Michael Hordern (3 October 19112 May 1995) was an English actor whose career spanned seven decades. He made more than 160 film appearances, usually in supporting character roles, and appeared in over 100 theatrical productions, most of them Shakespeare.
Stage credits Hordern appeared as an amateur for several seasons at the St Pancras People's Theatre, while working at the Educational Supply Association, before he turned professional in 1937.
+ Hordern's stage credits Production Date Theatre Role Notes Othello People's Palace, Mile End Lodovico Arms and the Man Tour of Scandinavia and the Baltic capitals Sergius With Westminster Productions Outward Bound Henry Various –1939 Little Theatre, Bristol Various In repertory theatre Without the Prince Whitehall Theatre Intimate Theatre Dear Murderer Aldwych Theatre Covent Garden Theatre Noose Saville Theatre Toad of Toad Hall Memorial Theatre, Stratford-on-Avon Mr. Toad Embassy Theatre Pascal Stratton Touring Toad of Toad Hall Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-on-Avon Mr. Toad Ivanov Arts Theatre Macbeth Macduff Party Manners Prince's Theatre Christopher Saint's Day Arts Theatre Coriolanus season Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-on-Avon Menenius With the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company As You Like It season Jaques Volpone season Hamlet Edinburgh Festival Polonius –1954 with the Old Vic Company All's Well That Ends Well Parolles Twelfth Night Malvolio Prospero Nina Haymarket Theatre Saville Theatre What Shall We Tell Caroline? Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith On a double bill with The Dock Brief; transferred to the Garrick Theatre in May 1958 Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith Morgenhall On a double bill with What Shall We Tell Caroline?; transferred to the Garrick Theatre in May 1958 Julius Caesar Cassius with the Old Vic Company Ghosts Macbeth Macbeth Moonbirds Cort Theatre, New York Oedipus Rex Sadler's Wells Theatre Narrator Playing With Fire Aldwych Theatre Father with the Royal Shakespeare Company Harry Troilus and Cressida Ulysses Saint's Day Royal Theatre Relatively Speaking Duke of York's Theatre Philip Enter a Free Man St Martin's Theatre Aldwych Theatre Tobias with the Royal Shakespeare Company King Lear Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham King Lear Production visited The Old Vic, February 1970 Flint Criterion Theatre Jumpers with the National Theatre company Richard II John of Gaunt Stripwell Royal Court Theatre Once upon a Time Bristol Old Vic Fedya Round House Theatre, Manchester then Round House Theatre, London, 1979 Royal Shakespeare Theatre Prospero with the Royal Shakespeare Company Love's Labour's Lost Round House Theatre National Theatre You Never Can Tell Haymarket Theatre William the waiter Bookends Apollo Theatre Trelawny of the 'Wells' 1992 Comedy Theatre
Filmography + Filmography of Hordern Film Year Role Notes A Girl Must Live Cast member Band Waggon Minor Role Uncredited The Girl in the News Assistant Prosecuting Counsel MP in the House of Commons Divorce counsel School for Secrets Mine Own Executioner Co-counsel at Felix's Hearing Uncredited Night Beat Cast member Good-Time Girl Seddon, detective Dr. Mennell Third Time Lucky Second doctor Uncredited Portrait from Life Johnson Passport to Pimlico Bashford Train of Events First plain clothes man (segment "The Actor") Ernest Trio Vicar (in segment The Verger) Highly Dangerous Rawlings, director of laboratory Flesh and Blood Webster Scrooge Tom Brown's Schooldays Wilkes Official receiver Bank manager Uncredited Scathelock Street Corner Grand National Night Personal Affair Commissioner of Police You Know What Sailors Are Forbidden Cargo Director Headman Svengali Billy's Uncle Uncredited Judge Storm Over the Nile Alexander the Great Demosthenes Pacific Destiny Gregory, resident commissioner Captain Hugh No Time for Tears Surgeon Windom's Way Patterson I Accuse! Prosecutor Girls at Sea I Was Monty's Double Rusty Sink the Bismarck! Moment of Danger Man in the Moon El Cid The Scales of Justice1962 Opening Credits Narrator uncredited Airport director Cleopatra Cicero Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow Harmsworth Genghis Khan Geen Ashe Cast a Giant Shadow British Ambassador Khartoum Lord Granville Senex Baptista Sir Matthew How I Won the War I'll Never Forget What's'isname Headmaster Prudence and the Pill Uncredited Where Eagles Dare Anne of the Thousand Days Futtocks End Butler Some Will, Some Won't Up Pompeii Melius Demons of the Mind Priest Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Mock Turtle Theatre of Blood Brown England Made Me The Three Musketeers Treville Voice, Uncredited Girl Stroke Boy Juggernaut Baker Uncredited Royal Flash Headmaster Mister Quilp Grandfather Barry Lyndon Narrator Voice Lucky Lady King Joseph Andrews Fortune teller Watership Down Narrator/Frith Voice The Talking Parcel Oswald, the Sea Serpent Ivanhoe Cedric Slatterthwaite Gandhi Oliver Twist Yellowbeard Older John Watson Voice Comrades Lady Jane Labyrinth Wiseman Voice Suspicion Ben Weatherstaff Diamond Skulls Voice Monsieur De Bois Voice Freddie as F.R.O.7 King
Television + Filmography of Hordern Programme Year Role NotesBBC Sunday Night Theatre1950-1959Various12 episodesLondon Playhouse1956Mr. FrisbyEpisode: "The Guv'nor"ITV Play of the Week1956-1966Various11 episodesArmchair Theatre1957Detective Superintendent CoatesEpisode: "The Witness"The Dock BriefBarrister Wilfred MorganhallTV filmITV Television Playhouse1957-1961Various3 episodesPlayhouse 901959GriffithEpisode: "Dark as the Night"Play of the WeekWilfred Morganhall/Tony Peters2 segmentsThe Dupont Show of the MonthMr. BrownlowEpisode: Oliver TwistInternational Detective1960Major Rupert BexleyEpisode: "The Cumberland Case"BBC Sunday-Night PlayWalter OrmundEpisode: "Twentieth Century Theatre: I Have Been Here Before"Espionage 1963MinisterEpisode: "The Gentle Spies"The Magical World of DisneySquire Thomas BanksSerial: "The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh"Festival 1964Sir August ThwaitesEpisode: "August for the People"First Night Arthur WalmerEpisode: "Land of My Dreams"Detective DI RansonEpisode: "The Man Who Murdered in Public"The Wednesday Play1964-1965General Kokoshkin/Sir Jocelyn Symonds2 episodesCourt Martial1966Col. Gordon MillerEpisode: "Let No Man Speak"The Scales of JusticeOpening Narration (uncredited)Episode: "Company of Fools"Whistle and I'll Come to You (Omnibus)1968Professor ParkinSix Dates with Barker1971Arch FunsterEpisode: "All the World's a Stooge"A Christmas CarolJacob MarleyTV specialBBC Play of the Month1971-1976Various5 episodesJackanory1973-1978Storyteller4 storiesFall of Eagles1974NarratorMiniseriesEdward the Seventh1975William Ewart Gladstone5 episodesBlue Peter Special Assignment1976Charles Darwin (voice)Episode: "Darwin at Down House"Paddington 1976-1980NarratorBBC Television Shakespeare1978-1982Capulet/Prospero/King LearEpisodes: The Tempest and Romeo and Juliet and King LearTales of the Unexpected1979Cyril BixbyEpisode: "Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat"Shōgun1980Friar Domingo5 episodesGauguin the SavageDurand-HuelThe History Man 1981Professor Marvin3 episodesBBC2 PlayhousePatientEpisode: "You're Alright, How Am I?"Ivanhoe 1982CedricTV filmOliver TwistMr. BrownlowRod and Linemonologues on fishing and philosophyProduced by GranadaArena 1983Mr. AEpisode: "It's All True"The Wind in the Willows BadgerTV filmThe Zany Adventures of Robin Hood1984RupertThe Wind in the Willows Badger52 episodesTheatre Night1985Sir William GowerEpisode: "Trelawny of the Wells"Paradise Postponed1986Simeon Simcox10 episodesInspector Morse1987Dr. StarkieEpisode: "Service of All the Dead"The Secret Garden Ben WeatherstaffTV filmAmerican PlayhouseLord McLaidlawEpisode: "Suspicion"Danny, the Champion of the World1989Lord ClayburyTV filmPerfect Scoundrels1990Sir NormanEpisode: "The Play's the Sting"The Green Man Gramps2 episodesTruckers 1992Abbot of the Stationeri3 episodesScreen Two1992-1995Godfrey Colston/Lord Langland2 episodesLovejoy1993William ShotleyEpisode: "Fly the Flag"Sir Michael's House PartyHimselfTemporary host of Noel's House Party for one episode.Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Middlemarch1994Peter Featherstone3 episodes
Radio broadcasts + Radio broadcasts of Michael Hordern Broadcast Date Role Notes tbc Wilfred Morganhall Radio drama series: Jeeves & Wooster 1973–1981 8 series and 1 short storyThe Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)March-August 1981Gandalf Lord Emsworth Player King Lane
References
Citations
Sources
External links Michael Hordern at the BFI