David James Bamber is an English actor, known for his television and theatre work. He is an Associate of the
Royal Academy of Dramatic ArtThe Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school located in London, United Kingdom. It is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1904.RADA is an affiliate school of the...
.
Early years
Bamber was born in
WalkdenWalkden is a town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It is west-northwest of Salford, and west-northwest of Manchester....
, near
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, and studied drama at Bristol University, continuing his training at
RADARada is the term for "council" or "assembly"borrowed by Polish from the Low Franconian "Rad" and later passed into the Czech, Ukrainian, and Belarusian languages....
where he won the Gold Medal in 1976.
Career
Bamber has worked on many British television series, mini-series and TV movies. He appeared in the BBC adaptations of
Hanif KureishiHanif Kureishi CBE is an English playwright, screenwriter and filmmaker, novelist and short story writer. The themes of his work have touched on topics of race, nationalism, immigration, and sexuality...
's
The Buddha of SuburbiaThe Buddha of Suburbia was a 1993 BBC television miniseries, directed by Roger Michell. It was based on the novel of the same name by Hanif Kureishi. The programme starred Naveen Andrews as the main character, Karim Amir. Other cast members included David Bamber, Steven Mackintosh, Harish Patel,...
, and
Jane AustenJane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
's
Pride and PrejudicePride and Prejudice is a six-episode 1995 British television drama, adapted by Andrew Davies from Jane Austen's 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice. Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth starred as Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Produced by Sue Birtwistle and directed by Simon Langton, the serial was a BBC...
, in which he portrayed the Bennetts' clergyman cousin, Mr. Collins. He also played the part of a junior treasury minister and Stamp enthusiast, Julian Whitaker, in an episode of
The New StatesmanThe New Statesman is an award-winning British sitcom of the late 1980s and early 1990s satirising the Conservative government of the time...
, in which Alan frames Whitaker and forces his resignation. In 1997 he starred as Eric Slatt in two series of
Steven MoffatSteven Moffat is a Scottish television writer and producer.Moffat's first television work was the teen drama series Press Gang. His first sitcom, Joking Apart, was inspired by the breakdown of his first marriage; conversely, his later sitcom Coupling was based upon the development of his...
's
ChalkChalk is a British television sitcom set in a comprehensive school named Galfast High. Two series, both written by Steven Moffat, were broadcast on BBC1 in 1997...
, contributing to the audio commentaries for the DVD release in 2008. His best known international television role to date was his 2005–2007 role as Marcus Tullius Cicero in the
HBOHBO, short for Home Box Office, is an American premium cable television network, owned by Time Warner. , HBO's programming reaches 28.2 million subscribers in the United States, making it the second largest premium network in America . In addition to its U.S...
/BBC2 original television series,
RomeRome is a British-American–Italian historical drama television series created by Bruno Heller, John Milius and William J. MacDonald. The show's two seasons premiered in 2005 and 2007, and were later released on DVD. Rome is set in the 1st century BC, during Ancient Rome's transition from Republic...
. Bamber also played
Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
in
Bryan SingerBryan Singer is an American film director and film producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially well-known among fans of the science fiction and superhero genres for his work on the X-Men films and Superman Returns.-Early life:Singer was born in New...
's film,
ValkyrieValkyrie is a 2008 American historical thriller film set in Nazi Germany during World War II. The film depicts the 20 July plot in 1944 by German army officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler and to use the Operation Valkyrie national emergency plan to take control of the country...
.
Bamber is also a stage actor; he won the 1995 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance as Guy in
My Night with RegMy Night with Reg is a play by British playwright Kevin Elyot which was produced in 1994 by the Royal Court Theatre, London, directed by Roger Michell...
, a role he reprised in a 1996
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television adaptation. His roles as a voice actor include
Emperor ConstantineConstantine the Great , also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance of all...
in the
Doctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
audio drama,
The Council of NicaeaThe Council of Nicaea is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...
and as Jeremy Longstaff in the 2008 radio series
The Way We Live Right NowThe Way We Live Right Now was an adaptation of the Anthony Trollope novel The Way We Live Now, re-setting it in the present day. It was written by Jonathan Myerson for the Woman's Hour serial.-Cast:*Henry Goodman - Ghassan Mehmoud...
.
Personal life
Bamber is married to the actress Julia Swift, daughter of actors David Swift and
Paula JacobsPaula Jacobs is an English actress whose television and film career has spanned four decades.Her father was J.P. Jacobs, whose company supplied all the elastic to Marks & Spencer...
. They have two sons, Theo (1991) and Ethan (1999). The family lives in
North LondonNorth London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
.
Filmography
| Year |
Title |
Role |
Notes |
| 1982 |
Privates on Parade Privates on Parade: A Play with Songs in Two Acts is a 1977 farce by English playwright Peter Nichols , with music by Denis King.-Plot:...
|
Flight Sgt. Charles Bishop |
Michael Blakemore |
| The Doctor and the Devils The Doctor and the Devils is a 1985 horror film directed by Freddie Francis. It stars Timothy Dalton and Jonathan Pryce.-Cast:*Timothy Dalton as Doctor Thomas Rock*Jonathan Pryce as Robert Fallon*Twiggy as Jennie Bailey*Julian Sands as Dr. Murray...
|
Cronin |
Directed by Freddie Francis |
| 1988 |
High Hopes |
Rupert Booth-Braine |
Directed by Mike Leigh |
| 1992 |
Dakota Road |
Man on the train |
Directed by Nick Ward |
| 1992 |
Year of the Comet Year of the Comet is a 1992 romantic comedy adventure film about the pursuit of the most valuable bottle of wine in history. The title refers to the year it was bottled, 1811, which was known for the Great Comet of 1811, and also as one of the best years in history for European wine...
|
Albert |
Directed by Peter Yates |
| 1995 |
Pride and PrejudicePride and Prejudice is a six-episode 1995 British television drama, adapted by Andrew Davies from Jane Austen's 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice. Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth starred as Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Produced by Sue Birtwistle and directed by Simon Langton, the serial was a BBC...
|
Mr. Collins |
Directed by Simon Langton |
| 1996 |
Wet and Dry |
|
Bafta nominated short directed by John McKay |
| 2002 |
Gangs of New YorkGangs of New York is a 2002 historical film set in the mid-19th century in the Five Points district of New York City. It was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan. The film was inspired by Herbert Asbury's 1928 nonfiction book, The Gangs of New...
|
Passenger |
Directed by Martin Scorsese |
| 2002 |
The Bourne Identity The Bourne Identity is a 2002 American spy film loosely based on Robert Ludlum's novel of the same name. It stars Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, an amnesiac attempting to discover his true identity amidst a clandestine conspiracy within the Central Intelligence Agency . The film also stars Franka...
|
Consulate Clerk |
Directed by Doug Liman |
| 2003 |
I Capture the CastleI Capture the Castle is Dodie Smith's first novel, written in the 1940s during a sojourn in America. Smith was already an established playwright and later became famous for authoring the children's classic The Hundred and One Dalmatians....
|
Vicar |
Directed by Tim Fywell |
| 2005 |
The Clap |
Krzysztof Veneer |
Award winning short directed by Geoff Lindsey |
| 2005 |
RomeRome is a British-American–Italian historical drama television series created by Bruno Heller, John Milius and William J. MacDonald. The show's two seasons premiered in 2005 and 2007, and were later released on DVD. Rome is set in the 1st century BC, during Ancient Rome's transition from Republic...
|
Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero is a historical figure who features as a character in the HBO/BBC2 original television series Rome, played by David Bamber. He is depicted as a moderate politician and scholar, who is challenged with trying to save the traditional Republic from the ambitions of the various...
|
Award winning television series |
| 2006 |
Miss Potter |
Fruing Warne |
Directed by Chris Noonan |
| 2007 |
The All TogetherThe All Together is a 2007 comedy feature film starring Martin Freeman, Corey Johnson, Velibor Topic and Danny Dyer. It is written and directed by Gavin Claxton.-Plot:...
|
Robin Swain |
Directed by Gavin Claxton |
| 2008 |
ValkyrieValkyrie is a 2008 American historical thriller film set in Nazi Germany during World War II. The film depicts the 20 July plot in 1944 by German army officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler and to use the Operation Valkyrie national emergency plan to take control of the country...
|
Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
|
Directed by Bryan Singer |
| 2010 |
The King's Speech |
Theater Director |
Directed by Tom Hooper |
External links