Robert Hardy
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Timothy Sydney Robert Hardy, CBE (born October 29, 1925) is one of Britain's best-known and most popular actors, and also an acknowledged expert on the longbow.
[edit] Early life
Hardy was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, where his father was headmaster of Cheltenham College. He attended Rugby School and began his career as a classical actor, appearing as Shakespeare's Henry V on stage and in television's An Age of Kings (1960), and subsequently played Coriolanus for the BBC.
It was while playing Henry V that Hardy developed an interest in medieval warfare, and he later wrote and presented an acclaimed television documentary on the subject of the Battle of Agincourt. He has also written a book on the subject of the Longbow, Longbow: A Social and Military History. He was one of the experts consulted by the archaeologists responsible for raising the Mary Rose.
[edit] Career
Over the years, Hardy has played a huge range of parts on television and film, but is not as widely known outside the UK. His first continuing role in a TV series was as businessman Alec Stewart in the award-winning oil company drama The Troubleshooters for the BBC, which he played from 1966 to 1968. But his most famous role was as Siegfried Farnon in the long-running All Creatures Great and Small (1978–1990), a stylish and much loved adaptation of James Herriot's novels. Some feel Hardy brought just the right touch of eccentricity and belligerence to the part of Siegfried.
He also made a very memorable appearance in the 1987 ITV comedy series Hot Metal, in which he played a dual role, that of a newspaper proprietor, Twiggy Rathbone (who bore more than a passing resemblance to Rupert Murdoch) and his put-upon and harassed editor, Russell Spam. It showed off perfectly Hardy's versatility as an actor.
He has played former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in several productions, including Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years (1981). He also played Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester in Elizabeth R, and Prince Albert in Edward the Seventh (known as Edward the King to the American audience). He took a leading role in the 1995 film version of Sense and Sensibility. His most recent role was as Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge in the Harry Potter movies.
His voice performance as Robin Hood in Tale Spinner's Robin Hood, a LP from the 1960s, is considered one of the best Robin Hood renditions of all time.
From 1961 to 1986 he was married to Sally Pearson, the daughter of Dame Gladys Cooper and, thus, sister-in-law of Robert Morley. Robert Hardy was a close friend of actor Richard Burton.
