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Discover more about the stars of BBC Drama. |
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 Sir Derek Jacobi
One of Britain's best known actors, Derek Jacobi's made his name with commanding performances on TV, stage and the big screen. He played the Emperor Claudius in the acclaimed 1970s BBC drama I, Claudius, and in the 1990s brought to life Ellis Peters' crime-solving monk Cadfael in a series of mysteries for ITV.
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| What's he been in? |
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Derek was part of an all star cast that appeared in The Gathering Storm, the story of Winston Churchill's pre-war years. He played Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin.
His other recent work TV work includes The Jury, and guest appearances in the revived version of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and popular American comedy Frasier.
He found fame for his portrayal of the stammering Claudius in the BBC's acclaimed 1976 production of I, Claudius, and cemented his popularity in Cadfael.
Derek appeared in the Oscar-winning films Gladiator and Gosford Park. His other film credits include Love is the Devil Dead Again.
He's appeared in many Shakespeare adaptations on stage and in film, including Othello with Laurence Olivier, and Henry V and Hamlet with Kenneth Brannagh.
In 2004, he plays Lord Teddy Thursby in a BBC adaptation of Jake Arnott's crime novel The Long Firm.
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| Did you know? |
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In 1963 Derek was spotted by Laurence Olivier who invited him to perform with the Chichester Festival in Shaw's Saint Joan. Later that year he was invited by Olivier to become a founding member of the newly formed National Theatre. Derek made his London stage debut as Laertes in Hamlet.
Before joining Olivier's company, he studied at Cambridge and trained at the Birmingham Repertory Company.
He and Laurence Olivier are the only actors to have received both the Danish and British Knighthood.
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| Personal Details |
| Derek was born in East London, England in October 1938.
He was knighted in 1992 and in 1994 he was created a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
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