Timothy Charles Robert Noel Bentinck, 12th Earl of Portland, Count Bentinck und Waldeck Limpurg, (born 1 June 1953), commonly known as Tim Bentinck, is an English

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

and writer, known for his long-running role as David Archer in the

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

series, ''

The Archers ''The Archers'' is a BBC radio drama on BBC Radio 4, the corporation's main spoken-word channel. Broadcast since 1951, it was famously billed as "an everyday story of country folk" and is now promoted as "a contemporary drama in a rural sett ...

''. He was a member of the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

from 1997 to 1999. He is also Count Bentinck in the peerage of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

Early life

The son of the non-conformist intellectual Henry Bentinck, Portland was born on a

sheep station A sheep station is a large property ( station, the equivalent of a ranch) in Australia or New Zealand, whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and/or meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or sout ...

in Barton,

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, Australia, but moved with his family to Berkhamsted in England at the age of two. He was educated at a prep school, then Harrow School, and finally at the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...

, where he spent much of his time on productions of its drama society, before receiving a BA degree in the History of Art. After graduation, he trained in acting at 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. ...

Career

Bentinck has been an actor since 1978 and is known for the roles of David Archer in the

series ''

'' and Tom Lacey in the BBC TV drama series ''

By the Sword Divided ''By the Sword Divided'' is a British television series produced by the BBC between 1983 and 1985. The series, created by John Hawkesworth, was a historical drama set during the mid-17th century, dealing with the impact of the English Civil Wa ...

'' (1983–85). He is also a

voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non- diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentation ...

artist, having provided the voice of

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

for the video-game ''The World Is Not Enough'' (

Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and ...

and PlayStation version), and the voice of Roger Radcliffe in '' 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure''. Between 1990 and 2006 he was also the voice of "Mind The Gap" on the

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The ...

Piccadilly line. Bentinck has a long list of theatre, television and film credits. He appeared in ''

The Thick of It ''The Thick of It'' is a British comedy television series that satirises the inner workings of British government. Written and directed by Armando Iannucci, it was first broadcast for two short series on BBC Four in 2005, initially with a smal ...

'' in 2005 and 2007 and starred with

David Jason Sir David John White (born 2 February 1940), known professionally by his stage name David Jason, is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Derek "Del Boy" Trotter in the BBC sitcom '' Only Fools and Horses'', Detective Inspector ...

in ''The Royal Bodyguard'' in 2012. As himself, Bentinck has appeared on ''

Call My Bluff ''Call My Bluff'' is a British panel game show based on the short-lived US version of the same name. It was originally hosted by Robin Ray and later, most notably, by Robert Robinson. Its most prominent panellist was Frank Muir. Format The g ...

'', won a round of ''

University Challenge ''University Challenge'' is a British television quiz programme which first aired in 1962. ''University Challenge'' aired for 913 episodes on ITV from 21 September 1962 to 31 December 1987, presented by quizmaster Bamber Gascoigne. The BBC ...

'', '' Celebrity Mastermind'', ''Pointless Celebrities'' and beaten

Judith Keppel Judith Cynthia Aline Keppel (born 18 August 1942) is a British quiz show contestant who was the first person to win one million pounds on the British television game show ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?''. She has appeared on the former BBC Two ...

on science in ''Celebrity Eggheads''. Bentinck has revoiced Gérard Depardieu in the film '' Nouvelle France'', and Chow Yun Fat in '' Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon''. He has provided post-production voices for dozens of major US and UK film and television productions since helping provide the voices of both Scottish and English armies alongside

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apoca ...

in '' Braveheart''. His first film role was as 'Harris', Roger Moore's lieutenant in '' North Sea Hijack''; other film roles include William Goldman's '' The Year of the Comet'', the western, ''The Pride of Wade Ellison'' as well as the short film, ''Locked Up'' by Bugsy Riverbank Steel – winner of Best Foreign Short Film at the Lanzarote Film Festival in 2013. Also '' Fast Girls'', ''The Redistributors'', ''Rule Number Three'' with

Nicholas Hoult Nicholas Caradoc Hoult (born 7 December 1989) is an English actor. His body of work includes supporting work in big-budget mainstream productions and starring roles in independent projects in both the American and the British film industries ...

, ''

The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 187 ...

'' with Kevin Kline,

Trevor Nunn Sir Trevor Robert Nunn (born 14 January 1940) is a British theatre director. He has been the Artistic Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. He has directed dramas ...

's ''

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 Vi ...

'', '' Vanity Fair'', the U-boat commander in ''

Enigma Enigma may refer to: *Riddle, someone or something that is mysterious or puzzling Biology *ENIGMA, a class of gene in the LIM domain Computing and technology * Enigma (company), a New York-based data-technology startup * Enigma machine, a family ...

, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,'' and many short and student films. In 2018 he starred with Jack Roth as ''Conrad'' in the Netflix movie,
Us And Them
'' He played the role of

Frederick Forsyth Frederick McCarthy Forsyth (born 25 August 1938) is an English novelist and journalist. He is best known for thrillers such as ''The Day of the Jackal'', ''The Odessa File'', '' The Fourth Protocol'', '' The Dogs of War'', ''The Devil's Alter ...

in the BBC television film ''

Reg Reg or REG may refer to: * Reginald (disambiguation) * Reg or desert pavement * Raising for Effective Giving, a charity * Random event generator (parapsychology) * Raptor Education Group * Regal Entertainment Group * Regular language * .reg MS Wi ...

'' (2016). On stage, after many London fringe theatre appearances, Bentinck starred as the Pirate King in ''

'' at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...

in 1982, as Captain Brice in '' Arcadia'' at the

Theatre Royal, Haymarket The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foot ...

, and as Hubert Laurie in ''Night Must Fall'', also at the Haymarket. Bentinck toured a one-man show, ''Love Your Chocolates'', – a mixture of stories, comedy songs and multi-media, and played Frank in ''

Educating Rita ''Educating Rita'' is a stage comedy by British playwright Willy Russell. It is a play for two actors set entirely in the office of an Open University tutor. Commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, ''Educating Rita'' premièred at The Wa ...

'' at the

Watermill Theatre The Watermill Theatre is a repertory theatre in Bagnor, Berkshire. It opened in 1967 in Bagnor Mill, a converted watermill on the River Lambourn. As a producing house, the theatre has produced works that have subsequently moved on to the West E ...

, Newbury, Berkshire, in 2009. In 2018 he played the new Prime Minister, Adam Masters, in the comedy ''Brexit'' at the Pleasance Theatre, Edinburgh, and the King's Head, Islington. Bentinck regularly writes travel articles for ''

The Mail on Sunday ''The Mail on Sunday'' is a British conservative newspaper, published in a tabloid format. It is the biggest-selling Sunday newspaper in the UK and was launched in 1982 by Lord Rothermere. Its sister paper, the ''Daily Mail'', was first pub ...

'' and his book, ''Avant Garde A Clue'', co-written with Albert Welling, is published on Kindle. In March 2015, his children's book, ''Colin The Campervan'', was published by FBS Publishing. Bentinck's autobiography, ''Being David Archer - And Other Unusual Ways of Earning a Living'' was published by Constable in 2017. Radio Wiltshire's Book of the Year. Bentinck has made many guest appearances in Big Finish audio dramas, including versions of '' Doctor Who'', ''

Torchwood ''Torchwood'' is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growin ...

,'' ''

Blake's 7 ''Blake's 7'' (sometimes styled ''Blakes7'') is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Four 13-episode series were broadcast on BBC1 between 1978 and 1981. It was created by Terry Nation, who also wrote the first ...

'' and '' Space 1999''. He has also narrated over sixty audiobooks. In the

2018 Queen's Birthday Honours The 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as p ...

, he was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) for services to drama. Bentinck is also an inventor with several patents to his name, as well as a programmer/web site designer, musician and writer.

Television

Bentinck's roles on television include: * '' Gentleman Jack'', * '' Flack'', * '' The Game'', * '' The Politician's Husband'', * '' The Royal Bodyguard'', * '' Tales of the Unexpected'' (The Stinker) * ''

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 ...

'', * ''

'', * '' Doctors'', * ''

Broken News ''Broken News'' is a comedy programme shown on BBC Two in late 2005. The show poked fun at the world of 24-hour rolling news channels. The title of the show is a play on the phrase "breaking news". It had six thirty-minute episodes. Having previo ...

'', * ''Shadow Play'', * '' Sharpe's Rifles'', * '' The Armando Iannucci Shows'', * '' A Prince Among Men'', * ''

Grange Hill ''Grange Hill'' is a British children's television drama series, originally produced by the BBC and portraying life in a typical comprehensive school. The show began its run on 8 February 1978 on BBC1, and was one of the longest-running progra ...

'', * ''Made in Heaven'', * ''

Square Deal The Square Deal was Theodore Roosevelt's domestic program, which reflected his three major goals: conservation of natural resources, control of corporations, and consumer protection. These three demands are often referred to as the "three Cs" ...

'', * ''

'', * '' EastEnders'' * '' Silent Witness''.

Video games

Bentinck has also done voicework for numerous videogame titles: * '' The Feeble Files'' * '' The World Is Not Enough'' * '' 007 Racing'' * ''

Prisoner of War A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...

'' * ''

Secret Weapons Over Normandy ''Secret Weapons Over Normandy'' is a World War II-based arcade video game. Published by LucasArts and developed by Totally Games, the game is composed of 15 objective-based missions set in 1940s European, North African, and the Pacific theat ...

'' * '' James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing'' * '' Knights of Honor'' * '' Medieval II: Total War'' * ''

Heavenly Sword ''Heavenly Sword'' is a 2007 action-adventure hack and slash video game developed by Ninja Theory and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. Gameplay The game is an action-adventure title with heavy hack and slash ...

'' * '' Hellgate: London'' * '' Viking: Battle for Asgard'' * ''Rhodan: Myth of the Illochim'' * '' Memento Mori'' * '' Divinity II'' * ''

Venetica ''Venetica'' is a 2009 fantasy-themed action role-playing video game developed by Deck13 and published by DTP Entertainment. It was first released in Europe on 4 September 2009 for Microsoft Windows, with ports for the Xbox 360, and PlayStation ...

'' * ''

Dragon Age II ''Dragon Age II'' is a 2011 action role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts (EA). It is the second major game in the ''Dragon Age'' series and the successor to '' Dragon Age: Origins'' (2009). Set in the wor ...

'' * '' Star Wars: The Old Republic'' * '' The Book of Unwritten Tales'' * '' Deponia'' * '' Risen 2: Dark Waters'' * ''

The Secret World ''The Secret World'' is a massively multiplayer online role-playing video game set in a modern-day real world under attack from occult forces. Ragnar Tørnquist led development of the initial game for Funcom. ''The Secret World'' uses a subsc ...

'' * '' The Night of the Rabbit'' * '' The Raven: Legacy of a Master Thief'' * '' Total War: Rome II'' * '' The Dark Eye: Demonicon'' * '' Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse'' * '' Blackguards'' * '' Dark Souls II'' * '' Lego The Hobbit'' * '' Grid Autosport'' * '' Sacred 3'' * '' Risen 3: Titan Lords'' * ''

Dreamfall Chapters ''Dreamfall Chapters'' is an episodic 3D adventure game with emphasis on character interaction, exploration of the game world, and puzzle solving. It is a sequel to the adventure games ''The Longest Journey'' and '' Dreamfall: The Longest Jour ...

'' * '' The Book of Unwritten Tales 2'' * '' Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide'' * '' Deponia Doomsday'' * '' Dark Souls III'' * '' Total War: Warhammer'' * ''

Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 ''Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One on 14 November ...

'' * '' Warhammer: Vermintide 2'' * ''

Anno 1800 ''Anno 1800'' is a city-building real-time strategy video game, developed by Blue Byte and published by Ubisoft, and launched on April 16, 2019. It is the seventh game in the '' Anno'' series, and returns to the use of a historical setting fo ...

Titles

On the death of the 9th Duke of Portland in 1990, Bentinck's father

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

, his sixth

cousin Most generally, in the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a cousin is a type of familial relationship in which two relatives are two or more familial generations away from their most recent common ancestor. Commonly, ...

succeeded to the earldom of Portland. In 1997 Tim succeeded his father. He took a seat in certain sittings of the

but made no speeches (nor questions) before losing the right and not standing for selective internal election, under the

House of Lords Act 1999 The House of Lords Act 1999 (c. 34) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. The Act was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. For centuries, the House of Lords ...

. On 29 December 1732, the Hon. William Bentinck, Baron Bentinck of the

Duchy of Guelders The Duchy of Guelders ( nl, Gelre, french: Gueldre, german: Geldern) is a historical duchy, previously county, of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries. Geography The duchy was named after the town of Geldern (''Gelder'') in p ...

(second surviving son of Hans Willem Bentinck), was made a Count of the Holy Roman Empire as ''Count (Graf) Bentinck'', by Imperial Letters Patent of

Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I ( es, Fernando I; 10 March 1503 – 25 July 1564) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1556, King of Bohemia, Hungary, and Croatia from 1526, and Archduke of Austria from 1521 until his death in 1564.Milan Kruhek: Cetin, grad izbornog sabor ...

. This title also vests in him. Under the Royal Warrant of 27 April 1932 on Foreign Titles the dispensation granted by Queen Victoria to use the title and daughters' styles socially in Great Britain was rescinded beyond any living heirs, the last of which were Bentinck's late father and aunt.

Personal life

Bentinck married the milliner Judith "Judy" Ann Emerson (born Newcastle-under-Lyme, 10 October 1952) in London on 8 September 1979. They have two sons: William Jack Henry Bentinck, Viscount Woodstock (born London, 19 May 1984) and The Hon. Jasper James Mellowes Bentinck (born London, 12 June 1988). They reside in London.

References

External links

*
Tim Bentinck's website
- official website of the actor *
Actor Tim Bentinck
- Who's who

, -
''of the Holy Roman Empire'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Bentinck, Tim 1953 births Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School Alumni of the University of East Anglia Tim British people of Dutch descent British people of English descent Counts of the Holy Roman Empire Portland, Timothy Bentinck, 12th Earl of English autobiographers English male radio actors English male soap opera actors English people of Dutch descent Living people Male actors from Hertfordshire Male actors from Tasmania Members of the Order of the British Empire People from Berkhamsted People educated at Harrow School Teutonic Knights The Archers