Arthur Nigel Davenport (23 May 1928 – 25 October 2013) was an English stage, television and film actor, best known for his film roles as the Duke of Norfolk in A Man for All Seasons (1966), and Lord Birkenhead in Chariots of Fire (1981).
Early life and education Davenport was born in Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire, son of Arthur Henry Davenport and Katherine Lucy (née Meiklejohn).Who's Who in the Theatre, 17th ed., vol. 1, part 2, ed. Ian Herbert, Pitman, 1981, p. 167 His father was an engineer, educated at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge before being employed as an engineer for the Midland Railway, and later a lecturer in engineering, a Fellow, and the bursar at his alma mater, Sidney Sussex College.List of Members of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Civil Engineers of Great Britain, 1933, p. 143 Arthur Davenport also served for four years in the Royal Engineers during World War I, and was awarded a Military Cross. Nigel's great-uncle, Major Maury Meiklejohn, was awarded a Victoria Cross during the Second Boer War.
He grew up in an academic family and was educated at St Peter's School, Seaford, Cheltenham College and Trinity College, Oxford. Originally he chose to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics but switched to English on the advice of one of his tutors.Hayward, Anthony. "Obituary: Nigel Davenport, character actor sought by directors in all mediums for nearly half a century", The Independent, 30 October 2013
In the 1950s Davenport undertook National Service with the Royal Army Service Corps as a disc jockey on the British Forces Broadcasting Service in Hamburg.
Career Davenport first appeared on stage at the Savoy Theatre and then with the Shakespeare Memorial Company, before joining the English Stage Company, one of its earliest members, at the Royal Court Theatre in 1956.Obituary: Nigel Davenport, telegraph.co.uk, 29 October 2013 He began appearing in British film and television productions in supporting roles, including a walk-on in Tony Richardson's film, Look Back in Anger (1959). Subsequent roles included a theatre manager opposite Laurence Olivier in the film version of The Entertainer and a policeman in Michael Powell's Peeping Tom (both 1960).
In the 1962 last episode of the first season of the TV series The Saint, titled "The Charitable Countess", with Roger Moore as Simon Templar and Patricia Donahue as Countess Rovagna, Davenport played a supporting role as the Countess's confidant, Aldo Petri. Davenport appeared again in The Saint in season 3, episode 16 (titled "The Rhine Maiden") as Charles Voyson.
He made an impression as Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk in A Man for All Seasons (1966), co-starred with Michael Caine in the war movie Play Dirty, and had a major role as Lord Bothwell in Mary, Queen of Scots. In 1972, he appeared as George Adamson, opposite Susan Hampshire in Living Free, the sequel to Born Free.
During the production of Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, Davenport read the lines of HAL 9000 off-camera during the computer's dialogues with actors Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood. However, Kubrick thought that Davenport's English accent was too distracting and dismissed him after a few weeks. Canadian actor Douglas Rain was ultimately chosen for the role. Davenport took the leading role in the off-beat Phase IV (1974), which failed to find an audience. In 1979 he starred in the radio serialisation of Prudence, a romance novel by Jilly Cooper, alongside Felicity Kendal. The same years, he portrayed King George III in Prince Regent.
He appeared as Ebenezer Scrooge's grudging father Silas in the George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol (1984), and played opposite Michael Caine again in the 1988 Sherlock Holmes spoof Without A Clue, which was Davenport's second-last feature film.
He portrayed The Duke of Holdernesse in a 1993 BBC Radio dramatisation of the Sherlock Holmes story "The Adventure of the Priory School".
In February 1997, Davenport was the subject of This Is Your Life when he was surprised by Michael Aspel at David Nicholson's stables near Cheltenham.
He was president of Equity from 1986 to 1992.
Personal life Davenport was married twice, first to Helena Margaret White whom he met while he was studying at Oxford University. They married in 1951 and had a son and a daughter. His second wife was actress Maria Aitken with whom he had a second son, Jack, also an actor, best known for appearing in Pirates of the Caribbean.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role 1959 Look Back in Anger 1st Commercial Traveller 1960 Peeping Tom Det. Sgt. Miller The Entertainer Theatre Manager 1962 Mix Me a Person Juke's Stepfather 1963 Ladies Who Do Mr Strang Bitter Harvest Police Inspector 1964 The Third Secret Lew Harding 1965 A High Wind in Jamaica Mr Thornton Sands of the Kalahari Sturdevant 1966 A Man for All Seasons Duke of Norfolk Where the Spies Are Parkington 1968 Play Dirty Captain Cyril Leech 1969 The Virgin Soldiers Sergeant Driscoll Sinful Davey Richardson The Royal Hunt of the Sun Hernando de Soto 1970 No Blade of Grass John Custance The Mind of Mr. Soames Dr Maitland 1971 Villain Bob Matthews Mary, Queen of Scots Lord Bothwell The Last Valley Gruber 1972 Living Free George Adamson 1973 The Picture of Dorian Gray Lord Harry Wotton 1974 Bram Stoker's Dracula Van Helsing Phase IV Dr Ernest D. Hubbs 1975 The Regent's Wife Álvaro Mesía 1976 Death of a Snowman Lt. Ben Deel 1977 The Island of Dr. Moreau Montgomery Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers Sgt. Driscoll 1979The Omega ConnectionArthur Minton Zulu Dawn Colonel Hamilton-Brown 1980 Cry of the Innocent Gray Harrison Hunt 1981 Chariots of Fire Lord Birkenhead Nighthawks Peter Hartman 1983 Strata Victor 1984 A Christmas Carol Silas Scrooge Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes Major Jack Downing 1986 Caravaggio Giustiniani 1988 Without a Clue Lord Smithwick 1997 The Opium War
Television
Year Title Role Notes 1957–1958 The Adventures of Robin Hood St Peter Marston, Claude the Seneschal, Barty and others 7 episodes 1957 Mister Charlesworth Sergeant Spence 6 episodes 1958 Big Guns Sergeant Spence 6 episodes 1962 Sir Francis Drake Miguel Cervantes 1 episode1962-1965 The Saint Aldo Petri/Charles Voyson 2 episodes 1963 The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre Dino Stefano/Larry Mason 2 episodes: NB: The Verdict 1964 Madame Bovary Rodolphe 1966–68 The Avengers Lord Barnes / Robertson 1969 The Name of the Game David Windom 1 episode 1972 The Edwardians Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 1 episode 1974 South Riding Robert Carne 11 episodes 1975 Oil Strike North Jim Fraser 13 episodes 1979 Prince Regent King George III 8 episodes, TV mini-series 1981 Masada Sen. Mucianus Part 1 A Midsummer Night's Dream Theseus TV movie 1982 Minder Ray Bird of Prey Charles Bridgnorth 1982–83 Don't Rock The Boat Jack Hoxton 12 episodes, TV mini-series 1985–1990 Howards' Way Sir Edward Frere 29 episodes 1986 Ladies in Charge Count Litvinoff 1 episode Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy Lord Ismay 1991 Trainer James Brant 13 episodes 1993 Keeping Up Appearances The Commodore 1 episode: The Commodore 1994 Woof! Mr. Wellesby 1 episode 1996 The Treasure Seekers Lord Blackstock 1998The Adventures of Captain PugwashNarrator26 episodes 2000 David Copperfield Dan Peggotty TV movie Midsomer Murders William Smithers 1 episode Longitude Sir Charles Pelham TV movie
References
External links Nigel Davenport at the British Film Institute