The Honourable Nigel Havers
Havers in 2004
Born	Nigel Allan Havers (1951-11-06)6 November 1951 (age 73) Edmonton,Middlesex, England
Occupation(s)	Actor and presenter
Years active	1970–present
Spouses	Carolyn Cox ​ ​ (m. 1974; div. 1989)​ Polly Williams ​ ​ (m. 1989; died 2004)​ Georgiana Bronfman ​ ​ (m. 2007)​
Children	1
Father	Michael Havers, Baron Havers

Nigel Allan Havers (born 6 November 1951)^[1] is an English actor and presenter. His film roles include Lord Andrew Lindsay in the 1981 British filmChariots of Fire, which earned him aBAFTA nomination; as Dr. Rawlins in the 1987Steven Spielberg war dramaEmpire of the Sun; and as Ronny in the 1984David Lean epicA Passage to India. Television roles include Tom Latimer in the British TV comedy seriesDon't Wait Up andLewis Archer inCoronation Street, between 2009 and 2019.

Havers was born inEdmonton, Middlesex, and is the younger of two sons of SirMichael Havers (later Lord Havers), abarrister who served as theAttorney General for England and Wales and, briefly,Lord Chancellor in the Conservative Government in the 1980s. His mother is Carol Lay, who is an author.^[2]

His paternal aunt,Lady Butler-Sloss,^[3] his grandfather SirCecil Havers and elder brother Philip HaversKC also had prominent legal careers. His paternal uncle, David Havers, was a Manchester-based businessman.

Havers took part in theBBC TV seriesWho Do You Think You Are?, broadcast in the UK in July 2013. As part of the show he explored his ancestry from anEssex businessman, on his father's side, and aCornish miller on his mother's side.^[2]

Havers was educated at Nowton Court Prep School inBury St Edmunds,Suffolk and theArts Educational School, anindependent school in London. He opted against theEton education traditional in his family, although his father had attendedWestminster School, because he thought thatfagging "sounded frightful".^{[citation needed]}

Havers is most known for "playing the quintessential, old school Englishman with his dashing good looks, cut-glass accent and thoroughly charming manner".^[4] Havers's first acting job was in the radio seriesMrs Dale's Diary and he subsequently went on to working for theProspect Theatre Company initially "carrying a spear and making cups of tea" as he puts it in his autobiography.

In the 1970s he was a researcher for nine years on theJimmy Young radio show, particularly responsible for enticing politicians due to his father's contacts, including helping obtainMargaret Thatcher's first radio interview.^{[citation needed]}

From an early age Havers had an eye for the ladies;Kenneth More, a friend of his father, advised a young Havers that "If you are charming, you don't have to ask them to go to bed, they ask you".^{[citation needed]} He describes his experiences with an early leading lady,Maxine Audley thus: "I was in her dressing room doing whatever she asked me to, and I mean anything and everything. One afternoon I sauntered into her dressing room, still in my officer's kit, only to find a similarly clad new member of the cast rehearsing what I had perfected over the past few months. My time was up. She blew me a kiss and I slid away. Actually, I was rather relieved, I needed a rest."^{[citation needed]}

After his theatre work, Havers slid into a period of actingunemployment, during which time he worked for awine merchant. He ended this part of his career when his girlfriend, who later became his first wife, Carolyn Cox, suggested they move in together in 1974.^{[citation needed]}

In 1975, Havers's career began to pick up with an appearance inUpstairs, Downstairs, appearing in one of the series' last episodes, "Joke Over" as Peter Dinmont, one of Georgina's (Lesley-Anne Down)Roaring Twenties "party" friends. Dinmont is in the Rolls-Royce when Georgina accidentally kills a farmer on a bicycle. Dinmont refuses to testify on Georgina's behalf at a preliminary trial, as he was passed out drunk in the back seat and did not witness the accident.

It was also in 1975 that Havers appeared in theGranada Television daytime seriesCrown Court, in which he played a haplessheroin addict, Patrick Mills, who stands trial on a series of drug offences.

His first film appearance was a small part inPope Joan (1972) and he was a character inThe Glittering Prizes (1976), but his first major success came with the leading role in aBBC dramatisation ofNicholas Nickleby (1977), closely followed by another BBC drama serial,A Horseman Riding By (1978). By the time he appeared in the filmChariots of Fire (1981), he had become a familiar face on British television. Despite his work in such films asA Passage to India (1984),Empire of the Sun (1987) andFarewell to the King (1989), he never became a film star, but has continued in a succession of starring roles on television. He co-starred for several years in the 1980sBBC sitcomDon't Wait Up (1983–1990) alongsideDinah Sheridan andTony Britton. He also starred inThe Little Princess (1986) withMaureen Lipman.

Havers co-starred withWarren Clarke in the 1991 BBC comedic mini-seriesSleepers. Havers and Clarke played formerKGB spies who had assimilated into English life in the 1960s and were "lost" for 25 years. Successfully and happily living as Englishmen, their worlds are turned upside-down when they discover that the KGB is looking for them. As they resist going back to Russia, the ex-spies lead the KGB,CIA, andMI5 on a madcap chase through England.^{[citation needed]}

Havers appeared onThis Is Your Life in 1992, having been surprised by hostMichael Aspel at Twickenham Film Studios.^[5] He later wrote anautobiography, titledPlaying with Fire, which was published in October 2006 by Headline Publishing Group.^[6]

In 2009, Havers appeared in the U.S. television dramaBrothers & Sisters, and theDoctor Who spin-offThe Sarah Jane Adventures. On 18 December 2009, he first appeared in the British soap (broadcast on theITV network)Coronation Street playing the charmingescortLewis Archer, who woosAudrey Roberts. He left on 13 August 2010. He returned to the role on 17 February 2012 and left again on 1 February 2013. He returned again on 1 June 2018 and remained inCoronation Street until the character's death on 1 January 2019.

In November 2010, Havers became a contestant on thetenth series ofI'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, which started on 14 November 2010. On 21 November, Havers left the show after vehemently objecting to a challenge called Kangaroo Court in which contestants who lost the challenge would be subjected to an electric shock.^[7]

As a guest star in the 2011 Christmas Special episode of television showDownton Abbey, Havers portrayed Lord Hepworth, a charming and hopeful suitor of wealthyLady Rosamund Painswick, the widowed sister of theEarl of Grantham played bySamantha Bond.^[8] In the episode, Hepworth is discovered having an affair with Lady Rosamund's maid and outed as a "fortune hunter." Series creatorJulian Fellowes remarked in his book ofteleplays for the second series ofDownton Abbey that "no one inEquity is better" than Havers "at playing a cad."

In July 2012, Havers presented a programme onITV calledThe Real Chariots of Fire, a documentary about the runners who inspired the filmChariots of Fire.^[9] In 2014, he played Tony Pebble inThe Life of Rock with Brian Pern, aBBC Four comedy which parodied the life and career of formerGenesis singer,Peter Gabriel.^[10] On 25 January 2015, Havers took part in celebrity talent showGet Your Act Together.

Havers appeared in the ninth series of the sitcomBenidorm, in 2017,^[11] returning as the same character for the tenth series in 2018. He also joined fellow celebritiesSimon Callow,Lorraine Chase, andDebbie McGee on the Channel 5 (UK) show,Celebrity Carry On Barging, later that year.^[12]

In 2024 he was the narrator of a newChannel 4 seriesHelp! We Bought a Hotel.^{[citation needed]}

In March 2025, Havers appeared in the four-part ITV seriesA Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story as his own grandfather the judge SirCecil Havers.^[13]

In the mid-1980s, Havers began an affair with Polly Williams, the daughter of actorHugh Williams and the sister of his friend, the actorSimon Williams. He has stated that he had several affairs during his first marriage, which he now regrets.^[14]

Havers has written of thedepression he experienced trying to choose between his marriage to Carolyn Cox and their young daughter Kate, born in 1977, and his mistress, Polly Williams. During this time, he consulted a psychiatrist at the Devonshire Hospital in London. Havers and Williams married in 1989, and the marriage lasted until her death on 24 June 2004. A blessing was held inSaint Tropez the following month.^{[citation needed]} Following his wife's death, Havers took legal action, claiming her will left him without "reasonable financial provision". The case was settled before court; Havers was awarded £375,000 and proceeds from the sale of some of his late wife's belongings.^{[citation needed]}

Havers was arrested in February 1990 on suspicion of drink-driving, and taken to Harrow police station. He was later banned from driving for one year, and fined £500, but told a woman's magazine: "I thought the whole thing was pretty unfair. I was only 300 yards from home in a restaurant and had only used my car anyway because it was pouring with rain. I got the same punishment as people who are three times over the limit. I felt victimised, especially as the police know who I am." He was criticised for these comments by John Knight, co-founder of the Campaign against Drinking and Driving.^[15]

On 8 June 2007, Havers marriedEssex native Georgiana "George" Bronfman^[16] (née Rita Webb), inNew York City. Bronfman is the former spouse of Canadian-American businessmanEdgar Bronfman.^[17]

He is the godfather of comedianJack Whitehall.^[18]

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• Robin Hood –London Palladium (2024)
• Peter Pan –London Palladium (2023)
• Jack and the Beanstalk -London Palladium (2022)
• Pantoland –London Palladium (2021)
• Goldilocks and the Three Bears –London Palladium (2019)
• Snow White –London Palladium (2018)
• Dick Whittington –London Palladium (2017)
• Jack and the Beanstalk –Theatre Royal Bath (2016)
• The Importance Of Being Earnest –Theatre Royal, Glasgow (2015)
• Dick Whittington – Swindon Wyvern Theatre (2014)
• The Importance Of Being Earnest –Harold Pinter Theatre (2014)
• Robin Hood –Theatre Royal, Plymouth (2013)
• Jack and the Beanstalk – The Mayflower (2012)
• Peter Pan –Hawth Theatre (2011)
• Dick Whittington –Birmingham Hippodrome (2010–2011)
• Jack and the Beanstalk –Nottingham Theatre Royal (2009)
• Aladdin –Yvonne Arnaud Theatre (2008)
• Cinderella –Richmond Theatre (2007)

• Private Lives (2021–23) as lead actor
• Art (2018) as lead actor
• Rebecca (2011) as lead actor
• Ricochet (1993) as producer and lead actor

• Proof by Dick Francis (1987) as Tony Beach
• Reluctant Persuaders (2015) as Rupert Hardacre

• The Scarifyers: The Secret Weapon of Doom (2010) as Victor Bright
• Doctor Who: No More Lies (2007) as Nick
• Tales from Watership Down (Richard Adams) (1996)

• Nigel Havers atIMDb
• The Nigel Havers Alliance – A mock political party
• Profile on the Red Cross site

• 1951 births
• 20th-century English male actors
• 21st-century English male actors
• Living people
• English male film actors
• English male soap opera actors
• English male stage actors
• Havers family
• Actors educated at the Arts Educational Schools
• Actors from the London Borough of Enfield
• Sons of life peers
• People from Edmonton, London

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