Oliver Ford Davies

Oliver Robert Ford Davies{{Cite web |date=29 December 2023 |title=Order of the British Empire |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/4520185 |access-date=4 December 2024 |website=The Gazette}}{{efn|Note that his surname is given as Ford Davies in The Gazette and a 2003 theatre review of Absolutely (Perhaps) in the British Theatre Guide{{Cite web |last=Fisher |first=Philip |date=1 January 2003 |title=Theatre review: Absolutely! {perhaps} at Wyndham's Theatre |url=https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/absolutely-rev |access-date=4 December 2024 |website=British Theatre Guide}} (and possibly others), but most sources and library catalogue entries use just Davies as the surname.}} was born in Ealing, Middlesex, England on 12 August 1939.{{Cite web |title=Profile at ftvdb.bfi.org.uk |url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/individual/298870 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120802131236/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/individual/298870 |archive-date=2 August 2012 |access-date=5 May 2010}} His father was a teacher.

He attended the King's School, Canterbury.{{cn|date=December 2024}} Aged 11, he performed in a school play, Richard of Bordeaux, and found that he {{qi|liked being someone else}}.{{Cite interview |last=Davies |first=Oliver Ford |title=Oliver Ford Davies, actor – portrait of the artist |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/dec/18/oliver-ford-davies-portrait-artist |access-date=4 December 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=18 December 2012 |interviewer-last=Barnett |interviewer-first=Laura}} In 1956 he joined the eminent Ealing amateur company Questors.{{Cite news |date=29 June 2011 |title=Questors Joins Forces With University of West London |url=http://www.ealingtoday.co.uk/shared/conquestors001.htm |work=Ealing Today}}

He won a scholarship to Merton College, Oxford, where he read history and became president of the Oxford University Dramatic Society. After obtaining his DPhil,[http://www.naxosaudiobooks.com/oliverforddavies.htm Naxos Audiobooks: Oliver Ford Davies]; accessed 22 March 2013 he did a postgraduate teaching qualification.

From 1964 Davies worked as a history lecturer at the University of Edinburgh before taking up acting professionally in 1967, "to give acting a go". Among his students was future foreign secretary of the UK Robin Cook.

In 1959, as a member of the Oxford University Experimental Theatre Club, Davies appeared in his first Stratford performance in the Memorial Theatre's open-air production of Bartholomew Fair.{{Cite book |title=Merton College Register 1900–1964 |date=1964 |publisher=Basil Blackwell |editor-last=Levens |editor-first=R.G.C. |location=Oxford |page=503}}{{Cite web |title=RSC Performances 1959 |url=http://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/bar195907-bartholomew-fair/view_as/list/search/rsc_person:oliver-ford-davies/page/1/sort_by/press_night/order/asc |website=collections.shakespeare.org.uk |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust}}

His first professional appearances were, at the age of 27, in the 1967 season at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre – which at that time included Michael Gambon, Brian Cox, Timothy Dalton, and Anna Calder-Marshall. Short Seasons at the Mermaid, London, the Oxford Playhouse and the Cambridge Arts Theatre followed.{{Cite book |last=Trowbridge |first=Simon |title=Stratfordians: a Biographical Dictionary of the Royal Shakespeare Company |date=November 2008 |publisher=Editions Albert Creed |isbn=9780955983016 |location=Oxford |pages=204–206}} Davies' long and prolific association with the Royal Shakespeare Company started in 1975, when director Terry Hands cast him as Mountjoy in Henry V.{{Cite web |title=Associate artists {{!}} Royal Shakespeare Company |url=https://www.rsc.org.uk/about-us/whos-who/associate-artists |website=www.rsc.org.uk |publisher=Royal Shakespeare Company}}{{Cite web |title=RSC Performances Oliver Ford Davies |url=http://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/view_as/list/search/rsc_person:oliver-ford-davies/page/4/sort_by/press_night/order/asc#undefined |access-date=19 September 2019 |website=collections.shakespeare.org.uk |publisher=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust}}

His big breakthrough in theatre came in 1990, when he was given the lead role in David Hare's Racing Demon at the National Theatre in London.

In 2002, Davies played King Lear in an Almeida Theatre production. The following year, he played opposite Joan Plowright in Absolutely! (perhaps), an adaptation of Pirandello's Cosi e (se vi pare) by Martin Sherman. Franco Zeffirelli directed the play for Wyndham's Theatre and the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

In 2008 he appeared on stage as Polonius in Hamlet with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), alongside David Tennant and Patrick Stewart. The cast were once again assembled to create a film version, which was broadcast on television in December 2009.{{Cite web |last=Wilson |first=Benji |date=20 December 2009 |title=David Tennant brings Hamlet to TV for Christmas |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/david-tennant-brings-hamlet-to-tv-for-christmas-2m79g0p898q |access-date=4 December 2024 |website=The Times & The Sunday Times}} In May 2009, Davies appeared in All's Well That Ends Well at the Royal National Theatre as the King of France.{{Cite web |last=Billington |first=Michael |date=28 May 2009 |title=Theatre review: All's Well That Ends Well / Olivier, London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/may/29/theatre |access-date=4 December 2024 |website=the Guardian}} In 2010, he appeared at the Orange Tree Theatre as Balfour in the premiere of Ben Brown's play The Promise, about the Balfour Declaration.{{Cite web |last=Loxton |first=Howard |date=1 January 2010 |title=Theatre review: The Promise at Orange Tree Theatre |url=https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/promise-rev.htm |access-date=4 December 2024 |website=British Theatre Guide}}{{Cite web |last=Koenig |first=Rhoda |date=24 February 2010 |title=The Promise, Orange Tree Theatre, London |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/the-promise-orange-tree-theatre-london-1908299.html |access-date=4 December 2024 |website=The Independent}}

In 2011, he appeared in a stage adaptation of Michelle Magorian's book Goodnight Mister Tom, in which he played the central character, Thomas Oakley. He was back with the RSC in 2014 as Justice Shallow in Henry IV, Part 2. Davies again appeared with David Tennant in Richard II in 2013.{{cite web |title=Richard II (Royal Shakespeare Company 2013) |url=https://archive.org/details/richard-ii-rsc |website=archive.org |access-date=2 May 2025}}

In 2019, Davies played the Button Moulder in David Hare's adaptation of Henryk Ibsen's Peter Gynt at the Olivier Theatre.{{Cite web |last=Billington |first=Michael |date=9 July 2019 |title=Peter Gynt review – David Hare brings modern madness to Ibsen's epic |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/jul/09/peter-gynt-review-david-hare-ibsen-olivier-london?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other |access-date=4 December 2024 |website=the Guardian}}

On television, Davies had a regular role as Peter Foxcott QC in Kavanagh QC and was schoolmaster Le Bas in the serialisation of A Dance to the Music of Time (1997).{{cite web |title=A Dance to the Music of Time |url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/a-dance-to-the-music-of-time/cast/1000279548/ |website=tvguide.com |publisher=TV Guide |access-date=2 May 2025}} He also appeared with John Thaw in an episode of Inspector Morse and also appeared in the ITV television drama The Uninvited, and in a 2002 episode of the popular drama Foyle's War.{{cite web |title=Oliver Ford Davies |url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/oliver-ford-davies/credits/3000439244/ |website=tvguide.com |publisher=TV Guide |access-date=2 May 2025}}

On film, his most prominent role was probably Sio Bibble in the Star Wars prequel trilogy films, released in 1999, 2002 and 2005.{{cite web |last1=Acuna |first1=Kirsten |title=28 'Game of Thrones' actors who have played 'Star Wars' characters |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/game-of-thrones-actors-in-star-wars-movies-shows-2019-6#oliver-ford-davies-played-maester-cressen-who-served-dragonstone-under-stannis-baratheon-on-game-of-thrones-he-also-played-sio-bibble-in-the-prequel-trilogy-2 |website=businessinsider.com |publisher=Insider, Inc. |access-date=2 May 2025}} In 2003, Davies appeared in the film Johnny English, where he portrayed the Archbishop of Canterbury.{{cite web |title=Johnny English (2003) Oliver Ford Davies: Archbishop of Canterbury |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0274166/characters/nm0203882 |website=imdb.com |publisher=IMDb, Inc. |access-date=2 May 2025}}

He appeared as Maester Cressen in the TV series Game of Thrones.{{Cite web |date=22 November 2013 |title=Oliver Ford Davies on Melisandre, Stannis & Flaming Idols |url=http://flicksandthecity.com/game-of-thrones-cressen-melisandre-oliver-ford-davies-interview/ |access-date=27 September 2016 |website=flicksandthecity.com}}

Davies' books include Playing Lear (2003), an account of his experience while performing King Lear at the Almeida Theatre,{{Citation |last=Davies, Oliver Ford |title=Playing Lear [catalogue entry] |publication-date=2003 |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/22289016/version/26906618 |publisher=Nick Hern |isbn=978-1-85459-698-7}} and Performing Shakespeare (2007, republished 2019).{{Citation |last=Davies, Oliver Ford |title=Performing Shakespeare : preparation, rehearsal, performance [catalogue entry] |publication-date=2019 |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/237477748 |publisher=Nick Hern Books |isbn=978-1-78850-203-0}} Both are published by Nick Hern Books.

Davies wrote and published his memoir, An Actor's Life in 12 Productions, in 2022 through The Book Guild publishing.

Davies' drama King Cromwell was staged at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, in November 2003. The director was Sam Walters and Davies himself took the title role.{{Cite book |last=Davies |first=Oliver Ford |title=King Cromwell: A Play |publisher=Samuel French |year=2005 |isbn=9780573112133}}{{Cite news |last=Billington |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Billington (critic) |date=17 November 2003 |title=King Cromwell, Orange Tree, London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2003/nov/17/theatre |work=The Guardian}}

Davies is also an historian of theatre, and as mentioned earlier, was a university lecturer before devoting himself to acting full-time.

In February 2019 Davies discussed his career in the BBC Radio Three series Private Passions.{{Cite web |title=BBC Radio 3 – Private Passions, Oliver Ford Davies |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0002c8x}}

Davies was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award in 1990 (1989 season) for Best Actor in a New Play for Racing Demon. He was twice nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for his performance in Absolutely! (perhaps) at the Wyndham's Theatre in 2003, and again in 2009 for his performance as Polonius in the RSC production of Hamlet at the Novello Theatre.

He is an Honorary Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

In 2023, Davies' book, An Actor's Life in 12 Productions published by The Book Guild in November 2022, won the Society for Theatre Research's 2023 STR Theatre Book Prize,{{Cite web |date=28 November 2022 |title=An Actor's Life in 12 Productions |url=https://www.bookguild.co.uk/bookshop/autobiography/an-actor-s-life-in-12-productions/ |access-date=4 December 2024 |website=The Book Guild Ltd}} and was well-reviewed by actor and theatre director Andrew Hilton.{{Cite web |last=Hilton |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Hilton |date=3 July 2023 |title=BOOK REVIEW: 'An Actor's Life In 12 Productions' by Oliver Ford Davies |url=https://stagetalkmagazine.com/p/30235 |access-date=4 December 2024 |website=StageTalk Magazine}}

He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to drama.{{London Gazette|issue=64269|supp=y|page=N12|date=30 December 2023}}{{Cite web |title=New Year Honours List 2024 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-year-honours-list-2024 |access-date=30 December 2023 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}

Davies is left wing politically, and an internationalist.

He has said that the actor he most admires is Paul Scofield, in particular his portrayal of King Lear in 1962.

• Defence of the Realm (1986) – Anthony Clegg
• Scandal (1989) – Mr. Woods, MI5
• Paper Mask (1990) – Coroner
• Sense and Sensibility (1995) – Doctor Harris
• Mrs Brown (1997) – Dean of Windsor
• Mrs Dalloway (1997) – Hugh Whitbread
• Titanic Town (1998) – Whittington
• An Ideal Husband (1999) – Sir Hugo Danforth
• Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) – Sio Bibble
• Blow Dry (2001) – Doctor Hamilton
• Just Visiting (2001) – Pit Rivers
• Revelation (2001) – Professor Casaubon
• Bertie and Elizabeth (2002) – Cosmo Gordon Lang
• Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) – Sio Bibble
• Johnny English (2003) – Archbishop of Canterbury
• The Mother (2003) – Bruce
• Gladiatress (2004) – (uncredited)
• Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) – Sio Bibble
• Heidi (2005) – Dr. Classen
• National Theatre Live: All's Well That Ends Well (2009) – King of France
• The Deep Blue Sea (2011) – Hester's Father
• Royal Shakespeare Company: Henry IV Part II (2014) – Shallow
• The Last Witness (2018) – Sir Alexander Cadogan / Anthony Eden / Owen O'Malley (voice)
• Christopher Robin (2018) – Old Man Winslow
• A Splinter of Ice (2021) – Graeme Greene
• Triangle of Sadness (2022) – Winston

• The Protectors (1973) – Hansen, episode "Bagman"
• The Brontes of Haworth (1973) – John Hunter Thompson, "Home and Abroad"
• Father Brown (1974) – Det. Insp. Corliss, episode "The Eye of Apollo"
• A Taste of Death (1988 mini-series) – Father Francis Barnes, 6 episodes
• A Very British Coup (1988 mini-series) – Sir Horace Tweed, 3 episodes
• Inspector Morse (1991) – Frederick Redpath, episode "Second Time Around" (S05:E01)
• Maigret (1992 TV series) – Dr. Pardon, episode "Maigret on the Defensive" (S02:E03)
• Sense and Sensibility (1995) – Doctor Harris; Jane Austen adaptation
• A Dance to the Music of Time (1997) – Le Bas, "Post War", "The Twenties"
• Pie in the Sky (1997) – James Truman, MP, episode "Squashed Tomatoes" (S05:E01)
• Heartbeat (1999) – Henry Tomkinson, episode "Testament"
• Kavanagh QC (1999, 2001) – Peter Foxcott QC, Peter Foxcott, 26 episodes
• Agatha Christie's Poirot (2000) – Dr. James Sheppard, "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd"
• Foyle's War (2002) – Lawrence Gascoigne, "A Lesson in Murder" (S01:E3)
• Midsomer Murders (2005 TV series) – Otto Benham, episode "Hidden Depths" (S08:E06)
• Waking the Dead (2007) – Hugo Keegan, "The Fall" Parts 1 & 2
• Game of Thrones (2012) – Maester Cressen, episode "The North Remembers" (S02:E01)
• Agatha Christie's Miss Marple (2013) – Major Palgrave, "A Caribbean Mystery"
• You, Me and the Apocalypse (2015) – Cardinal Crawshaw "24 Hours to Go", "Saviour Day"
• Catastrophe (2017) – Wallace, episode 3.3
• Father Brown (2018) – Bishop Golding, episode "The Two Deaths of Hercule Flambeau" (S06:E10)

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Category:1939 births

Category:Living people

Category:Alumni of Merton College, Oxford

Category:English male film actors

Category:English male stage actors

Category:English male television actors

Category:People educated at The King's School, Canterbury

Category:Laurence Olivier Award winners

Category:Royal Shakespeare Company members

Category:English male Shakespearean actors

Category:Actors from the London Borough of Ealing

Category:Male actors from London

Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire

Category:People from Ealing