Tim Pigott-Smith
Encyclopedia
Tim Pigott-Smith is an English
film and television actor.
, the son of Margaret Muriel (née
Goodman) and Harry Thomas Pigott-Smith, who was a journalist. He was educated at Wyggeston Boys' School
, Leicester
, King Edward VI School Stratford-upon-Avon
, and Bristol University. He trained as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
.
(1990–1993), a recurring role in ITV
drama The Vice
as Ken Stott
's nemesis, Vickers, Bloody Sunday and two separate adaptations of North and South. In the 1975 version he played Frederick Hale, while in 2004 he played his father Richard.
He has appeared twice in Doctor Who
, in the stories The Claws of Axos
(1971), and The Masque of Mandragora
(1976).
His distinctive voice has made him a popular narrator
. He narrated notable TV documentaries such as the Battlefield
series, which examines pivotal battles of the Second World War from an operations point of view.
, The Four Feathers
, Gangs of New York
, Johnny English
, The Remains of the Day
, and V for Vendetta
.
Tim also makes an appearance in the 2008 film Quantum of Solace.
's 1974 production of Cymbeline
for the Royal Shakespeare Company
. In 2011 he took the title role in King Lear
at the West Yorkshire Playhouse
, Leeds.
Contemporary works include Enron
, playing Ken Lay, for the Chichester Festival Theatre
, and then London, in 2009 and Tobias in A Delicate Balance at the Almeida Theatre
, London in 2011.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
film and television actor.
Early life
Pigott-Smith was born in Rugby, WarwickshireRugby, Warwickshire
Rugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, located on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...
, the son of Margaret Muriel (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Goodman) and Harry Thomas Pigott-Smith, who was a journalist. He was educated at Wyggeston Boys' School
Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College
Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College, or "Q.E" is a sixth form college in Leicester, England.-Admissions:There are 1,865 full-time 16-18 year-old students and 140 teaching staff. More than 40 subjects are offered at A Level. Somewhat against the national trend Mathematics and Sciences account...
, Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, King Edward VI School Stratford-upon-Avon
King Edward VI School Stratford-upon-Avon
King Edward VI School is a voluntary aided boys grammar school in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England...
, and Bristol University. He trained as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, opened by Laurence Olivier in 1946, is an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama, an organisation securing the highest standards of training in the performing arts, and is an associate school of the Faculty of Creative Arts of the University of the...
.
Television
Notable appearances include Ronald Merrick in The Jewel in the Crown, the title role in the crime drama series The ChiefThe Chief (UK television series)
The Chief is a British television crime drama series that aired on ITV from 1990 to 1995, starring Martin Shaw, Michael Cochrane and Tim Pigott-Smith. It was made by Anglia Television.-Summary:...
(1990–1993), a recurring role in ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
drama The Vice
The Vice
Vice is a stock character of the medieval morality plays. While the main character of these plays was representative of every human being , the other characters were representative of personified virtues or vices who sought to win control of man's soul...
as Ken Stott
Ken Stott
Kenneth Campbell "Ken" Stott is a Scottish actor, particularly known in the United Kingdom for his many roles in television.-Early life:...
's nemesis, Vickers, Bloody Sunday and two separate adaptations of North and South. In the 1975 version he played Frederick Hale, while in 2004 he played his father Richard.
He has appeared twice in Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor 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...
, in the stories The Claws of Axos
The Claws of Axos
-Writing:In late 1969, script editor Terrance Dicks contacted new writing duo Bob Baker and Dave Martin after reading a draft script they had sent around the BBC for another production, A Man's Life. After offering the duo a seven-part story in November 1969 for Doctor Whos eighth season, Baker and...
(1971), and The Masque of Mandragora
The Masque of Mandragora
The Masque of Mandragora is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 4 September to 25 September 1976. It opened Season 14 of the series.-Synopsis:...
(1976).
His distinctive voice has made him a popular narrator
Narrator
A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
. He narrated notable TV documentaries such as the Battlefield
Battlefield (TV series)
Battlefield is a documentary series initially shown in 1994 that explores the most important battles fought primarily during the Second World War but also the Vietnam War...
series, which examines pivotal battles of the Second World War from an operations point of view.
Film
His film career has recently included the 2004 film AlexanderAlexander (film)
Alexander is a 2004 epic film based on the life of Alexander the Great. It is not a remake of the 1956 film which starred Richard Burton. It was directed by Oliver Stone, with Colin Farrell in the title role...
, The Four Feathers
The Four Feathers
The Four Feathers is a 1902 adventure novel by British writer A.E.W. Mason that has inspired many films of the same title.-Plot summary:...
, Gangs of New York
Gangs of New York
Gangs 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...
, Johnny English
Johnny English
Johnny English is a 2003 British action comedy film parodying the James Bond secret agent genre. The film stars Rowan Atkinson as the incompetent titular English spy, with John Malkovich, Natalie Imbruglia, Tim Pigott-Smith and Ben Miller in supporting roles...
, The Remains of the Day
The Remains of the Day (film)
The Remains of the Day is a 1993 Merchant Ivory film adapted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala from the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. It was directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant, Mike Nichols and John Calley. It starred Anthony Hopkins as Stevens and Emma Thompson as Miss Kenton with James Fox,...
, and V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta (film)
V for Vendetta is a 2005 dystopian thriller film directed by James McTeigue and produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers, who also wrote the screenplay. It is an adaptation of the V for Vendetta comic book by Alan Moore and David Lloyd...
.
Tim also makes an appearance in the 2008 film Quantum of Solace.
Stage
Pigott-Smith is a regular stage actor in Shakespearean and Greek roles; for instance, he played Posthumus in John BartonJohn Barton (director)
John Bernard Adie Barton CBE is a theatrical director. He is the son of Sir Harold Montagu and Lady Joyce Barton. He married Anne Righter, a university lecturer, in 1968....
's 1974 production of Cymbeline
Cymbeline
Cymbeline , also known as Cymbeline, King of Britain or The Tragedy of Cymbeline, is a play by William Shakespeare, based on legends concerning the early Celtic British King Cunobelinus. Although listed as a tragedy in the First Folio, modern critics often classify Cymbeline as a romance...
for the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
. In 2011 he took the title role in King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
at the West Yorkshire Playhouse
West Yorkshire Playhouse
The West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, England is a theatre which opened in March 1990 as part of the regeneration of the Quarry Hill area of the city...
, Leeds.
Contemporary works include Enron
ENRON (play)
ENRON is a 2009 play by the British playwright Lucy Prebble, based on the Enron scandal.-Productions:ENRON premiered at the Chichester Festival Theatre , before London transfers to the Jerwood Downstairs at the Royal Court Theatre from 17 September to 7 November 2009 and then the Noel Coward...
, playing Ken Lay, for the Chichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre, located in Chichester, England, was designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, and opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Martin in 1962. Subsequently the smaller and more intimate Minerva Theatre was built nearby in 1989....
, and then London, in 2009 and Tobias in A Delicate Balance at the Almeida Theatre
Almeida Theatre
The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325 seat studio theatre with an international reputation which takes its name from the street in which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a diverse range of drama and holds an annual summer festival of...
, London in 2011.
Filmography
- Doctor WhoDoctor 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...
The Claws of AxosThe Claws of Axos-Writing:In late 1969, script editor Terrance Dicks contacted new writing duo Bob Baker and Dave Martin after reading a draft script they had sent around the BBC for another production, A Man's Life. After offering the duo a seven-part story in November 1969 for Doctor Whos eighth season, Baker and...
(1971) (TV) - Antony and Cleopatra (1974) (TV)
- North and South (1975)
- Aces HighAces High (film)Aces High is a 1976 British war film directed by Jack Gold and starring Malcolm McDowell, Christopher Plummer and Simon Ward. The screenplay was written by Howard Barker. As acknowledged in the opening credits, the film is based on the 1930s play Journey's End by R. C. Sherriff and the memoir...
(1976) - The Glittering Prizes (1976) (TV)
- Doctor Who The Masque of MandragoraThe Masque of MandragoraThe Masque of Mandragora is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 4 September to 25 September 1976. It opened Season 14 of the series.-Synopsis:...
(1976) (TV) - Joseph Andrews (1977)
- The Lost BoysThe Lost Boys (docudrama)The Lost Boys is an award-winning 1978 docudrama mini-series produced by the BBC, written by Andrew Birkin, and directed by Rodney Bennett. It is about the relationship between Peter Pan creator J. M...
(1978) (TV) - Henry IV, Part IBBC Television ShakespeareThe BBC Television Shakespeare was a set of television adaptations of the plays of William Shakespeare, produced by the BBC between 1978 and 1985.-Origins:...
(1979) (TV) - School Play (1979)
- Measure for MeasureBBC Television ShakespeareThe BBC Television Shakespeare was a set of television adaptations of the plays of William Shakespeare, produced by the BBC between 1978 and 1985.-Origins:...
(1979) (TV) - Danger UXBDanger UXBDanger UXB is a 1979 British ITV television series developed by John Hawkesworth and starring Anthony Andrews as Lieutenant Brian Ash, a new direct commission officer in World War II....
(1979) TV Series - Richard's ThingsRichard's ThingsRichard's Things is a 1980 British drama film directed by Anthony Harvey and starring Liv Ullmann, Amanda Redman and Peter Burton. After her husband dies his wife discovers he has a secret long-term mistress...
(1980) - Tis Pity She's a Whore (1980) (TV)
- Sweet WilliamSweet William (film)Sweet William is a 1980 British drama film directed by Claude Whatham and starring Sam Waterston, Jenny Agutter, Geraldine James, Anna Massey, Arthur Lowe, Tim Pigott-Smith and Melvyn Bragg....
(1980) - Hannah (1980) (TV)
- The Day Christ Died (1980) (TV)
- In Hiding (1980) (TV)
- Winston Churchill: The Wilderness YearsWinston Churchill: The Wilderness YearsWinston Churchill: The Wilderness Years is an 8-part 1981 drama serial based on the life of Winston Churchill, and particularly his years in enforced exile from political position during the 1920s and 30s...
(1981) (TV) - Escape to VictoryEscape to VictoryEscape to Victory, known simply as Victory in North America, is a 1981 film about Allied prisoners of war who are interned in a German prison camp during World War II...
(1981) - Clash of the TitansClash of the Titans (1981 film)Clash of the Titans is an American 1981 fantasy–adventure film involving the Greek hero Perseus. It was released on June 12, 1981 and earned a gross profit of $41 million domestically, on a $15 million budget , by which it was the 11th highest grossing film of the year. A novelization of the film...
(1981) - I Remember Nelson (1982) (TV)
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1982) (TV)
- Fame Is the SpurFame is the Spur (TV series)Fame is the Spur is a British television series which first aired on the BBC in 1982 . It was based on the novel Fame is the Spur by Howard Spring. It depicts a socialist politician who betrays his early beliefs as he grows older, and was believed to be based upon the Labour Prime Minister Ramsay...
(1982) (TV) - Struggle (1983) (TV)
- The Jewel in the Crown (1984) (TV)
- A State of Emergency (1986)
- Dead Man's Folly (1986) (TV)
- The Challenge (1986)
- Life Story (1987) (TV)
- The Chief (1990–1993)
- True Adventures of Christopher Columbus (1992) (TV)
- The Remains of the DayThe Remains of the Day (film)The Remains of the Day is a 1993 Merchant Ivory film adapted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala from the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. It was directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant, Mike Nichols and John Calley. It starred Anthony Hopkins as Stevens and Emma Thompson as Miss Kenton with James Fox,...
(1993) - The Bullion BoysThe Bullion BoysThe Bullion Boys is a film based on the true story of how Britain's gold reserve was secretly transferred to Liverpool at the start of the Second World War. It was produced by the BBC as part of their Screen One series and it won the 1994 Emmy Award for drama....
(1993) (TV) - The ViceThe Vice (TV series)The Vice is an ITV police drama about the Metropolitan Police Vice Squad. It ran for five short series between 1999 and 2003. It tells the story of the London Metropolitan police forces vice squad, where prostitution, underage sex, and other such organized crime are regular occurrences...
(1999) (TV) - The Major Years (1999)
- Innocents (2000) (TV)
- Gangs of New YorkGangs 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...
(2002) - The Four FeathersThe Four FeathersThe Four Feathers is a 1902 adventure novel by British writer A.E.W. Mason that has inspired many films of the same title.-Plot summary:...
(2002) - SpooksSpooksSpooks is a British television drama series that originally aired on BBC One from 13 May 2002 – 23 October 2011, consisting of 10 series. The title is a popular colloquialism for spies, as the series follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a...
: The Rose Bed Memoirs (2002) - The Inspector Lynley MysteriesThe Inspector Lynley MysteriesThe Inspector Lynley Mysteries is a series of BBC television programmes about Detective Inspector Thomas "Tommy" Lynley, 8th Earl of Asherton of Scotland Yard and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers...
: For the Sake of Elena (2002) (TV) - Bloody Sunday (2002)
- Laissez-passer (2002)
- The Private Life of Samuel Pepys (2003) (TV)
- Pompeii: The Last DayPompeii: The Last DayPompeii: The Last Day is a 2003 dramatized documentary that tells of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius on 24 August 79 AD. This eruption covered the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in ash and pumice, killing all those trapped between the volcano and the sea. The documentary portrayed the...
(2003) - EroicaEroica (2003 film)Eroica - The day that changed music forever is a BBC television film which dramatises the first performance of Beethoven's third symphony, the Eroica....
(2003) (TV) - The Day Britain Stopped (2003)
- Johnny EnglishJohnny EnglishJohnny English is a 2003 British action comedy film parodying the James Bond secret agent genre. The film stars Rowan Atkinson as the incompetent titular English spy, with John Malkovich, Natalie Imbruglia, Tim Pigott-Smith and Ben Miller in supporting roles...
(2003) - AlexanderAlexander (film)Alexander is a 2004 epic film based on the life of Alexander the Great. It is not a remake of the 1956 film which starred Richard Burton. It was directed by Oliver Stone, with Colin Farrell in the title role...
(2004) - North & South (2004)
- London (2004)
- V for VendettaV for Vendetta (film)V for Vendetta is a 2005 dystopian thriller film directed by James McTeigue and produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers, who also wrote the screenplay. It is an adaptation of the V for Vendetta comic book by Alan Moore and David Lloyd...
(2006) - Flyboys (2006)
- HolbyBlueHolbyBlueHolbyBlue was a British police drama series that aired on BBC One from 2007 to 2008. Produced by the BBC, Red Planet Pictures and Kudos for BBC One, it is a spin-off of the successful BBC One medical drama Holby City, itself a spin-off of the long-running series Casualty.The first series was...
(2007) (TV) - Quantum of Solace (2008)
- Midsomer MurdersMidsomer MurdersMidsomer Murders is a British television detective drama that has aired on ITV since 1997. The show is based on the books by Caroline Graham, as originally adapted by Anthony Horowitz. The lead character is DCI Tom Barnaby who works for Causton CID. When Nettles left the show in 2011 he was...
— "Days of Misrule" (2008) (TV) - Alice in WonderlandAlice in Wonderland (2010 film)Alice in Wonderland is a 2010 American computer-animated/live action fantasy adventure film directed by Tim Burton, written by Linda Woolverton, and released by Walt Disney Pictures...
(2010) - Foyle's WarFoyle's WarFoyle's War is a British detective drama television series set during World War II, created by screenwriter and author Anthony Horowitz, and was commissioned by ITV after the long-running series Inspector Morse came to an end in 2000. It has aired on ITV since 2002...
, Series SevenFoyle's War Series SevenSeries Seven of the ITV programme Foyle's War was first aired in 2010, beginning Sunday 11 April. It is set in the period from June to August of 1945. The series contains three episodes, The Russian House, Killing Time and The Hide....
, "The Russian House" (2010) (TV) - The Little House (2010) (TV)
- The Hour (drama series) (2011) (TV)