Robert Hardy

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

149

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

  • Agatha Christie's Marple

    Agatha Christie's Marple

  • Great Performances

    Great Performances

  • 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

  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

    Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

  • Spooks

    Spooks

  • The Saint

    The Saint

  • Inspector Morse

    Inspector Morse

  • Sherlock Holmes

    Sherlock Holmes

  • Playhouse

    Playhouse

  • Playhouse

    Playhouse

  • Lewis

    Lewis

  • Natural World

    Natural World

  • Dark Places

    Dark Places

  • The Alan Titchmarsh Show

    The Alan Titchmarsh Show

  • Sense and Sensibility

    Sense and Sensibility

  • All Creatures Great and Small

    All Creatures Great and Small

  • Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

    Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

  • Drama 61-67

    Drama 61-67

  • Drama 61-67

    Drama 61-67

  • Theatre 625

    Theatre 625

  • Theatre 625

    Theatre 625

  • Nancherrow

    Nancherrow

  • Screen Two

    Screen Two

  • The Wednesday Play

    The Wednesday Play

  • The Wednesday Play

    The Wednesday Play

  • Gulliver's Travels

    Gulliver's Travels

  • Sunday Night Theatre

    Sunday Night Theatre

  • Sunday Night Theatre

    Sunday Night Theatre

  • Sunday Night Theatre

    Sunday Night Theatre

  • Berserk!

    Berserk!

  • Speed King

    Speed King

  • Thirty-Minute Theatre

    Thirty-Minute Theatre

  • Othello

    Othello

  • Lassie

    Lassie

  • Snapshot Wedding

    Snapshot Wedding

  • Twelfth Night

    Twelfth Night

  • Upstairs, Downstairs

    Upstairs, Downstairs

  • Psychomania

    Psychomania

  • Testament: The Bible in Animation

    Testament: The Bible in Animation

  • The Shooting Party

    The Shooting Party

  • Blat

    Blat

  • Thunderpants

    Thunderpants

  • Paris by Night

    Paris by Night

  • The 10th Kingdom

    The 10th Kingdom

  • The Gathering

    The Gathering

  • Northanger Abbey

    Northanger Abbey

  • The Master Blackmailer

    The Master Blackmailer

  • A Ghost Story for Christmas

    A Ghost Story for Christmas

  • War and Remembrance

    War and Remembrance

  • An Age of Kings

    An Age of Kings

  • An Age of Kings

    An Age of Kings

  • The Buccaneers

    The Buccaneers

  • The Demon Lover

    The Demon Lover

  • The Woman He Loved

    The Woman He Loved

  • The Troubleshooters

    The Troubleshooters

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • Mystery and Imagination

    Mystery and Imagination

  • Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

  • Manhunt

    Manhunt

  • An Ideal Husband

    An Ideal Husband

  • Torpedo Run

    Torpedo Run

  • Old Man's Fancy

    Old Man's Fancy

  • Middlemarch

    Middlemarch

  • Margaret

    Margaret

  • Churchill's People

    Churchill's People

  • Bomber Harris

    Bomber Harris

  • Goodbye Mr Snuggles

    Goodbye Mr Snuggles

  • Elizabeth R

    Elizabeth R

  • Bramwell

    Bramwell

  • Bramwell

    Bramwell

  • Warm Feet, Warm Heart

    Warm Feet, Warm Heart

  • Shackleton

    Shackleton

  • Countdown

    Countdown

  • The Barber of Siberia

    The Barber of Siberia

  • The Adventures of Sir Lancelot

    The Adventures of Sir Lancelot

  • Raffles

    Raffles

  • Death in Holy Orders

    Death in Holy Orders

  • The Far Pavilions

    The Far Pavilions

  • The Veil

    The Veil

  • The Duchess of Duke Street

    The Duchess of Duke Street

  • Bill Brand

    Bill Brand

  • Elementary My Dear Viewer

    Elementary My Dear Viewer

  • Supernatural

    Supernatural

  • Edward the Seventh

    Edward the Seventh

  • Strange Report

    Strange Report

  • Look at the State We're In!

    Look at the State We're In!

  • Nancherrow

    Nancherrow

  • The Spy Who Came In from the Cold

    The Spy Who Came In from the Cold

  • Hot Metal

    Hot Metal

  • The Slap

    The Slap

  • The Cleopatras

    The Cleopatras

  • Mrs. Dalloway

    Mrs. Dalloway

  • The Spread of the Eagle

    The Spread of the Eagle

  • The Lost World

    The Lost World

  • Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years

    Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years

  • General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

  • Young Winston

    Young Winston

  • Victorian Scandals

    Victorian Scandals

  • The Lost World

    The Lost World

  • How I Won the War

    How I Won the War

  • Jenny's War

    Jenny's War

  • 10 Rillington Place

    10 Rillington Place

  • Shoulder to Shoulder

    Shoulder to Shoulder

  • Gawain and the Green Knight

    Gawain and the Green Knight

  • Yellow Dog

    Yellow Dog

  • Bertie and Elizabeth

    Bertie and Elizabeth

  • Armchair Theatre

    Armchair Theatre

  • Caesar and Claretta

    Caesar and Claretta

  • The Falklands Play

    The Falklands Play

  • Le Grand Charles

    Le Grand Charles

  • The Dark Island

    The Dark Island

  • The Silent One

    The Silent One

  • Joseph's Reel

    Joseph's Reel

  • In from the Cold? A Portrait of Richard Burton

    In from the Cold? A Portrait of Richard Burton

  • Demons of the Mind

    Demons of the Mind

  • Make and Break

    Make and Break

  • The Incredible Robert Baldick: Never Come Night

    The Incredible Robert Baldick: Never Come Night

  • The Gathering Storm

    The Gathering Storm

  • Lucky Jim

    Lucky Jim

  • 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 Zany Adventures of Robin Hood

    The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood

  • The Death of the Heart

    The Death of the Heart

  • The Secret Agent

    The Secret Agent

  • A Feast at Midnight

    A Feast at Midnight

  • The Stalls of Barchester

    The Stalls of Barchester

  • Black Legend

    Black Legend

  • Paying Guests (Part 2)

    Paying Guests (Part 2)

  • James Mason: The Star They Loved to Hate

    James Mason: The Star They Loved to Hate

  • The Tichborne Claimant

    The Tichborne Claimant

  • Son of Man

    Son of Man

  • The Pied Piper of Hamelin

    The Pied Piper of Hamelin

  • Jenny's War

    Jenny's War

  • Getting In

    Getting In

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

    Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair

  • European Heritage

    European Heritage

  • Castle Ghosts of Ireland

    Castle Ghosts of Ireland

  • Castle Ghosts of England

    Castle Ghosts of England

  • Centenary: The BP Story

    Centenary: The BP Story

  • Fothergill

    Fothergill

  • Making Waves

    Making Waves

  • Paying Guests (Part 1)

    Paying Guests (Part 1)

  • Castle Ghosts of Wales

    Castle Ghosts of Wales

  • Ghosts in the Machine

    Ghosts in the Machine

  • Marie Stopes: Sexual Revolutionary

    Marie Stopes: Sexual Revolutionary

  • Churchill: 100 Days That Saved Britain

    Churchill: 100 Days That Saved Britain