UK film and TV - Supporting actors

An immaculate gent of sober appearance and cultivated presence, Bate was seemingly destined to play spymasters and senior civil servants. Lean, pale-eyed and of deceptively mild intonation, he was capable of unnervingly icy composure, never more effectively displayed than as the chameleon-like Soviet mole Kim Philby in ITV's telemovie Philby, Burgess and Maclean (1977). In similar vein, Bate played the enigmatic, debonair American-born spook, Bret Renssalaer, in Len Deighton's Game, Set, and Match (1988). Most famously, he added an authentic touch to the affable, officious Home Office security undersecretary, Sir Oliver Lacon -- "Whitehall's Head Prefect" - in John le Carré's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979), and its sequel, Smiley's People (1982).

Anthony Bate began working life behind the bar of a hotel owned by his family on the Isle of Wight. After completing his national service with the Royal Navy Volunteers in 1947, he started dabbling in amateur dramatics and then took the next step to formal training at London's Central School of Speech and Drama, graduating a gold medal winner. After the obligatory sojourn in repertory theatre, he made his West End debut in a 1960 dramatisation of the famous 1925 Scopes Trial, "Inherit the Wind", at St. Martin's Theatre. Over the next three decades, he drew many excellent notices for such classical roles as Don Pedro in "Much Ado About Nothing", for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

In occasional films from 1957, Bate popped up as straight man in minor comedies, like Dentist in the Chair (1960). However, in due course, he found his niche to be on the small screen, where he was increasingly sought-after by producers for a wide variety of characters of, either, furtive, stern, starchy, supercilious or sinister disposition. Besides crime and espionage, Bate was a ubiquitous protagonist in screen adaptations from the classics: the obsessive Inspector Javert on the trail of Frank Finlay's Jean Valjeon, in a 1967 version of Victor Hugo's oft-filmed masterpiece; as the intrepid Dr. Livesey of Treasure Island (1977); and as the Knight's Templar, Sir Brian de Bois Guilbert, chief nemesis of Ivanhoe (1970). Another of his outright villains was treacherous London gangster Eddie Edwards, taking advantage of his boss's (Ray McAnally) incarceration to usurp his criminal empire. In Intimate Strangers (1974), Bate was given a rare starring role, as a middle-aged family man, re-evaluating his life after a heart attack. This introspective and nuanced performance was, arguably, one of his best. The cool, unflappable Mr. Bate also portrayed such historical personae as Joseph Stalin, Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt and Eduard Shevardnadze -- all with equal vigour and conviction. One of the unsung heroes of British television, Anthony Bate passed away in June 2012 at the age of 84.

John Quentin was born in 1935 in London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Wittgenstein (1993), Gandhi (1982) and Poirot (1989).

Haydn Gwynne was fluent in French and Italian. She studied Modern Languages at the University of Warwick before taking a five-year lectureship in Italy, where she taught English. She also drove across the United States before becoming an actress in her mid-twenties.

She first came to notice on television as starring in the David Lodge campus comedy/drama Nice Work (1989), before joining the sharp comedy series set in a television newsroom, Drop the Dead Donkey (1990). She was known for her roles in the medical series Peak Practice (1993) and the police drama Merseybeat (2001), but later played in the stage musicals 'Billy Elliot' and 'Ziegfeld'.

She lived in London with her partner Jason Phipps, a psychotherapist, and their two sons, Orlando and Harry. Offscreen, she volunteered for Sightsavers, a group committed to combating blindness in under-developed countries.

Edward Petherbridge was born on 3 August 1936 in West Bowling, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for The Guardians (1971), The River Flows East (1962) and American Playhouse (1980). He has been married to Emily Richard since 1981. They have two children. He was previously married to Louise Petherbridge.

Anna Massey was born on 11 August 1937 in Thakeham, West Sussex, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Peeping Tom (1960), Frenzy (1972) and The Machinist (2004). She was married to Dr. Uri Andres and Jeremy Brett. She died on 2 July 2011 in London, England, UK.

Clare Holman was born on 12 January 1964 in London, England, UK. She is an actress and director, known for Blood Diamond (2006), Let Him Have It (1991) and Suite Française (2014). She was previously married to Howard Davies.

Matthew Marsh lives in London and has been working in theatre film television & radio since 1977 - this versatile character actor often plays American Russian south African and German roles and many others along with his native UK ones - he has been lucky enough to work all over the world in film and TV and in theatre he loves working on new plays

Ian McNeice went to Taunton School in Somerset and then had two years at the Salisbury Playhouse as an Acting A.S.M. before going to L.A.M.D.A. 1971-74. The next few years were spent in theatre, including four years with the Royal Shakespeare Company, ending with "Nicholas Nickleby" on Broadway. His TV breakthrough was as Harcourt in the B.A.F.T.A award-wining series Edge of Darkness (1985). His American screen breakthrough was playing opposite Jim Carrey as Fulton Greenwall in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995).

Rachael Stirling was born on 30 May 1977 in St Marylebone, London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), The Young Victoria (2009) and Tipping the Velvet (2002). She has been married to Guy Garvey since 3 June 2016. They have one child.

David Ryall was born on 5 January 1935 in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Around the World in 80 Days (2004), Automata (2014) and City of Ember (2008). He was married to Penny England, Cathy Buchwald and Gillian Eddison. He died on 25 December 2014 in London, England, UK.

Deborah Findlay was born in Surrey and studied English at Leeds University. She worked in Leeds with a theatre group touring plays, music, community theatre and cabaret before coming to London to work at the Theatre Royal Stratford East. She was in the original production of 'Top Girls' by Caryl Churchill (OBIE Award) and seasons at the RSC and National Theatre where she received an Olivier Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for 'Stanley'. She has an extensive career in theatre and was nominated for a Tony for the play 'The Children'. She had another Olivier nomination for 'The Cut'. She played in New York on Broadway and in the West End in London including prestigious theatre the Donmar with the play 'The Vortex'.

Frank Mills was born on 11 April 1927 in Peckham, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Oliver Twist (2005), Big Deal (1984) and Flambards (1979). He died on 11 February 2021 in Essex, England, UK.

Diane Fletcher was born on 17 April 1944 in Derby, Derbyshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), House of Cards (1990) and Macbeth (1971).

Mary Wimbush was a stalwart actress of repertory and West End theatre, who played three separate roles in the long-running BBC Radio serial "The Archers".

She was born in Kenton, Middlesex in 1924. Her father was a schoolmaster and her mother trained at RADA, but did not pursue a career on the stage. Mary attended the Berkhamsted School for Girls and also boarded at the St Agnes and St Michael's, an Anglican convent at East Grinstead.

Mary trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama, before joining Amersham rep.

Her wartime marriage to the actor Howard Marion-Crawford by whom she had a son, ended in divorce. Her partnership with the poet Louis MacNeice lasted from 1958 until his death in 1963.

She appeared regularly on film, radio and television in character roles until her sudden death in October 2005, following a recording of "The Archers" at the BBC's Birmingham studios. She was 81.

Samantha Bond was born on 27 November 1961 in Kensington, London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and Die Another Day (2002). She has been married to Alexander Hanson since September 1989. They have two children.

Jonathan Coy was born on 24 April 1953 in Hammersmith, London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The Scarlet Pimpernel (1999), Horatio Hornblower: The Fire Ship (1998) and Underworld (1997). He has been married to Emma Amos since 1998. They have one child. He was previously married to Louisa Rix.

Edward Jewesbury was born on 6 August 1917 in Marylebone, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Richard III (1995), Much Ado About Nothing (1993) and Henry V (1989). He was married to Christine Roberts. He died on 31 March 2001 in Esher, Surrey, England, UK.

Robert Lang was born on 24 September 1934 in Bristol, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), The Dance of Death (1969) and Night Watch (1973). He was married to Ann Bell. He died on 6 November 2004 in Sutton, Surrey, England, UK.

English character actress with a penchant for genteel aristocrats and kindly mothers. The daughter of teachers, she "spent some time selling shoes in Reading" before entering the acting profession. Aged eighteen, she studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made her debut in repertory theatre at Amersham in 1955. Rosemary Leach enjoyed a prolific and varied career in both supporting and leading roles on the screen (though, by her own account, preferred radio and the stage). She became a familiar presence, most notably in television period dramas and sitcoms. Her roles have included Queen Victoria in Disraeli: Portrait of a Romantic (1978) (she also played Queen Elizabeth II on at least four occasions on both stage and screen),scatterbrained Aunt Fenny in The Jewel in the Crown (1984) (which fostered her fascination with India and resulted in several subsequent visits) , the swindled widow Joan Plumleigh-Bruce -- victim of 1930's social climbing con man Ralph Ernest Gorse -- in The Charmer (1987), one of three nannies working for wealthy families in Edwardian London's exclusive Berkeley Square (1998),the verger's wife, Mrs. Tope, in The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1993) and Zoë Wanamaker's habitually Martini-imbibing mother Grace in My Family (2000). She was twice nominated for BAFTA awards, latterly as Best Supporting Actress for her role as the kindly Mrs. Honeychurch in A Room with a View (1985). Her own personal favourite roles have included Miss Adelaide in a 1973 Birmingham Repertory Theatre production of "Guys and Dolls" and that of eccentric real life author Helene Hanff in "84 Charing Cross Road" (1981, Ambassador Theatre, London) for which she received an Olivier Award as Best Actress.

Barry Jackson was born on 29 March 1938 in Birmingham, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Wimbledon (2004), Barry Lyndon (1975) and Midsomer Murders (1997). He was married to Denise. He died on 5 December 2013 in London, England, UK.

Michael was born in Nottingham where he was educated at Becket Roman Catholic Grammar School, West Bridgeford in Nottingham where he was known as Jimmy - his real name is Michael James - and where he was caned some 130 times. While that might have been a record, the one that went into the record books was scoring 60 of the under-13 football team's 120 goals in a season. In between canings and scoring goals, he acquired a great love of literature and the English language from a teacher at Becket Grammar School which he left at 17 with an A level in philosophy and became an accountant with the coal board. Before he took his accountancy finals, he left the Coal Board and went to work in the Nottingham Fish Market where the language he learned was a revelation to him.

James Faulkner is an English actor best known for his roles as Pope Sixtus IV in the historical fantasy series Da Vinci's Demons, and as Randyll Tarly in the HBO series, Game of Thrones.

When at school, Faulkner was never deemed as an academically minded student, however compensated by immersing himself into the arts, training as a chorister and taking part in every house play, school play and choral society concert available. Accepted into the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Faulkner studied exhaustively for three years, and won the lead role in the final graduation production of Kiss Me Kate. A promising start to the industry saw his stage presence transform dramatically, being cast in productions including Much Ado About Nothing, Dear Antoine, and The Bacchae, until it became clear that it was his time to enter the film industry.

In 1972, Faulkner made his big screen debut, being cast as Josef Strauss in MGM's musical, The Great Waltz. Without question, a cavalcade of roles soon followed, appearing in films such as Whispering Death, Murder on the Orient Express, and Priest of Love. In 1988, he appeared opposite Jeremy Brett as one of the biggest enemies of Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles. Some of his more notable appearances include roles in I Claudius, Underworld: Blood Wars, The Three Investigators, and the Bridget Jones films.

Over a long career in front on the lens, Faulkner has also lent his voice to a number of video games, including Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, voicing Severus Snape, and additional voices in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Most recently, he voices Swain in the world-renowned League of Legends.

Announced in 2016, Faulkner joined the cast of the HBO series Game of Thrones, portraying Randyll Tarly, a character mentioned frequently throughout the duration of the show. His lifespan, though short, is one of the more memorable, as it was his harsh and ruthless ways that led him to his untimely death.

Most recently, James Faulkner has appeared in the films Atomic Blonde and Final Portrait, and as Saint Paul in Paul, Apostle of Christ, as well as voicing Frith in the BBC-Netflix adaptation of Watership Down.

Moray Watson was born on 25 June 1928 in Sunningdale, Berkshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Quatermass Experiment (1953), No Wreath for the General (1960) and Nobody's Perfect (1980). He was married to Pam Marmont. He died on 2 May 2017 in Hillingdon, London, England, UK.

Allan Cuthbertson was born on 7 April 1920 in Perth, Western Australia, Australia. He was an actor, known for The Guns of Navarone (1961), Room at the Top (1958) and The Trygon Factor (1966). He was married to Gertrude Willner. He died on 8 February 1988 in Chelsea, Kensington & Chelsea, London, England, UK.

Paul Brooke was born on 22 November 1944 in London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The Phantom of the Opera (2004), Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) and Alfie (2004).