award-winning dramas and readings for BBC Radio, National
Public Radio in America and for audio books. Their work includes
outstanding interpretations of plays by Sir George Bernard Shaw, Sir
Alan Ayckbourn, Harold Pinter CH, Michael Frayn, David Mamet, Hugh
Whitemore, Robert Shearman, Tennessee Williams, Oscar Wilde, and many
more. British and American stars who have been associated with J&A
productions include, in the UK: Dame Judi Dench, Sir Ian McKellen, Dame
Diana Rigg, Alfred Molina, Richard E. Grant, Michael York OBE, Richard
Briers CBE, Pauline Collins OBE, Janie Dee, Fiona Shaw CBE, Miriam
Margolyes OBE, Patricia Hodge, Twiggy Lawson, Natascha McElhone, Martin
Freeman, Barry Humphries CBE, Phil Collins and in the US: Brendan
Fraser, Elaine Stritch, Teri Garr, Stacy Keach, Shirley Knight, Hector
Elizondo, Bruce Davison, Matthew Wolf, Eric Stoltz, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ed
Begley Jr, Ed O'Neill and Gregory Peck. Directors of J&A dramas
include: David Mamet, Michael Grandage, David Grindley, Sir Alan
Ayckbourn, Pete Atkin, Rosalind Ayres. Their productions have received
Audie and Earphone awards in the US.
In September 2006, he directed
Teri Garr, Michael York OBE and Alfred Molina in an acclaimed
production of "Pack of Lies" for BBC Radio 4. He and Fiona Shaw CBE
starred for five years in the popular BBC series "Our Brave Boys." His
Just William audio and radio recordings are world wide best sellers. He
was the subject of BBC TV's This Is Your Life in 1999.
His distinguished career continues to encompass just about every aspect
of the entertainment industry: film, television, theatre, radio and
audio recording. He is also the author of two bestselling books: a
hilarious autobiography Acting Strangely and a compelling account of
his award-winning time on Broadway in 2001: Broadway, Jeeves - The
Diary of a Theatrical Adventure, both published by Methuen. In 2010 he
starred as Vincent Hogg in a new production of Agatha Christie's The
Mirror Cracked in ITV/WGHB's popular 'Miss Marple' series. In 2009, he
starred in BBC2's comedy/drama Taking the Flak, receiving outstanding
reviews for his performance as national treasure tv journalist David
Bradburn. He stars in the feature film Neander Jin - Return of the
Neanderthal Man (US/ Germany co-production, 2010) as Peter Blodnik,
network mogul.
Alongside his screen and theatre career he is a prolific
director of radio drama and, with his wife, actress/director Rosalind
Ayres, produces plays and readings for BBC. His award-winning
productions include Shadowlands, David Mamet's Keep Your Pantheon,
Ayckbourn's Man of the Moment and Ian Fleming's Dr No. He has homes in
London and Los Angeles. He trained at RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic
Arts in London, England), where he won the Vanbrugh Award and the
Silver Medal. He is an Associate of RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic
Arts in London, England). He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the
British Empire) in the 2000 Queen's New Years Honors List for his
services to drama.
In 2006, he appeared at the Santa Fe Arts Festival
in New Mexico in Wilde's The Canterville Ghost with Shirley Maclaine
and Ali McGraw. Earlier in the same year, he starred in Honour at
Wyndham's Theatre, London giving an acclaimed performance opposite Dame
Diana Rigg. On screen that year he played Leonard in BBC-TV's modern
version of "Much Ado About Nothing" and (in 2005) starred as "Malvolio"
in "Twelfth Night" at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. He received a
Theatre World Award on Broadway in 2001 for his title role performance
in "By Jeeves" which he also filmed. His West End, National, Almeida
and Donmar theatre appearances include works by Sir Alan Ayckbourn,
Michael Frayn, Harold Pinter CH, Somerset Maugham, Sir George Bernard
Shaw and Oscar Wilde. He played Jack Worthing opposite Dame Judi
Dench's Lady Bracknell in Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" at
the National Theatre in the 1980s directed by Sir Peter Hall, and
premiered Pinter's "Other Places" in the National's Cottesloe Theatre.
Pinter directed him in the leading role of Hector in Giraudoux's "The
Trojan War Will Not Take Place."
He met Sir Alan Ayckbourn at the
National and subsequently went on to star in his "Woman in Mind,"
"Henceforward," "Just Between Ourselves" and "By Jeeves." His Screen
credits include leading roles in the British/Australian mini-series
"Bootleg," "Inspector Lynley Mysteries," "Lorna Doone," Frayn's "Make
and Break," "Ike - The War Years" (with Robert Duvall) and "The Bunker"
(with Sir Anthony Hopkins.) He was "Linus" in Sir Richard Eyre's film,
"Absence of War written by Sir David Hare. He has guest starred (very
often as villains) in "Inspector Morse," "Frost," "Lovejoy,"
"Casualty," "Murder Most Horrid," "Dr Who," "Space Above and Beyond,"
"Murder, She Wrote" and "Walker: Texas Ranger" in the US. He played
monstrous Neil Biddle in "Sex 'N' Death" and was a memorable television
Uriah Heep in "David Copperfield" on British television. First major
screen role: 'Jon' in the multi-award winning "The Forsyte Saga." He
followed this with many 'classic serials' including "The Way of All
Flesh (in which he starred as Ernest Pontifex), "Nicholas Nickleby"
(title role), "The Moonstone," "Little Women" and "The Pallisers." His
feature films include the psychological thriller "Framed" (2007), "Mrs
Caldicot's Cabbage War," James Cameron's "Titanic," "Kid With the X-Ray
Eyes," "Buster," "The Last Escape," and "Taste the Blood of Dracula."
His voice can be heard in numerous television animation series as well
as feature films including "Flushed Away" and "Eragon." He has narrated
"Peter and the Wolf at the Barbican" and appeared with City of
Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Scottish Chamber Orchestra as
Narrator for Egmont and "A Midsummer Night's Dream." At the Chichester
Festival Theatre he starred with Sir John Gielgud in "Paradise Lost,"
with Googie Withers CBE and Susan Hampshire OBE in "The Circle" and
with concert pianist Lucy Parham in "Beloved Clara." Jarvis & Ayres
Productions, which he founded with his wife, Rosalind Ayres, has
produced many award-winning dramas and readings for BBC Radio, National
Public Radio in America and for audio books. Their work includes
outstanding interpretations of plays by Sir George Bernard Shaw, Sir
Alan Ayckbourn, Harold Pinter CH, Michael Frayn, David Mamet, Hugh
Whitemore, Robert Shearman, Tennessee Williams, Oscar Wilde, and many
more. British and American stars who have been associated with J&A
productions include, in the UK: Dame Judi Dench, Sir Ian McKellen, Dame
Diana Rigg, Alfred Molina, Richard E. Grant, Michael York OBE, Richard
Briers CBE, Pauline Collins OBE, Janie Dee, Fiona Shaw CBE, Miriam
Margolyes OBE, Patricia Hodge, Twiggy Lawson, Natascha McElhone, Martin
Freeman, Barry Humphries CBE, Phil Collins and in the US: Brendan
Fraser, Elaine Stritch, Teri Garr, Stacy Keach, Shirley Knight, Hector
Elizondo, Bruce Davison, Matthew Wolf, Eric Stoltz, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ed
Begley Jr, Ed O'Neill and Gregory Peck. Directors of J&A dramas
include: David Mamet, Michael Grandage, David Grindley, Sir Alan
Ayckbourn, Pete Atkin, Rosalind Ayres. Their productions have received
Audie and Earphone awards in the US.
In September 2006, he directed
Teri Garr, Michael York OBE and Alfred Molina in an acclaimed
production of "Pack of Lies" for BBC Radio 4. He and Fiona Shaw CBE
starred for five years in the popular BBC series "Our Brave Boys." His
Just William audio and radio recordings are world wide best sellers. He
was the subject of BBC TV's This Is Your Life in 1999.