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Anthony Andrews

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Anthony Andrews
Andrews in 1982 by Allan Warren
Born
Anthony Colin Gerald Andrews

(1948-01-12) 12 January 1948 (age 76)
Finchley, London, England
OccupationActor
Spouse
Georgina Simpson
(m. 1971)
Children3

Anthony Colin Gerald Andrews[1] (born 12 January 1948) is an English actor. He played Lord Sebastian Flyte in the ITV miniseries Brideshead Revisited (1981), for which he won Golden Globe and BAFTA television awards, and was nominated for an Emmy. His other lead roles include Operation Daybreak (1975), Danger UXB (1979), Ivanhoe (1982) and The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982), and he played UK Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin in The King's Speech (2010).

Early life and career

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Andrews was born in London, the son of Geraldine Agnes (née Cooper), a dancer, and Stanley Thomas Andrews, an arranger and conductor for the BBC.[1] He grew up in North Finchley, London. At the age of eight, he took dancing lessons, making his stage debut as the White Rabbit in a stage adaptation of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.[2] He attended the Royal Masonic School for Boys in Bushey, Hertfordshire.[citation needed]

After a series of jobs that included catering, farming and journalism, he secured a position at the Chichester Theatre, where he worked as an assistant stage manager and later as a stand-in producer. In 1968, he auditioned for a production of Alan Bennett's new play, Forty Years On, which featured John Gielgud as the headmaster of a British public school during the First World War period. Andrews was cast as Skinner, one of twenty schoolboys. In 1974 he played Lord Robert, Marquis of Stockbridge in the TV series Upstairs, Downstairs. In 1975 he had a leading role in the Spanish film Las adolescentes (The Adolescents), opposite Koo Stark.[3]

In June 1977, he was cast in the role of Bodie in the ITV series The Professionals. However, after three days of filming, the creator and producer Brian Clemens believed that the chemistry between Andrews and Martin Shaw (Doyle) did not work and that "the pair did not have the required undercurrent of menace to carry off the concept". Lewis Collins replaced Andrews in the part.[4] Following that, in 1979, Andrews was the main star of the ITV television series Danger UXB, in which he played a British bomb disposal officer in the London Blitz.[5] The series first aired in the United Kingdom in 1979 on the ITV network.[citation needed]

His subsequent work includes the leading role of Lord Sebastian Flyte in Brideshead Revisited (1981). In 1982, he won a Golden Globe and BAFTA TV Award for his performance and was nominated for an Emmy Award. In the United States, Andrews is best known for his portrayal of the titular character in the television film Ivanhoe as well as that of Sir Percy Blakeney in the film The Scarlet Pimpernel (both 1982).[5]

At the National Theatre in London he was in Coming in to Land (1986/1987) by Stephen Poliakoff alongside Dame Maggie Smith.[6] He also played Professor Higgins in a stage version of My Fair Lady (2003), and Count Fosco in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Woman in White (2005).[7]

He was the narrator for a 21st anniversary BBC Radio 2 special broadcast of Cameron Mackintosh's musical Les Misérables, sung by the then West End cast at the Mermaid Theatre in London on Sunday 8 October 2006. Andrews appeared as Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin in the film The King's Speech (2010), for which he won a SAG Award along with Helena Bonham Carter, Jennifer Ehle, Colin Firth, Michael Gambon, Derek Jacobi, Guy Pearce, Geoffrey Rush and Timothy Spall.[citation needed]

Personal life

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Andrews and his wife Georgina Simpson

Andrews met actress Georgina Simpson of the Simpsons of Piccadilly department store family and they were married on 1 December 1971. They have three children.[citation needed]

Andrews survived a case of water intoxication in 2003. The condition, also known as hyponatraemia ("low blood sodium"), occurs when sodium ions in the body are diluted so far that nerves are unable to function properly. The condition has symptoms similar to those of dehydration, such as headaches, nausea and cramps. While performing as Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, Andrews consumed up to eight litres of water a day. He lost consciousness and spent three days in intensive care.[8]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1972 A War of Children Reg Hogg TV film
A Day Out Brothers TV film
1973 Take Me High Hugo Flaxman
1974 Percy's Progress Catchpole
1975 The Adolescents Jimmy
Operation Daybreak Jozef Gabčík
1976 Call Girl Marcos
1978 Much Ado About Nothing Claudio TV film
1981 Mistress of Paradise Buckley TV film
1982 Ivanhoe Wilfred of Ivanhoe TV film
La Ronde The Young Gentleman TV film
The Scarlet Pimpernel Sir Percy Blakeney TV film
1983 Sparkling Cyanide Tony Browne TV film
1984 Under the Volcano Hugh Firmin
1985 The Holcroft Covenant Johann von Tiebolt
1986 The Second Victory Major Hanlon
1987 The Lighthorsemen Major Richard Meinertzhagen
1988 Bluegrass Michael Fitzgerald TV film
The Woman He Loved Prince of Wales TV film
Hanna's War McCormack
1990 Hands of a Murderer Professor Moriarty TV film
1991 Lost in Siberia Andrei Miller
1995 Haunted Robert Mariell
2000 David Copperfield Edward Murdstone TV film
2007 Last Night Dad Short film
2010 The King's Speech Stanley Baldwin
2019 The Professor and the Madman Benjamin Jowett

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1968 The Wednesday Play Harry Episode: "A Beast with Two Backs"
1972 Dixon of Dock Green Paul Richards Episode: "First Offenders"
Doomwatch Carlos Episode: "Say Knife, Fat Man"
Follyfoot Lord Beck Episode: "The Awakening"
Thirty-Minute Theatre Michael Warren Episode: "The Judge's Wife"
1974 The Fortunes of Nigel Sir Nigel Olifaunt Mini-series, 5 episodes
QB VII Stephen Kelno Mini-series, 2 episodes
The Pallisers Earl of Silverbridge Recurring role, 7 episodes
1974-1975 David Copperfield Steerforth Mini-series, 4 episodes
1975 Upstairs, Downstairs Marquis of Stockbridge Recurring role, 3 episodes
1976 The Duchess of Duke Street Marcus Carrington Episode: "Lottie's Boy"
BBC Play of the Month Hon. Alan Howard Episode: "French Without Tears"
Charles Courtley Episode: "London Assurance"
1977 Wings Lieutenant Walker Episode: "The Prisoner's Friend"
The Sunday Drama Harry Episode: "A Superstition"
BBC Play of the Month Horner Episode: "The Country Wife"
1978 BBC Television Shakespeare Mercutio Episode: "Romeo and Juliet"
1979 Danger UXB Brian Ash Series regular, 13 episodes
1981 The Love Boat Tony Selkirk Recurring role, 3 episodes
Brideshead Revisited Sebastian Flyte Recurring role, 6 episodes
1984 Play for Today John Loomis Episode: "Z for Zachariah"
1985 A.D. Nero Mini-series, 5 episodes
1988 American Playhouse Johnnie Aysgarth Episode: "Suspicion"
1989 A Fine Romance Michael Trent Episode: "Pilot"
Columbo Elliott Blake Episode: "Columbo Goes to the Guillotine"
Nightmare Classics Dr. Henry Jekyll/Mr. Edward Hyde Episode: "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde"
1992 Danielle Steel's Jewels William Whitfield Mini-series, 2 episodes
Screen Two Christopher Edwardes Episode: "The Law Lord"
1996 The Ruth Rendell Mysteries Luke Crossland Episode: "Heartstones"
Tales from the Crypt Jonathan Episode: "About Face"
1997 Screen Two Robin Episode: "Mothertime"
2001 Love in a Cold Climate Boy Mini-series, 3 episodes
2003 Cambridge Spies King George VI Mini-series, 1 episode
2004 Rosemary & Thyme Richard Oakley Episode: "The Invisible Worm"
2006 Agatha Christie's Marple Tommy Beresford Episode: "Agatha Christie's Marple"
2012 Birdsong Colonel Barclay Mini-series, 1 episode
2015 The Syndicate Lord Hazelwood Series regular, 6 episodes
2020 The English Game Lord Kinnaird Recurring role, 5 episodes

Theatre

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Year Title Role Venue Notes
1968 Dragon Variations Douglas Blake Duke of York's Theatre, London
Forty Years On Skinner Apollo Theatre, London
1971 Romeo and Juliet Balthasar Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, London with New Shakespeare Company
A Midsummer Night's Dream Mustardseed Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, London with New Shakespeare Company
1986 One of Us Garonway Rees Greenwich Theatre, London
1987 Coming Into Land Neville Lyttelton Theatre, London
1999 Vertigo Theatre Royal, Windsor
2001 Ghosts Pastor Manders Comedy Theatre, London
2003 My Fair Lady Henry Higgins Drury Lane Theatre, London
2005 The Woman in White Count Fosco Palace Theatre, London
2007 The Letter Howard Joyce Wyndham's Theatre, London
2011 Bully Boy Major Oscar Hadley Nuffield Theatre, Southampton
2012 A Marvellous Year for Plums Sir Anthony Eden Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester

Producing credits

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  • Lost in Siberia (1991)
  • Haunted (1995)

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Work Result
1982 British Academy Television Awards Best Actor Brideshead Revisited Won
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Brideshead Revisited Nominated
1983 Golden Globe Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Brideshead Revisited Won
1991 CableACE Award Best Actor in a Dramatic Series Nightmare Classics Nominated
1993 Golden Globe Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Danielle Steel's Jewels Nominated
2011 Santa Barbara International Film Festival Best Motion Picture Ensemble of the Year (with Claire Bloom, Helena Bonham Carter, Jennifer Ehle, Colin Firth, Michael Gambon, Derek Jacobi, Guy Pearce, Geoffrey Rush & Timothy Spall) The King's Speech Won
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture (with Helena Bonham Carter, Jennifer Ehle, Colin Firth, Michael Gambon, Derek Jacobi, Guy Pearce, Geoffrey Rush & Timothy Spall) The King's Speech Won

References

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  1. ^ a b "Anthony Colin Andrews Biography (1948-)". Filmreference.com. 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  2. ^ "Debut : Anthony Andrews". The Independent. London, UK. 25 April 2001.
  3. ^ "Adolescentes, Las" in Luis Gasca, Un siglo de cine español (Planeta, 1998), p. 17
  4. ^ "Obituary :Lewis Collins". The Daily Telegraph. London, UK. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  5. ^ a b Quinlan, David (1996) Quinlan's Film Stars, Batsford, ISBN 0-7134-7751-2, p. 16
  6. ^ "Theatre Plays".
  7. ^ "Anthony Andrews". flyrope.com. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 11 October 2006.
  8. ^ "Actor Andrews in water overdose". BBC News. London: BBC. 4 July 2003. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
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