James Fox

William Fox (born 19 May 1939), known professionally as James Fox, is an English actor, from a well-known acting family. He appeared in several notable films of the 1960s and early 1970s, including King Rat, The Servant, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Performance, before quitting the screen for several years to be an evangelical Christian. He has since appeared in a wide range of film and TV productions.

For other uses, see James Fox (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Jamie Foxx.

James Fox
Born
William Fox

(1939-05-19) 19 May 1939
London, England
Years active1950–present
Spouse(s)
Mary Elizabeth Piper
​
​
(m. 1973)​
Children5, including Jack and Laurence
Parent(s)Robin Fox
Angela Worthington
FamilyFox

Early life

Fox was born in London, the son of theatrical agent Robin Fox and actress Angela Worthington. He is the brother of actor Edward Fox and the film producer Robert Fox. His maternal grandfather was playwright Frederick Lonsdale. Like several members of the Fox family, he attended Harrow School. After leaving Harrow, Fox took a short service commission in the Coldstream Guards.

Career

Early career

Fox first appeared on film in The Miniver Story in 1950. His early screen appearances, both in film and TV, were made under his birth name, William Fox.

In 1962, he was working in a bank when Tony Richardson offered him a minor role in the film The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. Fox's father attempted to forbid this, claiming that his son had no talent for acting and that it would disrupt his life for him to give up his job in the bank; nevertheless, Fox took the part.[1]

During the 1960s, Fox gained popularity. In 1964, he won a BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for his role in The Servant (1963).[2]

On 16 June 1965, Ken Annakin's Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines was released. In this British period comedy film, Fox is featured among an international ensemble cast including Stuart Whitman, Sarah Miles, Robert Morley, Terry-Thomas, Red Skelton, Benny Hill, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Gert Fröbe and Alberto Sordi. The film, revolving around the craze of early aviation circa 1910, is about a pompous newspaper magnate (Morley) who is convinced by his daughter (Miles) and fiancée (Fox), a young army officer, and they organize an air race from London to Paris, where he decides to race. A large sum of money is offered to the winner, attracting a variety of characters to participate. The film received positive reviews, being described as funny, colourful and clever, and as capturing the early enthusiasm for aviation.[3][4][5] It was treated as a major production, one of only three full-length 70 mm Todd-AO Fox releases in 1965 with an intermission and musical interlude part of the original screenings.[6] Because of the Todd-AO process, the film was an exclusive roadshow feature initially shown in deluxe Cinerama venues, where customers needed reserved seats purchased ahead of time.[7] The film grossed $31,111,111 theatrically and on home video $29,950,000.[8][9] Audience reaction, both in first release and even today, is nearly universal in assessing the film as one of the "classic" aviation films.[10]

Some of the other films he acted in during this time are King Rat (1965), The Chase (1966), Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), Isadora (1968), and Performance (1970).

Spiritual life and break from acting

After finishing work on Performance (1970), Fox suspended his acting career. Released in 1970, the film co-starring James Fox and Mick Jagger was deemed so outrageous that critics at a preview screening walked out, with one film executive's wife reportedly throwing up in the cinema.

In a 2008 interview, he said: "It was just part of my journey...I think my journey was to spend a while away from acting. And I never lost contact with it – watching movies, reading about it ... so I didn't feel I missed it."[11]

He became an evangelical Christian, working with the Navigators and devoting himself to the ministry.[12] During this time, the only film in which Fox appeared was No Longer Alone (1976), the story of Joan Winmill Brown,[13] a suicidal woman who was led to faith in Jesus Christ by Ruth Bell Graham.[13]

Return to acting

After an absence from acting of several years, in 1981 Fox appeared on TV in the Play for Today "Country" by Trevor Griffiths, a comedy drama set against the 1945 UK parliamentary elections. On film he starred in Stephen Poliakoff's Runners (1983), A Passage to India (1984), and Comrades (1986). He was notable as Anthony Blunt in the acclaimed BBC play by Alan Bennett, A Question of Attribution (1992). He also portrayed the character of Lord Holmes in Patriot Games (1992), as well as Colonel Ferguson in Farewell to the King and the Nazi-sympathising aristocrat Lord Darlington in The Remains of the Day (1993).

More recently he has appeared in the 2000 film Sexy Beast, the 2001 adaptation of The Lost World as Prof. Leo Summerlee, Agatha Christie's Poirot – Death on the Nile (2004) as Colonel Race and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) playing Mr. Salt, Veruca Salt's father. He appeared in the Doctor Who audio drama Shada, and in 2007, he guest-starred in the British television crime series Waking the Dead. He also appeared opposite his son Laurence Fox in "Allegory of Love", an episode in the third series of Lewis. He was part of the cast of Sherlock Holmes, as Sir Thomas, leading member of a freemason-like secret society.

In 2010, he filmed Cleanskin, a terrorist thriller directed by Hadi Hajaig,[14] and in 2011 he played King George V in Madonna's film W.E.[2]

Personal life

Fox married Mary Elizabeth Piper in September 1973, with whom he has five children: actors Laurence, Lydia, and sons Jack, Robin, and Thomas. Mary died peacefully at home on the 19th April 2020. [15] Laurence married actress Billie Piper in 2007 with whom he has two sons;[16] they divorced in 2016.[17] Lydia Fox is married to actor Richard Ayoade.[18]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1950 The Miniver Story Toby Miniver
The Magnet Johnny Brent
1962 The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner Gunthorpe
1963 Tamahine Oliver
The Servant Tony
1965 King Rat Flight Lieutenant Peter Marlowe
Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines Richard Mays
1966 The Chase Jason 'Jake' Rogers
1967 Thoroughly Modern Millie Jimmy Smith
Arabella Giorgio
1968 Duffy Stephane Calvert
Isadora Gordon Craig
1970 Performance Chas Devlin
1983 Runners Tom Lindsay
1984 Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes Lord Charles Esker
A Passage to India Richard Fielding
1986 Absolute Beginners Henley of Mayfair, Dressmaker to the Queen
The Whistle Blower Lord
Comrades Governor William Norfolk
1987 High Season Patrick
1989 Farewell to the King Colonel Ferguson
The Mighty Quinn Thomas Elgin
1990 The Russia House Ned
1991 Afraid of the Dark Frank
1992 Patriot Games Lord William Holmes
1993 The Remains of the Day Lord Darlington
1997 Anna Karenina Aleksei Aleksandrovich Karenin
Never Ever Arthur Trevane
1998 Shadow Run Landon-Higgins
Jinnah Mountbatten
1999 Mickey Blue Eyes Philip Cromwell
2000 Up at the Villa Sir Edgar Swift
Sexy Beast Harry
The Golden Bowl Colonel Bob Assingham
2001 Lover's Prayer Old Vladimir Voice
2004 The Prince and Me King Haraald
2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Mr. Salt
2007 Mister Lonely The Pope
2009 Sherlock Holmes Sir Thomas Rotheram
2010 Wide Blue Yonder George
2011 W.E. King George V
2012 Cleanskin Scott Catesby
2013 A Long Way From Home Joseph
The Double The Colonel
Effie Gray Sir Charles Eastlake

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1959 Armchair Theatre Jay Minton Episode: Light from a Star
1983 Anna Pavlova Victor Dandré
The Road to 1984 George Orwell TV Movie[19]
1990 Never Come Back Foster TV Mini-series
1992 A Question of Attribution Sir Anthony Blunt TV Movie
1993 Heart of Darkness Gosse TV Movie
1994 The Dwelling Place Lord Fischel TV Mini-series, 3 episodes[20]
Doomsday Gun Sir James Whittington TV Movie
The Old Curiosity Shop The Single Gentleman TV Mini-series
1995 The Choir The Dean, Hugh Cavendish TV Mini-series, 5 episodes
1996 Gulliver's Travels Dr. Bates TV Mini-series
2001 Armadillo Sir Simon Sherrifmuir
The Lost World Prof. Leo Summerlee TV Movie
2002 The Falklands Play Lord Carrington KCMG MC PC (Foreign Secretary)
2003 Cambridge Spies Lord Halifax TV Mini-series
2003 Hans Christian Andersen: My Life as a Fairytale Jonas Collin TV Movie
2004 Agatha Christie's Poirot Colonel Race Episode: Death on the Nile
2005 Agatha Christie's Marple Colonel Arthur Bantry Episode: The Body in the Library
Colditz Lt. Colonel Jimmy Fordham TV Mini-series
Absolute Power Gerald Thurnham Episode: Identity Crisis
2006 Suez: A Very British Crisis Anthony Eden TV Documentary
2007 Waking the Dead Dr Bruno Rivelli Episode: Mask of Sanity
2008 New Tricks Ian Figgis Episode: Spare Parts
2009 Lewis Professor Norman Dearing Episode: Allegory of Love
Margaret Charles Powell TV Movie
Red Riding 1980 Charles Powell TV Movie
2010 Midsomer Murders Sir Michael Fielding Episode: Master Class
2011 Law & Order: UK Dr. Edward Austen Episode: The Wrong Man
2012 Merlin King Rodor Episode: Another's Sorrow
2013 Utopia Assistant 6 episodes
The Great Train Robbery Henry Brooke TV Movie
Downton Abbey Lord Aysgarth Episode: The London Season
2014 1864 Lord Palmerston Miniseries
2015 Death in Paradise Martin Goodman 2 episodes
London Spy James Episode: Blue

References
  1. James M. Welsh, John C. Tibbetts, The Cinema of Tony Richardson: Essays and Interviews (1999), p. 119
  2. "W./E. | Cast". We-movie.com. 18 March 2011. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
  3. Crowther, Bosley (17 June 1965). "Movie Review: Those Magnificent Men In their Flying Machines (1965)". The New York Times.
  4. "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines – Or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes". Variety. 1 January 1965. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  5. "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines – Or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes: TV Guide Review". TV Guide.com. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  6. "Director's Voice-over Commentary". Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines DVD, 2004.
  7. Munn (1983), p. 161.
  8. "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines, Box Office Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  9. Silverman, Stephen M. (1988). The Fox that got away: the last days of the Zanuck dynasty at Twentieth Century-Fox. L. Stuart. p. 324.
  10. Hardwick & Schnepf (1989), p. 58.
  11. Jeeves (22 November 2010). ""Tweedland" The Gentlemen's club: JAMES FOX". Tweedlandthegentlemansclub.blogspot.com. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
  12. "Biography at British Cinema Greats". Retrieved 31 July 2006.
  13. "The Epitome of a Christian Woman". Christianity Today. 20 June 2007. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  14. Bean, Rampling Join Terrorist Thriller "Cleanskin" Dark Horizons. 2 March 2010
  15. http://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/deaths/241195/fox
  16. Church wedding for Piper and Fox, BBC News, 31 December 2007.
  17. "Billie Piper and Laurence Fox divorce". ITV News. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  18. White, Adam (23 June 2017). "The Crystal Maze 2017: everything you need to know about host Richard Ayoade". The Telegraph.
  19. https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b76372cf4
  20. Catherine Cookson's The Dwelling Place at radiotimes.com
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