Robert Hardy
One of England's most successful and enduring character actors, with a prolific screen career on television and in films, Robert Hardy was acclaimed for his versatility and the depth of his performances.
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.
Acted in
Snapshot Wedding
2017
as Donald
Joseph's Reel
2015
as Old Joseph
Churchill: 100 Days That Saved Britain
2015
as Winston Churchill
Narnia's Lost Poet: The Secret Lives and Loves of C.S. Lewis
2013
as Self - Interviewee
Ghosts in the Machine
2009
as Narrator
Margaret
2009
as Willie Whitelaw
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2007
as Cornelius Fudge
Lewis
2007
as Sir Arnold Raeburn
Goodbye Mr Snuggles
2006
as Mr. Stiles
Le Grand Charles
2006
as Franklin D. Roosevelt
Lassie
2005
as Judge Murray
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2005
as Cornelius Fudge
Agatha Christie's Marple
2004
as Winston Churchill
Making Waves
2004
as Father Parry
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
2004
as Cornelius Fudge
Death in Holy Orders
2003
as Father Martin
Lucky Jim
2003
as Professor Neddy Welch
The Gathering
2003
as Bishop
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
2002
as Cornelius Fudge
Foyle's War
2002
Bertie and Elizabeth
2002
as President Roosevelt
Thunderpants
2002
as Doctor
Spooks
2002
as Sir John Barry
The Falklands Play
2002
as Sir Anthony Parsons
Shackleton
2002
as Sir James Caird
The Lost World
2001
as Prof. Illingworth
The Lost World
2001
as Professor Illingworth
The 10th Kingdom
2000
as Chancellor Griswold
An Ideal Husband
1999
as Lord Caversham
Nancherrow
1999
Nancherrow
1999
as Viscount Berryan
The Barber of Siberia
1998
as Forsten
The Tichborne Claimant
1998
as Lord Rivers
Castle Ghosts of Wales
1997
as Self
Mrs. Dalloway
1997
as Sir William Bradshaw
Midsomer Murders
1997
as Robert Cavendish
Testament: The Bible in Animation
1996
as Abraham (voice)
Castle Ghosts of Ireland
1996
as Self
Gulliver's Travels
1996
as Dr. Parnell
Sense and Sensibility
1995
as Sir John Middleton
Castle Ghosts of England
1995
as Self
Look at the State We're In!
1995
as Judge Sutcliffe
Bramwell
1995
as Sir Herbert Hamilton
Bramwell
1995
as Sir Herbert Hamilton
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
1994
as Prof. Krempe
A Feast At Midnight
1994
as Headmaster
Middlemarch
1994
as Arthur Brooke
The Master Blackmailer
1992
as Charles Augustus Milverton
Bomber Harris
1989
as Winston Churchill
Paris by Night
1989
as Adam Gillvray
Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair
1988
as Dr. Price
War and Remembrance
1988
as Winston Churchill
In from the Cold? A Portrait of Richard Burton
1988
as Self
The Woman He Loved
1988
as Winston Churchill
The Death of the Heart
1987
as Major Brutt
Northanger Abbey
1987
as General Tilney
Inspector Morse
1987
as Andrew Baydon
Make and Break
1987
as John Garrard
Paying Guests (Part 2)
1986
as Colonel Chase
Paying Guests (Part 1)
1986
as Colonel Chase
The Demon Lover
1986
as William Drover
Hot Metal
1986
Jenny's War
1985
as Klein
Jenny's War
1985
as Klein
The Shooting Party
1985
as Bob, Lord Lilburn
The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood
1984
as King Richard
Sherlock Holmes
1984
as Charles Augustus Milverton
The Far Pavilions
1984
as The Commandant
James Mason: The Star They Loved to Hate
1984
as Lord Bob Lilburn (archive footage) (uncredited)
Natural World
1983
as Narrator
The Cleopatras
1983
as Julius Caesar
Countdown
1982
Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years
1981
as Winston Churchill
Fothergill
1981
as John Fothergill
The Morecambe and Wise Show
1980
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
1980
as Narrator
Twelfth Night
1980
as Sir Toby Belch
Speed King
1979
as Dorothy Campbell
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
1979
as Clayton
Mrs. Columbo
1979
as Stuart
BBC Television Shakespeare
1978
All Creatures Great and Small
1978
as Siegfried Farnon
Supernatural
1977
Raffles
1977
Quincy, M.E.
1976
The Duchess of Duke Street
1976
Victorian Scandals
1976
Bill Brand
1976
as Mr. Marples
Caesar and Claretta
1975
as Benito Mussolini
Edward the Seventh
1975
The Gathering Storm
1974
as Joachim von Ribbentrop
The Slap
1974
as Robert Dickinson
Shoulder to Shoulder
1974
as Asquith
Playhouse
1974
as John Fothergill
Playhouse
1974
as Sir Malcolm Campbell
Yellow Dog
1973
as Alexander
Gawain and the Green Knight
1973
as Sir Bertilak
Dark Places
1973
as Edward Foster / Andrew Marr
Psychomania
1973
as Chief Inspector Hesseltine
The Silent One
1973
as The Assistant
Demons of the Mind
1972
as Zorn
The Incredible Robert Baldick: Never Come Night
1972
as Doctor Sir Robert Baldick
Young Winston
1972
as Prep School Headmaster
The Stalls of Barchester
1971
as Archdeacon Haynes
A Ghost Story for Christmas
1971
Upstairs, Downstairs
1971
as Sir Guy Paynter
Elizabeth R
1971
as Robert Dudley
10 Rillington Place
1971
as Malcolm Morris
Warm Feet, Warm Heart
1970
as Albert Purvis
Manhunt
1970
as Abwehr Sergeant Gratz
Berserk!
1967
as Detective Superintendent Brooks
How I Won the War
1967
as British General
Mystery and Imagination
1966
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
1965
as Dick Carlton
The Troubleshooters
1965
as Alec Stewart
Old Man's Fancy
1965
as Jason
The Wednesday Play
1964
as Nick Prockter
The Saint
1962
as Walter Faber
The Dark Island
1962
An Age of Kings
1960
as Henry, Prince of Wales
Torpedo Run
1958
as Lt. Redley
The Veil
1958
The Buccaneers
1956
as Lord Hinch
The Adventures of Sir Lancelot
1956
as Sir Rupert
Othello
1955
as Cassio
General Electric Theater
1953
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Joachim von Ribbentrop
Sunday Night Theatre
1950
as Orsino
Black Legend
1949
as Mad Thomas