Nigel Davenport


Arthur Nigel Davenport was a British stage, television and film actor, best known as the Duke of Norfolk and Lord Birkenhead in the Academy Award-winning films A Man for All Seasons and Chariots of Fire, respectively.

Early life and education

Davenport was born in Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire, to Katherine Lucy and Arthur Henry Davenport. His father was a bursar at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. He grew up in an academic family and was educated at St Peter's School, Seaford, Cheltenham College and Trinity College, Oxford. Originally he chose to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics but switched to English on the advice of one of his tutors.

Career

Davenport first appeared on stage at the Savoy Theatre and then with the Shakespeare Memorial Company, before joining the English Stage Company, one of its earliest members, at the Royal Court Theatre in 1956. He began appearing in British film and television productions in supporting roles, including a walk-on in Tony Richardson's film, Look Back in Anger. Subsequent roles included a theatre manager opposite Laurence Olivier in the film version of The Entertainer and a policeman in Michael Powell's Peeping Tom.
In the 1962 last episode of the first season of the TV series The Saint, titled "The Charitable Countess", with Roger Moore as Simon Templar and Patricia Donahue as Countess Rovagna, Davenport played a supporting role as the Countess's confidant, Aldo Petri.
He made an impression as Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk in A Man for All Seasons, co-starred with Michael Caine in the war movie Play Dirty, and had a major role as Lord Bothwell in Mary, Queen of Scots. In 1972, he appeared as George Adamson, opposite Susan Hampshire in Living Free, the sequel to Born Free.
During the production of Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film , Davenport read the lines of HAL 9000 off-camera during the computer's dialogues with actors Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood. However, Kubrick thought that Davenport's English accent was too distracting, and after a few weeks he dismissed him, so Canadian actor Douglas Rain was ultimately chosen for the role. Davenport took the leading role in the off-beat Phase IV, which failed to find an audience. In 1979 he portrayed King George III in Prince Regent.
In February 1997, Davenport was the subject of This Is Your Life when he was surprised by Michael Aspel at David Nicholson's stables near Cheltenham.
He was president of Equity from 1986 to 1992.

Personal life

Davenport was married twice, first to Helena Margaret White whom he met while he was studying at Oxford University. They married in 1951 and had a daughter, Laura and a son, Hugo. His second wife was actress Maria Aitken with whom he had a second son, Jack, also an actor, best known for appearing in Pirates of the Caribbean. According to Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of the Pirates of the Caribbean films, Jack was cast as the James Norrington character, partly because of Nigel's involvement in A High Wind in Jamaica.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRole
1959Look Back in Anger1st Commercial Traveller
1960Peeping TomDet. Sgt. Miller
1960The EntertainerTheatre Manager
1962Mix Me a PersonJuke's Stepfather
1963Ladies Who DoMr Strang
1963Bitter HarvestPolice Inspector
1964The Third SecretLew Harding
1965A High Wind in JamaicaMr Thornton
1965Sands of the KalahariSturdevan
1966A Man for All SeasonsDuke of Norfolk
1968Play DirtyCaptain Cyril Leech
1968HAL
1969The Virgin SoldiersSergeant Driscoll
1970No Blade of GrassJohn Custance
1970The Mind of Mr. SoamesDr Maitland

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes!
1957-1958The Adventures of Robin HoodSt Peter Marston, Claude the Seneschal, Barty and others7 episodes
1963The Edgar Wallace Mystery TheatreDino Stefano1 episode
1966-68The AvengersLord Barnes / Robertson
1969The Name of the GameDavid Windom1 episode
1972The EdwardiansSir Arthur Conan Doyle1 episode
1974South RidingRobert Carne11 episodes
1975Oil Strike NorthJim Fraser13 episodes
1979Prince RegentKing George III8 episodes, TV mini-series
1981MasadaSen. MucianusPart 1
1981A Midsummer Night's DreamTheseus
1982Bird of PreyCharles Bridgnorth
1982-83Don't Rock The BoatJack Hoxton12 episodes, TV mini-series
1985-1990Howards' WaySir Edward Frere29 episodes
1991TrainerJames Brant13 episodes
1993Keeping Up Appearances The Commodore1 episode
1994Woof!Mr. Wellesby1 episode
1996The Treasure SeekersLord Blackstock
2000David CopperfieldDan PeggottyTV movie
2000Midsomer MurdersWilliam Smithers1 episode
2000LongitudeSir Charles PelhamTV Movie-