| Allan Corduner | |
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Allan Corduner backstage Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, as Horace Vandergelder in the 2009 revival of Hello, Dolly! |
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| Born | 2 April 1950 Stockholm, Sweden |
| Years active | 1981–present |
Allan Corduner (born 2 April 1950) is an English actor.
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Corduner grew up in a secular Jewish home in North London with his mother, father and a younger brother.[1] His mother had escaped to England from Nazi Germany with her family in 1938. His father was born in Helsinki, Finland of a Finnish mother and a Russian father of Sephardic Jewish ancestry, although his father's family later moved to Stockholm, Sweden. Corduner's parents, too, first settled in Stockholm, but the family moved to London when Corduner was one year old. Interest in arts and music was always encouraged at home, and Corduner's early ambition was to become either an orchestra conductor or a concert pianist. He attended University College School in Hampstead, London NW3. Although Corduner developed into a very skilled jazz and classical pianist, musical aspirations had taken second place by the time he went to study at Bristol University and the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
Corduner is a character actor who has worked extensively in theatre in London's West End and on Broadway, television (most recently in Zen and Exile on BBC) as well as in film. He has also appeared in several BBC Radio 4 plays including The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui and Insignificance. His voice is familiar to listeners of audio books such as The Book Thief.
After graduating from drama school Corduner's first two years as a professional actor were spent playing a wide variety of parts at Newcastle Repertory Theatre. Spells at the Birmingham Rep and the Actors' Company followed, until Corduner returned to London to make his West End debut in Mary O'Malley's Once a Catholic at the Wyndham's Theatre. Corduner has a long association with the Royal Court Theatre, where he has appeared in plays such as Three Birds Alighting on a Field, Fucking Games, Ice Cream and most notably Caryl Churchill's satirical Serious Money, which subsequently transferred to London's West End and Broadway in New York. He also received acclaim on Broadway for the role of Etches in the musical Titanic.[2]
One of his first film roles was in Yentl in 1982, with Barbra Streisand. He's probably best known for his portrayal of Sir Arthur Sullivan in Mike Leigh's Topsy-Turvy (1999), his first leading role in a feature film. Most recently Corduner starred in the Horror comedy film Burke and Hare.[3] Political thrillers An Enemy To Die For by Swedish director Peter Dalle, set in 1939, and Closer to the Moon are due for release in 2012.
Recently Corduner directed a short film An Act of Valour, his first time behind the camera. The film, written by his partner Juha Leppäjärvi, premiered at the 24th BFI London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival in March 2010. In May 2010 Corduner directed one half of an August Strindberg double bill at the Arcola Theatre in London. The two plays were Pariah, directed by Corduner, and The Stronger, directed by Jane Bertish, both in a new translation by Leppäjärvi.
Corduner's mother was from Berlin, Germany, and his father was of Finnish-Russian ancestry. He was born in Stockholm, Sweden but grew up in London. Both London and New York are home for Corduner and his partner, the Finnish actor and writer Juha Leppäjärvi. They formed their civil partnership in December 2009.[4]
Provides many of the voices for the Harry Potter video games, as well as being the narrator for the 'Magyk' audio book (Written by Angie Sage and produced by Harper Audio).
(all theatre credits are in London's West End unless otherwise stated.)