One of England's most successful and enduring character actors, with a prolific screen career on television and in films, Robert Hardy was acclaimed for his versatility and the depth of his performances. Born in Cheltenham in 1925, he studied at Oxford University and, in 1949, he joined the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon. Television viewers most fondly remember him as the overbearing Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small (1978) but his most critically acclaimed performance was as the title character of Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years (1981). His portrayal of Britain's wartime leader was so accurately observed that, in the following years, he was called on to reprise the role in such productions as The Woman He Loved (1988) and War and Remembrance (1988). Unlike some British character actors, Hardy was not a Hollywood name and his work in films was therefore restricted to appearances in predominantly British-based productions such as The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1965), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) and Sense and Sensibility (1995). However, in the 21st century, Hardy came to the attention of a whole new generation for his performances in the hugely successful Harry Potter films, while also continuing to make regular appearances in British television series. His co-star from All Creatures Great and Small (1978), Peter Davison, quite simply described Hardy as an "extraordinary" actor who would "never do the same thing twice" when he was acting with him. He was awarded the CBE for services to acting. He died in August 2017.
79 movies · 74 shows
Snapshot Wedding
2017·0.0
Joseph's Reel
2015·5.0
Churchill: 100 Days That Saved Britain
2015·0.0
Narnia's Lost Poet: The Secret Lives and Loves of C.S. Lewis
2013·6.9
Ghosts in the Machine
2009·0.0
Margaret
2009·5.7
Centenary: The BP Story
2009·0.0
Elementary My Dear Viewer
2007·0.0
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2007·7.7
Goodbye Mr Snuggles
2006·7.0
Lassie
2005·6.4
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2005·7.8
Making Waves
2004·6.8
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
2004·8.0
Lucky Jim
2003·7.0
The Gathering
2003·5.6
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
2002·7.7
Bertie and Elizabeth
2002·6.4
Thunderpants
2002·3.5
The Falklands Play
2002·7.0
The Lost World
2001·6.1
Justice in Wonderland
2000·0.0
The Tichborne Claimant
1999·8.7
An Ideal Husband
1999·6.5
Nancherrow
1999·6.2
The Barber of Siberia
1998·7.0
Castle Ghosts of Wales
1997·7.0
Mrs. Dalloway
1997·5.7
Castle Ghosts of Ireland
1996·6.7
Sense and Sensibility
1995·7.4
Castle Ghosts of England
1995·6.5
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
1994·6.4
A Feast at Midnight
1994·6.2
The Master Blackmailer
1992·7.0
Bomber Harris
1989·7.8
Paris by Night
1989·4.8
Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair
1988·9.0
In from the Cold? A Portrait of Richard Burton
1988·6.0
The Woman He Loved
1988·10.0
Blat
1987·0.0
The Death of the Heart
1987·8.5
Northanger Abbey
1987·6.3
Make and Break
1987·0.0
Paying Guests (Part 2)
1986·0.0
Paying Guests (Part 1)
1986·0.0
The Demon Lover
1986·7.0
Jenny's War
1985·6.0
The Shooting Party
1985·6.6
The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood
1984·6.8
James Mason: The Star They Loved to Hate
1984·0.0
Fothergill
1981·0.0
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
1980·7.0
Twelfth Night
1980·6.8
Speed King
1979·0.0
The Secret Agent
1975·10.0
Caesar and Claretta
1975·4.0
The Gathering Storm
1974·8.2
The Slap
1974·6.6
Yellow Dog
1973·4.9
Gawain and the Green Knight
1973·5.0
Dark Places
1973·5.5
Psychomania
1973·5.5
The Silent One
1973·7.3
Demons of the Mind
1972·5.3
The Incredible Robert Baldick: Never Come Night
1972·10.0
Young Winston
1972·6.2
The Stalls of Barchester
1971·6.4
Getting In
1971·8.0
10 Rillington Place
1971·7.3
Warm Feet, Warm Heart
1970·0.0
Marie Stopes: Sexual Revolutionary
1970·0.0
Son of Man
1969·10.0
Berserk!
1967·5.7
How I Won the War
1967·5.6
The Spy Who Came In from the Cold
1965·7.1
Old Man's Fancy
1965·0.0
Torpedo Run
1958·6.1
Othello
1955·8.7
Black Legend
1949·0.0