Hugh Bonneville
Hugh Richard Bonneville Williams, DL (born 10 November 1963) is an English film and television actor.[1] He is best known for playing Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham in the ITV historical drama series Downton Abbey. His performance on the show earned him a nomination at the Golden Globes and two consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
Hugh Bonneville | |
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Bonneville at the 2011 Minghella Film Festival | |
Born | Hugh Richard Bonneville Williams 10 November 1963 Paddington, London, England |
Alma mater | Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1990–present |
Known for | Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham in Downton Abbey |
Spouse(s) | Lucinda Evans (m. 1998) |
Children | 1 |
Website | www |
Early life and education
Bonneville was born in Paddington, London. His mother was a nurse and father a urological surgeon.[2] He was educated at Dulwich College Preparatory School and at Sherborne School,[3] an independent school in Dorset.
Following secondary education, Bonneville read theology at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge,[4] and studied acting at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London.[5] He left Cambridge with a 2:2 in theology and has since said that he tended to do more acting than academic work.[6]
Bonneville is also an alumnus of the National Youth Theatre.[3]
Career
1990s
Bonneville's first professional stage appearance was at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park. In 1987, he joined the National Theatre where he appeared in several plays, then the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1991, where he played Laertes to Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet (1992–1993). He played Valentine in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Bergetto in 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, Kastril and later Surly in The Alchemist.[7]
In 1994, Bonneville made his television debut, billed as Richard Bonneville in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes’s episode The Dying Detective. His debut film was 1994's Mary Shelley's Frankenstein with Robert De Niro and Kenneth Branagh. His early roles were usually good-natured bumbling characters like Bernie in Notting Hill (1999) and Mr Rushworth in Mansfield Park (1999).
2000s
In the BBC television series, Take A Girl Like You (2000) and Armadillo (2001), he played more villainous characters, leading up to the domineering Henleigh Grandcourt in Daniel Deronda (2002) and the psychopathic killer James Lampton in The Commander (2003) series. In Love Again, he played the poet Philip Larkin.
In Iris (2001), he played the young John Bayley opposite Kate Winslet, with his performance lauded by critics and receiving a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor. In 2004, Bonneville played Sir Christopher Wren in the docudrama Wren – The Man Who Built Britain. Bonneville also works extensively in radio. He played the role of Jerry Westerby in the BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of the John le Carré novel The Honourable Schoolboy, first broadcast in January 2010.[8] Earlier, he appeared in the surreal parallel universe comedy Married.
2010s
From 2010 until 2015, he appeared in the ITV period drama Downton Abbey, as Robert, Earl of Grantham, a role he repeated in the 2019 film.
In early 2010, he appeared in the comedy film Burke and Hare.[9] In 2011 and 2012, he starred as Ian Fletcher in the award-winning BBC comedy series Twenty Twelve, and reprised the role in the 2014 BBC comedy series W1A. In December 2012, he appeared on BBC Two with co-star Jessica Hynes in World's Most Dangerous Roads, travelling through Georgia. He also appeared in the much-delayed film Hippie Hippie Shake with Cillian Murphy and Sienna Miller.
From 2011 until 2014, Bonneville was the narrator of the Channel 4 show The Hotel.
Bonneville played Mr. Brown in the 2014 film Paddington and its 2017 sequel Paddington 2. He has appeared in the singing comedic role of The Pirate King in the ABC fairy tale-themed musical comedy extravaganza series Galavant during its 2015 and 2016 seasons. He also narrated the ITV series The Cruise.
In 2017, Bonneville portrayed Lord Mountbatten in director Gurinder Chadha's film Viceroy's House, which depicted the tumult and violence surrounding the Partition of India during the final days of British rule. Also in 2017, he narrated the documentary A Return to Grace: Luther's Life and Legacy and it was announced that Bonneville would play Roald Dahl in an upcoming biopic about the author.[10]
In 2018, Bonneville succeeded Julie Andrews as host and narrator of the annual "From Vienna: The New Year's Celebration" episode of Great Performances, broadcast on New Year's Day on PBS in the United States.[11]
Personal life
Bonneville married Lucinda "Lulu" Evans in 1998.[12] Together they live with their son, Felix, in West Sussex.[13]
In 2009, Bonneville was the voice of Justice Fosse in Joseph Crilly's British premiere of Kitty and Damnation for the Giant Olive Theatre Company at the Lion & Unicorn Theatre in Kentish Town.[14] Shortly thereafter he became Giant Olive's first patron.[15] Bonneville is also a patron of the London children's charity Scene & Heard and an ambassador for WaterAid.[16]
In 2019, Bonneville was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant of West Sussex.[17][18]
Filmography
Film
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1994 | Mary Shelley's Frankenstein | Schiller | |
1997 | Tomorrow Never Dies | Air Warfare Officer – HMS Bedford | |
1999 | Notting Hill | Bernie | |
1999 | Mansfield Park | Mr Rushworth | |
2001 | Blow Dry | Louis | |
2001 | High Heels and Low Lifes | Farmer | |
2001 | The Emperor's New Clothes | Bertrand | |
2001 | Iris | Young John Bayley | |
2003 | Conspiracy of Silence | Fr. Jack Dowling | |
2004 | Piccadilly Jim | Lord Wisbeach | |
2004 | Stage Beauty | Samuel Pepys | |
2005 | The Commander: Virus | James Lampton | Uncredited |
2005 | The Commander: Blackout | James Lampton | Uncredited |
2005 | Man to Man | Fraser McBride | |
2005 | Asylum | Max Raphael | |
2005 | Underclassman | Headmaster Felix Powers | |
2006 | Scenes of a Sexual Nature | Gerry | |
2007 | Four Last Songs | Sebastian Burrows | |
2007 | Hola to the World | Painter | Short film |
2008 | One of Those Days | Mr Burrell | Short film |
2008 | French Film | Jed | |
2009 | Knife Edge | Charles Pollock | |
2009 | Glorious 39 | Gilbert Williams | |
2009 | From Time to Time | Captain Oldknow | |
2010 | Critical Eye | Brian | |
2010 | Shanghai | Ben Sanger | |
2010 | Third Star | Beachcomber | |
2010 | Burke & Hare | Lord Harrington | |
2010 | As Time Goes By | N/A | |
2010 | Hippie Hippie Shake | John Mortimer | Unreleased[19] |
2011 | Third Star | Beachcomber | |
2014 | The Monuments Men | Lieutenant Donald Jeffries | |
2014 | Muppets Most Wanted | Irish Journalist | |
2014 | Paddington | Mr Henry Brown | |
2015 | Stick Man | Santa Clause | Voice |
2015 | Silent Hours | Commander William Calthorpe | |
2017 | Viceroy's House | Lord Mountbatten | |
2017 | Paddington 2 | Mr Henry Brown | |
2017 | Journey Beyond Sodor | Merlin | Voice |
2017 | Breathe | Teddy Hall | |
2017 | A Return to Grace: Luther's Life and Legacy | Narrator | |
2019 | Downton Abbey | Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham | |
2020 | Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey | Mr. Delacroix | |
2021 | To Olivia | Roald Dahl | |
2022 | The Amazing Maurice | The Mayor | Voice role, in production |
Television
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1990 | Chancer | Jas | 2 episodes |
1991 | Dodgem | Rick Bayne | 5 episodes |
1993 | Paul Merton: The Series | Captain | Episode: #2.6" |
1993 | Stalag Luft | Barton | Television movie |
1994 | The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes | Victor Savage | Episode: "The Dying Detective" Credited as Richard Bonneville |
1994 | Peak Practice | Dominic Kent | Episode: "Perfect Love" |
1994 | Cadfael | Daniel Aurifaber | Episode: "The Sanctuary Sparrow" |
1994 | Between the Lines | Henry Oakes | Episode: "Close Protection" |
1995 | The Vet | Alan Sinclair | 6 episodes |
1995 | EastEnders | Headmaster | Episode: "14 December 1995" |
1996 | Married for Life | Steve Hollingsworth | 7 episodes |
1996 | Bugs | Nathan Pym | Episode: "Bugged Wheat" |
1997 | Breakout | Peter Schneider | Television movie |
1997 | See You Friday | Daniel | Episode: "#1.1" |
1997 | The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous | Ferdinand Fitzgerald | Episode: #1.1" |
1997 | Get Well Soon | Norman Tucker | 4 episodes |
1998 | Heat of the Sun | Edward Herbert | Episode: "Hide in Plain Sight" |
1998 | Mosley | Bob Boothby | 4 episodes |
1998 | Holding the Baby | Gordon Muir | Unknown episodes |
1998 | The Scold's Bridle | Tim Duggan | Television movie |
1999 | Murder Most Horrid | Inspector Dawson | Episode: "Confessions of a Murderer" |
2000 | Take a Girl Like You | Julian Ormerod | 3 episodes |
2000 | Thursday the 12th | Brin Hopper | Television movie |
2000 | Madame Bovary | Charles Bovary | Television movie |
2001 | Hans Christian Andersen: My Life as a Fairytale |
Publisher | Television movie |
2001 | The Cazalets | Hugh Cazalet | 6 episodes |
2001 | Armadillo | Torquil Helvoir Jayne | TV film |
2002 | Midsomer Murders | Hugh Barton | Episode: "Ring Out Your Dead" |
2002 | Tipping the Velvet | Ralph Banner | Episode: "#1.3" |
2002 | Daniel Deronda | Henleigh Grandcourt | 3 episodes |
2002 | Impact | Phil Epson | Television movie |
2002 | The Gathering Storm | Ivo Pettifer | Television movie |
2002 | Right Under My Eyes | James | Television movie |
2002 | The Biographer | Eric | Television movie |
2002 | Doctor Zhivago | Andrey Zhivago | Television movie |
2003 | The Commander | James Lampton | Television movie |
2003 | Love Again | Philip Larkin | Television movie |
2003 | Hear the Silence | Andrew Wakefield | Television movie |
2004 | Wren: The Man Who Built Britain | Christopher Wren | TV documentary |
2005 | The Rotter's Club | Voice of Adult Ben | 2 episodes |
2005 | The Robinsons | George Robinson | 6 episodes |
2006 | Courting Alex | Julian/Charles Carter | 10 episodes |
2006 | Beau Brummell: This Charming Man | Prince Regent | Television movie |
2006 | Tsunami: The Aftermath | Tony Whittaker | Television movie |
2007 | The Vicar of Dibley | Jeremy Ogilvy | Episode: "The Vicar in White" |
2007 | Five Days | DSI Iain Barclay | 4 episodes |
2007 | The Replacements | Voice | Episode: "London Calling" |
2007 | The Diary of a Nobody | Charles Pooter | Television movie |
2007 | Miss Austen Regrets | Rev. Brook Bridges | Television movie |
2007–08 | Freezing | Matt | 3 episodes |
2008 | Bonekickers | Gregory Parton | 6 episodes |
2008 | Lost in Austen | Claude Bennet | 4 episodes |
2008 | Filth: The Mary Whitehouse Story | Sir Hugh Carleton Greene | Television movie |
2008–11 | Country House Rescue | Narrator | 24 episodes |
2009 | Hunter | DSI Iain Barclay | 2 episodes |
2009 | Ruth Watson's Hotel Rescue | Narrator | 6 episodes |
2009 | Legally Mad | Gordon Hamm | unaired pilot[20] |
2010–15 | Downton Abbey | Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham |
52 episodes |
2010 | Ben Hur | Pontius Pilate | 2 episodes |
2010 | Agatha Christie's Poirot | Edward Masterman | Episode: "Murder on the Orient Express" |
2010 | The Silence | Chris | 4 episodes |
2010–14 | Rev. | Roland Wise | 3 episodes |
2011 | Doctor Who | Captain Avery | Episodes: "The Curse of the Black Spot" "A Good Man Goes To War" |
2011 | Marple: The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side |
Inspector Hewitt | Television movie |
2011–12 | Twenty Twelve | Ian Fletcher | 13 episodes |
2011–14 | The Hotel | Narrator | 33 episodes |
2012 | Turn Back Time: The Family | Narrator | 5 episodes |
2012 | Getting On | Philip Moore | Episode: "#3.6" |
2012 | World's Most Dangerous Roads | N/A | Episode: "#3.2" |
2012 | Mr Stink | Mr Stink | Television movie |
2013 | Da Vinci's Demons | Duke of Milan | Episode: "The Hanged Man" |
2014 | Top Gear | Himself | Episode: "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car" |
2014–17 | W1A | Ian Fletcher | 8 episodes |
2015–16 | Galavant | Pirate King | 2 Episodes |
2015–18 | Sofia the First | Book Narrator | 5 episodes |
2016 | The Hollow Crown | Gloucester | Episode: "Henry VI, Part I" |
2016 | Walliams & Friend | Various | Episode 7 |
2017 | The Grand Tour | Himself | Series 2 Episode 3 |
2017 | A Return to Grace: Luther's Life and Legacy |
Narrator | |
2018 | Countdown to Calvary | Host/Narrator | Documentary |
2018 | Thomas & Friends | Merlin | Voice; Episode: "Seeing is Believing" |
2019 | Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | Narrator | 2 episodes |
2018–21 | Great Performances | Host/Narrator | Episode "From Vienna: The New Year's Celebration 2018" |
Episode "From Vienna: The New Year's Celebration 2019" | |||
Episode "From Vienna: The New Year's Celebration 2020"[21] | |||
Episode "From Vienna: The New Year's Celebration 2021" | |||
2020 | Sandylands | One-Eyed Man | |
2020 | Amphibia | Wigbert Ribbiton | Episode: "Swamp and Sensibility"[22] |
2020 | DuckTales | Santa Claus | Episode: "How the Santa Stole Christmas"[23] |
Awards
Year | Award | Category | Project | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2001 | British Academy Film Award | Best Supporting Actor | Iris | Nominated |
European Film Award | Best Actor | Nominated | ||
2002 | Berlin International Film Festival | New Talent Award | Won | |
2006 | Monte-Carlo Television Festival | Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries | Tsunami: The Aftermath | Nominated |
2012 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Downton Abbey | Nominated |
2013 | Nominated | |||
2011 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film | Nominated | |
2012 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series | Won | |
2013 | Nominated | |||
2014 | Won | |||
2015 | Won | |||
2016 | Nominated | |||
2011 | Monte-Carlo Television Festival | Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | |
2013 | Nominated | |||
2011 | British Comedy Awards | Best TV Comedy Actor | Twenty Twelve | Nominated |
2012 | Nominated | |||
2012 | British Academy Television Award | Best Actor in a Comedy Programme | Nominated | |
2013 | Nominated | |||
2015 | W1A | Nominated | ||
2016 | Nominated | |||
Honours
Commonwealth honours
- Commonwealth honours
Country | Date | Appointment | Post-nominal letters |
---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 8 October 2019 – Present | Deputy Lieutenant of West Sussex [17][18] | DL |
Scholastic
- University degrees
Location | Date | School | Degree |
---|---|---|---|
England | Corpus Christi College, Cambridge | Lower Second Class Honours Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Theology | |
England | Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art | ||
- Honorary degrees
Location | Date | School | Degree | Gave Commencement Address |
---|---|---|---|---|
England | October 2019 | University of Winchester | Doctor of Arts (D.Arts) [24][25] | |
References
- Room, Adrian (2010). Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins (5th ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-7864-4373-4. OCLC 607613318. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
- "Hugh Bonneville: "I want to grab him and say get real"". Big Issue. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
- Greensteet, Rosanna (6 November 2004). "Q&A: Hugh Bonneville". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
- "Corpus Playroom Renovations". Corpus Christi College. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
- Franks, Alan (16 February 2008). "Hugh Bonneville and Tom Hollander on Freezing, fame and friendship". The Times. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
- "Interview: Hugh Bonneville star of Downton Abbey". The Cambridge Student. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
- Trowbridge, Simon (2010). The Company: a Biographical Dictionary of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Oxford, England: Editions Albert Creed. pp. 52–53. ISBN 978-0-9559830-2-3.
- "The Complete Smiley – The Karla Trilogy, Book 2: The Honourable Schoolboy". BBC. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
- "Burke and Hare Teaser Art Debuts at Cannes". Dread Central. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
- "Hugh Bonneville to play Roald Dahl in new film". BBC News. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- "About From Vienna: The New Year's Celebration 2018". PBS. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- "Biography for Hugh Bonneville". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
- Myers, Marc (17 September 2019). "'Downton Abbey' Star Hugh Bonneville Grew Up in an Edwardian Home That Felt Grand". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
- "Off-West End Announcements – 3 July 2009". What's on Stage. 3 July 2009. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
- "The History of Giant Olive Theatre Company". Giant Olive Theatre Company. Archived from the original on 17 August 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
- "Scene & Heard – Who We Are". sceneandheard.org. 2010. Archived from the original on 10 February 2009. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
- "Deputy Lieutenant Commissions". The Gazette. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
- Sampson, Annabel (9 October 2019). "Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville gains a real-life royal title". Tatler. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- Meacham, Steve; Maddox, Garry (14 February 2011). "Hippies tossed aside in corporate decision". The Sydney Morning Herald.
After a promised release failed to eventuate last year, the British production company, Working Title, has confirmed it will not reach cinemas. The managing director of the distributor Universal Pictures in Australia, Mike Baard, said: 'I suspect...it's going to land in the direct-to-video bin...it's off our release schedule.'
- Schneider, Michael (11 May 2009). "NBC passing on 'Legally Mad'". Variety. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/from-vienna-the-new-years-celebration-2020-about/10339/
- Ramos, Dino-Ray (23 June 2020). "Disney Channel Renews 'Amphibia' For Season 3; Kermit The Frog, Jenifer Lewis, George Takei And More To Guest Star on Season 2". Deadline.
- "November 2020 Programming Highlights". Walt Disney Television Press. 19 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- https://www.winchester.ac.uk/media/content-assets/press-centre/centre-news/Honoraries_Graduation_2019.pdf
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B9rggsYMek
Further reading
- Trowbridge, Simon. The Company: A Biographical Dictionary of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Oxford: Editions Albert Creed, 2010. ISBN 978-0-9559830-2-3.
External links
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