Charles Dance
Walter Charles Dance, OBE (born 10 October 1946) is an English actor. Some of his highest-profile roles are Tywin Lannister in HBO's Game of Thrones (2011–2015), Karellen in Syfy's Childhood's End (2015), Guy Perron in The Jewel in the Crown (1984), Sardo Numspa in The Golden Child (1986), Dr. Jonathan Clemens in Alien 3 (1992), Benedict in Last Action Hero (1993), the Master Vampire in Dracula Untold (2014), Lord Havelock Vetinari in Terry Pratchett's Going Postal (2010), Alastair Denniston in The Imitation Game (2014), and Emperor Emhyr var Emreis in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015). Most recently, he portrayed Lord Mountbatten in the third and fourth seasons of The Crown.
Charles Dance OBE | |
---|---|
Dance at the July 2012 London Film and Comic Con | |
Born | Walter Charles Dance 10 October 1946 Redditch, Worcestershire, England |
Nationality | British |
Alma mater | |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1971–present |
Spouse(s) | Joanna Haythorn
(m. 1970; div. 2004) |
Partner(s) | Eleanor Boorman (separated) |
Children | 3 |
Early life
Charles Dance was born October 11, 1946, in Redditch, Worcestershire, the son of Eleanor Marion (née Perks; 1911–1984), a cook, and Walter Dance (1874–1949), an electrical engineer, who had served as a sergeant in the 2nd Regular Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) during the Second Boer War in South Africa (having previously served in the 2nd Volunteer Battalion).[1][2] Dance had two older half-sisters, Norah (1898–1993) and Mary (1903–1908), from his father's previous marriage.[3]
When Dance was about three years old, his father died. He had always thought that his father had been in his early fifties when this happened, but later discovered that he was actually some 26 years older than he had believed. During filming of an episode for the genealogical series Who Do You Think You Are?[4] in 2016, Dance also discovered that through his maternal line, he is of partial Belgian ancestry, descended from a family whose roots lay in Spa. His immigrant ancestor Charles François Futvoye (1777–1847) had been a pioneer in the art of Japanning during the early half of the 19th century, and a resident of Marylebone in London.
Growing up in Plymouth, Devon, Dance attended Widey Technical School for Boys (it was closed in 1988, then known as Widey High School) in Crownhill.[5] He later attended Plymouth College of Art and the Leicester College of Arts (now known as De Montfort University), where he studied graphic design and photography.[6]
Career
Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)
Dance was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company during the mid-to-late 1970s and was in many of their productions in London and Stratford-upon-Avon. Later he returned to the RSC to take the title role in Coriolanus at Stratford-upon-Avon and Newcastle in 1989, and at the Barbican Theatre in 1990. He received rave reviews and a Critics' Circle Best Actor award for his performance as C. S. Lewis in William Nicholson's Shadowlands, in the 2007 stage revival.[7]
Television and film
Dance made his screen debut in 1974, in the ITV series Father Brown as Commandant Neil O'Brien in "The Secret Garden". Other small parts followed, including a 1983 cameo as a South African assassin in The Professionals, but his big break came the following year when he played the major role of Guy Perron in The Jewel in the Crown (Granada Television, Christopher Morahan 1984), an adaptation of Paul Scott's novels that also made stars of Geraldine James and Art Malik. Dance made one of his earliest big-screen appearances in the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only as evil henchman Claus. Though he turned down the opportunity to screen test for the James Bond role,[8] in 1989 he played Bond creator Ian Fleming in Anglia Television's dramatised biography directed by Don Boyd, Goldeneye (the name of Fleming's estate in Jamaica and a title later used for a James Bond film).
He has also starred in many other British television dramas such as Edward the Seventh (as dissolute Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, Edward VII's oldest son, and heir to the throne), Murder Rooms, Randall and Hopkirk, Rebecca, The Phantom of the Opera, Fingersmith and Bleak House (for which he received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie). He was name-checked in the British comedy series Absolutely Fabulous, as being slated to play the title character in The Life of Jesus Christ 2, which was filming in Morocco at the same time as the main characters of the series were there for a photo shoot. He also played Guy Spencer, the pro-Hitler propagandist, in the second instalment of Foyle's War, and had an ongoing role as Dr. Maltravers in the ITV drama Trinity.[9]
Dance made a guest appearance on the BBC drama series Merlin as the Witchfinder Aredian,[10] and as a vainglorious version of himself in the third series of Jam & Jerusalem. He played Lord Vetinari in the 2010 Sky adaptation of Terry Pratchett's Going Postal, and as the Russian oligarch Aleksandr Borinski in Paris Connections.[11] He played the role of Tywin Lannister in HBO's Game of Thrones, based on the A Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R. R. Martin. Dance was wooed for the role by the producers while filming Your Highness in Belfast.[12] Dance also played Conrad Knox on the British television series Strike Back: Vengeance as the primary villain in the series.[13]
On 30 June 2013, Dance appeared with other celebrities in an episode of the BBC's Top Gear as a "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" for the debut of the Vauxhall Astra.[14] In summer 2018, Dance narrated a documentary entitled Spitfire, which featured the legendary Supermarine Spitfire and recounted the efforts of the RAF pilots who flew them during the Second World War.
In 2019, he played an antagonist in Godzilla: King of the Monsters and appeared as Lord Mountbatten in series 3 of The Crown later in the same year.
In January 2021, Dance was cast in the Netflix adaptation of The Sandman.[15]
Dance is represented by Tavistock Wood Management.[16]
Screenwriting and directing
Dance's debut film as a writer and director was Ladies in Lavender (2004), which starred Judi Dench and Maggie Smith. In 2009, he directed his own adaptation of Alice Thomas Ellis's The Inn at the Edge of the World.
Personal life
Dance married Joanna Haythorn in 1970. They have two children, Oliver Matthew (born 1974) and Rebecca (born 1980).[17][18] Haythorn and Dance divorced in 2004. In 2012, Dance and his partner Eleanor Boorman had a daughter, Rose Boorman. The pair have since separated.[19]
Honours
Dance was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on 17 June 2006.[20]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1981 | For Your Eyes Only | Claus | |
1985 | Plenty | Raymond Brock | |
1986 | The Golden Child | Sardo Numspa | |
1987 | White Mischief | Josslyn Hay | |
Good Morning, Babylon | D. W. Griffith | ||
Hidden City | James Richards | ||
1988 | Pascali's Island | Anthony Bowles | |
1992 | Alien 3 | Clemens | |
Kalkstein | Surveyor | ||
1993 | Last Action Hero | Benedict | |
Century | Professor Mandry | ||
1994 | China Moon | Rupert Munro | |
Kabloonak | Robert J. Flaherty | Paris Film Festival Award for Best Actor | |
Shortcut to Paradise | Quinn | ||
1995 | The Surgeon | Dr. Ed Mittlesbay | |
1996 | Space Truckers | Nabel / Macanudo | |
Michael Collins | Soames | ||
1997 | The Blood Oranges | Cyril | |
1998 | What Rats Won't Do | Gerald | |
Hilary and Jackie | Derek Du Pré | ||
1999 | Don't Go Breaking My Heart | Frank | |
2001 | Gosford Park | Raymond Stockbridge | |
Jurij | Padre di Jurij | ||
Dark Blue World | Wing Commander Bentley | ||
2002 | Black and White | Roderic Chamberlain | |
Ali G Indahouse | David Carlton | ||
2003 | Swimming Pool | John Bosload | |
2003 | Labyrinth | Charles Lushington | |
City and Crimes | Cox William | ||
Ladies in Lavender | Director Writer Executive producer | ||
2006 | Dolls | Narrator | Voice; short film |
Scoop | Mr. Malcolm | ||
Twice Upon a Time | Master of Ceremonies | ||
Starter for 10 | Michael Harbinson | ||
2007 | The Contractor | DCS Andrew Windsor | Direct-to-DVD |
Intervention | Private Investigator | ||
2010 | Paris Connections | Aleksandr Borinski | |
The Commuter | Traffic Warden | Short film | |
2011 | Ironclad | Archbishop Langton | |
Your Highness | King Tallious | ||
There Be Dragons | Monsignor Solano | ||
2012 | Midnight's Children | William Methwold | |
Underworld: Awakening | Thomas | ||
St George's Day | Trenchard | ||
2013 | Patrick | Doctor Roget | |
Justin and the Knights of Valour | Legantir | Voice | |
2014 | Viy | Lord Dudley | Credited as Charlz Dens |
Dracula Untold | Master Vampire | ||
The Imitation Game | Commander Alastair Denniston | ||
2015 | Victor Frankenstein | Frankenstein | |
Michiel de Ruyter | Charles II | ||
Woman in Gold | Sherman | ||
Child 44 | Major Grachev | ||
2016 | Pride and Prejudice and Zombies | Mr. Bennet | |
2016 | Me Before You | Stephen Traynor | |
Ghostbusters | Harold Filmore | ||
Despite the Falling Snow | Old Alexander | ||
Underworld: Blood Wars | Thomas | ||
2017 | Euphoria | Mr. Daren | |
That Good Night | The Visitor | ||
2018 | Johnny English Strikes Again | Agent Seven | Cameo |
Happy New Year, Colin Burstead | Bertie | ||
2019 | Godzilla: King of the Monsters | Alan Jonah | |
Viy 2: Journey to China | Lord Dudley | ||
Fanny Lye Deliver'd | John Lye | ||
2020 | The Book of Vision | Johan Anmuth | |
Mank | William Randolph Hearst | [21] | |
2021 | The King's Man | Field Marshall Haig | Post-production[22] |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1974 | Father Brown | Commandant Neil O'Brien | Episode: "The Secret Garden" |
The Inheritors | Simon Leadbetter | Episode: "Fathers and Sons" | |
1975 | Edward the Seventh | Prince Eddy | 2 episodes |
1977 | Raffles | Teddy Garland | Episode: "Mr. Justice Raffles" |
1980, 1984 | Play for Today | Colin / Captain John Truman | 2 episodes |
1982 | Nancy Astor | Edward Hartford-Jones | Episode: "Guest for the Weekend" |
1983 | The Professionals | Parker | Episode: "The Ojuka Situation" |
The Last Day | Alan | Television | |
1984 | The Jewel in the Crown | Guy Perron | 5 episodes |
The Secret Servant | Harry Maxim | Mini-series | |
1985 | Time for Murder | James Latimer | Episode: "This Lightning Always Strikes Twice" |
1987 | Out on a Limb | Cpt. Truman | 2 episodes |
Tales of the Unexpected | Robert Smythe | Episode: "Skeleton in the Cupboard" | |
1988 | First Born | Edward Forester | 3 episodes |
Out of the Shadows | Michael Hayden | Television film | |
1989 | Goldeneye: The Secret Life of Ian Fleming | Ian Fleming | 2 episodes |
Mission: Impossible | Prime Minister | Episode: "Command Performance" | |
1990 | The Phantom of the Opera | Erik/The Phantom | 2 episodes |
1996 | Undertow | Lyle Yates | Television film |
1997 | Rebecca | Maxim de Winter | 2 episodes |
In the Presence of Mine Enemies | Captain Richter | Television film | |
1999 | Chrono-Perambulator | James "Dougie" Douglas | Television short |
2000 | The Real Spartacus | Narrator | |
Mysteries of the Real Sherlock Holmes | Sir Henry Carlyle | Episode: "The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes" | |
A History of Britain | Winston Churchill (voice) | Episode: "The Two Winstons" | |
Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) | Kenneth Crisby | Episode: "Drop Dead" | |
2001 | The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby | Ralph Nickleby | Television film |
2002 | Foyle's War | Guy Spencer | Episode: "The White Feather" |
Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future | Col. Simon Lasker (voice) | Episode: "Pilot of the Future" | |
2003 | Henry VIII | Duke of Buckingham | Television film |
Trial and Retribution | Greg Harwood | Television film | |
Looking for Victoria | Charles Greville | Television film | |
2004 | When Hitler Invaded Britain | Narrator | Documentary |
Saint John Bosco: Mission to Love | Marquis Clementi | Television film | |
2005 | Fingersmith | Mr. Lilly | 2 episodes |
Bleak House | Mr. Tulkinghorn | 12 episodes | |
To the Ends of the Earth | Sir Henry Somerset | Episode: "Close Quarters" | |
Last Rights | Richard Wheeler | 3 episodes | |
Titanic: Birth of a Legend | Narrator | Documentary | |
2006 | Marple: By the Pricking of My Thumbs | Septimus Bligh | Episode: "By the Pricking of My Thumbs" |
2007 | Fallen Angel | David Byfield | 3 episodes |
Consenting Adults | John Wolfenden | Television film | |
2009 | Merlin | Aredian | Episode: "The Witchfinder" |
Trinity | Dr. Edmund Maltravers | 8 episodes | |
2010 | Going Postal | Havelock Vetinari | 2 episodes |
2010–2011 | Rosamunde Pilchers's Shades of Love | Edmund Aird | 4 episodes |
2011–2015 | Game of Thrones | Tywin Lannister | 27 episodes |
2011 | Neverland | Dr. Richard Fludd | Episode: "Part 1" |
2012 | Secret State | John Hodder | 4 episodes |
Strike Back: Vengeance | Conrad Knox | 10 episodes | |
2013 | Bones of the Buddha | Narrator | Documentary |
2014 | The Great Fire | Lord Denton | 4 episodes |
2015 | Childhood's End | Karellen | 3 episodes |
Deadline Gallipoli | General Ian Hamilton | 2 episodes | |
And Then There Were None | Justice Lawrence Wargrave | 3 episodes | |
2018 | The Woman in White | Mr. Fredrick Fairlie | 4 episodes |
Hang Ups | Jeremy Pitt | 4 episodes | |
The Little Drummer Girl | Commander Picton | 2 episodes | |
2019 | The Widow | Martin Benson | 7 episodes |
2019–2020 | The Crown | Lord Mountbatten | 5 episodes |
2020 | Rise of Empires: Ottoman | Narrator | 6 episodes |
The Singapore Grip | Mr. Webb | Episode: "Singapore for Beginners" | |
2021 | The Sandman | Roderick Burgess | Upcoming series |
Video games
Year(s) | Title | Voice role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | Emperor Emhyr var Emreis | English Dub | [23][24] |
2018 | Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 | Godfrey The Butler | "Dead of the Night" Zombies Map | [25][26] |
Audiobooks
Year(s) | Title | Author | Voice role | ISBN | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1985 | The Fourth Protocol | Frederick Forsyth | Narrator | 0886461340 | Voice | [27] |
Podcasts
Year(s) | Title | Voice role | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | Hindsight | Narrator | An Al Jazeera Podcast | [28] |
Theatre credits
Stage
- Toad of Toad Hall as Badger (1971)
- The Beggar's Opera as Wat Dreary (Chichester Festival Theatre, 1972)
- The Taming of the Shrew as Philip (Chichester, 1972)
- Three Sisters as Soliony (Greenwich Theatre, 1973)
- Hans Kohlhaus as Meissen (Greenwich, 1973)
- Born Yesterday as Hotel Manager (Greenwich, 1973)
- Saint Joan as Baudricourt (Oxford Festival, 1974)
- The Sleeping Beauty as Prince (1974)
- Travesties as Henry Carr (Leeds Playhouse, 1977)
- Hamlet as Fortinbras / Reynaldo / Player (RSC The Other Place 1975; The Roundhouse, 1976)
- Perkin Warbeck as Hialas / Astley / Spanish Ambassador (RSC The Other Place, 1975)
- Richard III as Catesby / Murderer (RSC The Other Place, 1975)
- Henry V as Henry V (RSC Glasgow and New York, 1975)
- Henry IV, Part One and Henry IV, Part Two as Prince John of Lancaster (RSC Stratford, 1975; Aldwych Theatre, 1976)
- As You Like It as Oliver (RSC Stratford, 1977; Aldwych, 1978)
- Henry V as Scroop / Williams (RSC Stratford, 1977)
- Henry VI, Part 2 as Buckingham (RSC Stratford, 1977; Aldwych, 1978)
- The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs as Whistling Guard / Freeman (RSC Donmar Warehouse, 1978; The Other Place, 1979)
- Coriolanus as Volscian Lieutenant (RSC Stratford, 1977)
- Coriolanus as Tullus Aufidius (Aldwych, 1978 and 1979)
- The Women Pirates as Blackie / Vosquin (RSC Aldwych, 1978)
- The Changeling as Tomazo (RSC Aldwych, 1978)
- Irma la Douce as Nestor (Shaftesbury Theatre, 1979)
- The Heiress (1947 play) as Morris Townsend (1980)
- Turning Over as Frank (Bush Theatre, 1983)
- Coriolanus as Coriolanus (RSC Stratford and Newcastle upon Tyne, 1989; Barbican Theatre, 1990)
- Three Sisters as Vershinin (Birmingham Rep, 1998)
- Good as John Halder (Donmar Warehouse, 1999)
- Long Day's Journey into Night as James Tyrone (Lyric Theatre, 2000)
- The Play What I Wrote as a guest star (Wyndham's Theatre, 2001–2002)
- Celebration as Richard (Gate Theatre, Dublin; Albery Theatre, 2005)
- The Exonerated (Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, London, 2006)
- Eh Joe as Joe (Parade Theatre, Sydney, 2006)
- Shadowlands as C. S. Lewis (Wyndham's Theatre, 2007 and Novello Theatre 2007–2008)
Awards and nominations
Organizations | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
BAFTA TV Awards | 1985 | Best Actor | The Jewel in the Crown | Nominated | [29] |
Critics' Choice Movie Awards | 2002 | Best Acting Ensemble | Gosford Park | Won | [30] |
Primetime Emmy Awards | 2006 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie | Bleak House | Nominated | [31] |
2018 | Outstanding Narrator | Savage Kingdom | Nominated | ||
2019 | Nominated | ||||
Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2002 | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Gosford Park | Won | [32] |
2014 | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Game of Thrones | Nominated | ||
2015 | Nominated | ||||
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | The Imitation Game | Nominated | |||
2020 | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | The Crown | Won |
Further reading
- Who's Who in the Theatre, 16th/17th editions, edited by Ian Herbert, Pitman/Gale 1977/1981
- Theatre Record and Theatre Record Indexes
- Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies Fourth edition by John Walker, HarperCollins 2006 ISBN 978-0-00-716957-3
- Charles Dance's own CVs in various theatre programmes
References
- "Charles Dance Biography (1946–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- "Charles Dance - Biography". Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- "TheGenealogist featured article on Charles Dance". TheGenealogist. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
- "TheGenealogist featured article on Charles Dance". TheGenealogist. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
- "Widey High School, previously Widey Technical Secondary School, previously Plymouth Junior Technical School". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
- "Winter is coming. DMU Alumnus is back on our screens with the return of Game of Thrones". www.dmu.ac.uk.
- Nicholas de Jongh (9 October 2007). "Dance is poignant perfection – Theatre & Dance – Arts – London Evening Standard". Thisislondon.co.uk. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Holmwood, Leigh (15 July 2008). "ITV2 plans 'sex, drugs and murder' drama to follow Billie Piper hit series". guardian.co.uk. London. Retrieved 15 July 2008.
- 25 May 2009, 15:07 BST (25 May 2009). "Guest stars confirmed for 'Merlin' – Merlin News – Cult". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- Gibson, Linda (25 May 2010). "Interview Extra". TV Choice Magazine.
- "Game of Thrones: News – Charles Dance Cast as Tywin Lannister". Westeros.org. 29 July 2010. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- "Strike Back: Vengeance on Sky 1 HD". Skymedia.co.uk. 15 August 2012. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- "Top Gear returns to BBC Two at 8pm, featuring Warwick Davis, Charles Dance and Joss Stone". TV Newsroom. 30 June 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
- Neil Gaiman’s ‘The Sandman’ Casts Tom Sturridge, Gwendoline Christie, Vivienne Acheampong, Boyd Holbrook, Charles Dance, Asim Chaudhry And Sanjeev Bhaskar
- "British Film Council: Charles Dance".
- Riggs, Thomas (2006). Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television, Volume 67. Gale / Cengage Learning. pp. 66–67. ISBN 978-0-7876-9040-3.
- Walker, Tim (24 September 2010). "Charles Dance is to marry his artist girlfriend". The Daily Telegraph. London: TMG. ISSN 0307-1235. OCLC 49632006. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
- Bayley, Jon (11 December 2017). "The celebrities you didn't realise are forever connected to Plymouth". plymouthherald.co.uk. plymouthherald.co.uk. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
- London Gazette issue 58014 17 June 2006 page 10
- ‘Mank’: Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins, ‘Downton Abbey’s Tuppence Middleton & More Join David Fincher Pic
- Sneider, Jeffrey (29 November 2018). "Exclusive: 'Game of Thrones' Star Joins 'Kingsman' Prequel; Rhys Ifans in Talks". Collider. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
- "The Witcher – News". CD Projekt Red. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
- "Charles Dance - 2 Character Images". Behind The Voice Actors.
- Wade, Jessie (12 December 2018). "Game of Thrones, Metal Gear Stars among Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's Zombies Mode Cast". IGN. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
- McWhertor, Michael (13 December 2018). "Black Ops 4's new Zombies mode stars Kiefer Sutherland, Helena Bonham Carter". Polygon. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
- "The Fourth Protocol". Dh Audio. 1985.
- "Al Jazeera Podcasts Launches Historical Docudrama Series, Hindsight". Al Jazeera Media Network. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- "Television in 1985 - BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. 16 April 2020.
- "The BFCA Critics' Choice Awards 2001". Broadcast Film Critics Association. 11 January 2002. Archived from the original on 15 February 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
- "Charles Dance". emmys.com. National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 16 April 2020.
- "Search - Screen Actors Guild Awards". sagawards.org. 16 April 2020.
Search for Charles Dance.
External links
- Charles Dance at IMDb
- Charles Dance at the BFI's Screenonline