Tim Pigott-Smith
Tim Pigott-Smith | |
|---|---|
 Pigott-Smith portraying the eponymous character inKing Charles III(2017) | |
| Born | Timothy Peter Pigott-Smith 13 May 1946 Rugby, Warwickshire,England |
| Died | 7 April 2017(aged 70) Northampton,England |
| Resting place | Highgate Cemetery,London, England |
| Alma mater | Bristol Old Vic Theatre School |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1971–2017 |
| Spouse |
Pamela Miles (m.1972) |
| Awards | BAFTA TV Award Best Actor 1985The Jewel in the Crown |
Timothy Peter Pigott-Smith,OBE(13 May 1946 – 7 April 2017) was an English film and television actor and author. He was best known for his leading role as Ronald Merrick in the television drama seriesThe Jewel in the Crown,for which he won theBritish Academy Television Award for Best Actorin 1985.[1]Other noted TV roles included roles inThe Chief,Midsomer Murders,The Vice,The Suspicions of Mr Whicher,King Charles IIIand twoDoctor Whostories (The Claws of Axos(1971) andThe Masque of Mandragora(1976)). Pigott-Smith appeared in many notable films, includingClash of the Titans(1981),Gangs of New York(2002),Johnny English(2003),Alexander(2004),V for Vendetta(2005),Quantum of Solace(2008),Red 2(2013) andJupiter Ascending(2015).
Early life[edit]
Pigott-Smith was born inRugby, Warwickshire,the son of Margaret Muriel (née Goodman) and Harry Thomas Pigott-Smith, who was a journalist.[2]He was educated atWyggeston Boys' School,Leicester,King Edward VI School,Stratford-upon-Avon andBristol University.He trained as an actor at theBristol Old Vic Theatre School.[3]
Career[edit]
Film and television[edit]
After a long career in smaller roles, Pigott-Smith's appearance as Arthur Llewellyn Davies in the BBC's mini-seriesThe Lost Boysled to his gaining his big break with the leading role of Ronald Merrick in the 1984 television serialThe Jewel in the Crown.[3]Other appearances include the title role in the crime drama seriesThe Chief(1990–93), a recurring role inITVdramaThe ViceasKen Stott's nemesis Vickers, andBloody Sunday.He appeared in two adaptations ofElizabeth Gaskell'sNorth and South;in the 1975 version he played Frederick Hale, and in 2004 he played Frederick's father Richard. In 1995, he starred in a serial of the seriesGhosts.[3]
Pigott-Smith appeared twice inDoctor Who:in the storiesThe Claws of Axos(1971) andThe Masque of Mandragora(1976).
Pigott-Smith was a regular narrator of documentary television series.[3]He narratedThe Team: A Season with McLaren,a six-episode BBC series about the 1993 season withMcLaren Racing.He also narrated theBattlefieldseries, which examines pivotal battles of theSecond World Warfrom an operations point of view. Later, he narrated a series on the British Royal Family, entitledMonarchy: The Royal Family at Work.The series followed QueenElizabeth IIfor more than a year, including the 2007 state visit to the United States.
From 2011 to 2014, he portrayed Commissioner Mayne in the ITV drama seriesThe Suspicions of Mr Whicher,written byHelen Edmundson.[4]
Pigott-Smith appeared inLewisin 2015 as a taxidermist in the episode "One For Sorrow". He also appeared on the ITV series,Downton Abbeyin the third series' (third season) fifth episode as obstetrician/gynaecologist Sir Philip Tapsell, who was present at the death of Lady Sybil Crawley Branson (Jessica Brown Findlay) fromeclampsiaafter giving birth to her daughter.[3]
His film career included the 2004 filmAlexander,The Four Feathers,Clash of the Titans,Gangs of New York,Johnny English,The Remains of the DayandV for Vendetta.He also appeared as Major General Robert Ford in directorPaul Greengrass'sBloody Sunday(2002), and as the Foreign Secretary in theJames BondfilmQuantum of Solace(2008). In February 2010 Pigott-Smith playedAlan Keenin the television filmOn Expenses.He also had a cameo appearance as Sniggs in the BBC production ofEvelyn Waugh'sDecline and Fallin 2017. His final film role was that of SirHenry Ponsonby,Queen Victoria's Private Secretary, inVictoria & Abdul(2017).[5]
Stage and radio[edit]
Pigott-Smith worked in the theatre inShakespeareanandGreekroles, including Posthumus inJohn Barton's1974 production ofCymbelinefor theRoyal Shakespeare Company.[3]In early stage roles he was credited as "Tim Smith".
In 2011 he took the title role inKing Learat theWest Yorkshire Playhouse,Leeds.[6]
Contemporary works includedEnron,playingKen Lay,for theChichester Festival Theatre,and then London, in 2009 and Tobias inA Delicate Balanceat theAlmeida Theatre,London in 2011.[7][8]He returned to the Almeida in 2014 as a post-accessionCharles, Prince of WalesinKing Charles III,[9]for which he received a nomination for theOlivier Award for Best Actor,and his firstTony Awardnomination for its production on Broadway in 2015. He also appeared as Charles in the2017 film adaptationof the play.[3]
Pigott-Smith was also a radio actor, appearing in many productions onBBC Radio 4.[citation needed]
Writing[edit]
During the making ofThe Jewel in the Crown,Pigott-Smith wrote a diary on his impressions of India. This was published together with an anthology of poetry and prose under the titleOut of India.[10]
Pigott-Smith wrote two children's books in the seriesThe Baker Street Mysteries,featuring the exploits ofSherlock Holmes'Baker Street Irregulars–The Dragon Tattoo(2008) andShadow of Evil(2009). He played Holmes in a BBC Radio adaptation ofThe Valley of Fear.
Death[edit]
Pigott-Smith died from a heart attack inNorthamptonon 7 April 2017, aged 70, where he had been preparing to appear in a touring production ofDeath of a Salesmanthat was set to begin three days later.[3][11]His wife Pamela Miles was also originally scheduled to appear in the play but had withdrawn after breaking a bone and needing surgery.[12]He is buried on the east side ofHighgate Cemetery.[13]
Filmography and more[edit]
Film[edit]
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Director(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Doctor Who(The Claws of Axos) | Captain Harker | Michael Ferguson | Parts 3 + 4 |
| 1976 | Doctor Who(The Masque of Mandragora) | Marco | Rodney Bennett | 4 episodes |
| 1979 | Measure for Measure | Angelo | Desmond Davis | BBC Shakespeare series |
| 1979 | Danger UXB | Harry Winthrop | Simon Langton | |
| 1979 | Henry IV Pt 1 | Henry 'Hotspur' Percy | David Giles | BBC Shakespeare series |
| 1980 | 'Tis Pity She's a Whore | Vasques | Roland Joffe | BBC |
| 1981 | Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years | Brendan Bracken | Ferdinand Fairfax | 8 episodes |
| 1982 | I Remember Nelson | Capt. Thomas Hardy | 4 episodes | |
| 1984 | The Jewel in the Crown | Ronald Merrick | Main Cast | |
| 1986 | Dead Man's Folly | Sir George Stubbs | Clive Donner | Television movie |
| 1987 | Life Story | Francis Crick | Mick Jackson | 1988 BAFTA TV Award as the Best Single Drama |
| 1990–93 | The Chief (TV series) | Chief Constable John Stafford | First two series | |
| 1993 | The Team - A Season With McLaren | Narrator | 1 series 6 episodes | |
| 1994 | Battlefield | Narrator | 3 series | |
| 2003 | The Day Britain Stopped | Narrator | Dramatic pseudo-documentary television film | |
| 2004 | North and South | Richard Hale | Main cast | |
| 2006 | Agatha Christie's Poirot | Dr. Lionel Woodward | Series 10, Episode:Taken at the Flood | |
| 2007 | HolbyBlue | DCI Harry Hutchinson | Series 1 | |
| 2008 | Midsomer Murders | Matt Parkes | Renny Rye | Episode: "Days of Misrule" |
| 2010 | Foyle's War | Brigadier Timothy Wilson | Stuart Orme | Series 6, Episode 1:Foyle's War (series 6) |
| 2011 | The Hour | Lord Elms | Coky Giedroyc, Jamie Payne | Series 1, Episode 1, 2, 6:The Hour (Series 1) |
| 2012 | Downton Abbey | Sir Philip Tapsell | Jeremy Webb | |
| 2011-14 | The Suspicions of Mr Whicher | Commissioner Mayne | Screenplay byHelen Edmundson | |
| 2013 | Wodehouse in Exile | P.G. Wodehouse | Tim Fywell | Screenplay by Nigel Williams |
| 2013 | Silent Witness (S:16 Ep:1) | Laura Mackie, Jessica Pope | ||
| 2013 | Miranda (S:3 Ep:3) | Valerie Jackford | ||
| 2014 | 37 Days | Herbert Henry Asquith | Justin Hardy | TV 3-part miniseries |
| 2015 | Inspector Lewis "One For Sorrow" | Jasper Hammond | Nicholas Laughland | Parts 1 and 2 |
Audiobook narration[edit]
Awards and honours[edit]
Pigott-Smith won theBAFTA Award for Best Actorin 1985, for his role inThe Jewel in the Crown.[1] In 2014–15, he was nominated for theLaurence Olivier Awardand theTony Awardfor his lead role in the playKing Charles III.[12]He was appointed anOfficer of the Order of the British Empire(OBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to drama.[14]
Awards and nominations[edit]
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | BAFTA TV Awards | Best Actor | The Jewel in the Crown | Won |
| 2002 | Fantasporto Award | Directors' Week Award for Best Actor | Bloody Sunday | Won |
| 2018 | BAFTA TV Awards | Best Actor | King Charles III | Nominated |
References[edit]
- ^ab"1985 Television Actor BAFTA Awards".awards.bafta.org.Retrieved8 April2017.
- ^"Former Advertiser remembers award-winning Rugby actor best known for his police chief role".Rugby Advertiser.Retrieved10 March2021.
- ^abcdefghCroall, Jonathan (2021). "Smith, Timothy Peter (Tim) Pigott- (1946–2017), actor and director".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.90000380330.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^"The Suspicions of Mr Whicher Season 3".
- ^"Tim Pigott-Smith".BFI.Archived fromthe originalon 15 March 2016.Retrieved30 April2018.
- ^Cavendish, Dominic (29 September 2011)."King Lear, West Yorkshire Playhouse".The Daily Telegraph.Retrieved31 October2011.
- ^Sell, Michael (23 July 2009)."Reviews: Enron".The Stage.Retrieved31 October2011.
- ^Dowell, Ben (13 May 2011)."Reviews:A Delicate Balance".The Stage.Retrieved31 October2011.
- ^Curtis, Nick (3 April 2014)."What would happen if Prince Charles was made king?".Evening Standard.Retrieved4 April2014.
- ^Oration for award of honorary D.Litt to Timothy Peter Pigott-Smith, University Of Bristol 2008
- ^Paulson, Michael (8 April 2017)."Tim Pigott-Smith, Actor Who Put Prince Charles on the Throne, Dies at 70".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved11 April2017.
- ^ab"Actor Tim Pigott-Smith dies aged 70".BBC News.7 April 2017.Retrieved8 April2017.
- ^"Who Else is Here?".Highgate Cemetery.Retrieved28 September2023.
- ^"No. 61803".The London Gazette(Supplement). 31 December 2016. p. N14.
External links[edit]
- Tim Pigott-Smithat theBritish Film Institute
- Tim Pigott-SmithatIMDb
- Tim Pigott-Smith(Aveleyman)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1946 births
- 2017 deaths
- Actors from Rugby, Warwickshire
- English male film actors
- English male radio actors
- English male stage actors
- English male television actors
- 20th-century English male actors
- 21st-century English male actors
- Male actors from Warwickshire
- People educated at King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon
- People educated at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys
- Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
- Alumni of the University of Bristol
- Best Actor BAFTA Award (television) winners
- Officers of the Order of the British Empire
- Burials at Highgate Cemetery