Robert Hardy
- Known For
- Acting
- Born
- October 29, 1925 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, UK
- Died
- August 3, 2017
- Active Years
- 1949–2022 (74 Years)
- Total Credits
- 161 credits in database
Biography
Robert Hardy was an English actor born in Cheltenham on October 29, 1925, and he passed away on August 3, 1917 at the age of 91. He was the son of Jocelyn and Henry Harrison Hardy, and his father served in the Royal Air Force and was headmaster of Cheltenham College. Hardy studied at Oxford University and joined the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon in 1949. Recognized as a successful and enduring character actor with a prolific screen career in television and film, he was known for versatility and depth. Television viewers remembered him as Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small, and his critically acclaimed work included playing the title character in Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years. His film credits included Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Shoulder to Shoulder. Aside from acting, he was an expert on the medieval English longbow and wrote two books on the subject.
Career overview
Robert Hardy was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, UK on October 29, 1925, and died on August 3, 2017 at the age of 91. He was the son of Jocelyn and Henry Harrison Hardy, and his father served in the Royal Air Force and worked as a headmaster of Cheltenham College. After studying at Oxford University, Hardy joined the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon in 1949.
Recognized as one of England's most successful and enduring character actors, Hardy had a prolific screen career spanning television and film, earning acclaim for his versatility and the depth of his performances. Television viewers most fondly remember him as the overbearing Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small, which began in 1978. His most critically acclaimed performance was as the title character in Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years in 1981, and his portrayal of Britain's wartime leader was so accurately observed that he was called upon to play the role in subsequent years. His extensive filmography also includes appearances in Shoulder to Shoulder, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Aside from his acting career, which encompassed 154 known credits, Hardy was an acknowledged expert on the medieval English longbow and authored two books on the subject.
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Career timeline
Full Filmography
161 titles- Pamela's Garden of Eden (2022) Executive Producer
- Snapshot Wedding (2017) as Donald
- Joseph's Reel (2015) as Old Joseph
- Churchill: 100 Days That Saved Britain (2015) as Winston Churchill
- Narnia's Lost Poet: The Secret Lives and Loves of C.S. Lewis (2013) as Self - Interviewee
- Margaret (2009) as Willie Whitelaw
- Centenary: The BP Story (2009) as George Reynolds (voice)
- Ghosts in the Machine (2009) as Narrator
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) as Cornelius Fudge
- Lewis (2007) as Sir Arnold Raeburn
- The Alan Titchmarsh Show (2007) as Self
- Elementary My Dear Viewer (2007) as Self
- Le Grand Charles (2006) as Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Goodbye Mr Snuggles (2006) as Mr. Stiles
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) as Cornelius Fudge
- Lassie (2005) as Judge Murray
- Agatha Christie's Marple (2004) as Winston Churchill
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) as Cornelius Fudge
- Making Waves (2004) as Father Parry
- Death in Holy Orders (2003) as Father Martin Petrie
- The Gathering (2003) as Bishop
- Lucky Jim (2003) as Professor Neddy Welch
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) as Cornelius Fudge
- Spooks (2002) as Sir John Barry
- Foyle's War (2002) as Henry Beaumont
- Shackleton (2002) as Sir James Caird
- Thunderpants (2002) as Doctor
- Bertie and Elizabeth (2002) as President Roosevelt
- The Falklands Play (2002) as Sir Anthony Parsons
- The Lost World (2001) as Professor Illingworth
- The Lost World (2001) as Prof. Illingworth
- The 10th Kingdom (2000) as Chancellor Griswold
- An Ideal Husband (1999) as Lord Caversham
- Nancherrow (1999)
- The Tichborne Claimant (1999) as Lord Rivers
- Nancherrow (1999) as Viscount Berryan
- The Barber of Siberia (1998) as Forsten
- Midsomer Murders (1997) as Robert Cavendish
- Mrs. Dalloway (1997) as Sir William Bradshaw
- Castle Ghosts of Wales (1997) as Self
- Gulliver's Travels (1996) as Dr. Parnell
- Testament: The Bible in Animation (1996) as Abraham (voice)
- Castle Ghosts of Ireland (1996) as Self
- Sense and Sensibility (1995) as Sir John Middleton
- Bramwell (1995) as Sir Herbert Hamilton
- Bramwell (1995) as Sir Herbert Hamilton
- Look at the State We're In! (1995) as Judge Sutcliffe
- Castle Ghosts of England (1995) as Self
- Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) as Prof. Krempe
- Middlemarch (1994) as Arthur Brooke
- A Feast at Midnight (1994) as Headmaster
- The Master Blackmailer (1992) as Charles Augustus Milverton
- Paris by Night (1989) as Adam Gillvray
- Bomber Harris (1989) as Winston Churchill
- War and Remembrance (1988) as Winston Churchill
- The Woman He Loved (1988) as Winston Churchill
- In from the Cold? A Portrait of Richard Burton (1988) as Self
- Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair (1988) as Dr. Price
- Inspector Morse (1987) as Andrew Baydon
- Northanger Abbey (1987) as General Tilney
- The Death of the Heart (1987) as Major Brutt
- Make and Break (1987) as John Garrard
- Blat (1987) as Sidney Tolland
- ScreenPlay (1986) as Colonel Chase
- Sunday Premiere (1986) as Sidney Tolland
- Hot Metal (1986) as Twiggy Rathbone / Russell Spam
- The Demon Lover (1986) as William Drover
- Paying Guests (Part 2) (1986) as Colonel Chase
- Paying Guests (Part 1) (1986) as Colonel Chase
- Screen Two (1985) as General Tilney
- Jenny's War (1985) as Klein
- Jenny's War (1985) as Klein
- The Shooting Party (1985) as Bob, Lord Lilburn
- Sherlock Holmes (1984) as Charles Augustus Milverton
- The Far Pavilions (1984) as The Commandant
- The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood (1984) as King Richard
- James Mason: The Star They Loved to Hate (1984) as Lord Bob Lilburn (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Natural World (1983) as Narrator
- Shades of Darkness (1983) as William Drover
- The Cleopatras (1983) as Julius Caesar
- Countdown (1982)
- Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years (1981) as Winston Churchill
- Fothergill (1981) as John Fothergill
- Twelfth Night (1980) as Sir Toby Belch
- The Pied Piper of Hamelin (1980) as Narrator (voice)
- Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979) as Clayton
- Speed King (1979) as Dorothy Campbell
- All Creatures Great and Small (1978) as Siegfried Farnon
- The BBC Television Shakespeare (1978) as Sir Toby Belch
- Supernatural (1977) as Adrian Gall
- Raffles (1977)
- The Velvet Glove (1977) as Charles Bradlaugh
- The Duchess of Duke Street (1976) as George Duggan
- Bill Brand (1976) as Mr. Marples
- Victorian Scandals (1976) as Arthur Munby
- Private Affairs (1975) as Benito Mussolini
- Edward the Seventh (1975) as Prince Albert
- The Secret Agent (1975) as The Assistant Commissioner
- Caesar and Claretta (1975) as Benito Mussolini
- Playhouse (1974) as John Fothergill
- Playhouse (1974) as Sir Malcolm Campbell
- Churchill's People (1974) as King Oswy
- The Slap (1974) as Robert Dickinson
- Shoulder to Shoulder (1974) as Asquith
- The Gathering Storm (1974) as Joachim von Ribbentrop
- European Heritage (1973) as Narrator (voice)
- Dark Places (1973) as Edward Foster / Andrew Marr
- The Silent One (1973) as Assistant
- Between the Wars (1973) as Col. Tonge
- Psychomania (1973) as Chief Inspector Hesseltine
- Gawain and the Green Knight (1973) as Sir Bertilak
- Yellow Dog (1973) as Alexander
- Young Winston (1972) as Prep School Headmaster
- Demons of the Mind (1972) as Zorn
- The Incredible Robert Baldick: Never Come Night (1972) as Doctor Sir Robert Baldick
- Great Performances (1971) as Self
- Upstairs, Downstairs (1971) as Sir Guy Paynter
- A Ghost Story for Christmas (1971) as Archdeacon Haynes
- Elizabeth R (1971) as Robert Dudley
- Getting In (1971) as Official
- 10 Rillington Place (1971) as Malcolm Morris
- The Stalls of Barchester (1971) as Archdeacon Haynes
- Manhunt (1970) as Abwehr Sergeant Gratz
- Big Brother (1970) as John Edge
- Warm Feet, Warm Heart (1970) as Albert Purvis
- Marie Stopes: Sexual Revolutionary (1970) as Narrator
- ITV Saturday Night Theatre (1969) as Christopher Moore
- Strange Report (1969) as Doctor Michael Sanders
- Son of Man (1969) as Pontius Pilate
- ITV Playhouse (1967) as Ray Malcolm
- How I Won the War (1967) as British General
- Berserk! (1967) as Detective Superintendent Brooks
- Mystery and Imagination (1966) as William Oke
- Thirty-Minute Theatre (1965) as The Official
- The Troubleshooters (1965) as Alec Stewart
- The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1965) as Dick Carlton
- Old Man's Fancy (1965) as Jason
- The Wednesday Play (1964) as Nick Prockter
- The Wednesday Play (1964) as Pontius Pilate
- Theatre 625 (1964)
- Theatre 625 (1964) as Adriano
- Thursday Theatre (1964) as Anatol
- The Spread of the Eagle (1963) as Caius Martius Coriolanus
- The Saint (1962) as Walter Faber
- The Dark Island (1962)
- Drama 61-67 (1961) as Adam Irwin
- Drama 61-67 (1961) as Philip Weathers
- An Age of Kings (1960) as Henry, Prince of Wales
- An Age of Kings (1960) as Henry V
- The Veil (1958)
- Torpedo Run (1958) as Lt. Redley
- The Buccaneers (1956) as Lord Hinch
- The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (1956) as Sir Rupert
- Armchair Theatre (1956) as Albert Purvis
- Othello (1955) as Cassio
- General Electric Theater (1953)
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) as Joachim von Ribbentrop
- Sunday Night Theatre (1950) as Orsino
- Sunday Night Theatre (1950) as Admetus
- Sunday Night Theatre (1950) as William Herndon
- Black Legend (1949) as Mad Thomas
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Robert Hardy best known for?
Robert Hardy is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), Lewis (2007), Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (2008), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005).
When and where was Robert Hardy born?
Robert Hardy was born on October 29, 1925 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, UK. They passed away on August 3, 2017.
How many credits does Robert Hardy have?
Robert Hardy has accumulated over 161 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1949 to 2022.
What is Robert Hardy's background in cinema and television?
Robert Hardy was an English actor born in Cheltenham on October 29, 1925, and he passed away on August 3, 1917 at the age of 91. He was the son of Jocelyn and Henry Harrison Hardy, and his father served in the Royal Air Force and was headmaster of Cheltenham College. Hardy studied at Oxford University and joined the Sh...
Robert Hardy by the numbers
Age in their best-rated roles
- The Woman He Loved (1988) as Winston Churchill — aged about 62
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) as Joachim von Ribbentrop — aged about 25
- Raffles (1977) — aged about 51
- Sherlock Holmes (1984) as Charles Augustus Milverton — aged about 58
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) as Cornelius Fudge — aged about 78
- The Duchess of Duke Street (1976) as George Duggan — aged about 50
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