James William Fox (born William Fox; 19 May 1939) is an English actor, known for his work in film and television. He is a member of the Fox family of actors. Fox's career began in the 1960s through leading roles in films such as The Servant (1963), King Rat (1965), Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965), Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), and Performance (1970).
In the 1970s, Fox took a break from acting to focus on personal and spiritual matters, returning to acting in the early 1980s. Over time, he built a reputation for playing a variety of roles, including upper-class figures and more serious characters, notably in known for his roles in A Passage to India (1984), Patriot Games (1992), The Remains of the Day (1993), Jinnah (1998), Sherlock Holmes (2009), and Effie Gray (2014).
Fox won the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles for his performance in The Servant, and was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for A Passage to India. He is also a Golden Globe Award nominee.
Early life William Fox was born on 19 May 1939 in London, the second son of theatrical agent Robin FoxRobert Morley, Robert Morley: a reluctant autobiography (1967), p. 214 and actress Angela Worthington. His elder brother is actor Edward Fox and his younger brother was film producer Robert Fox. Fox's maternal grandfather was playwright Frederick Lonsdale. He applied successfully to study acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama.
Career
Early career Fox first appeared on film as 11-year-old Toby Miniver in The Miniver Story in 1950. His early screen appearances, both in film and television, were made under his birth name, William Fox.
Fox appeared in the film The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962). His father, Robin, quarrelled bitterly with Tony Richardson over this, having attempted to forbid his friend from giving his son James (known as "Willie") a part in the film. His father claimed Willie had no talent for acting and should not give up his job in a bank.James M. Welsh, John C. Tibbetts, The Cinema of Tony Richardson: Essays and Interviews (1999), p. 119: "It was Richardson who gave James Fox his first part as the public school runner who wins the race, despite the fact that his friend, agent Robin Fox, was bitterly against it: "We only had one quarrel, when he forbade me to offer his son 'Willie' James Fox a small role in The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, saying that his son had no talent and that for him to quit his job in a bank would be to disrupt his life."
In 1964, Fox won a BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles for The Servant (1963), working alongside Dirk Bogarde, Sarah Miles, and Wendy Craig. On 16 June 1965, Ken Annakin's period aviation film Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines was released. In this British period comedy film, Fox is featured among an international ensemble cast including Stuart Whitman, Sarah Miles, Robert Morley, Terry-Thomas, Red Skelton, Benny Hill, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Gert Fröbe and Alberto Sordi. Some of the other films he acted in during this time are King Rat (1965), The Chase (1966), Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), Isadora (1968), and Performance (1970).
Spiritual life and break from acting After finishing work on Performance (released 1970, but shot in 1968), Fox suspended his acting career. The film, which starred Fox and Mick Jagger, was deemed so outrageous that critics at a preview screening walked out, with one film executive's wife reportedly throwing up in the cinema.
In a 2008 interview, Fox said: "It was just part of my journey...I think my journey was to spend a while away from acting. And I never lost contact with it – watching movies, reading about it ... so I didn't feel I missed it."
Fox became an evangelical Christian, working with the Navigators and devoting himself to the ministry. During this time, the only film in which Fox appeared was No Longer Alone (1976), the story of Joan Winmill Brown, a suicidal woman who was led to faith in Jesus Christ by Ruth Bell Graham.
Return to acting After an absence from acting of several years, in 1981 Fox appeared on television in the Play for Today "Country" by Trevor Griffiths, a comedy drama set against the 1945 UK parliamentary elections. On film he starred in Stephen Poliakoff's Runners (1983), A Passage to India (1984), and Comrades (1986). He played Anthony Blunt in the BBC play by Alan Bennett, A Question of Attribution (1992). He also portrayed the character of Lord Holmes in Patriot Games (1992), as well as Colonel Ferguson in Farewell to the King (1989) and the Nazi-sympathising aristocrat Lord Darlington in The Remains of the Day (1993).
Fox has since appeared in the 2000 film Sexy Beast, the 2001 adaptation of The Lost World as Prof. Leo Summerlee, Agatha Christie's Poirot – Death on the Nile (2004) as Colonel Race, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) as Mr. Salt, Veruca Salt's father. He appeared in the Doctor Who audio drama Shada, and in 2007, Fox guest-starred in the British television crime series Waking the Dead. He also appeared opposite his son Laurence Fox in "Allegory of Love", an episode in the third series of Lewis. He was part of the cast of Sherlock Holmes (2009), as Sir Thomas, leading member of a freemason-like secret society.
In 2010, Fox filmed Cleanskin, a terrorist thriller directed by Hadi Hajaig. The following year, he played King George V in the film W.E., written and directed by Madonna. In 2013, Fox played a lead role alongside Natalie Dormer in the movie A Long Way from Home.
Personal life Fox married Mary Elizabeth Piper in September 1973, with whom he has five children, including Laurence and Jack. Piper died at their home on 19 April 2020.
Through his daughter Lydia, Fox's son-in-law is actor Richard Ayoade. His former daughter-in-law is actress Billie Piper, who was married to his son Laurence from 2007 to 2016..
Filmography
Film
Year Title Role Notes 1950 The Miniver Story Toby Miniver The Magnet Johnny Brent 1962 The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner Gunthorpe 1963 Tamahine Oliver The Servant Tony 1965 King Rat Flight Lieutenant Peter Marlowe Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines Richard Mays 1966 The Chase Jason 'Jake' Rogers 1967 Thoroughly Modern Millie Jimmy Smith Arabella Giorgio 1968 Duffy Stephane Calvert Isadora Gordon Craig 1970 Performance Chas Devlin 1983 Runners Tom Lindsay 1984 Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes Lord Charles Esker A Passage to India Cyril Fielding 1986 Absolute Beginners Henley of Mayfair The Whistle Blower Lord Comrades Governor William Norfolk 1987 High Season Patrick 1989 Farewell to the King Colonel Ferguson The Mighty Quinn Thomas Elgin 1990 The Russia House Ned 1991 Afraid of the Dark Frank 1992 Patriot Games Lord William Holmes 1993 The Remains of the Day Lord Darlington 1997 Anna Karenina Aleksei Aleksandrovich Karenin Never Ever Arthur Trevane 1998 Shadow Run Landon-Higgins Jinnah Mountbatten 1999 Mickey Blue Eyes Philip Cromwell 2000 Up at the Villa Sir Edgar Swift Sexy Beast Harry The Golden Bowl Colonel Bob Assingham 2001 Lover's Prayer Old Vladimir (voice) The Mystic Masseur Mr. Stewart 2004 The Prince and Me King Haraald 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Rupert Salt 2007 Mister Lonely The Pope 2009 Sherlock Holmes Sir Thomas Rotheram 2010 Wide Blue Yonder George 2011 W.E. King George V 2012 Cleanskin Sir Scott Catesby 2013 A Long Way From Home Joseph The Double The Colonel Effie Gray Sir Charles Eastlake 2018 Surviving Christmas with the Relatives Uncle John2021The Souvenir Part IIMusical Narrator (voice)Cameo appearance
Television
Year Title Role Notes 1959 Armchair Theatre Jay Minton Episode: Light from a Star 1981 Play for Today Philip Carlion Episode: Country 1982 Nancy Astor Waldorf AstorTV Mini-series1983 Anna Pavlova Victor Dandré The Road to 1984 George Orwell TV movie 1989 She's Been Away Hugh Ambrose TV movie 1990 Never Come Back Foster TV Mini-series 1992 A Question of Attribution Sir Anthony Blunt TV movie 1993 Heart of Darkness Gosse TV movie1994 The Dwelling Place Lord Fischel TV Mini-series, 3 episodes at radiotimes.com Doomsday Gun Sir James Whittington TV movie The Old Curiosity Shop The Single Gentleman TV Mini-series 1995 The Choir The Dean, Hugh Cavendish TV Mini-series, 5 episodes 1996 Gulliver's Travels Dr. Bates TV Mini-series 2001 Armadillo Sir Simon Sherrifmuir The Lost World Prof. Leo Summerlee TV movie 2002 The Falklands Play Lord Carrington KCMG MC PC (Foreign Secretary) 2003 Cambridge Spies Lord Halifax TV Mini-series 2003 Hans Christian Andersen: My Life as a Fairytale Jonas Collin TV movie 2004 Agatha Christie's Poirot Colonel Race Episode: Death on the Nile 2005 Agatha Christie's Marple Colonel Arthur Bantry Episode: The Body in the Library Colditz Lt. Colonel Jimmy Fordham TV Mini-series Absolute Power Gerald Thurnham Episode: Identity Crisis 2006 Suez: A Very British Crisis Anthony Eden TV documentary 2007 Waking the Dead Dr Bruno Rivelli Episode: Mask of Sanity 2008 New Tricks Ian Figgis Episode: Spare Parts 2009 Lewis Professor Norman Dearing Episode: Allegory of Love Margaret Charles Powell TV movie Red Riding 1980 Philip Evans TV movie 2010 Midsomer Murders Sir Michael Fielding Episode: Master Class 2011 Law & Order: UK Dr. Edward Austen Episode: The Wrong Man 2012 Merlin King Rodor Episode: Another's Sorrow 2013 Utopia The Assistant 6 episodes The Great Train Robbery Henry Brooke TV movie Downton Abbey Lord Aysgarth Episode: The London Season 2014 Ludlow 1864 Lord Palmerston Miniseries 2015 Death in Paradise Martin Goodman 2 episodes London Spy James Episode: Blue
References
External links
James Fox at the British Film Institute The Guardian – "'Acting ... ? It paid for a bicycle, I seem to remember'" James Fox cast photograph with Sophie Marceau and Petr Shelokhonov filming Anna Karenina in Russia: