James Villiers
James Michael Lyle Villiers (born September 29, 1933 , † January 18, 1998 in Arundel (West Sussex) ) was a British film and television actor .
Life
The descendant of George Villiers , the Duke of Buckingham, was not admitted to military service for health reasons. Instead, he studied at Wellington College and RADA and made his debut as a stage actor in 1955. The aristocratic Villiers quickly made a name for himself through numerous appearances in London's West End . His performance in a production of Noël Coward's Private Lives (1972) alongside Maggie Smith and Robert Stephens received special attention .
He also found an extensive field of activity in film and television, although v. a. in supporting roles. He got his first film role in 1958 in Carry On Sergeant . Often he was cast in either weak, witty and elegant roles or in arrogant and unpleasant roles. He played "Lord Kilbannock" in Evelyn Waugh's Sword of Honor , King Charles II in The First Churchills , an unscrupulous murderer in the guise of a decadent nobleman in The Murders of the Lord ABC after Agatha Christie , Fortunes of War (with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson ) and the Prime Minister's unstable brother in the television satire A House of Cards (starring Ian Richardson as a scheming careerist). He was also seen in several television series, for example in 1966 in Mit Schirm, Charme und Melone .
James Villiers died of cancer on January 18, 1998 at the age of 64 in Arundel, West Sussex .
Filmography (selection)
- 1960: The Clue of the New Pin
- 1962: A Kingdom for a Monkey (Operation Snatch)
- 1963: You Are Damned (The Damned)
- 1963: The Gallop (Murder at the Gallop)
- 1964: King and Country - For King and Fatherland (King & Country)
- 1965: Was It Really Murder? (The Nanny)
- 1965: The ABC Murders
- 1965: disgust (repulsion)
- 1968: Unlucky named Otley (Otley)
- 1971: The grave Blood from the Mummy (Blood from the Mummy's Tomb)
- 1972: Asylum
- 1972: The Ruling Class
- 1978: Five Friends on the Rock Island (Famous Five)
- 1979: Saint Jack
- 1980: In the Shadow of the Owl (Brendon Chase)
- 1981: James Bond 007 - For Your Eyes Only
- 1984: Under the Volcano (Under the Volcano)
- 1990: Land of the Black Sun (Mountains of the Moon)
- 1991: King Ralph
- 1991: Give it to him, Chris! (Let Him Have It)
- 1994: Secrets (Uncovered)
Remarks
- ↑ Philip Purser, “Patrician actor with a touch of class,” in: Guardian, January 30, 1998.
Web links
- James Villiers in the Internet Movie Database (English)
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Villiers, James |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Villiers, James Michael Lyle (full name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British film and television actor |
DATE OF BIRTH | September 29, 1933 |
DATE OF DEATH | January 18, 1998 |
Place of death | Arundel (West Sussex) |