David James Bamber (born 19 September 1954) is an English actor. His credits include Privates on Parade (1983), Juliet Bravo (1983), Crown Court (1984), Call Me Mister (1986), The Buddha of Suburbia (1993), Pride and Prejudice (1995), Chalk (1997), Mile High (2004), Beethoven (2005), Rome (2005–2007), Valkyrie (2008), Psychoville (2009–2011), The Borgias (2011), The Hollow Crown (2012), What Remains (2013), Darkest Hour (2017), Borg vs McEnroe (2017), Peterloo (2018), A Very English Scandal (2018), Flesh and Blood (2020) and The Regime (2024).
He won the 1995 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance as Guy in My Night with Reg.
Early years Bamber was born 19 September 1954 in Walkden, Lancashire. His very first stage performance was aged 5 as a pig in Tom Tom the Piper's Son. He joined the Manchester Youth Theatre, graduating with a drama degree. playing Pandarus in Troilus and Cressida. Bamber studied acting at Bristol University from 1973 to 1976, He continued his training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) graduating 1979, with an Acting (RADA Diploma).
Career Bamber's first film role was in 1982 as Sergeant Charles Bishop in the World War II comedy Privates on Parade (1983). He made appearances in Juliet Bravo (1983) and Crown Court (1984), before securing a regular role as Fred Hurley in Call Me Mister (1986).
He appeared in the BBC adaptations of Hanif Kureishi's The Buddha of Suburbia (1993) and Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, in which he portrayed the Bennets' clergyman cousin, Mr. Collins. He also played the part of a junior treasury minister and stamp collecting enthusiast, Julian Whitaker, in an episode of The New Statesman, in which Alan frames Whitaker and forces his resignation. In 1997 he starred as Eric Slatt in two series of Steven Moffat's Chalk.
His best known international television role to date was his 2005–2007 role as Marcus Tullius Cicero in the HBO–BBC2 original television series, Rome. In Poirot, Series 3: Episode 7 "The Double Clue", he plays the effete middleman to a jewellery collector who is robbed. Bamber also played Adolf Hitler in Bryan Singer's film, Valkyrie. He played the part of Noel in the Sky Atlantic series Camping, and Admiral Ramsay in the 2017 film Darkest Hour.
As a stage actor, Bamber won the 1995 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance as Guy in My Night with Reg, a role he reprised in a 1996 BBC television adaptation. His roles as a voice actor include Emperor Constantine in the Doctor Who audio drama, The Council of Nicaea and as Jeremy Longstaff in the 2008 radio series The Way We Live Right Now. In 2013, he starred as Mathematics teacher Joe Sellers, alongside David Threlfall and Russell Tovey in the murder mystery miniseries What Remains.
Personal life Bamber is married to the actress Julia Swift, daughter of actors David Swift and Paula Jacobs. They have two sons, Theo (1991) and Ethan (1998). Ethan has played cricket for England U19s and Middlesex. The family lives in North London.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes1983 Privates on Parade Sergeant Charles Bishop The Oresteia Chorus 1985 The Doctor and the Devils Cronin 1988 High Hopes Rupert 1991 Dakota Road Man on the Train 1997 My Night with Reg Guy2002 The Bourne Identity Consulate Clerk Gangs of New York Passenger on Omnibus 2003 I Capture the Castle Vicar 2006 Miss Potter Fruing Warne 2007 The All Together Robin Swain 2008 Valkyrie Adolf Hitler 2010 The King's Speech Theatre Director 2015 Christmas Eve Walt2016 The Limehouse Golem Mr. Greatorex Chubby Funny Mr. White One Crazy Thing Michael Steel2017 Mad to Be Normal Dr. Meredith Darkest Hour Admiral Ramsay Borg vs McEnroe UK Commentator - George Barnes2018 This Weekend Will Change Your Life David Peterloo Magistrate Rev Mallory 2020 Enola Holmes Sir Whimbrel 2021 End of Term DI Jim Burman TBA The Bitter End Filming
Television Year Title Role Notes1983 Brass Heseltine 1 episode Juliet Bravo Mr. Saddlethwaite Episode: "Mates"1984 Crown Court John Elliott Episode: "Oddball: Part 1" Cockles Graham Recurring role The Brief Lieutenant Dadd Episode: "Long Glyn" 1986 Call Me Mister Fred Hurley Series regular 1987 Never Say Die Verger 1 episode 1988 A Very Peculiar Practice Professor Eric Middling Episode: "Bad Vibrations" 1990 Who Bombed Birmingham? David Mellor MP, Home Office TV film1991 The New Statesman Julian Whitaker Episode: "Natural Selection" Agatha Christie's Poirot Bernard Parker Episode: "The Double Clue" 4 Play Ted in 'Well Wishers' Episode: "Seduction" The Bill George Smith Episode: "Samaritan" 1992 The Good Guys Hubert Manuden Episode: "Her Finest Hour"1993 ITV Comedy Playhouse Chris Episode: "The Complete Guide to Relationships" The Buddha of Suburbia Shadwell TV Mini-series, 4 episodes Stalag Luft The Prof TV film1994 The Chief Philip Garrick Episode #4.9 Murder Most Horrid Ray Episode: "Smashing Bird" Wycliffe Guy Bottrell Episode: "The Dead Flautist" The Bill Chris Baxter Episode: "Games"1995 Capital Lives Fry Episode: "Temp" Pride and Prejudice Mr. Collins Mini-series, 6 episodes Heavy Weather P. Frobisher Pilbeam TV film1996 Heartbeat Adrian Shaw Episode: "Forget Me Not" Masterpiece P. Frobisher Pilbeam Episode: "Heavy Weather" 1997 Chalk Eric Slatt Series regular 1998 Neville's Island Angus TV film 2000Masterpiece Doctor Forrest Episode: "The Railway Children" 2001 Antonio Episode: "The Merchant of Venice"2002 Daniel Deronda Lush Mini-series Casualty Dr. Martin Campbell Episode: "Scapegoat" George Eliot: A Scandalous Life Gossip TV film2003 Air Crash Investigation Narrator Documentary series Pollyanna Reverend Ford TV film2004 Mile High Bobbi Donnelly 2 episodes Animated Tales of the World Wang Bao's Father Episode: "The Magic Gourd" 2005 Beethoven Prince Lichnowsky Mini-series - documentary 2005-2007 Rome Marcus Tullius Cicero Recurring role 2006 Midsomer Murders John Starkey Episode: "Dead Letters"2007 Trial & Retribution Rex Stafford Episode: "Curriculum Vitae" New Tricks Dale Hewson Episode: "Nine Lives" The Bill Howard Gould Episode: "Diamonds Are Deadly" Robin Hood Physician Blight Episode: "Ducking and Diving" Doc Martin Mr. Porter Episode: "Happily Ever After" Consenting Adults Dr. Carl Winter TV film2008 EastEnders Bernard 1 episode The Way We Live Right Now Right Honorable Jeremy Longstaff2009 Hotel Babylon Robert Carrick 2 episodes Collision Sidney Norris Mini-series Midsomer Murders Anthony Prideaux Episode: "The Black Book" 2009-2011 Psychoville Robin Recurring role 2010 Dr. Wagner TV film 2011 The Borgias Theo 2 episodes2012 The Hollow Crown Shallow Episode: "Henry IV, Part 2" The Paradise Charles Chisholm 1 episode The Nazi Gospels Heinrich Himmler TV film documentary2013 Blandings Herr Schnellhund Episode: "Company for Gertrude" What Remains Joe Sellers Mini-series2014 Casualty Anthony Kingston Episode: "In the Name of Love" Doctor Who Captain Quell Episode: "Mummy on the Orient Express"2015 Father Brown Walter Hubble Episode: "The Curse of Amenhotep" Death in Paradise Alan Butler Episode: "Damned If You Do..." Doctors Professor Jeremy Burroughs Episode: "In the Presence of Beauty" The Sound of Music Live Herr Zeller TV film2016 Midsomer Murders Daniel Fargo Episode: "A Dying Art" Camping Noel Mini-series, 4 episodes Plebs Strabo Episode: "The Weatherist" Victoria Duke of Sussex 2 episodes Medici Pope Eugenius IV 3 episodes2017 Tina and Bobby Alf Ramsey Mini-series Snatch Staff 4 episodes Quacks Dr. Wyatt Episode: "The Bishops Appendix" Gunpowder Lord Northumberland Mini-series2018 Silent Witness Brian Hawke Episode: "Moment of Surrender" Call the Midwife Stanley Hodgkiss 1 episode A Very English Scandal Lord Arran Mini-series Trust Bela von Block Recurring role Doctors Derek Bartlett Episode: "Face-Off"2019 Queens of Mystery Maximilian Sinclair Episode: "Murder in the Dark: First Chapter" Urban Myths Drunk Episode: "Madonna and Basquiat"2020 Grantchester John Graham Episode #5.2 Inside No. 9 Robin Episode: "Death Be Not Proud" Flesh and Blood D.I. Doug Lineham TV Mini-series, 4 episodes2021 Dalgliesh Edgar Froggart TV Mini-series, 2 episodes2024 The Regime Schiff TV Mini-series, 2 episodes
References
Further reading
External links