Nigel Terry
English actor (1945–2015)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Peter Nigel Terry (15 August 1945 – 30 April 2015) was an English stage, film, and television actor, typically in historical and period roles. He played Prince John in Anthony Harvey's film The Lion in Winter (1968) and King Arthur in John Boorman's Excalibur (1981).
Early life
Terry was born on 15 August 1945[1] in Bristol, the son of Frank Albert Terry OBE, DFC,[2] a pilot in the Royal Air Force, and his wife, Doreen.[1] The family soon moved to Truro, Cornwall, where his father worked as a probation officer.[2] Terry attended Truro School in Truro, where he developed an interest in acting and became skilled at drawing and painting.
His parents encouraged him to go on the stage, and after working briefly in forestry and as a petrol pump attendant, he joined the National Youth Theatre.[3][4] He enrolled at London's Central School of Speech and Drama in 1963, working both on stage and behind the scenes. He joined the Oxford Meadow Players in 1966, working initially as assistant stage manager.
Career
Theatre
Terry worked mostly in theatre.[5] After training with repertory companies like the Oxford Meadow Players and Bristol Old Vic, Terry appeared in many productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Round House Theatre and the Royal Court Theatre. Among his roles was Daniel de Bosola in the 1989 Royal Shakespeare Company production of John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi.[6] In the same year he played Pericles in David Thacker's production of Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
Films
Terry appeared in about 20 films, most notably as John in The Lion in Winter (1968) with Katharine Hepburn, Peter O'Toole and Anthony Hopkins;[7] King Arthur in John Boorman's Excalibur (1981);[8] and the title character in Derek Jarman's Caravaggio (1986).[7] He worked with Jarman on four more films: The Last of England (1988), War Requiem (1989), Edward II (1991) and Blue (1993).
His last film role was in Troy in 2004, playing the Trojan high priest.
Television
An early television appearance was as the agoraphobic Harry Mandrake in the Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) episode "Somebody Just Walked Over My Grave" (1970).
His main US and British television appearances include Covington Cross, a series set in medieval times. He also appeared in Casualty as Denny, as General Cobb in the Doctor Who episode "The Doctor's Daughter" and as Gabriel Piton in Highlander: The Series. He also played Sam Jacobs in a two-part Waking the Dead episode entitled "Anger Management". He appeared in a third-series Pie in the Sky episode, "Irish Stew", as Byron de Goris. He also appeared in an episode of Foyle's War.
Personal life and death
In 1993, after 30 years of living in London, Terry moved back to Cornwall.[9] He was a very private person.[5][10][11] Terry died of emphysema in Newquay, Cornwall, on 30 April 2015, at the age of 69.[5] In the absence of any surviving close family, his memorial service was organised by close friends Maggie Steed and David Horovitch in Truro on 19 May 2015, attended by fellow actors and friends.
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | The Lion in Winter | Prince John | |
| 1975 | Slade in Flame | Assistant Disc Jockey | Uncredited |
| 1981 | Excalibur | King Arthur | |
| 1985 | Sylvia | Aden Morris | |
| Déjà Vu | Michael/Greg | ||
| 1986 | Caravaggio | Caravaggio | |
| On Wings of Fire | Zarathustra | ||
| 1987 | The Last of England | Narrator | |
| 1989 | War Requiem | Abraham | |
| 1991 | Edward II | Mortimer | |
| 1992 | Christopher Columbus: The Discovery | Roldan | |
| 1993 | Blue | Narrator | |
| 2001 | The Emperor's New Clothes | Montholon | |
| The Search for John Gissing | Alan Jardeen | ||
| 2002 | FeardotCom | Turnbull | |
| 2003 | The Tulse Luper Suitcases | Sesame Esau | |
| 2004 | Troy | Archeptolemus | |
| 2005 | Red Mercury | Lindsey |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | ITV Play of the Week | Philip | Episode: "The Man who Understood Women" |
| Theatre 625 | Generalov | Episode: "The Single Passion" | |
| 1968 | Sherlock Holmes | Harold Latimer | Episode: "The Greek Interpreter" |
| 1969 | Thirty-Minute Theatre | Peter | Episode: "Remote Control" |
| BBC Play of the Month | Jacques | Episode: "The Marquise" | |
| 1970 | Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) | Harry | Episode: "Somebody Just Walked Over My Grave" |
| 1986 | Screen Two | Railway Policeman | Episode: "Song of Experience" |
| 1988 | The Ruth Rendell Mysteries | Denys Villiers | Serial: "A Guilty Thing Surprised" |
| 1990 | South of the Border | Eddie | 2 episodes |
| 1991 | The Bill | Bailey | Episode: "Furthers" |
| The Orchid House | Master | Miniseries | |
| Zorro | Jorge Ventura | Episode: "A Woman Scorned" | |
| 1992 | Spender | McDonna | Episode: "Fee" |
| Covington Cross | Sir Thomas Grey | Miniseries | |
| 1993 | Highlander: The Series | Gabriel Piton | Episode: "Eye of the Beholder" |
| 1994 | In Suspicious Circumstances | Lieutenant Colonel Frank Crozier | Episode: "To Encourage the Others" |
| Wycliffe | Lawrence Vinter | Episode: "The Last Rites" | |
| 1995 | Jackanory | Storyteller | Story: A Wizard of Earthsea |
| Resort to Murder | Kepler | 4 episodes | |
| 1996 | Pie in the Sky | Byron de Goris/James Jackson | Episode: "Irish Stew" |
| 1997 | The Hunchback | King Louis XI | TV film |
| 1998 | Mortimer's Law | Peter Frampton | 1 episode |
| Far From the Madding Crowd | Mr. Boldwood | TV film | |
| 1999 | Silent Witness | Jim Thorn | Episode: "Gone Tomorrow" |
| 2000 | Holby City | Nigel Turrall | Episode: "Moving On" |
| 2002 | Crime and Punishment | Svidrigailov | Miniseries |
| 2003 | The Vice | Ted Bascombe | Episode: "Untouchable" |
| 2004 | Cutting It | Dexter Berkowicz | 1 episode |
| Waking the Dead | Sam Jacobs | Episode: "Anger Management" | |
| Foyle's War | Hugh Jackson | Episode: "They Fought in the Fields" | |
| 2005 | Sea of Souls | Professor Michael Holloway | 3 episodes |
| Spooks | Professor Stephen Curtis (uncredited) | Episode: "The Special" | |
| 2006 | Blackbeard | Calico Billy | Miniseries |
| 2007 | The Time of Your Life | Jack | Miniseries |
| Casualty | Denny Davidson | 2 episodes | |
| 2008 | Doctor Who | Cobb | Episode: "The Doctor's Daughter" |
| 2009 | Agatha Christie's Marple | Christian Gulbrandsen | Episode: "They Do It with Mirrors" |
