Robert Hardy

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

143

Gender

Male

Birthday

1925-10-29

Day of death

2017-08-03 (91 years old)

Place of Birth

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, UK

Robert Hardy

Biography

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.

Known For

  • Midsomer Murders

    Midsomer Murders

  • Great Performances

    Great Performances

  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

    Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

  • The Saint

    The Saint

  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

    Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

    Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

  • Agatha Christie's Marple

    Agatha Christie's Marple

  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

    Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

  • Spooks

    Spooks

  • Sherlock Holmes

    Sherlock Holmes

  • Foyle's War

    Foyle's War

  • All Creatures Great and Small

    All Creatures Great and Small

  • Natural World

    Natural World

  • Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

    Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

  • Lewis

    Lewis

  • The Alan Titchmarsh Show

    The Alan Titchmarsh Show

  • Inspector Morse

    Inspector Morse

  • Playhouse

    Playhouse

  • Playhouse

    Playhouse

  • The Wednesday Play

    The Wednesday Play

  • The Wednesday Play

    The Wednesday Play

  • Upstairs, Downstairs

    Upstairs, Downstairs

  • Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

  • Screen Two

    Screen Two

  • Thirty-Minute Theatre

    Thirty-Minute Theatre

  • The Troubleshooters

    The Troubleshooters

  • The Buccaneers

    The Buccaneers

  • Sunday Night Theatre

    Sunday Night Theatre

  • Sunday Night Theatre

    Sunday Night Theatre

  • Sunday Night Theatre

    Sunday Night Theatre

  • Countdown

    Countdown

  • Gawain and the Green Knight

    Gawain and the Green Knight

  • The Lost World

    The Lost World

  • Sense and Sensibility

    Sense and Sensibility

  • In from the Cold? A Portrait of Richard Burton

    In from the Cold? A Portrait of Richard Burton

  • Mrs. Dalloway

    Mrs. Dalloway

  • Centenary: The BP Story

    Centenary: The BP Story

  • War and Remembrance

    War and Remembrance

  • How I Won the War

    How I Won the War

  • Gulliver's Travels

    Gulliver's Travels

  • Making Waves

    Making Waves

  • Bramwell

    Bramwell

  • Bramwell

    Bramwell

  • Middlemarch

    Middlemarch

  • The 10th Kingdom

    The 10th Kingdom

  • An Age of Kings

    An Age of Kings

  • An Age of Kings

    An Age of Kings

  • Mystery and Imagination

    Mystery and Imagination

  • The Barber of Siberia

    The Barber of Siberia

  • Northanger Abbey

    Northanger Abbey

  • A Ghost Story for Christmas

    A Ghost Story for Christmas

  • Manhunt

    Manhunt

  • The Death of the Heart

    The Death of the Heart

  • The Incredible Robert Baldick: Never Come Night

    The Incredible Robert Baldick: Never Come Night

  • The Adventures of Sir Lancelot

    The Adventures of Sir Lancelot

  • Elizabeth R

    Elizabeth R

  • Goodbye Mr Snuggles

    Goodbye Mr Snuggles

  • Torpedo Run

    Torpedo Run

  • Bomber Harris

    Bomber Harris

  • The Duchess of Duke Street

    The Duchess of Duke Street

  • The Silent One

    The Silent One

  • Lassie

    Lassie

  • The Cleopatras

    The Cleopatras

  • Raffles

    Raffles

  • The Gathering

    The Gathering

  • Paris by Night

    Paris by Night

  • Bill Brand

    Bill Brand

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • Testament: The Bible in Animation

    Testament: The Bible in Animation

  • Snapshot Wedding

    Snapshot Wedding

  • Edward the Seventh

    Edward the Seventh

  • Make and Break

    Make and Break

  • Shackleton

    Shackleton

  • Nancherrow

    Nancherrow

  • The Slap

    The Slap

  • The Veil

    The Veil

  • The Far Pavilions

    The Far Pavilions

  • 10 Rillington Place

    10 Rillington Place

  • Strange Report

    Strange Report

  • Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years

    Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years

  • Hot Metal

    Hot Metal

  • An Ideal Husband

    An Ideal Husband

  • Bertie and Elizabeth

    Bertie and Elizabeth

  • The Falklands Play

    The Falklands Play

  • Yellow Dog

    Yellow Dog

  • Jenny's War

    Jenny's War

  • Twelfth Night

    Twelfth Night

  • The Spread of the Eagle

    The Spread of the Eagle

  • Blat

    Blat

  • The Shooting Party

    The Shooting Party

  • Victorian Scandals

    Victorian Scandals

  • Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair

    Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair

  • Margaret

    Margaret

  • Shoulder to Shoulder

    Shoulder to Shoulder

  • A Feast at Midnight

    A Feast at Midnight

  • The Spy Who Came In from the Cold

    The Spy Who Came In from the Cold

  • Thunderpants

    Thunderpants

  • Dark Places

    Dark Places

  • Look at the State We're In!

    Look at the State We're In!

  • Paying Guests (Part 1)

    Paying Guests (Part 1)

  • Paying Guests (Part 2)

    Paying Guests (Part 2)

  • Speed King

    Speed King

  • Supernatural

    Supernatural

  • General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

  • Death in Holy Orders

    Death in Holy Orders

  • Othello

    Othello

  • Young Winston

    Young Winston

  • The Lost World

    The Lost World

  • The Demon Lover

    The Demon Lover

  • Berserk!

    Berserk!

  • Le Grand Charles

    Le Grand Charles

  • Demons of the Mind

    Demons of the Mind

  • Nancherrow

    Nancherrow

  • The Dark Island

    The Dark Island

  • The Woman He Loved

    The Woman He Loved

  • Marie Stopes: Sexual Revolutionary

    Marie Stopes: Sexual Revolutionary

  • The Master Blackmailer

    The Master Blackmailer

  • Elementary My Dear Viewer

    Elementary My Dear Viewer

  • James Mason: The Star They Loved to Hate

    James Mason: The Star They Loved to Hate

  • Warm Feet, Warm Heart

    Warm Feet, Warm Heart

  • Jenny's War

    Jenny's War

  • The Stalls of Barchester

    The Stalls of Barchester

  • Psychomania

    Psychomania

  • Old Man's Fancy

    Old Man's Fancy

  • Armchair Theatre

    Armchair Theatre

  • Narnia's Lost Poet: The Secret Lives and Loves of C.S. Lewis

    Narnia's Lost Poet: The Secret Lives and Loves of C.S. Lewis

  • Churchill: 100 Days That Saved Britain

    Churchill: 100 Days That Saved Britain

  • Ghosts in the Machine

    Ghosts in the Machine

  • The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood

    The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood

  • Caesar and Claretta

    Caesar and Claretta

  • The Pied Piper of Hamelin

    The Pied Piper of Hamelin

  • Fothergill

    Fothergill

  • Getting In

    Getting In

  • Lucky Jim

    Lucky Jim

  • The Tichborne Claimant

    The Tichborne Claimant

  • The Gathering Storm

    The Gathering Storm

  • Castle Ghosts of Wales

    Castle Ghosts of Wales

  • Joseph's Reel

    Joseph's Reel

  • The Secret Agent

    The Secret Agent

  • Black Legend

    Black Legend

  • Son of Man

    Son of Man

  • Castle Ghosts of England

    Castle Ghosts of England

  • Castle Ghosts of Ireland

    Castle Ghosts of Ireland