Nicholas Jones (actor)

Nicholas Jones (born 3 April 1946) is an English character actor who has appeared on stage, film and television.

Early life

Jones was born in London, the younger brother of actress Gemma Jones. They are the children of actor Griffith Jones (1909–2007) and Robin Isaac. He was educated at Westminster School.

Jones's acting career started in 1965, when he became a stage manager at the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool. He made the scenery, set the lights and ran the shows.
After taking on various small acting roles, Terry Hands, the theatre director, suggested he should be doing more acting, so he auditioned for the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
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.

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. One of his first screen roles was as Laertes opposite Richard Chamberlain's ''Hamlet'' in 1970.

Personal life

Jones has been practising devotional yoga since 1973. It is a meditational discipline.

As a pilot, Jones performed his first 'slow roll’ in a Chipmunk 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 - 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'' (1999) - James
*''On Wings of Fire'' (2001)
*'' And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen'' (2002) - London Jeweller
*'' Vanity Fair'' (2004) - Lord Darlington
*''Vera Drake'' (2004) - Defence Barrister
*''Copying Beethoven'' (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'' (2013) - Dr. Robert
*'' Mr Turner'' (2014) - Sir John Soane
*''Effie Gray'' (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 series, ''Wings'', alongside Tim Woodward and Michael Cochrane, perhaps his most iconic role. He also played Jeremy Aldermarten QC in all six series of the 1990s courtroom drama, ''Kavanagh QC''. alongside John Thaw.

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'' (1993, TV Movie) - Luker
*'' Lipstick on Your Collar'' (1993) - Major Carter
*''Sharpe's Company'' (1994, TV Movie) - Col. Fletcher
*'' Bramwell'' (1995) - Lord Edward Carstairs
*''A Touch of Frost'' (1996) - Major Harvey
*'' The Beggar Bride'' (1997) - Sir Fabian Ormerod
*''A Dance to the Music of Time'' (1997) - Bob Duport
*'' Hornblower: Mutiny'' (2002) - Lieutenant Buckland
*'' Hornblower: Retribution'' (2002) - Lieutenant Buckland
*'' The Alan Clark Diaries'' (2004) - Peter Morrison, MP
*'' Sensitive Skin'' (2005)
*''Dunkirk'' (2005) - Michaela Pendle
*''Inspector George Gently'' (2006) - Henry Blythely
*''Silent Witness '' (2006) - Dr Harvey Wilson
*''Eleventh Hour '' (2006) - Dr Sidney Hayward
*'' Spooks'' (2006) - Michael Collingwood
*''Rebus'' (2007, Series 4, Episode 3) - Commander Steelforth
*''Little Dorrit'' (2008) - The Scary Butler
*''Margaret'' (2009) - Tim Renton, MP
*''Midsomer Murders'' (2010-2014) - Ernest Bradley / Reverend Moreland
*'' The Shadow Line '' (2011) - Commander Penney
*'' Waking the Dead'' (2011) - Leo Harding
*''Silk '' (2012) - Judge Goodbrand
*'' The Hollow Crown '' (2012) - Archbishop of York
*''Holby City'' (2012) - Jeremy Hamilton
*'' Henry IV, Part II'' (2012) - the Archbishop of York
*''Twenty Twelve'' (2012) - Tony Griffiths
*'' The Best of Men'' (2012) - Major-General Harold Henry Blake
*'' The Suspicions of Mr Whicher '' (2014) - Sir Edwards Shore
*''Law & Order'' (2014) - Edmund Rintoul
*''Father Brown'' (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'' (2016) - Charles Wilson
*''Count Arthur Strong'' (2017) - Judge
*'' The Moorside'' (2017) - Judge
*''Absentia'' (2017) - Irving
*''Pennyworth'' (2019) - Sir Francis Tewkes
*''House of the Dragon'' (2022) - Lord Bartimos Celtigar

References

External links

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{{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