Tommaso Antonio Conti (born 22 November 1941) is a Scottish actor, theatre director, and novelist. He won the

Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play is an honor presented at the Tony Awards, a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, to actors for quality leading roles in a Broadway p ...

in 1979 for his performance in '' Whose Life Is It Anyway?'' and was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Actor The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year. The ...

for the 1983 film ''

Reuben, Reuben ''Reuben, Reuben'' is a 1983 comedy-drama film directed by Robert Ellis Miller and starring Tom Conti, Kelly McGillis (in her film debut), Roberts Blossom, Cynthia Harris, and Joel Fabiani. The film was adapted by Julius J. Epstein from the 196 ...

''.

Early life

Tommaso Antonio Conti was born on 22 November 1941 in

Paisley, Renfrewshire Paisley ( ; sco, Paisley, gd, Pàislig ) is a large town situated in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Located north of the Gleniffer Braes, the town borders the city of Glasgow to the east, and straddles the banks of the White Cart Wa ...

, the son of hairdressers Mary McGoldrick and Alfonso Conti. He was brought up

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

, but is now antireligious. His father was Italian, while his mother was born and raised in Scotland to Irish parents. Conti was educated at independent Catholic boys' school Hamilton Park and at the

Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland ( gd, Conservatoire Rìoghail na h-Alba), formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama ( gd, Acadamaidh Rìoghail Ciùil is Dràma na h-Alba) is a conservatoire of dance, drama, music, production, and ...

, both in

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 popu ...

Career

Conti is a theatre, film, and television actor. He began working with the Dundee Repertory in 1959. He appeared on Broadway in '' Whose Life Is It Anyway?'' in 1979, and in London, he played the lead in '' Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell'' at the

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ' ...

. Besides taking the leading role in the TV versions of Frederic Raphael's '' The Glittering Prizes'' and

Alan Ayckbourn Sir Alan Ayckbourn (born 12 April 1939) is a prolific British playwright and director. He has written and produced as of 2021, more than eighty full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director o ...

's '' The Norman Conquests'', Conti appeared in the "

Princess and the Pea "The Princess and the Pea" ( da, "Prinsessen paa Ærten"; direct translation: "The Princess on the Pea") is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a young woman whose royal ancestry is established by a test of her sensitivity. Th ...

" episode of the family television series ''

Faerie Tale Theatre Faerie Tale Theatre (also known as Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre) is an American live-action fairytale fantasy drama anthology television series of 27 episodes, that originally aired on Showtime from September 11, 1982 until November 14, ...

'', guest-starred on ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Li ...

'' and '' Cosby'', and played opposite Nigel Hawthorne in a long-running series of

Vauxhall Astra The Vauxhall Astra is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) that has been sold by Vauxhall since 1980. It is currently produced at Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England. For its first two generations, the nameplate was applied to right-hand ...

car advertisements in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

during the mid-1990s. Conti has appeared in such films as ''

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence , also known in many European editions as , is a 1983 war film co-written and directed by Nagisa Ōshima, co-written by Paul Mayersberg, and produced by Jeremy Thomas. The film is based on the experiences of Sir Laurens van der Post (portrayed ...

''; ''

''; '' American Dreamer''; '' Shirley Valentine''; ''

Miracles A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divin ...

''; '' Saving Grace''; '' Dangerous Parking'', and '' Voices Within: The Lives of Truddi Chase''. Conti's novel ''The Doctor'', about a former secret operations pilot for intelligence services, was published in 2004. According to the foreword, his friend Lynsey De Paul recommended the manuscript to publisher Jeremy Robson. He appeared in the hit BBC sitcom '' Miranda'' alongside

Miranda Hart Miranda Katherine Hart Dyke (born 14 December 1972) is an English actress and writer. Following drama training at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts, Hart began writing material for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and making appearances in va ...

and Patricia Hodge, as Miranda's father, in the 2010 seasonal episode "The Perfect Christmas".

Personal life

Conti has been married to Scottish actress

Kara Wilson Kara Wilson (born 18 June 1944) is a Scottish actress best known for her roles as Patience Heatherstone in the 1964 adaptation of ''The Children of the New Forest'' and as Miss Caroline Gordon in the seventh series of children's soap opera ''G ...

since 1967 and their daughter

Nina Nina may refer to: * Nina (name), a feminine given name and surname Acronyms * National Iraqi News Agency, a news service in Iraq * Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, on the campus of Norwegian University of Science and Technology * No income ...

is an actress and performs as a

ventriloquist Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is a performance act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) creates the illusion that their voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered prop known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is ve ...

. According to Nina, her parents have an

open marriage Open marriage is a form of non-monogamy in which the partners of a dyadic marriage agree that each may engage in extramarital sexual relationships, without this being regarded by them as infidelity, and consider or establish an open relatio ...

.Tom Conti: there are worse things than being unfaithful
a 12 December 2009, article from ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

'' Conti is a prominent resident of

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the London Borough o ...

in northwest London, having lived in the area for several decades. Conti was part of a campaign against the opening of a

Tesco Tesco plc () is a British Multinational corporation, multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues an ...

supermarket in nearby

Belsize Park Belsize Park is an affluent residential area of Hampstead in the London Borough of Camden (the inner north-west of London), England. The residential streets are lined with mews houses and Georgian and Victorian villas. Some nearby localities ar ...

. Conti put his Hampstead house up for sale in 2015 for £17.5 million after his long-running opposition to the building plans of his neighbour, the footballer

Thierry Henry Thierry Daniel Henry (born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, and former player who is an assistant coach for the Belgium national team. Considered one of the best strikers of all time and one of the best player ...

. Conti had also opposed development plans for Hampstead's Grove Lodge, the 18th-century

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

former home of novelist

John Galsworthy John Galsworthy (; 14 August 1867 – 31 January 1933) was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include '' The Forsyte Saga'' (1906–1921) and its sequels, ''A Modern Comedy'' and ''End of the Chapter''. He won the Nobel Prize ...

. Conti participated in a genetic-mapping project conducted by the company ScotlandsDNA (now called BritainsDNA). In 2012, Conti and the company announced that Conti shares a

genetic marker A genetic marker is a gene or DNA sequence with a known location on a chromosome that can be used to identify individuals or species. It can be described as a variation (which may arise due to mutation or alteration in the genomic loci) that can be ...

with

Napoléon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

. Conti has said that he "burst out laughing" when told he was directly related to Napoléon on his father's side.

Politics

Conti considered running as the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

candidate in the

2008 London mayoral election The 2008 London mayoral election for the office of Mayor of London, England, was held on 1 May 2008. Conservative candidate Boris Johnson defeated incumbent Labour Mayor Ken Livingstone. It was the third London mayoral election, the previous e ...

, but did not, and in the following election in 2012, he supported unsuccessful independent candidate

Siobhan Benita Siobhan Benita (' Pook; born 11 October 1971) is a British former civil servant. She was an independent candidate in the 2012 London mayoral election. She was then the Liberal Democrat candidate in the London mayoral election originally plan ...

. In the run up to the 2015 general election, Conti said in an interview published in several newspapers that he was once a Labour supporter but had come to view socialism as a religion with a "vicious, hostile spirit".

Work

Film

* ''

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) as Andrea Sarti (man) * '' Slade in Flame'' (1975) as Robert Seymour * ''

The Duellists ''The Duellists'' is a 1977 British historical drama film and the feature film directorial debut of Ridley Scott. It won the Best Debut Film award at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival. The basis of the screenplay is the Joseph Conrad short story "T ...

'' (1977) as Dr. Jacquin * '' Full Circle'' (1977) as Mark Berkeley * ''Eclipse'' (1977) as Tom / Geoffrey * ''

'' (1983) as Col. John Lawrence * ''

'' (1983) as Gowan McGland * '' American Dreamer'' (1984) as Alan McMann * ''

'' (1986) as Roger * '' Saving Grace'' (1985) as Pope Leo XIV * ''

Heavenly Pursuits ''Heavenly Pursuits'' (knows as ''Gospel According to Vic'' in some territories) is a 1986 Scottish comedy film written and directed by Charles Gormley and starring Tom Conti, Helen Mirren, and David Hayman. Set in Glasgow, Scotland, the film is ...

'' (1986) as Vic Mathews * ''

Beyond Therapy ''Beyond Therapy'' is a play by Christopher Durang. Synopsis This farcical comedy focuses on Prudence and Bruce, two Manhattanites who are seeking stable romantic relationships with the help of their psychiatrists, each of whom suggests their p ...

'' (1987) as Stuart * '' The Quick and the Dead'' (1987, TV Movie) as Duncan McKaskel * ''

Roman Holiday ''Roman Holiday'' is a 1953 American romantic comedy film directed and produced by William Wyler. It stars Audrey Hepburn as a princess out to see Rome on her own and Gregory Peck as a reporter. Hepburn won an Academy Award for Best Actres ...

'' (1987, TV Movie) as Joe Bradley * ''

Two Brothers Running ''Two Brothers Running'' is a 1988 Australian comedy film directed by Ted Robinson and starring Tom Conti, Elizabeth Alexander, Ritchie Singer, and Asher Keddie Asher Keddie (born 31 July 1974) is an Australian actress. Beginning her career ...

'' (1988) as Moses Bornstein * '' That Summer of White Roses'' (1989) as Andrija Gavrilovic * '' Shirley Valentine'' (1989) as Costas * '' Caccia Alla Vedova'' (1991) as Conte Angelo di Bosconero * ''

Someone Else's America ''Someone Else's America'' ( sr-Cyrl, Туђа Америка) is a 1995 drama film directed by Goran Paskaljević. The film presents the story of two people, one from Spain, the other from Montenegro, both living in Brooklyn. The film won the G ...

'' (1995) as Alonso * '' The Inheritance'' (1997, TV Movie) as Henry Hamilton * '' Sub Down'' (1997) as Harry Rheinhartdt * '' Something to Believe In'' (1998) as Monsignor Calogero * '' Out of Control'' (1998) as Eddie * ''

Don't Go Breaking My Heart "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" is a 1976 duet by English musician Elton John and English singer Kiki Dee. It was written by John with Bernie Taupin under the pseudonyms "Ann Orson" and "Carte Blanche", respectively, and intended as an affectiona ...

'' (1999) as Dr. Fiedler * '' The Enemy'' (2001) as Insp. John Cregar * '' Derailed'' (2005) as Eliot Firth * '' Rabbit Fever'' (2006) as Prof Rosenberg * '' Paid'' (2006) as Rudi * ''Almost Heaven'' (2006) as Bert Gordon * '' O Jerusalem'' (2006) as Sir Cunningham * '' Dangerous Parking'' (2007) as Doc Baker * ''Deeply Irresponsible'' (2007) as Nate (2007) * '' A Closed Book'' (2009) as Sir Paul * '' The Tempest'' (2010) as Gonzalo * '' Rekindle'' (2011) as Dr. Monty Adams * '' Streetdance 2'' (2012) as Manu * '' Run for Your Wife'' (2012) * ''

The Dark Knight Rises ''The Dark Knight Rises'' is a 2012 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan, and the story with David S. Goyer. The film is based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is th ...

'' (2012) as Prisoner * ''

City Slacker A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be de ...

'' (2012) as Ray * ''

Paddington 2 ''Paddington 2'' is a 2017 live-action animated comedy film directed by Paul King and written by King and Simon Farnaby. Based on the stories of Paddington Bear, created by Michael Bond (to whom the film is also dedicated, Bond having died ...

'' (2017) as Judge Gerald Biggleswade * '' Oppenheimer'' (2023) as

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theor ...

(Post-production)

Television

* '' Boy Meets Girl'' (1969) as Frank * '' Thirty-Minute Theatre - Revolutions: Fidel Castro'' (1970) as Che Guevara * ''

Adam Smith Adam Smith (baptized 1723 – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish economist and philosopher who was a pioneer in the thinking of political economy and key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. Seen by some as "The Father of Economics"——� ...

'' (1972) as Dr. Calvi * '' Z Cars'' (1973) as Gordon Morley * '' Barlow at Large'' (1973) as Myers * '' Sam'' (1974) as David Ellis * ''

Thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

'' (1975) as Bruno Varella * ''

Madame Bovary ''Madame Bovary'' (; ), originally published as ''Madame Bovary: Provincial Manners'' ( ), is a novel by French writer Gustave Flaubert, published in 1856. The eponymous character lives beyond her means in order to escape the banalities and emp ...

'' (1975, TV Mini-Series) as Charles Bovary * '' The Glittering Prizes'' (1976, TV Mini-Series) as Adam Morris * '' The Norman Conquests'' (1977, TV Mini-Series) as Norman * '' Blade on the Feather'' (1980, TV Movie) as Daniel Young * '' The Wall'' (1982, TV Movie) as Dolek Berson * ''

'' (1984, "

") as Prince Richard * '' Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story'' (1986, TV Movie) as Serge Klarsfeld * '' The Dumb Waiter'' (1987) * '' Fatal Judgement'' (1988, TV Movie) as Pat Piscitelli * '' Voices Within: The Lives of Truddi Chase'' (1990, TV Movie) as Doctor 'Stanley' Phillips * ''

The Old Boy Network ''The Old Boy Network'' is a British comedy television series which first aired on ITV in 1992.Newcomb p.1303 Created by the writing team of Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, it is a parody of various spy films and series. Main cast * Tom Conti a ...

'' (1992) as Lucas Frye * ''

The Wright Verdicts ''The Wright Verdicts'' is an American drama television series created by Dick Wolf. The series stars Tom Conti, Margaret Colin and Aida Turturro. The series aired on CBS from March 31, 1995, to June 11, 1995. Cast *Tom Conti as Charles Wright ...

'' (1995) as Charles Wright * '' The Inheritance'' (1997, TV Movie) as Henry Hamilton * ''

'' (1998, " The One After Ross Says Rachel", and " The One with Ross's Wedding") as Stephen Waltham * '' Cosby'' (1999) as William Shakespeare * '' Deadline'' (2000-2001) as Si Beekman * '' I Was a Rat'' (2001, TV Mini-Series) as Bob Jones * ''

Andy Pandy ''Andy Pandy'' is a British children's television series that first appeared on BBC Television in summer 1950. Originally live, a series of 26 filmed programmes was shown until 1970, when a new series of 13 episodes was made. A revival of the s ...

'' (2002) as Narrator (voice) * '' Four Seasons (mini series)'' (2008-2009) as Charles Combe * '' Lark Rise to Candleford'' (2010) as William Bourne / Mr. Reppington * '' Miranda'' (2010) as Charles * '' Parents'' (2012) as Len Miller * '' Rosemary's Baby'' (2014) * ''Doc Martin (TV series)'' (2019) as Dr Bernard Newton. Series 9 episode 8

Stage

* '' Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell '' * '' Whose Life is it Anyway?'' * '' Savages'' * '' The Devil's Disciple'' * '' They're Playing Our Song'' * '' The Real Thing'' * '' An Italian Straw Hat'' (1986) * ''

The Ride Down Mt. Morgan ''The Ride Down Mt. Morgan'' is a play by Arthur Miller. Plot The play's central character is Lyman Felt, an insurance agent and bigamist who maintains families in New York City and Elmira in upstate New York. When he is hospitalized following ...

'' * '' Chapter Two'' * '' Jesus, My Boy'' (1998–99, 2009) * ''

Present Laughter ''Present Laughter'' is a comic play written by Noël Coward in 1939 but not produced until 1942 because the Second World War began while it was in rehearsal, and the British theatres closed. The title is drawn from a song in Shakespeare's ''T ...

'' * ''

Romantic Comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typic ...

'' * ''Rough Justice'' (2012-13) * '' Twelve Angry Men'' (2014)

Stage directing

*'' The Last of the Red Hot Lovers'' *''

'' *''

Otherwise Engaged ''Otherwise Engaged'' is a bleakly comic play by English playwright Simon Gray. The play previewed at the Oxford Playhouse and the Richmond Theatre, and then opened at the Queen's Theatre in London on 10 July 1975, with Alan Bates as the sta ...

Awards

National Board of Review The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...

for Best Actor (''Reuben, Reuben'' and ''Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence'') *

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nomination as Best Actor (''Reuben, Reuben'') *

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

nominations for ''Reuben, Reuben'' and ''Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story'' *

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

for Best Actor (''Whose Life Is It Anyway?'') *

Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

for Actor of the Year in a New Play ('Whose Life is it Anyway?'') *Variety Club Award for Best Actor (''Whose Life is it Anyway?'')

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Conti, Tom 1941 births Living people 20th-century Scottish male actors 21st-century Scottish male actors Alumni of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland 21st-century Scottish novelists Former Roman Catholics Laurence Olivier Award winners Male actors from Paisley, Renfrewshire Scottish atheists Scottish male film actors Scottish male stage actors Scottish male television actors Scottish people of French descent Scottish people of Irish descent Scottish people of Italian descent Tony Award winners Writers from Paisley, Renfrewshire 20th-century atheists 21st-century atheists