Robert Hardy

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

147

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

  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

    Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

  • Foyle's War

    Foyle's War

  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

    Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

  • 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

  • Great Performances

    Great Performances

  • Spooks

    Spooks

  • The Saint

    The Saint

  • Lewis

    Lewis

  • Sherlock Holmes

    Sherlock Holmes

  • Inspector Morse

    Inspector Morse

  • Sense and Sensibility

    Sense and Sensibility

  • All Creatures Great and Small

    All Creatures Great and Small

  • The Wednesday Play

    The Wednesday Play

  • The Wednesday Play

    The Wednesday Play

  • Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

    Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

  • Natural World

    Natural World

  • Playhouse

    Playhouse

  • Playhouse

    Playhouse

  • Upstairs, Downstairs

    Upstairs, Downstairs

  • The Alan Titchmarsh Show

    The Alan Titchmarsh Show

  • How I Won the War

    How I Won the War

  • Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

  • Screen Two

    Screen Two

  • The 10th Kingdom

    The 10th Kingdom

  • Theatre 625

    Theatre 625

  • Theatre 625

    Theatre 625

  • The Silent One

    The Silent One

  • Thirty-Minute Theatre

    Thirty-Minute Theatre

  • Dark Places

    Dark Places

  • Gulliver's Travels

    Gulliver's Travels

  • The Spy Who Came In from the Cold

    The Spy Who Came In from the Cold

  • The Gathering

    The Gathering

  • The Buccaneers

    The Buccaneers

  • The Slap

    The Slap

  • Sunday Night Theatre

    Sunday Night Theatre

  • Sunday Night Theatre

    Sunday Night Theatre

  • Sunday Night Theatre

    Sunday Night Theatre

  • Torpedo Run

    Torpedo Run

  • Bomber Harris

    Bomber Harris

  • Northanger Abbey

    Northanger Abbey

  • The Troubleshooters

    The Troubleshooters

  • War and Remembrance

    War and Remembrance

  • Lassie

    Lassie

  • Making Waves

    Making Waves

  • Margaret

    Margaret

  • Bramwell

    Bramwell

  • Bramwell

    Bramwell

  • Young Winston

    Young Winston

  • Speed King

    Speed King

  • Twelfth Night

    Twelfth Night

  • Countdown

    Countdown

  • Mrs. Dalloway

    Mrs. Dalloway

  • Blat

    Blat

  • A Ghost Story for Christmas

    A Ghost Story for Christmas

  • Othello

    Othello

  • Raffles

    Raffles

  • Snapshot Wedding

    Snapshot Wedding

  • Centenary: The BP Story

    Centenary: The BP Story

  • Churchill's People

    Churchill's People

  • Nancherrow

    Nancherrow

  • The Far Pavilions

    The Far Pavilions

  • The Adventures of Sir Lancelot

    The Adventures of Sir Lancelot

  • James Mason: The Star They Loved to Hate

    James Mason: The Star They Loved to Hate

  • Middlemarch

    Middlemarch

  • Thunderpants

    Thunderpants

  • Death in Holy Orders

    Death in Holy Orders

  • An Age of Kings

    An Age of Kings

  • An Age of Kings

    An Age of Kings

  • Manhunt

    Manhunt

  • The Lost World

    The Lost World

  • Berserk!

    Berserk!

  • Psychomania

    Psychomania

  • The Veil

    The Veil

  • The Falklands Play

    The Falklands Play

  • Bill Brand

    Bill Brand

  • Strange Report

    Strange Report

  • Mystery and Imagination

    Mystery and Imagination

  • In from the Cold? A Portrait of Richard Burton

    In from the Cold? A Portrait of Richard Burton

  • The Master Blackmailer

    The Master Blackmailer

  • Bertie and Elizabeth

    Bertie and Elizabeth

  • Shackleton

    Shackleton

  • 10 Rillington Place

    10 Rillington Place

  • Paris by Night

    Paris by Night

  • Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years

    Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years

  • A Feast at Midnight

    A Feast at Midnight

  • Testament: The Bible in Animation

    Testament: The Bible in Animation

  • The Woman He Loved

    The Woman He Loved

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • The Barber of Siberia

    The Barber of Siberia

  • 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

  • The Duchess of Duke Street

    The Duchess of Duke Street

  • Elizabeth R

    Elizabeth R

  • Supernatural

    Supernatural

  • Gawain and the Green Knight

    Gawain and the Green Knight

  • The Death of the Heart

    The Death of the Heart

  • The Cleopatras

    The Cleopatras

  • Make and Break

    Make and Break

  • Jenny's War

    Jenny's War

  • The Shooting Party

    The Shooting Party

  • Shoulder to Shoulder

    Shoulder to Shoulder

  • The Incredible Robert Baldick: Never Come Night

    The Incredible Robert Baldick: Never Come Night

  • The Lost World

    The Lost World

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

    Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair

  • Goodbye Mr Snuggles

    Goodbye Mr Snuggles

  • Edward the Seventh

    Edward the Seventh

  • The Demon Lover

    The Demon Lover

  • An Ideal Husband

    An Ideal Husband

  • The Spread of the Eagle

    The Spread of the Eagle

  • Victorian Scandals

    Victorian Scandals

  • The Stalls of Barchester

    The Stalls of Barchester

  • Look at the State We're In!

    Look at the State We're In!

  • General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

  • Nancherrow

    Nancherrow

  • Churchill: 100 Days That Saved Britain

    Churchill: 100 Days That Saved Britain

  • Warm Feet, Warm Heart

    Warm Feet, Warm Heart

  • The Dark Island

    The Dark Island

  • Jenny's War

    Jenny's War

  • Marie Stopes: Sexual Revolutionary

    Marie Stopes: Sexual Revolutionary

  • Old Man's Fancy

    Old Man's Fancy

  • European Heritage

    European Heritage

  • Elementary My Dear Viewer

    Elementary My Dear Viewer

  • Hot Metal

    Hot Metal

  • Le Grand Charles

    Le Grand Charles

  • Son of Man

    Son of Man

  • Demons of the Mind

    Demons of the Mind

  • Armchair Theatre

    Armchair Theatre

  • Ghosts in the Machine

    Ghosts in the Machine

  • The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood

    The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood

  • The Gathering Storm

    The Gathering Storm

  • The Tichborne Claimant

    The Tichborne Claimant

  • Caesar and Claretta

    Caesar and Claretta

  • Paying Guests (Part 2)

    Paying Guests (Part 2)

  • Lucky Jim

    Lucky Jim

  • Yellow Dog

    Yellow Dog

  • Paying Guests (Part 1)

    Paying Guests (Part 1)

  • The Secret Agent

    The Secret Agent

  • Black Legend

    Black Legend

  • Joseph's Reel

    Joseph's Reel

  • Fothergill

    Fothergill

  • Castle Ghosts of England

    Castle Ghosts of England

  • The Pied Piper of Hamelin

    The Pied Piper of Hamelin

  • Castle Ghosts of Wales

    Castle Ghosts of Wales

  • Getting In

    Getting In

  • Castle Ghosts of Ireland

    Castle Ghosts of Ireland