Sir Nigel Hawthorne | |
|---|---|
 Hawthorne as theDuke of Clarence in the 1995 filmRichard III | |
| Born | Nigel Barnard Hawthorne (1929-04-05)5 April 1929 Coventry, Warwickshire, England |
| Died | 26 December 2001(2001-12-26) (aged 72) Cold Christmas, Hertfordshire, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1950–2001 |
| Partner | Trevor Bentham (1979–2001) |
Sir Nigel Barnard Hawthorne (5 April 1929 – 26 December 2001) was an English actor. He is known for his stage acting and his portrayal ofSir Humphrey Appleby, thepermanent secretary in the 1980s sitcomYes Minister and theCabinet Secretary in its sequel,Yes, Prime Minister. For this role, he won fourBAFTA TV Awards forBest Light Entertainment Performance.
He won theBAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Actor for portrayingKing George III inThe Madness of King George (1994), having previously won an Olivier Award for the stage version. He later won the BAFTA TV Award forBest Actor, for the 1996 seriesThe Fragile Heart. He was also anOlivier Award andTony Award winner for his work in theatre.
Hawthorne was born on 5 April 1929 inCoventry, Warwickshire (now West Midlands), the second of four children of Agnes Rosemary (née Rice) and Charles Barnard Hawthorne, a physician.[1]
When Hawthorne was three years old, the family moved to Cape Town, South Africa, where his father had bought a practice. Initially they lived inGardens and then moved to a newly built house nearCamps Bay.[2]
He attendedSt George's Grammar School, Cape Town, and, although the family was not Catholic, a now-defunctChristian Brothers College,[3] where he played in the rugby team.[4] He described his time at the latter as not being a particularly happy experience.[2]
He enrolled at theUniversity of Cape Town, where he met and sometimes acted in plays withTheo Aronson (later a well-known biographer), but withdrew and returned to the United Kingdom in the 1950s to pursue a career in acting.
Hawthorne made his professional stage debut in 1950, playing Archie Fellows in aCape Town production ofThe Shop at Sly Corner.[3] Unhappy in South Africa, he decided to move to London, where he performed in various small parts including an appearance in a 1969 episode of the comedy seriesDad's Army.
Finding success in London, Hawthorne decided to try his luck in New York City and eventually got a part in a 1974 production ofAs You Like It on Broadway. Around this time, he was persuaded byIan McKellen andJudi Dench to join theRoyal Shakespeare Company. He also supplemented his income by appearing in television advertisements, including one forMackeson Stout, and in the early 1990s starred alongsideTom Conti in a long-running series of commercials forVauxhall.
He returned to the New York stage in 1990 inShadowlands and won the 1991Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.[5]
Although Hawthorne had appeared in small roles in various British television series since the late 1950s, such as reformed ex-con Worm Wellings in an episode ofGoing Straight oppositeRonnie Barker, one of his most famous roles was as SirHumphrey Appleby, the Permanent Secretary of the fictional Department of Administrative Affairs in the television seriesYes Minister (and Cabinet Secretary in its sequel,Yes, Prime Minister), for which he won fourBAFTA awards during the 1980s. He became a household name throughout the United Kingdom, which opened the doors to film roles.
In 1982, Hawthorne appeared inRichard Attenborough'sGandhi, alongside a cast includingMartin Sheen,John Mills,Candice Bergen,John Gielgud,Ian Charleson andBen Kingsley. That same year, he starred oppositeClint Eastwood in theCold War thrillerFirefox, where he played a dissident Russian scientist. Other film roles during this time includedDemolition Man.
This period led into Hawthorne's role ofKing George III inAlan Bennett's stage playThe Madness of George III (for which he won a Best Actor Olivier Award) and the film adaptation titledThe Madness of King George, for which he received anAcademy Award nomination for Best Actor and won the BAFTA Film Award for Best Actor.
After this success, Hawthorne's friend Ian McKellen, asked him to play his doomed brother, Clarence, inRichard III, andSteven Spielberg asked him to play lame-duck presidentMartin Van Buren inAmistad. He won a sixth BAFTA for the 1996 TV mini-seriesThe Fragile Heart. He also drew praise for his role of Georgie Pillson in theLondon Weekend Television seriesMapp and Lucia.
Hawthorne was also a voice actor and lent his voice to twoDisney films:Fflewddur Fflam inThe Black Cauldron (1985) and Professor Porter inTarzan (1999). He also voiced Captain Campion in the animated film adaptation ofWatership Down (1978).
An intensely private person, Hawthorne was annoyed at having beenouted as gay in 1995 in the publicity surrounding the67th Academy Awards, but attended the ceremony with his long-time partner,Trevor Bentham and afterwards spoke openly about being gay in interviews and in his autobiography,Straight Face,[6] which was published posthumously.[7]
Hawthorne met Bentham in 1968 when the latter was stage-managing theRoyal Court Theatre. From 1979 until Hawthorne's death in 2001 they lived together inRadwell and then atThundridge, both inHertfordshire. The two of them became fund-raisers for the North Hertfordshirehospice and other local charities.[8]
Hawthorne died from a heart attack at his home on 26 December 2001, aged 72.[8] He had recently undergone several operations forpancreatic cancer, which he was diagnosed with in mid-2000, but had been discharged from hospital for the Christmas holidays.[8] His funeral service was held at St Mary's, the parish church of Thundridge nearWare, Hertfordshire, following which he was cremated at Stevenage Crematorium.[9] His funeral was attended byDerek Fowlds, who had played Bernard inYes, Minister andYes, Prime Minister,Maureen Lipman,Charles Dance,Loretta Swit andFrederick Forsyth along with friends and local people. The service was led by the Right ReverendChristopher Herbert, theBishop of St Albans. The coffin had a wreath of white lilies and orchids and Bentham was one of thepallbearers.[10]
On hearing of Hawthorne's deathAlan Bennett described him in his diary: "Courteous, grand, a man of the world and superb at what he did, with his technique never so obvious as to become familiar as, say,Olivier's did orAlec Guinness's."[11]
Hawthorne was appointed aCommander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the1987 New Years Honours List[12] and wasknighted in the1999 New Years Honours List "for services to the Theatre, Film and Television."[13][14]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Carve Her Name with Pride | Polish Soldier in Park | Uncredited |
| 1972 | Young Winston | Boer Sentry | |
| 1974 | S*P*Y*S | Croft | Parody / Action / Comedy |
| 1975 | The Hiding Place | Pastor De Ruiter | Prison Drama / History |
| Decisions, Decisions | Unknown | Short | |
| 1977 | Spiderweb | Lonnrot | |
| 1978 | Sweeney 2 | Dilke | Action / Crime / Thriller |
| Watership Down | Captain Campion | Voice, credited as Nigel Hawthorn | |
| The Sailor's Return | Mr Fosse | Drama | |
| 1981 | History of the World: Part I | Citizen Official | (The French Revolution) |
| Memoirs of a Survivor | Victorian Father | Sci-Fi | |
| 1982 | Firefox | Dr Pyotr Baranovich | Adventure / Action / Thriller |
| The Plague Dogs | Dr Boycott | Voice | |
| Gandhi | Kinnoch | ||
| 1983 | Dead on Time | Doctor | Short |
| 1983 | Monty Python's The Meaning of Life | Clerk/pirate | The Crimson Permanent Assurance short |
| 1984 | The Chain | Mr Thorn | |
| 1985 | The Black Cauldron | Fflewddur Fflam | Voice |
| Turtle Diary | The Publisher | ||
| 1988 | Rarg | The Storyteller | Short film |
| 1989 | A Handful of Time | Ted Walker | |
| 1990 | King of the Wind | Achmet | |
| 1992 | Freddie as F.R.O.7. | Brigadier General | Voice |
| 1993 | Demolition Man | Dr Raymond Cocteau | |
| 1994 | The Madness of King George | KingGeorge III | |
| 1995 | Richard III | Clarence | |
| 1996 | Twelfth Night or What You Will | Malvolio | |
| 1997 | Murder in Mind | Dr Ellis | Also associate producer |
| Amistad | PresidentMartin Van Buren | ||
| 1998 | The Object of My Affection | Rodney Fraser | |
| Madeline | Lord Covington | (segment "Lord Cucuface") | |
| At Sachem Farm | Uncle Cullen | Also executive producer | |
| 1999 | The Big Brass Ring | Kim | |
| The Winslow Boy | Arthur Winslow | ||
| A Reasonable Man | Judge Wendon | ||
| Tarzan | Professor Porter | Voice | |
| The Clandestine Marriage | Lord Ogleby | Also associate producer |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Cry Wolf! | PC Bray | Television movie television debut |
| 1957 | The Goose Girl | Unknown | Television movie |
| The Royal Astrologers | Third Thief | ||
| Bonehead | Bit Part | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| Huntingtower | Sinister Man | Episode: "#1.3" | |
| Villette | Second Footman | Television miniseries; 2 episodes | |
| 1962 | The Last Man Out | Gestapo Man | Episode: "The Way Out" |
| 1963 | The Desperate People | Cliff Fletcher | recurring role; 4 episodes |
| Man of the World | Assistant Director | Episode: "The Bandit" | |
| Bud | Trefor Jones | Episode: "#1.5" | |
| 1964 | Detective | Temple Doorkeeper | Episode: "Death in Ecstasy" |
| Emergency-Ward 10 | Colin Davies | Episode: "#1.769" | |
| 1965 | Jury Room | David Hemming, Juror | Episode: "The Dilke Affair" |
| 1969 | Mrs Wilson's Diary | Roy Jenkins | Television movie |
| The Gnomes of Dulwich | Gnome | Episode: "#1.6" | |
| Dad's Army | The Angry Man | Episode: "The Armoured Might of Lance Corporal Jones" | |
| 1971 | The Last of the Baskets | Mr Snodgrass | Episode: "For Richer, for Poorer" |
| Hine | Freddy Ambercourt | Episode: "Everything I Am I Owe" | |
| 1973 | Hadleigh | Oliver Mason | 2 episodes |
| 1974 | Occupations | Libertini | Television movie |
| Miss Nightingale | Dr Lewis | ||
| 1976 | Couples | Mr Laker | recurring role; 3 episodes |
| Bill Brand | Browning | Television Miniseries; Episode: "Yarn" | |
| 1977 | Crown Court | Dr William Ranford | Episode: "Beauty and the Beast (Part 1)" |
| Eleanor Marx | Engels | 2 episodes | |
| Marie Curie | Pierre Curie | Television miniseries; 4 episodes | |
| Just William | Mr Croombe | Episode: "The Great Detective" | |
| 1978 | Warrior Queen | Catus Decianus | recurring role; 4 episodes |
| Breakaway Girls | Derek Carter | Episode: "Sarah Carter" | |
| Going Straight | "Worm" Wellings | Episode: "Going Going Gone" | |
| Holocaust | Ohldendorf | Television miniseries; Episode: "Part 2" | |
| Edward & Mrs. Simpson | Walter Monckton | recurring role; 5 episodes | |
| 1979 | Thomas and Sarah | Wilson | Episode: "The New Rich" |
| The Other Side | Skellow | Episode: "Underdog" | |
| The Knowledge | Mr Burgess | Television movie | |
| 1980 | The Misanthrope | Philinte | |
| The Tempest | Stephano | ||
| Jukes of Piccadilly | Brinsley Jukes | recurring role; 6 episodes | |
| The Good Companions | Reverend Chillingford | Television miniseries; Episode: "Miss Trant Pays the Bill" | |
| 1980 | A Tale of Two Cities | Mr C.J. Stryver | Television Movie |
| 1980–1984 | Yes Minister | Sir Humphrey Appleby | series regular; 22 episodes |
| 1981 | Tales of the Unexpected | Charles Drummond | Episode: "The Last Bottle in the World" |
| 1982 | The Hunchback of Notre Dame | Magistrate at Esmeralda's Trial | Television movie |
| A Woman Called Golda | King Abdullah | ||
| The World Cup: A Captain's Tale | John Westwood | ||
| The Barchester Chronicles | Archdeacon Theophilus Grantly | Television miniseries; 7 episodes | |
| 1983 | Tartuffe, or the Imposter | Orgon | Television movie |
| 1984 | Pope John Paul II | Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski | |
| The House | General Fagg | ||
| 1985–1986 | Mapp & Lucia | Georgie Pillson | recurring role; 10 episodes |
| 1985 | Jenny's War | Colonel | recurring role; 4 episodes |
| 1986–1988 | Yes, Prime Minister | Sir Humphrey Appleby | series regular; 16 episodes |
| 1989 | The Play on One | John | Episode: "The Shawl" |
| 1990 | Relatively Speaking | Philip Carter | Television movie |
| 1994 | Late Flowering Lust | Cousin John - poetry reader | A "blend of music, poetry, dance, actor/dancers..."[15] |
| 1994 | Betjeman Revisited | Narrator | Hawthorne readsBetjeman's script for three 1962 programmes onChippenham &Crewkerne,Sherborne, andSidmouth, where the soundtrack was missing |
| 1995 | Russia's War: Blood upon the Snow | Narrator | Documentary series, 10 episodes |
| 1996 | Inside | Colonel | Television movie |
| The Fragile Heart | Dr Edgar Pascoe | unknown episode | |
| The Happy Prince | Narrator | Television movie | |
| 1997 | Forbidden Territory: Stanley's Search for Livingstone | David Livingstone | |
| 1998 | Animal Stories | Narrator | unknown episode |
| 2000 | The Last Polar Bears | Television short | |
| 2001 | Victoria & Albert | Lord William Lamb | Television movie |
| Call Me Claus | Nick | Television movie, (final film role) |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Jeff Wayne's the War of the Worlds | The General | Voice |
| 2001 | Tarzan: Untamed | Professor Porter |
| Year | Title | Role | Company | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | The Shop at Sly Corner | Archie | Hofmeyr Theatre | |
| 1951 | You Can't Take It With You | Donald | Embassy Theatre | |
| 1957 | His Excellency | Captain the Contino Sevastein Jacono de Piero | ||
| Talking To You | Fancy Dan | Duke of York's Theatre | ||
| 1967 | Mrs Wilson's Diary | Roy | Criterion Theatre | |
| The Marie Lloyd Story | SirOswald Stoll | Theatre Royal, Stratford | ||
| 1968 | Early Morning | Albert | Royal Court Theatre | |
| 1970 | Curtains | Niall | Edinburgh Festival | |
| 1971 | Open Space | |||
| Alma Mater | Major | |||
| 1972 | The Trial of St George | Judge | Soho Poly | |
| 1973 | A Question of Everything | Hugh | ||
| The Emergency Channel | Graham | |||
| The Philanthropist | Philip | May Fair | ||
| 1975 | A Child of Hope | Police Captain | ||
| The Floater | Morris Shelman | |||
| Otherwise Engaged | Stephen | Queens Theatre | ||
| The Doctor's Dilemma | Culter Walpole | Mermaid Theatre | ||
| 1976 | Play Things | Tenby | ||
| Buffet | Jack | |||
| As You Like It | Touchstone | Riverside Studios | ||
| 1977 | The Fire that Consumes | Abbe de Pradts | Mermaid Theatre | |
| Blind date | Brian | King's Head Theatre | ||
| Privates on Parade | Major Gliles Flack | |||
| 1978 | Destiny | Major Lewis Rolfe | ||
| The Millionairess | Julius | Theatre Royal Haymarket | ||
| 1980 | The Enigma | Fenton | ||
| A Rod of Iron | Trevor | |||
| Jessie | Mr. Edmonds | |||
| 1981 | A Brush with Mr. Porter on the Road to Eldorado | Fulton | ||
| Protest | Vaclav Havel | |||
| 1982 | The Critic | Mr. Sneer | ||
| 1986 | Across from the Garden of Allah | Douglas | Comedy Theatre | |
| 1988 | The Miser | Harpagon | ||
| Hapgood | Blair | Aldwych Theatre | ||
| 1989 | The Spirit of Man | Reverend Jonathan Guerdon | ||
| Shadowlands | C. S. Lewis | Queens Theatre | ||
| 1990 | Brooks Atkinson Theatre | |||
| 1991 | The Trials of Oz | Brian Leary | ||
| The Madness of George III | George III | |||
| 1992 | Flea Bites | Kryst | ||
| 1999 | King Lear | Lear | RSC | Barbican |
