James Aubrey Tregidgo (28 August 1947 – 6 April 2010), known professionally as James Aubrey, was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

stage and screen actor. He trained for the stage at the

Drama Centre London Drama Centre London (often abbreviated as Drama Centre) was a British drama school in King's Cross, London, where it moved in 2011 after a major reshaping of the University of the Arts London. It was part of Central Saint Martins, a constitu ...

, some years after making his professional acting debut in a production of ''Isle of Children'' (1962) and his screen acting debut in the film adaptation of ''

Lord of the Flies ''Lord of the Flies'' is a 1954 novel by the Nobel Prize-winning British author William Golding. The plot concerns a group of British boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island and their disastrous attempts to govern themselves. Themes i ...

'' (1963). He later performed with the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

Early life and education

Aubrey was born in 1947 in

Klagenfurt Klagenfurt am WörtherseeLandesgesetzblatt 2008 vom 16. Jänner 2008, Stück 1, Nr. 1: ''Gesetz vom 25. Oktober 2007, mit dem die Kärntner Landesverfassung und das Klagenfurter Stadtrecht 1998 geändert werden.'/ref> (; ; sl, Celovec), usually ...

, Austria. His parents were

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Aubrey James Tregidgo and Edna May Tregidgo (née Boxall). He was educated at the Wolmer's Boys' School in Kingston, Jamaica, the Windsor Boys' School, at

Hamm Hamm (, Latin: ''Hammona'') is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. As of 2016 its population was 179,397. The city is situated between the A1 motorway and A2 motorway. Hamm railwa ...

, in Germany, and St John's School, Singapore, before training for the stage at the

from 1967 to 1970.

Ronald Bergan Ronald Bergan (né Ginsberg, 2 November 1937 – 23 July 2020) was a South African-born British writer and historian. He was contributor to ''The Guardian'' (from 1989) and lecturer on film and other subjects as well as the author (or co-author) ...

Obituary: James Aubrey
''The Guardian'', 12 April 2010

Stage work

Aubrey made his first professional stage appearance at the Wilmington Playhouse in March 1962 in the role of Philip in ''Isle of Children''. It was in this same role that he made his

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

debut, appearing in a 1962 production at the

Cort Theatre The James Earl Jones Theatre, originally the Cort Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 138 West 48th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States. It was built in ...

which lasted only 11 performances. From 1970 to 1972, Aubrey performed at the

Citizens' Theatre The Citizens Theatre, in what was the Royal Princess's Theatre, is the creation of James Bridie and is based in Glasgow, Scotland as a principal producing theatre. The theatre includes a 500-seat Main Auditorium, and has also included various s ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, appearing in such roles as

Andrew Aguecheek Sir Andrew Aguecheek is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's play ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will''. One of the supporting characters, Sir Andrew is a stereotypical fool, who is goaded into unwisely duelling with Cesario and who i ...

in ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

'' and Theridamas in ''

Tamburlaine ''Tamburlaine the Great'' is a play in two parts by Christopher Marlowe. It is loosely based on the life of the Central Asian emperor Timur (Tamerlane/Timur the Lame, d. 1405). Written in 1587 or 1588, the play is a milestone in Elizabethan p ...

''. Aubrey made his London stage debut at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, Englan ...

in June 1973 as a

police constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

in the premiere of

Howard Brenton Howard John Brenton FRSL (born 13 December 1942) is an English playwright and screenwriter. While little-known in the United States, he is celebrated in his home country and often ranked alongside contemporaries such as Edward Bond, Caryl Chur ...

's '' Magnificence''. From 1973 to 1974, Aubrey toured with the

Cambridge Theatre Company Cambridge Arts Theatre is a 666-seat theatre on Peas Hill and St Edward's Passage in central Cambridge, England. The theatre presents a varied mix of drama, dance, opera and pantomime. It attracts some of the highest-quality touring productions ...

as Diggory in ''

She Stoops to Conquer ''She Stoops to Conquer'' is a comedy by Oliver Goldsmith, first performed in London in 1773. The play is a favourite for study by English literature and theatre classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays from the 18th ...

'' and again as Aguecheek. Aubrey performed with the

for their 1974–75 season, appearing in such roles as Sebastian in '' The Tempest'' and Froth in ''

Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604, according to available records. It was published in the ''First Folio'' of 1623. The play's plot features its ...

''. He toured with the Cambridge Theatre Company again in 1979 in the roles of Mark in ''

The Shadow Box ''The Shadow Box'' is a play written by actor Michael Cristofer. The play made its Broadway debut on March 31, 1977. It is the winner of the 1977 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. The play was made into a telefilm, directed ...

'' and Tony in ''From the Greek''. Other venues at which Aubrey appeared include the

Birmingham Repertory Theatre Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre c ...

, the

Comedy Theatre The Harold Pinter Theatre, known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011,

and the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary * Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Ma ...

Screen work

Aubrey first appeared in a film at the age of fourteen, in the film adaptation of

William Golding Sir William Gerald Golding (19 September 1911 – 19 June 1993) was a British novelist, playwright, and poet. Best known for his debut novel ''Lord of the Flies'' (1954), he published another twelve volumes of fiction in his lifetime. In 1980 ...

’s ''

'', released in 1963, taking the lead role of Ralph. He played Gavin Sorenson in the television adaptation of '' Bouquet of Barbed Wire'' (1976) and its sequel, '' Another Bouquet'' (1977). He also worked with two British filmmakers,

Norman J. Warren Norman John Warren (25 June 1942 – 11 March 2021) was an English film director best known for such 1970s horror films as '' Satan's Slave'' (1976), ''Prey'' (1977) and '' Terror'' (1978). Warren is also known for sex comedies such as '' Oute ...

('' Terror'', 1978) and Pete Walker ('' Home Before Midnight'', 1979), and played the ill-fated pop singer B.J. in the

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...

film ''

The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle ''The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle'' is a 1980 British mockumentary film directed by Julien Temple and produced by Don Boyd and Jeremy Thomas. It centres on the British punk rock band Sex Pistols and, most prominently, their manager Malcolm Mc ...

'' (1980). In 1979 played the part of Graham Hurst in the popular TV series Minder (The Bounty Hunter) and in 1974 played Horace Reynes in the Sweeney (Selected Target). In 1986, Aubrey starred in '' Forever Young'', directed by David Drury. He portrayed Mark in three episodes of ''

Lytton's Diary ''Lytton's Diary'' is a drama TV series made by Thames Television for the ITV network about the life of a newspaper gossip columnist. Cast Episodes ''Storyboard'' Lytton's Diary (30 August 1983) – director Brian Parker Series One #Rabid D ...

'' in 1986. In 1997, he appeared in an adaptation of Robert Ludlum's ''

The Apocalypse Watch ''The Apocalypse Watch'' (1995) is a novel by Robert Ludlum. A TV movie based on it aired in 1997 which starred Patrick Bergin and Virginia Madsen. This was Ludlum's second novel to focus on a neo-Nazi conspiracy to take over the world, after '' T ...

'' and was also a guest star in an episode of the TV series ''Brief Encounters'' in 2006. During his final months, Aubrey worked with a group of local independent film-makers. Overseeing casting sessions for ''Shadows of a Stranger'' at the Hub in Sleaford in early 2010, Aubrey was also set to play the lead role in the production, but died a month before filming began.

Private life

In 1970, at St Pancras, Aubrey married Agnes Kristin Hallander, a marriage which later ended in divorce. His daughter is , a French actress.

Death

Aubrey died at his home in Cranwell Village,

Sleaford Sleaford is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. Centred on the former parish of New Sleaford, the modern boundaries and urban area include Quarrington, Lincolnshire, ...

, on 6 April 2010, at the age of 62, suffering from

pancreatitis Pancreatitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large organ behind the stomach that produces digestive enzymes and a number of hormones. There are two main types: acute pancreatitis, and chronic pancr ...

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1963) * ''

The Sex Thief ''The Sex Thief'' is a 1973 British sex comedy film starring David Warbeck, Diane Keen and Christopher Biggins. It was an early film credit for director Martin Campbell. The film was released in North America (in January 1976) as ''Her Family ...

'' (1973) * ''

Galileo Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He was ...

'' (1975) * '' Terror'' (1978) * '' Home Before Midnight'' (1979) * ''

'' (1980) * '' The Hunger'' (1983) * '' Forever Young'' (1983) *'' The American Way'' (1986) * ''

Cry Freedom ''Cry Freedom'' is a 1987 epic apartheid drama film directed and produced by Richard Attenborough, set in late-1970s apartheid-era South Africa. The screenplay was written by John Briley based on a pair of books by journalist Donald Woods. The ...

'' (1987) * '' Thin Air'' (1988) * '' The Rift'' (1989) * '' Buddy's Song'' (1991) * ''

Spy Game ''Spy Game'' is a 2001 American action thriller film directed by Tony Scott and starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. The film grossed $62 million in the United States and $143 million worldwide on a $115 million budget, and received mostly po ...

'' (2001)

References

Bibliography

* Holmstrom, John. ''The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995''. Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p. 267.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aubrey, James 1947 births 2010 deaths Alumni of the Drama Centre London English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors Actors from Klagenfurt Royal Shakespeare Company members deaths from pancreatitis