Oliver Tobias

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Oliver Tobias
Born Oliver Tobias Freitag
August 6, 1947 (1947-08-06) (age 60)
Zurich, Switzerland
Years active 1968 – continues
Spouse(s) Camilla Ravenshear
Arabella Zamoyska (2001 – Present)
Official website

Oliver Tobias (born August 6, 1947) is a British and German Swiss film, stage, and television actor and director.

Born Oliver Tobias Freitag in Zurich, Switzerland, he is the son of Swiss actor Robert Freitag and German actress Maria Becker. He came to the UK at the age of eight and trained at East 15 Acting School, London. In 1968 he appeared in the original London production of Hair, playing the prime rebel role of Berger. The following year he starred in, directed, and choreographed the rock opera in Amsterdam and again directed a production in 1970 in Tel Aviv.

Tobias' first role was in the feature film Romance of a Horsethief, co-starring with Yul Brynner, Serge Gainsbourg and Eli Wallach. He then co-starred with Charlotte Rampling in the Jacobean tragedy 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, a film directed by Giuseppe Patroni Griffi. He became popular as King Arthur in the TV series Arthur of the Britons (1972). Peter Weir then directed him in the TV series Luke's Kingdom. Tobias also starred in Smuggler (1981) a children's drama series, set in Cornwall in 1801. Many other successful films followed including The Stud in 1978 in which he co-starred with Joan Collins, helping her to re-start her career.

In 2000, Tobias starred in the West End musical La Cava. Three years later he portrayed Percival Brown in the 50th anniversary production of The Boyfriend and the next year toured in the rock musical Footloose. In 2005 he finished shooting the film An Airfield in England. He has been acting in a variety of roles for German and Swiss TV and has recently played the role of Bassa Selim again in Mozart's Seraglio at the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari, Italy. He is planning to direct another film.

Tobias is divorced from Camilla Ravenshear, with whom he has two daughters, Angelika and Celeste. In 2001 he married Polish-born Arabella Zamoyska, with whom he has a child. They live in London. Recently, Arabella suffered a complete nervous breakdown and spent a considerable amount of time recovering in a private psychiatric facility.

It was revealed in 2006 that Celeste's biological father is actually Julian Metcalfe, co-founder of the Pret a Manger chain of sandwich shops.[1]

[edit] Filmography

1970
  • Feature film: "Romance of a Horsethief"
  • Directed by: Abraham Polonsky
  • Produced by: Jean Gutowski
  • Co-starring with Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Jane Birkin, Serge Gainsbourg.
1971
  • Feature film: "Tis Pity She's a Whore"
  • Directed by: Giuseppe Patroni Griffi
  • Lighting by: Victorio Storaro
  • Co-starring with Charlotte Rampling.
1973
  • Feature film: "The God King"
  • Set in Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
  • Directed by: Lester James Peries
  • Produced by: Dimitri de Grunwald
  • Role of General Migara.
1977 - 78
  • Feature film: "The Stud"
  • Directed by: Quentin Masters
  • Produced by: Brent Walker
  • Co-starring with Joan Collins.
1979
  • Feature film: "Arabian Adventure"
  • Directed by: Kevin Connor
  • Produced by: EMI
  • Co-starring with Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Milo O'Shea, Emma Samms.
1981
  • TV Series Smuggler
  • Children's Drama
  • Starring role
  • International Co-Production
  • Produced by: Paul Knight & Sid Cole
1981
  • Feature film: "The Wicked Lady"
  • Directed by: Michael Winner
  • Co-starring with: Denholm Elliot, John Gielgud, Faye Dunaway
  • Role of Kit Locksby.
1984
  • Feature film: "Mata Hari"
  • Directed by: Curtis Harrington
  • Co-starring with Christopher Cazanove and Sylvia Kristel.
1985
  • Feature film: "Cobra Mission" (aka "Operation 'Nam")
  • Directed by: Fabrizio de Angelis
  • Produced by: Larry Ludlum
  • Role of Vietnam veteran.
1986
  • Feature film: "Johann Strauss"
  • Directed by: Franz Antel
  • Produced by: Johann Strauss Productions, Vienna
  • Title role.
1993
  • Feature film: "Nexus"
  • Produced by: Golden Pictures Production
  • Role of galactic megalomaniac.
1994
  • Feature film: "Vendetta"
  • Directed by: Mikael Halfstrom,
  • Role of Colonel da Piemonte.
  • Feature film: "Savage Hearts"
  • Directed by: Mark Ezra
  • Produced by: Mark Ezra Productions
  • Role of country gent.
1995
  • Feature film:"The Brlycream Boys"
  • Directed by: Terrence Ryan
  • Produced by: Paul Madigan
  • Role of U-boat captain Wolf.
1997
  • Feature film: "Breeders"
  • Directed by: Paul Mathews
  • Produced by: Peakviewing Transatlantic
  • Role of police Lt Moore.
  • Feature film: "When Darkness Falls"
  • Directed by: Gerry Lively
  • Co-starring with Ray Winstone, Tim Dutton.
1998
  • Feature Film: "Mozart in Turkey"
  • Performance of "Die Entführung aus dem Serail"
  • Directed by: Elijah Moshinsky
  • Produced by: Antelope Film Productions for BBC2
  • Role of Bassa Selim.
1999
  • Feature film: "Grizzly Falls"
  • Directed by: Stewart Raffill
  • Produced by: Behaviour Worldwide / Norstar Filmed Entertainment
  • Role of Genet.
2003
  • Short Film: "Half Empty"
  • Directed by: Charles Masters
  • Lead Role
  • Feature Film: 'Method'
  • Director Duncan Roy
  • With Liz Hurley
  • Role Film director

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