Anthony Andrews

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Birthday:

12 January 1948, London, England, UK

Birth Name:

Anthony Corin Gerald Andrews

Height:

183 cm

Anthony Andrews made his West End theater debut at the Apollo Theatre as one of twenty young schoolboys in Alan Bennett's "Forty Years On" with John Gielgud. He began his career at the Chichester Festival Theatre in the UK. His theater credits include spells with the New Shakespeare Company - "Romeo and Juliet" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream". The Royal National Theatre production of Stephen Poliakoff's "Coming in to Land" with Maggie Smith, directed by Peter Hall, the much-acclaimed Greenwich Theatre production of Robin Chapman's "One of Us" and, as "Pastor Manders", in Robin Phillips's highly acclaimed production of Henrik Ibsen's "Ghosts" at the Comedy Theatre in London, produced by Bill Kenwright.Anthony's first television appearance was in The Wednesday Play: A Beast with Two Backs (1968) by Dennis Potter, which was part of The Wednesday Play (1964) series. His first leading role in a series was as the title character in the BBC's The Fortunes of Nigel (1974) by Walter Scott. Subsequently, he distinguished himself in various television classics playing "Mercutio" in Romeo & Juliet (1978) and starred in three different plays in the "Play of the Month" (1976) series, including playing "Charles Harcourt" in "London Assurance". He also starred in Danger UXB (1979), in which he played bomb disposal hero "Brian Ash".Most famously, he received worldwide recognition for his portrayal of the doomed "Sebastian Flyte" in Brideshead Revisited (1981) for which he won a BAFTA in the UK, the Golden Globe award in the USA and an Emmy nomination for Best Actor.Anthony's since gone on to star in Jewels (1992), for which he received another Golden Globe nomination.Most recently, Anthony has received tremendous acclaim for his outstanding portrayal of "Count Fosco" in "The Woman In White" at the Palace Theatre in London's West End.As a producer, he co-produced Zateryannyy v Sibiri (1991), which translates as "Lost in Siberia", filmed entirely in Russia, which received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Film and Haunted (1995), produced by his own production company, Double 'A' Films. Show less «

It was such a fabulous role that I can't be at all surprised, let alone upset, that people still mention it. We were very lucky to have 13 e...Show more »

It was such a fabulous role that I can't be at all surprised, let alone upset, that people still mention it. We were very lucky to have 13 episodes in which to dramatize Evelyn Waugh's novel, and one reason for the series' impact is a combination of time, money and producing talent that was unique. I think it's fair to say that you'll never again have that length of time (we shot it over nearly two years) or that sort of budget to shoot a television series about one book. "Sebastian" was the part I wanted to play, having read the book, and though I was initially seen for the part of "Charles Ryder" - which Jeremy Irons played in the end - it was "Sebastian" that I was after, and luckily I got him! AA, regarding his role in Brideshead Revisited (1981). Show less «

Then there was school. I wasn't a great success: I was shy, not particularly clever, and dyslexic. But thanks to an English master called Qu...Show more »

Then there was school. I wasn't a great success: I was shy, not particularly clever, and dyslexic. But thanks to an English master called Quibble-Smith, who gave me a part in a Greek tragedy, I realised that I enjoyed getting into character - I could express myself better through a character than I could as myself. The part was Athena, and I had three pages of speech to deliver, which was quite a daunting prospect. It was an open-air performance, and the speech was to be given from the top of the cloisters. I wore a ghastly Roman helmet, a shield and a spear and was bedecked in blue silk skirts topped off with a long, blond, curly wig. As I stood up to speak, the wind caught my skirts and raised them above my eyebrows. I spent the entire speech battling with billowing silk and revealing everything underneath. It didn't dampen the desire to perform, though. Show less «

[on Ava Gardner] One of the most generous and warmhearted of people.

[on similarities between himself and his character in The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982), Sir Percy Blakeney] - I've been accused of hiding behind...Show more »

[on similarities between himself and his character in The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982), Sir Percy Blakeney] - I've been accused of hiding behind faces and disguises. Show less «

The Scarlet Pimpernel was such a temptation. I defy any actor not to want to play the Pimpernel if it's offered to him! It was tremendous fu...Show more »

The Scarlet Pimpernel was such a temptation. I defy any actor not to want to play the Pimpernel if it's offered to him! It was tremendous fun playing someone of dual character with all those disguises. Show less «

I cope with disappointment by not allowing it to show. I learned how to disguise my feelings at my Dickensian school where I got beaten to a...Show more »

I cope with disappointment by not allowing it to show. I learned how to disguise my feelings at my Dickensian school where I got beaten to a pulp regularly. I pretended that it had not changed me one iota. - 15 April 2003, Times Online Show less «

My greatest fear is losing touch with God. I am in constant dialogue with Him. My grandfather was a priest and I served at the altar as a li...Show more »

My greatest fear is losing touch with God. I am in constant dialogue with Him. My grandfather was a priest and I served at the altar as a little boy. I have a long history of being on the cusp of Catholicism. I pray a lot, especially when those fogs of life descend. It helps me to keep a positive attitude in a negative world. - 15 April 2003, Times Online Show less «

What upsets me most is miscarriages in the legal system and seeing people suffering. When I was filming in Russia at the end of the Gorbache...Show more »

What upsets me most is miscarriages in the legal system and seeing people suffering. When I was filming in Russia at the end of the Gorbachev era I saw peasants doff their caps to film company limos because they thought that there were government officials inside. The same thing happened in Mexico. Any regime that does that to its people upsets me. - 15 April 2003, Times Online Show less «

I'm very good at deciding what should be done, but pretty hopeless at doing it. - 15 April 2003, Times Online

...Never lose courage. Tomorrow is another day. Life is littered with obstacles, but the secret is not caring about what is going wrong; con...Show more »

...Never lose courage. Tomorrow is another day. Life is littered with obstacles, but the secret is not caring about what is going wrong; concentrate on getting enough courage, and protecting your self-esteem, until tomorrow. - 15 April 2003, Times Online Show less «