Nicholas Jones (born 3 April 1946) is an English
character actor
A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to ...
who has appeared on stage, film and television.
Early life
Jones was born in London, the younger brother of actress
Gemma Jones
Jennifer "Gemma" Jones (born 4 December 1942) is an English actress. Appearing on both stage and screen, her film appearances include '' Sense and Sensibility'' (1995), the ''Bridget Jones'' series (2001–2016), the ''Harry Potter'' series ...
. They are the children of actor
Griffith Jones (1909–2007) and Robin Isaac. He was educated at
Westminster School
Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It derives from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the 1066 Norman Conquest, as d ...
.
Jones's acting career started in 1965, when he became a stage manager at the
Everyman Theatre, Liverpool
The Everyman Theatre stands at the north end of Hope Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It was founded in 1964, in Hope Hall (once a chapel, then a cinema), in an area of Liverpool noted for its bohemian environment and political edge, a ...
. He made the scenery, set the lights and ran the shows.
After taking on various small acting roles,
Terry Hands
Terence David Hands (9 January 1941 – 4 February 2020) was an English theatre director. He founded the Liverpool Everyman Theatre and ran the Royal Shakespeare Company for thirteen years during one of the company's most successful periods; h ...
, the theatre director, suggested he should be doing more acting, so he auditioned for the
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School is a drama school in Bristol, England. The institution provides training in acting and production for careers in film, television and theatre.
BOVTS is an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama. ...
.
He arrived a day late, due to travelling from Liverpool in a 1946 Triumph Roadster and, for the first and only time, used his father's name to get to see the principal. Following his audition, he was invited to start the following term.
In 1968, Jones graduated from the school and, as part of the 'Gold Medal’ prize, was invited to go to the
Bristol Old Vic
Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a f ...
.
Career
Jones has had a distinguished career, playing leads on television, at The National Theatre and on the West End Stage. He also followed in his father's footsteps by appearing with the
Royal Shakespeare Company (1999), and has starred at
Shakespeare's Globe
Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays, in the London Borough of Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames. The original theatre was built in ...
. One of his first screen roles was as
Laertes
In Greek mythology, Laertes (; grc, Λαέρτης, Laértēs ; also spelled Laërtes) was the king of the Cephallenians, an ethnic group who lived both on the Ionian islands and on the mainland, which he presumably inherited from his father ...
opposite
Richard Chamberlain
George Richard Chamberlain (born March 31, 1934) is an American actor and singer, who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show '' Dr. Kildare'' (1961–1966). He subsequently appeared in several TV mini-series, such as ''Shō ...
's ''Hamlet'' in 1970.
Personal life
Jones has been practising devotional
yoga
Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-conscio ...
since 1973. It is a meditational discipline.
As a pilot, Jones performed his first 'slow roll’ in a
Chipmunk
Chipmunks are small, striped rodents of the family Sciuridae. Chipmunks are found in North America, with the exception of the Siberian chipmunk which is found primarily in Asia.
Taxonomy and systematics
Chipmunks may be classified either as ...
10 hours after his first solo flight and landed in a farmer's field for a Boxing Day party.
He has windsurfed at home, abroad and on the
Isle of Tiree in Scotland. He is a 2nd Dan in
Kickboxing
Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, gen ...
- one belt beyond a black belt. Now in his 70s, he spends much of his free time kayaking, cycling, riding his motorbike, collecting 19th century literature and playing the piano.
Jones has written for the radio, a television series, a play and a book of anecdotes about his experiences for his daughter India. This is an ongoing project.
Filmography
Film
*''
The Corpse'' (1971) - Benjy Smith
*''
Wolfshead: The Legend of Robin Hood'' (1973) - Squire
*''
The Blockhouse'' (1973) - Kramer
*''
Daisy Miller'' (1974) - Charles
*''
When the Whales Came'' (1989) - Vicar
*''
This Year's Love
''This Year's Love'' is a 1999 film written and directed by David Kane and set in and around Camden Town in London.
Cast
* Dougray Scott as Cameron
* Jennifer Ehle as Sophie
*Ian Hart as Liam
* Sophie Okonedo as Denise
* Douglas Henshall as ...
'' (1999) - James
*''
On Wings of Fire
''On Wings of Fire'' (originally titled ''A Quest for Zarathustra'') is a 1986 English-language Indian film directed by Cyrus Bharucha and starring Zubin Mehta, Paul Shelley, Saeed Jaffrey, Amrish Puri, with Nigel Terry as Zarathustra and Der ...
'' (2001)
*''
And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen'' (2002) - London Jeweller
*''
Vanity Fair'' (2004) - Lord Darlington
*''
Vera Drake
''Vera Drake'' is a 2004 British period drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh and starring Imelda Staunton, Phil Davis, Daniel Mays and Eddie Marsan. It tells the story of a working-class woman in London in 1950 who performs illegal a ...
'' (2004) - Defence Barrister
*''
Copying Beethoven
''Copying Beethoven'' is a 2006 American dramatic film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and directed by Agnieszka Holland which gives a fictionalized take on the triumphs and heartaches of Ludwig van Beethoven's last years.
Plot
It is 1824 as Bee ...
'' (2006) - Archduke Rudolph
*''Surveillance'' (2007) - Lord Raven (Jake's Father)
*''
Flawless'' (2007) - Jameson
*''
The Lady'' (2011) - Robert Gordon, UK Ambassador 1995-1999
*''
The Iron Lady'' (2011) - Admiral Henry Leach
*''
Philomena
Philomena ( el, Ἁγία Φιλομένα), also known as Saint Philomena or ''Philomena of Rome'' was a young virgin martyr whose remains were discovered on May 24–25, 1802, in the Catacomb of Priscilla. Three tiles enclosing the tomb bore ...
'' (2013) - Dr. Robert
*''
Mr Turner'' (2014) - Sir John Soane
*''
Effie Gray
Euphemia Chalmers Millais, Lady Millais (''née'' Gray; 7 May 1828 – 23 December 1897) was a Scottish artists' model and the wife of Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais. She had previously been married to the art critic John Ruskin, ...
'' (2014) - Doctor Lee
*''
In the Heart of the Sea'' (2015) - Pollard Senior
*''
War Machine'' (2017) - Dick Waddle
*''
Darkest Hour'' (2017) - Sir John Simon
*''
The Children Act'' (2017) - Professor Rodney Carter
Television
Since 1969, Jones has acted in over 90 television films and series.
In the 1970s, he starred as Captain Triggers in the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...
series, ''
Wings
A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is exp ...
'', alongside
Tim Woodward
Timothy Oliver Woodward (born 24 April 1953) is an English actor.
Tim Woodward was born in Kensington, London, England, the son of actors Edward Woodward and Venetia Barrett. He was educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College.
He is p ...
and
Michael Cochrane
Michael Cochrane is an English actor.
Biography
Cochrane was born in Brighton, East Sussex. He was educated at Cranleigh School. He has had many television and radio roles including Oliver Sterling in the Radio 4 soap opera ''The Archers' ...
, perhaps his most iconic role. He also played Jeremy Aldermarten QC in all six series of the 1990s courtroom drama, ''
Kavanagh QC
''Kavanagh QC'' is a British television series made by Central Television for ITV between 1995 and 2001. All five series are available on DVD in both Region 1 and Region 2.
Plot
The series starred John Thaw as barrister James Kavanagh QC, ...
''. alongside
John Thaw
John Edward Thaw, (3 January 1942 – 21 February 2002) was an English actor who appeared in a range of television, stage, and cinema roles. He starred in the television series '' Inspector Morse'' as title character Detective Chief Inspector ...
.
Jones' many appearances include the following:
*''
Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less'' (1990, TV Movie) - Dr. Robin Oakley
*''
A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia'' (1992, TV Movie) - Lord Dyson
*''
Unnatural Causes Unnatural Causes may refer to:
* Manner of death (unnatural causes)
*Unnatural Causes (detective novel), 1967 detective novel by P. D. James.
* ''Unnatural Causes'' (1986 film), American television film
* ''Unnatural Causes'' (1993 film), British t ...
'' (1993, TV Movie) - Luker
*''
Lipstick on Your Collar'' (1993) - Major Carter
*''
Sharpe's Company
Sharpe's Company is a historical novel in the Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell, first published in 1982. It was the third in the series to be published, but is thirteenth in chronological order. The story is set January to August 181 ...
'' (1994, TV Movie) - Col. Fletcher
*''
Bramwell'' (1995) - Lord Edward Carstairs
*''
A Touch of Frost
A, or a, is the first Letter (alphabet), letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name ...
'' (1996) - Major Harvey
*''
The Beggar Bride'' (1997) - Sir Fabian Ormerod
*''
A Dance to the Music of Time
''A Dance to the Music of Time'' is a 12-volume ''roman-fleuve'' by English writer Anthony Powell, published between 1951 and 1975 to critical acclaim. The story is an often comic examination of movements and manners, power and passivity in En ...
'' (1997) - Bob Duport
*''
Hornblower: Mutiny'' (2002) - Lieutenant Buckland
*''
Hornblower: Retribution'' (2002) - Lieutenant Buckland
*''
The Alan Clark Diaries'' (2004) -
Peter Morrison
Sir Peter Hugh Morrison (2 June 1944 – 13 July 1995) was a British Conservative politician, MP for Chester from 1974 to 1992, and Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Background and education
Morrison ...
, MP
*''
Sensitive Skin'' (2005)
*''
Dunkirk
Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label= French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.[New Tricks
''New Tricks'' is a British television police procedural comedy drama, created by Nigel McCrery and Roy Mitchell, produced primarily by Wall to Wall (until its final year, when it was handled by Headstrong Pictures), and broadcast on BBC ...]
'' (2005) - Michaela Pendle
*''
Inspector George Gently
''Inspector George Gently'' (also known as ''George Gently'' for the pilot and first series) is a 2008 British television crime drama series produced by Company Pictures for BBC One, set in the 1960s and loosely based on some of the Inspector G ...
'' (2006) - Henry Blythely
*''
Silent Witness
''Silent Witness'' is a British crime drama television series produced by the BBC, which focuses on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in 1996, the series was created by Nigel Mc ...
'' (2006) - Dr Harvey Wilson
*''
Eleventh Hour
The Eleventh Hour may refer to:
* "The eleventh hour", a phrase in the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard in the Bible
Film
* ''The Eleventh Hour'' (1912 film), an Australian silent film
* ''The Eleventh Hour'' (1922 film), a British adapt ...
'' (2006) - Dr Sidney Hayward
*''
Spooks'' (2006)
- Michael Collingwood
*''
Rebus
A rebus () is a puzzle device that combines the use of illustrated pictures with individual letters to depict words or phrases. For example: the word "been" might be depicted by a rebus showing an illustrated bumblebee next to a plus sign (+) ...
'' (2007, Series 4, Episode 3) - Commander Steelforth
*''
Little Dorrit
''Little Dorrit'' is a novel by Charles Dickens, originally published in serial form between 1855 and 1857. The story features Amy Dorrit, youngest child of her family, born and raised in the Marshalsea prison for debtors in London. Arthur Cl ...
'' (2008) - The Scary Butler
*''
Margaret
Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian.
Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular through ...
'' (2009) -
Tim Renton
Ronald Timothy Renton, Baron Renton of Mount Harry, (28 May 1932 – 25 August 2020) was a British Conservative politician.
Early life
Tim Renton, who rarely used his first name of Ronald, was born in London. He won scholarships to Eton C ...
, MP
*''
Midsomer Murders
''Midsomer Murders'' is a British crime drama television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the '' Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series (created by Caroline Graham), and broadcast on two channels of ...
'' (2010-2014) - Ernest Bradley / Reverend Moreland
*''
The Shadow Line '' (2011) - Commander Penney
*''
Waking the Dead'' (2011) - Leo Harding
*''
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...
'' (2012) - Judge Goodbrand
*''
The Hollow Crown '' (2012) - Archbishop of York
*''
Holby City
''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' Casualty'', and ...
'' (2012) - Jeremy Hamilton
*''
Henry IV, Part II'' (2012) -
the Archbishop of York
*''
Twenty Twelve
''Twenty Twelve'' is a BBC television comedy series written and directed by John Morton. Starring Hugh Bonneville, Jessica Hynes and Amelia Bullmore, the programme is a spoof on-location mockumentary following the organisation of the 2012 Summ ...
'' (2012) - Tony Griffiths
*''
The Best of Men'' (2012) -
Major-General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Harold Henry Blake
*''
The Suspicions of Mr Whicher '' (2014) - Sir Edwards Shore
*''
Law & Order
''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise.
''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering o ...
'' (2014) - Edmund Rintoul
*''
Father Brown
Father Brown is a fictional Roman Catholic priest and amateur detective who is featured in 53 short stories published between 1910 and 1936 written by English author G. K. Chesterton. Father Brown solves mysteries and crimes using his intuiti ...
'' (2014) - Colonel Cecil Gerard
*''
Arthur & George'' (2015) - Judge Atkins
*''
Lewis'' (2015) - Philip Hathaway
*''
Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge'' (2016) - Cecil Croom-Phillips
*''
The Crown
The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has differen ...
'' (2016) -
Charles Wilson
*''
Count Arthur Strong
Steve Delaney (born 1954) is an English comedian and character actor, best known for his comedy character Count Arthur Strong on BBC Radio 4 and then a television sitcom broadcast on BBC2 and BBC1.
Early life and career
Delaney was born in Le ...
'' (2017) - Judge
*''
The Moorside'' (2017) - Judge
*''
Absentia
is Latin for absence. , a legal term, is Latin for "in the absence" or "while absent".
may also refer to:
* Award in absentia
* Declared death in absentia, or simply, death in absentia, legally declared death without a body
* Election in abs ...
'' (2017) - Irving
*''
Pennyworth
Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Batman.
Pennyworth is depicted as Bruce Wayne's loyal and tireless butler, legal ...
'' (2019) - Sir Francis Tewkes
*''
House of the Dragon
''House of the Dragon'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by George R. R. Martin and Ryan Condal for HBO. A prequel to ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), it is the second TV show in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' franchi ...
'' (2022) - Lord Bartimos Celtigar
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Nicholas
1946 births
Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
English male film actors
English male soap opera actors
Living people
People educated at Westminster School, London
Male actors from London
English people of Welsh descent
20th-century English male actors
21st-century English male actors