Acting chameleon Sir Tom Courtenay, along with SirAlan Bates andAlbert Finney, became a front-runner in anup-and-coming company of rebel upstarts who created quite a stir inBritish "kitchen sink" cinema during the early '60s. An undying love forthe theatre, however, had Courtenay channeling a different course fromthe aforementioned greats and he never, by his own choosing, attainedcomparable cinematic stardom.

The gaunt and glum, fair-haired actor was born Thomas Daniel Courtenayinto modest surroundings on February 25, 1937, in Hull, East Yorkshire,England, the son of Thomas Henry Courtenay, a ship painter, and hiswife, Anne Eliza (née Quest). Graduating from Kingston High Schoolthere, he trained in drama at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.His reputation as an actor grew almost immediately with hisprofessional debut in 1960 as Konstantin in "The Seagull" at the OldVic. Following tours in Scotland and London with the play, Tomperformed in "Henry IV, Part I" and "Twelfth Night" (also at the OldVic) before assuming the title role of Billy fromAlbert Finney in the critically acclaimeddrama "Billy Liar" at the Cambridge Theatre in 1961. The story, whichtells of a Yorkshire man who creates a fantasy world to shield himselffrom his mundane middle-class woes, was the initial spark in Tom's riseto fame.

The recognition he received landed him squarely into the heap of thingsas a new wave of "angry young men" were taking over British cinemaduring the swinging '60s. Singled out for his earlier stage work atRADA, he was eventually handed the title role in the war filmPrivate Potter (1963), but it washis second movie that clinched stardom. Winning the role of Colin SmithinThe Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962),Courtenay invested everything he had in this bruising portrayal ofyouthful desolation and rebellion. As a reform school truant whosesolitary sentencing for robbing a bakery leads to a reawakening andsubsequent recognition as a long distance runner, he was awarded a"Promising Newcomer" award from the British Film Academy, It wasCourtenay then, and not Finney, who recreated his stage triumph asBilly Fisher in the stark film version ofBilly Liar (1963). British FilmAcademy nominations came his way for this and for his fourth movie roleinKing & Country (1964). Vividcontributions to the filmsKingu Ratto (1965), the ever-popularDoctor Zhivago (1965), whichearned him his first Oscar nomination, andThe Night of the Generals (1967)followed.

Despite all this cinematic glory, Courtenay did not enjoy the processof movie-making and reverted to his first passion -- the theatre -- beginning in 1966. Displaying his versatility with roles in suchclassic works as "The Cherry Orchard," "Macbeth" (as Malcolm),"Charley's Aunt," "The Playboy of the Western World," "Hamlet," "SheStoops to Conquer," "Peer Gynt" and "Arms and the Man," he still foundscattered work in films, includingThe Day the Fish Came Out (1967),A Dandy in Aspic (1968) andOtley (1969), but none matched his earlierbrilliance. In 1971 he took a self-imposed, decade-long sabbatical fromfilming.

Forming a sturdy association with the Royal Exchange Theatre inManchester that would last over a decade, he continued to impress withlead roles in "The Rivals" and "The Prince of Homburg". Following hishuge success as the libidinous Norman in "The Norman Conquests" inLondon, he made his Broadway debut with "Otherwise Engaged" (1977) andearned a Tony nomination and Drama League Award in the process. It washis second Tony-nominated triumph in "The Dresser" in 1980-1981,however, that lured Courtenay back to films when he was asked torecreate the role for the large screen.The Dresser (1983) co-starred Tom asthe mincing personal assistant to an appallingly self-destructive stagestar played byAlbert Finney(Paul Rogers played the role withTom on Broadway) who struggles to get the actor through a rigorousperformance of "King Lear". Both British actors received Oscarnominations but lost the 1984 "Best Actor" award to AmericanRobert Duvall.

Since then Tom has appeared on occasion in TV and film roles -- usuallyin support. A few standouts include the filmsLet Him Have It (1991),Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? (1999),Last Orders (2001) andNicholas Nickleby (2002), as well as the TV mini-seriesA Rather English Marriage (1998),for which he earned a British Television Award,Little Dorrit (2008) and the seriesUnforgotten (2015) for which he won a BAFTA award.

Over the years Sir Tom has excelled in solo stage shows as well. As achronic alcoholic in "Moscow Stations," he won the 1994 London CriticsCircle Theatre and London Evening Standard Theatre awards for "BestActor." In 2002, he wrote the one-man show "Pretending To Be Me," basedon the letters and writings of poet Philip Larkin. In the past decadehe has continued to distinguish himself on both the classical ("KingLear," "Uncle Vanya") and contemporary ("Art") stages.

Courtenay's marriage to actressCheryl Kennedy lasted about a decade(from 1973 to 1982). In 1988 he married Isabel Crossley, a stagemanager at the Royal Exchange Theatre in London. He has no childrenfrom either marriage. In 1999, Sir Tom Courtenay was awarded anhonorary doctorate from Hull University and in 2000 published hismemoir "Dear Tom: Letters From Home", which earned strong reviews.Knighthood came a year after that.