Biography for
Robert Hardy (I) More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

29 October 1925, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, UK

Birth Name

Timothy Sydney Robert Hardy

Nickname

Tim

Height

5' 9" (1.75 m)

Mini Biography

One of England's most enduringly successful character actors, Robert Hardy is noted for his versatility and depth. 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) (TV) and "War and Remembrance" (1988).

Unlike some British character actors, Hardy has never been recognized by Hollywood and his work in films has therefore been restricted to appearances in predominantly British-based productions such as _Spy Who Came In from the Cold, The (1965)_, Frankenstein (1994) and Sense and Sensibility (1995). He has been awarded the CBE for services to acting.

IMDb Mini Biography By: anonymous

Spouse

Sally Pearson

(1961 - 1986) (divorced)

Trivia

His ex-wife, Sally Pearson, is Gladys Cooper's daughter.

He became an expert on the longbow when he played Henry V at Stratford. He became a longbow/weapons consultant for the Mary Rose Trust when that 16th c. warship was recovered at Portsmouth, England, UK

Was a good friend of actor Richard Burton.

Appointed CBE in the 1981 Queen's Birthday Honours List.

Spoke at the funeral of "James Herriot". Herriot was the psuedonym of Alf Wight (due to legal requirements of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons) and Hardy and Wight became close friends over the years of the "All Creatures" series, adapted from Wight's books.

He is one of the patrons of the Wensleydale Railway, a group that has been set up to re-open the mainly derelict line between Northallerton and Garsdale in Yorkshire, because of his connection with the area from when he played Siegfried Farnon in "All Creatures Great and Small" (1978).

Has played British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in five separate films ("Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years" (1981), The Woman He Loved (1988) (TV), "War and Remembrance" (1988), "Bomber Harris" (1989) (TV)Agatha Christie Marple: The Sittaford Mystery (2006) (TV) as well as the fictitious Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge in the Harry Potter series. He has also played Winston Churchill's World War II ally and friend twice, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Personal Quotes

Playing villains is half the fun, and you may not be an absolute villain yourself, but finding something in the villain, the horrid creature, that you enjoy.

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