Robert Hardy
Born in Cheltenham in 1925, he studied at Oxford University and, in 1949, he joined the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon. Television viewers most fondly remember him as the overbearing Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small (1978) but his most critically acclaimed performance was as the title character of Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years (1981). His portrayal of Britain's wartime leader was so accurately observed that, in the following years, he was called on to reprise the role in such productions as The Woman He Loved (1988) and War and Remembrance (1988).
Unlike some British character actors, Hardy was not a Hollywood name and his work in films was therefore restricted to appearances in predominantly British-based productions such as The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1965), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) and Sense and Sensibility (1995). However, in the 21st century, Hardy came to the attention of a whole new generation for his performances in the hugely successful Harry Potter films, while also continuing to make regular appearances in British television series. His co-star from All Creatures Great and Small (1978), Peter Davison, quite simply described Hardy as an "extraordinary" actor who would "never do the same thing twice" when he was acting with him. He was awarded the CBE for services to acting. He died in August 2017.
Filmography (154 Appearances)
Snapshot Wedding
Joseph's Reel
Churchill: 100 Days That Saved Britain
Narnia's Lost Poet: The Secret Lives and Loves of C.S. Lewis
Ghosts in the Machine
Margaret
Centenary: The BP Story
Elementary My Dear Viewer
The Alan Titchmarsh Show
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Lewis
Goodbye Mr Snuggles
Le Grand Charles
Lassie
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Agatha Christie's Marple
Making Waves
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Death in Holy Orders
Lucky Jim
The Gathering
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Foyle's War
Bertie and Elizabeth
Thunderpants
Spooks
The Falklands Play
Shackleton
The Lost World
The Lost World
Justice in Wonderland
The 10th Kingdom
The Tichborne Claimant
An Ideal Husband
Nancherrow
Nancherrow
The Barber of Siberia
Castle Ghosts of Wales
Mrs. Dalloway
Midsomer Murders
Testament: The Bible in Animation
Castle Ghosts of Ireland
Gulliver's Travels
Sense and Sensibility
Castle Ghosts of England
Look at the State We're In!
Bramwell
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
A Feast at Midnight
Middlemarch
The Master Blackmailer
Bomber Harris
Paris by Night
Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair
War and Remembrance
In from the Cold? A Portrait of Richard Burton
The Woman He Loved
Blat
The Death of the Heart
Northanger Abbey
Inspector Morse
Make and Break
Paying Guests (Part 2)
Paying Guests (Part 1)
Sunday Premiere
ScreenPlay
The Demon Lover
Hot Metal
Jenny's War
Jenny's War
The Shooting Party
Screen Two
The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood
Sherlock Holmes
The Far Pavilions
James Mason: The Star They Loved to Hate
Natural World
Shades of Darkness
The Cleopatras
Countdown
Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years
Fothergill
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Twelfth Night
Speed King
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
The BBC Television Shakespeare
All Creatures Great and Small
Supernatural
Raffles
The Velvet Glove
The Duchess of Duke Street
Victorian Scandals
Bill Brand
The Secret Agent
Caesar and Claretta
Private Affairs
Edward the Seventh
Churchill's People
The Gathering Storm
The Slap
Shoulder to Shoulder
Playhouse
Yellow Dog
European Heritage
Gawain and the Green Knight
Between the Wars
Dark Places
Psychomania
The Silent One
Demons of the Mind
The Incredible Robert Baldick: Never Come Night
Young Winston
The Stalls of Barchester
A Ghost Story for Christmas
Getting In
Upstairs, Downstairs
Elizabeth R
10 Rillington Place
Great Performances
Warm Feet, Warm Heart
Big Brother
Marie Stopes: Sexual Revolutionary
Manhunt
Strange Report
Son of Man
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
Berserk!
How I Won the War
ITV Playhouse
Mystery and Imagination
The Spy Who Came In from the Cold
Thirty-Minute Theatre
The Troubleshooters
Old Man's Fancy
Thursday Theatre
The Wednesday Play
Theatre 625
The Spread of the Eagle
The Saint
The Dark Island
Drama 61-67
An Age of Kings
Torpedo Run
The Veil
David Copperfield
The Buccaneers
The Adventures of Sir Lancelot
Armchair Theatre
Othello
General Electric Theater
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Sunday Night Theatre
Black Legend