Ronald Pickup
- Known For
- Acting
- Born
- June 7, 1940 in Chester, England, UK
- Died
- February 25, 2021
- Active Years
- 1951–2025 (75 Years)
- Total Credits
- 154 credits in database
Acting Born Jun 7, 1940 Died Feb 25, 2021 Chester, England, UK 154 credits
Biography
Ronald Pickup was born in Chester, England, to Daisy, whose maiden name was Williams, and Eric Pickup, a lecturer. He was educated at The King's School in Chester and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, eventually becoming an Associate Member of RADA. His television career began in 1964 with an appearance in an episode of the second series of Doctor Who. He worked with Laurence Olivier at the Royal National Theatre, with notable stage appearances in Three Sisters and Long Day's Journey Into Night. In 1973, he starred as a World War II bomb disposal expert in the BBC drama series The Dragon's Opponent and appeared in The Day of the Jackal. He also played the role of Lt. Harford.
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Career overview
Ronald Pickup was born in Chester, England, the son of Daisy and Eric Pickup. He was educated at The King's School in Chester and subsequently trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, where he became an Associate Member.
His television career began in 1964 with an appearance in an episode during the second series of Doctor Who, for which he received thirty pounds. Later in his television work, he starred in the 1973 BBC drama series The Dragon's Opponent, portraying a World War II bomb disposal expert. In addition to his television roles, Pickup worked with Laurence Olivier at the Royal National Theatre, with notable performances in Three Sisters and Long Day's Journey Into Night. His film work includes an appearance in The Day of the Jackal in 1973, as well as playing Lieutenant Harford in Zulu Da.
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Frequent co-stars
JJ Feild
3 shared titles
Raymond J. Barry
3 shared titles
Ornella Muti
3 shared titles
Steven Mackintosh
3 shared titles
Isabella Rossellini
3 shared titles
Anna Galiena
3 shared titles
Drew Mulligan
3 shared titles
Judi Dench
3 shared titles
Bill Nighy
3 shared titles
Diana Hardcastle
3 shared titles
Career timeline
Schadenfreude
End of Term
The Happy Prince
Darkest HourThe Time of Their LivesStealing Silver
The CrownThe Have-Nots
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
A Little Place Off the Edgware Road
Atlantis
The Best Exotic Marigold HotelPramface
Vera
Downton AbbeyPrince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Theatreland
Lark Rise to CandlefordDark Floors
LewisThe Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
The Adventures of Greyfriars BobbyA Life in Suitcases: A History of Tulse LuperCherishedThe Tulse Luper Suitcases, Part 3: From Sark to the FinishSupernova
New TricksHustleSea of SoulsThe Worst Week of My LifeEvilenko
Cambridge SpiesThe Tulse Luper Suitcases, Part 1: The Moab Story
Foyle's WarThe Inspector Lynley MysteriesThe Jury
Waking the DeadMurder Rooms: The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes
Breathtaking
Hornblower: The Duchess and the Devil
HornblowerThe Untitled
Midsomer MurdersMidsomer MurdersLolitaIvanhoeBring Me the Head of Mavis Davis
Silent WitnessDalziel and PascoeHetty Wainthropp InvestigatesSamuel Beckett: As the Story Was ToldDer Blinde
A Very Open PrisonBlack Hearts in BatterseaHenry IV
ScarlettThe Riff Raff ElementMilnerThe Rector's WifeIn The Cold Light Of Day
Bethune: The Making of a Hero
A Time to DanceMy Friend WalterThe Golden Years
PerformancePerformancePerformanceAbsolute HellA Murder of Quality
El C.I.D.Jekyll & HydeNot with a BangThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair
Full Filmography
154 titles- Schadenfreude (2025) as The Gambler
- End of Term (2021) as Damian Self
- The Happy Prince (2018) as Judge
- Darkest Hour (2017) as Neville Chamberlain
- The Time of Their Lives (2017) as Frank
- Stealing Silver (2017) as Udo
- The Crown (2016) as Archbishop of Canterbury
- The Have-Nots (2016) as Bentham
- The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015) as Norman Cousins
- A Little Place Off the Edgware Road (2014) as Bearded Man
- Atlantis (2013) as Orpheus
- The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012) as Norman Cousins
- Pramface (2012)
- Vera (2011) as Mr. Kipford
- Downton Abbey (2010) as Sir Michael Reresby
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) as King Sharaman
- Theatreland (2009) as Self
- Lark Rise to Candleford (2008)
- Dark Floors (2008) as Tobias
- Lewis (2007) as Fr Moreno Mancini
- The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey (2007) as William McDowell
- The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby (2005) as Cecil Johnson
- A Life in Suitcases: A History of Tulse Luper (2005) as Monsieur Moitessier
- Cherished (2005) as Professor Sir Roy Meadow
- The Tulse Luper Suitcases, Part 3: From Sark to the Finish (2005) as Monsieur Moitessier
- Supernova (2005) as Dr. Malcolm Handey
- New Tricks (2004) as Sir Wilfred Felspar
- Hustle (2004) as Harry Holmes
- Sea of Souls (2004) as Alex Galt
- The Worst Week of My Life (2004) as Fraser Cook
- Evilenko (2004) as Aron Richter
- Feather Boy (2004) as Ernest Sorrel
- The Tulse Luper Suitcases, Part 2: Vaux to the Sea (2004) as Monsieur Moitessier (uncredited)
- Benefit to Mankind (2004) as Professor Quentin Tapscott
- Secret Passage (2004) as Da Monte
- Cambridge Spies (2003) as Colonel Winter
- The Tulse Luper Suitcases, Part 1: The Moab Story (2003) as Monsieur Moitessier
- Foyle's War (2002) as Sir Giles Messinger
- The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (2002) as Sir Stuart Stinhurst
- The Jury (2002) as Jeffrey Livingstone
- Waking the Dead (2001) as Charles Sutton
- Murder Rooms: The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes (2001) as Sir John Starr
- Breathtaking (2000) as Dr. Maclaren
- Hornblower: The Duchess and the Devil (1999) as Don Massaredo
- Hornblower (1998) as Don Massaredo
- The Untitled (1998) as Robert Kennings
- Midsomer Murders (1997) as Rupert Smythe-Webster
- Midsomer Murders (1997) as Ernest Balliol
- Lolita (1997) as Young Humbert's Father
- Ivanhoe (1997) as Waldemar Fitzurse
- Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis (1997) as Percy Stone
- Silent Witness (1996)
- Dalziel and Pascoe (1996) as Walter Wulfstan
- Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (1996) as Lester Rose
- Samuel Beckett: As the Story Was Told (1996) as Narrator
- Der Blinde (1996) as Dr. Bartnik
- A Very Open Prison (1995) as Brian Silcott
- Black Hearts in Battersea (1995) as Duke Of Battersea
- Henry IV (1995) as Henry IV
- Scarlett (1994) as Whitlock
- The Riff Raff Element (1994) as Roger Tundish
- Milner (1994) as Jocelyn Fry
- The Rector's Wife (1994) as Daniel Byrne
- In The Cold Light Of Day (1994) as Morris
- Message for Posterity (1994) as Richard Browning
- Bethune: The Making of a Hero (1993) as Alan Coleman
- A Time to Dance (1992) as Andrew Powell
- My Friend Walter (1992) as Sir Walter Raleigh
- The Golden Years (1992)
- Performance (1991) as King Henry IV
- Performance (1991) as Siegfried Shrager
- Performance (1991) as Richard Browning
- Absolute Hell (1991) as Siegfried Shrager
- A Murder of Quality (1991) as Felix D'Arcy
- The War That Never Ends (1991) as Diodotus
- Journey of Honor (1991) as Capt. Crawford
- El C.I.D. (1990) as Jack
- Jekyll & Hyde (1990) as Jeffrey Utterson, Esquire
- Not with a Bang (1990) as Brian Appleyard
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair (1990) as Aslan (voice)
- The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian & The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1989) as Aslan (voice)
- Danny the Champion of the World (1989) as Captain Lancaster
- A Dry White Season (1989) as Louw
- Behaving Badly (1989)
- The Chronicles of Narnia (1988) as Aslan (voice)
- The Hound of the Baskervilles (1988) as Barrymore
- Chekhov in Yalta (1988) as Konstantin Stanislavski
- Testimony (1988) as Marshall Tukhachevsky
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (1988) as Aslan (voice)
- Inspector Morse (1987) as Ian Matthews
- The Ruth Rendell Mysteries (1987) as Chief Inspector Moore
- Fortunes of War (1987) as Prince Yakimov
- The Fourth Protocol (1987) as Wynne-Evans
- Casualty (1986) as Martin / Reginald Freeborn
- Matlock (1986) as Sir Alec Moore
- Lovejoy (1986) as Edwin Felt
- Unnatural Causes (1986) as James Tripp
- The Mission (1986) as Hontar
- Ladies' Night (1986) as James Tripp
- Screen Two (1985) as Brian Silcott
- Eleni (1985) as Spiro
- Moving (1985)
- Sherlock Holmes (1984) as Barrymore
- Sharing Time (1984) as Philip
- Albert Einstein (1984) as Albert Einstein
- Pope John Paul II (1984) as Jan Tyranowski
- Camille (1984) as Jean
- Puccini (1984) as Giulio Ricordi
- Never Say Never Again (1983) as Elliott
- Waters of the Moon (1983) as Julius Winterhalter
- The Crystal Spirit: Orwell on Jura (1983) as George Orwell
- Ivanhoe (1982) as Prince John
- Verdi (1982) as Giuseppe Verdi
- The Letter (1982) as Howard Joyce
- Verdi (1982) as Giuseppe Verdi
- Bergerac (1981) as Sir Antony Villiers
- Nijinsky (1980) as Igor Stravinsky
- Zulu Dawn (1979) as Lt. Harford
- Henry VIII (1979) as Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury
- In England's Green and Pleasant Land (1979) as Norman Reynolds
- The BBC Television Shakespeare (1978) as Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury
- The Thirty Nine Steps (1978) as Bayliss
- For Tea on Sunday (1978) as Ian
- BBC2 Play of the Week (1977) as Ian
- BBC2 Play of the Week (1977) as Norman Reynolds
- Romance (1977) as Rory Balneath
- Joseph Andrews (1977) as Mr. Wilson
- ...but the clouds... (1977)
- Ghost Trio (1977)
- The Lively Arts (1976) as Self
- King Lear (1975) as Edgar
- The Fight Against Slavery (1975) as William Pitt
- The Philanthropist (1975) as Philip
- Father Brown (1974) as Kalon
- Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill (1974) as Randolph Churchill
- Mahler (1974) as Nick
- Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill (1974) as Lord Randolph Churchill
- All Good Men (1974)
- The Day of the Jackal (1973) as The Forger
- The Dragon's Opponent (1973) as Charles "Mad Jack" Howard
- Long Day's Journey Into Night (1973) as Edmund Tyrone
- Play for Today (1970) as Richard Massingham
- Three Sisters (1970) as Baron Tusenbach
- ITV Saturday Night Theatre (1969) as Edmund Tyrone
- ITV Playhouse (1967) as Graham
- Romeo and Juliet (1967) as Mercutio
- Much Ado About Nothing (1967) as Don Pedro
- BBC Play of the Month (1965) as Mercutio
- BBC Play of the Month (1965) as Ariel
- BBC Play of the Month (1965) as Brother Martin Ladvenu
- BBC Play of the Month (1965) as Edgar
- Doctor Who: The Reign of Terror (1964) as Physician
- Doctor Who (1963) as Physician
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) as Jean
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Ronald Pickup best known for?
Ronald Pickup is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Darkest Hour (2017), The Time of Their Lives (2017), The Crown (2016), The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015).
When and where was Ronald Pickup born?
Ronald Pickup was born on June 7, 1940 in Chester, England, UK. They passed away on February 25, 2021.
How many credits does Ronald Pickup have?
Ronald Pickup has accumulated over 154 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1951 to 2025.
What is Ronald Pickup's background in cinema and television?
Ronald Pickup was born in Chester, England, to Daisy, whose maiden name was Williams, and Eric Pickup, a lecturer. He was educated at The King's School in Chester and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, eventually becoming an Associate Member of RADA. His television career began in 1964 with an appe...
Ronald Pickup by the numbers
154credits
85films
69TV series
1951–2025active years
Age in their best-rated roles
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) as Jean — aged about 11
- Lark Rise to Candleford (2008) — aged about 68
- The Crown (2016) as Archbishop of Canterbury — aged about 76
- Sherlock Holmes (1984) as Barrymore — aged about 44
- Downton Abbey (2010) as Sir Michael Reresby — aged about 70
- Foyle's War (2002) as Sir Giles Messinger — aged about 62
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