Robert Hardy
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1925-10-29
Day of Death
2017-08-03 (91 years old)
Place of Birth
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, UK
Robert Hardy
Biography
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.
Known For
Acting
(2017)
Snapshot Wedding
as Donald
(2015)
Joseph's Reel
as Old Joseph
(2015)
Churchill: 100 Days That Saved Britain
as Winston Churchill
(2013)
Narnia's Lost Poet: The Secret Lives and Loves of C.S. Lewis
as Self - Interviewee
(2009)
Margaret
as Willie Whitelaw
(2009)
Ghosts in the Machine
as Narrator
(2007)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
as Cornelius Fudge
(2007)
Elementary My Dear Viewer
as Self
(2006)
Goodbye Mr Snuggles
as Mr. Stiles
(2005)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
as Cornelius Fudge
(2005)
Lassie
as Judge Murray
(2004)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
as Cornelius Fudge
(2004)
Making Waves
as Father Parry
(2003)
The Gathering
as Bishop
(2003)
Lucky Jim
as Professor Neddy Welch
(2002)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
as Cornelius Fudge
(2002)
Thunderpants
as Doctor
(2002)
Bertie and Elizabeth
as President Roosevelt
(2002)
The Falklands Play
as Sir Anthony Parsons
(2001)
The Lost World
as Prof. Illingworth
(1999)
Nancherrow
as Viscount Berryan
(1999)
An Ideal Husband
as Lord Caversham
(1998)
The Barber of Siberia
as Forsten
(1998)
The Tichborne Claimant
as Lord Rivers
(1997)
Mrs. Dalloway
as Sir William Bradshaw
(1997)
Castle Ghosts of Wales
as Self
(1996)
Castle Ghosts of Ireland
as Self
(1995)
Sense and Sensibility
as Sir John Middleton
(1995)
Castle Ghosts of England
as Self
(1994)
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
as Prof. Krempe
(1994)
A Feast at Midnight
as Headmaster
(1992)
The Master Blackmailer
as Charles Augustus Milverton
(1989)
Paris by Night
as Adam Gillvray
(1989)
Bomber Harris
as Winston Churchill
(1988)
The Woman He Loved
as Winston Churchill
(1988)
(1988)
Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair
as Dr. Price
(1987)
Northanger Abbey
as General Tilney
(1987)
Make and Break
as John Garrard
(1987)
The Death of the Heart
as Major Brutt
(1986)
Paying Guests (Part 2)
as Colonel Chase
(1986)
Paying Guests (Part 1)
as Colonel Chase
(1986)
The Demon Lover
as William Drover
(1985)
Jenny's War
as Klein
(1985)
The Shooting Party
as Bob, Lord Lilburn
(1984)
James Mason: The Star They Loved to Hate
as Lord Bob Lilburn (archive footage) (uncredited)
(1984)
The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood
as King Richard
(1981)
Fothergill
as John Fothergill
(1980)
Twelfth Night
as Sir Toby Belch
(1980)
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
as Narrator (voice)
(1979)
Speed King
as Dorothy Campbell
(1975)
Caesar and Claretta
as Benito Mussolini
(1974)
The Slap
as Robert Dickinson
(1974)
The Gathering Storm
as Joachim von Ribbentrop
(1973)
Psychomania
as Chief Inspector Hesseltine
(1973)
The Silent One
as Assistant
(1973)
Gawain and the Green Knight
as Sir Bertilak
(1973)
Dark Places
as Edward Foster / Andrew Marr
(1973)
Yellow Dog
as Alexander
(1972)
Young Winston
as Prep School Headmaster
(1972)
Demons of the Mind
as Zorn
(1972)
The Incredible Robert Baldick: Never Come Night
as Doctor Sir Robert Baldick
(1971)
10 Rillington Place
as Malcolm Morris
(1971)
The Stalls of Barchester
as Archdeacon Haynes
(1970)
Warm Feet, Warm Heart
as Albert Purvis
(1969)
Son of Man
as Pontius Pilate
(1967)
How I Won the War
as British General
(1967)
Berserk!
as Detective Superintendent Brooks
(1965)
The Spy Who Came In from the Cold
as Dick Carlton
(1965)
Old Man's Fancy
as Jason
(1958)
Torpedo Run
as Lt. Redley
(1955)
Othello
as Cassio
(1949)
Black Legend
as Mad Thomas