Michael Roy Kitchen (born 31 October 1948) is an English actor and television producer, best known for his starring role as Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle in the ITV drama Foyle's War, which ran for nine series between 2002 and 2015. He also played the role of Bill Tanner in two James Bond films opposite Pierce Brosnan, and that of John Farrow in BBC Four's comedy series Brian Pern.
Early life Michael Roy Kitchen was born in Leicester, to parents Arthur and Betty Kitchen. He attended the City of Leicester Boys' Grammar School, where he appeared on stage in a production of Cymbeline.
He is the firstborn son. His brother, Jeffrey, was born three years later in 1951. He grew up at 102 Wilberforce Rd, west of the current De Montfort campus. He was a senior scout in the 57th Leicester Scout group.Leicester Chronicle Friday 27 December 1963, page 3 At age 15, he was selected to attend several weeks' training at the National Youth Theatre.Leicester Mercury Tuesday 21 July 1964, page 9 After school, he completed a year at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry.Leicester Mercury Thursday 11 May 1967, page 20
An opportunity arose when Leicester City Council offered him a grant to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. He gratefully accepted, and graduated in 1969 with an Acting (RADA Diploma).
Career
Television and film Kitchen's film career started in 1971 with an appearance in the film Unman, Wittering and Zigo (1971), and the Hammer film Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972).
His early TV appearances include roles in Man at the Top (episode 4 "The Prime of Life", 1970), Play for Today (Hell's Angels by David Agnew, 1971), Fall of Eagles (1974, as Leon Trotsky), as the main character in The Early Life of Stephen Hind (BBC2, 1974), Thriller (1976), The Brontes of Haworth (1973, in which he played Branwell Brontë), Tales of the Unexpected and Beasts. He played the role of Martin in the original 1976 production of Dennis Potter's Brimstone and Treacle, Peter in Stephen Poliakoff's Caught on a Train, Edmund in the BBC Television Shakespeare production of King Lear, the Antipholi in the same series' production of The Comedy of Errors, Private Bamforth in the 1979 BBC television play of The Long and the Short and the Tall. Also in 1979 Kitchen appeared in an episode ("Runner") of the hard-hitting police drama The Professionals. He played the role of Duffy, a renegade former member of an organised crime network.
His other roles at this time include Larner in the film Breaking Glass (1980), Rochus Misch in The Bunker (1981), Berkeley Cole in the film Out of Africa (1985), the King in To Play the King (1993), a performance for which he was nominated for a BAFTA, an English land agent during the Irish Famine in The Hanging Gale (1995), for which he won a Golden FIPA award in 1996, and a recurring role as Bill Tanner in the Bond films GoldenEye (1995) and The World Is Not Enough (1999).
His later films include The Russia House (1990), Fools of Fortune (1990), Enchanted April (1992), The Trial (1993), Fatherland (1994), Doomsday Gun (1994), The Hanging Gale (1995), Kidnapped (1995), Mrs Dalloway (1997), The Railway Children (2000), Proof of Life (2000), Lorna Doone (2001) and My Week with Marilyn (2011).
Between 2002 and 2015, he starred in the award-winning ITV mystery-drama Foyle's War as the lead character Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle; he was also a producer for the show, which comprised nine series. His other noted appearances include The Buccaneers as Sir Helmsley Thwaite (1995), Dandelion Dead (1994), A Royal Scandal (1996), The Last Contract (Sista Kontraktet, 1998) a Swedish film about the assassination of Prime Minister Olof Palme, Paul Abbott's Alibi in 2003, Andrew Davies' dramatisation of Falling in 2005, ITV's three-part drama series Mobile (2007) and Channel 4's phone hacking comedy telemovie Hacks (2012).
Kitchen has guest-starred in roles in other popular British television shows such as Minder, Chancer, Inspector Morse, A Touch of Frost, Between the Lines, Pie in the Sky and Dalziel and Pascoe. He played Richard Crane in Reckless and John Farrow in the mockumentary The Life of Rock with Brian Pern.
Theatre Kitchen is also a noted theatre actor. His roles have ranged from Ptolemy in Caesar and Cleopatra at the Belgrade Theatre in 1966, to Will in Howard Brenton's Magnificence at the Royal Court in 1973, to William Hogarth in Nick Dear's The Art of Success in 1986–87.
He played Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet for the RSC at Stratford and was a member of the National Theatre Company and the Young Vic, where he played Iago in Othello. In 1974 he appeared at Laurence Olivier's National Theatre in the play Spring Awakening opposite Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Beryl Reid and Cyril Cusack. Later he appeared opposite Sir Ralph Richardson and Sir John Gielgud in Harold Pinter's No Man's Land, directed by Peter Hall. In 1981 he played Melchior, the manservant of Zangler, in Tom Stoppard's play On the Razzle.On the Razzle by Tom Stoppard. Published 1981 by Faber and Faber, Ltd. In 1984 he played the cabin steward Dvornicheck in Stoppard's play Rough Crossing.Rough Crossing by Tom Stoppard. Published 1985 by Faber and Faber, Ltd.
Filmography
Film
Year Title Role Notes 1971 Unman, Wittering and Zigo Bungabine Drama 1972 Dracula A.D. 1972 Greg Horror1980 Breaking Glass Larner Drama, Musical 1985 Out of Africa Berkeley Romantic drama 1989 Dykket Bricks Thriller 1990 Fools of Fortune Mr Quinton Rom-Com The Russia House Clive Thriller 1992 Enchanted April George Briggs Drama 1995 GoldenEye Bill Tanner Thriller 1997 Mrs Dalloway Peter Walsh Romantic drama 1998 The Last Contract ("Sista Kontraktet") John Gales alias Ray Lambert Thriller (Swedish) 1999 The World Is Not Enough Bill Tanner Action adventure 2000 New Year's Day Robin Drama Proof of Life Ian Havery Thriller 2011 My Week with Marilyn Hugh Perceval Biopic drama
Television Year Title Role Notes 1970 Thirty-Minute Theatre Waller Episode: "Is That Your Body, Boy?"1971 Man at the Top Trevor Episode: "The Prime of Life" Z-Cars Royal Hall 2 episodes1972 ITV Sunday Night Theatre Episode: "The Web" New Scotland Yard Peter Coppard Episode: "Hoax"1973 Late Night Theatre Paul Episode: "Susan" Orson Welles Great Mysteries Herbert White Episode: The Monkey's Paw Love Story Roy Episode: "Audrey had a Little Lamb" Marked Personal Simon 2 episodes1974Jackanory PlayhouseKing ThrushbeardEpisode: "King Thrushbeard and the Proud Princess" Fall of Eagles Leon Trotsky2 episodes Thriller Ian/George Newton1975SavagesCarlos EsquerdoTV film Churchill's People John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester Episode: "A Bill of Morality"1976 Play for Today MartinEpisode: Brimstone and Treacle 1979 The Professionals Duffy Episode: "Runner"1979–1980BBC2 PlayhouseRose S.J./Peter2 episodes, including Caught on a Train1980Lady KillersReverend Father M'EneryEpisode: "Not for the Nervous"1981The BunkerRochus MischTV film Tales of the Unexpected Arthur Episode: "The Best of Everything"1984 Weekend Playhouse Ed Episode: "As Man and Wife" Freud Ernst von Fleischi-Marxow 3 episodes1989 Minder Maltese Tony Episode: "Fiddler on the Hoof" Theatre Night David Episode: "Benefactors" Screen One Bill English Episode: "Home Run1991 Chancer Roman 2 episodes Mozart on Tour Reader of Mozart's letters 13 episodes1992 Boon Donald Blake Episode: "Shot in the Dark" Lovejoy David Herbert Episode: "Kids" Inspector Morse Russell Clark Episode: "The Death of the Self"1993 The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles Lloyd George Episode: "Paris, May 1919"Screen TwoBlockEpisode: The Trial The Good Guys Graham Croxley Episode: "Old School Ties" To Play the King The King 4 episodes1994FatherlandMax JägerTV film Shakespeare: The Animated Tales Polixenes/ Narrator 2 episodes Dandelion Dead Major Herbert Rowse Armstrong 4 episodes Pie in the Sky Dudley Hooperman Episode: "The Best of Both Worlds"1995 The Hanging Gale Captain William Townsend 4 episodes 1996 A Touch of Frost Jonathan Meyerbridge Episode: "The Things We Do for Love"1997 Harry Enfield and Chums David the Director 1 episode Reckless Richard Crane Miniseries Sunnyside Farm Letchworth 1998 Dalziel and Pascoe Philip Swain Episode: "Bones and Silence" 1999 Oliver Twist Mr Brownlow Miniseries 1999–2002 Always and Everyone Jack Turner 18 episodes2000 The Railway Children Father TV film 2000–2006 Faking It Narrator 7 seasons2001 Second Sight Lord Bruce Roddam Episode: "Parasomnia" 2002–2015 Foyle's War Christopher Foyle 28 episodes 2007 Mobile David West Episode: "The Soldier" 2012 White Heat Jack (Present Day) "Episode": The Sea of Trees 2014 The Life of Rock with Brian Pern John Farrow 8 episodes 2016 The Collection Frederic Lemaire Episode: "The Scent" 2017 Brian Pern John Farrow
References
External links
Michael Kitchen BFI Michael Kitchen Messageboard