Nicholas Robin Frank Woodeson (born 30 November 1949)[1][2][3] is an English film, television and theatre actor, and Drama Desk and Olivier award nominee.[4]

Nicholas Woodeson
Born
Nicholas Robin Frank Woodeson[1]

(1949-11-30) 30 November 1949 (age 74)[1]
NationalityEnglish
EducationMarlborough College
Alma materUniversity of Sussex
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
OccupationActor
Years active1970–present

Early life and education edit

Woodeson was born in Sudan[citation needed] and grew up in Haifa, Israel.[5] He later moved to England, where he started performing at prep school in Sussex, and Marlborough College.[5] He read English at the University of Sussex,and became involved in student drama productions, where he met Michael Attenborough, Jim Carter, and Andy de la Tour. He also participated in the 1970 National Student Drama Festival. Next was a season in rep at the Lyceum Theatre, Crewe, after deciding not to pursue an academic career. He won a scholarship to RADA (1972–1974).[6]

Career edit

Theatre edit

Woodeson's first work after drama school was a season at the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool (1974–75), in a company that included Jonathan Pryce (artistic director), Julie Walters, Pete Postlethwaite and Bill Nighy. He has worked in regional theatre in the UK and US, at the Hampstead Theatre, the Young Vic and Almeida Theatre in London, and at the Manhattan Theatre Club. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1982 and remained there seven years.[5] On Broadway, his work includes Straker in Man and Superman (1978), Piaf (1981), Inspector Goole in An Inspector Calls (1995), and Burleigh in Mary Stuart (2009). In 2011, he played Mr Prince in the National Theatre revival of Odets' Rocket to the Moon. He appeared in the West End production of Funny Peculiar (1976), in Good (1982), as Bonesy in Jumpers (2003), as Mussabini in Chariots of Fire (2012), and as Harold Wilson in The Audience (2015). He acted in two productions of Pinter's The Birthday Party playing McCann at the National Theatre in 1994, and Goldberg in the Lyric Hammersmith's 50th centenary production in 2008, and two productions of Pinter's The Homecoming, playing Lenny in the 25th Anniversary West End revival in 1991 and Max at the RSC in 2011.

In 2017, following the death of Tim Pigott-Smith, he took over the role of Willy Loman in the Royal & Derngate tour of Death of a Salesman, for which he was nominated for a UK Theatre Award as Best Actor in a Leading Role.

Film edit

Woodeson's first film work was a role in Heaven's Gate, released in 1980. By chance, he spent more time on location in Montana than any other actor in the film. He has also appeared in, among others, The Russia House (1990), The Pelican Brief (1993), Shooting Fish (1997), The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997) Titanic Town (1998), The Avengers (1998), Mad Cows (1999), Topsy-Turvy (1999), Dreaming of Joseph Lees (1999), Amazing Grace (2006), Hannah Arendt (2012), the James Bond film Skyfall (2012), Mr. Turner (2014), The Danish Girl (2015), Race (2016), Disobedience (2017), The Death of Stalin (2017) and The Hustle (2019).

In 2011/2012 he made the short film You Are Me for the Holocaust Survivors' Centre in London.[5]

Television edit

Woodeson's first network television work was playing a US marine in A Rumor of War (1980) starring Brad Davis. He played killer Michael Hennessy in the very first episode of Cracker (1993),[7] starring Robbie Coltrane. In 1998 he appeared in Midsomer Murders "Death of a Hollow Man" as Avery Philips. He played SS-Gruppenführer Otto Hoffman in the acclaimed BBC/HBO production Conspiracy (2001), starring Kenneth Branagh, Stanley Tucci and Colin Firth. He portrayed Harman Grisewood, in the 2008 TV programme Filth: The Mary Whitehouse Story.[8] He has guest starred on series such as Miami Vice, Midsomer Murders, A Touch of Frost, and Poirot.

In the two 2005–06 HBO/BBC TV series of Rome, he played Posca, the personal slave of Julius Caesar. In 2007, he played Joseph Novak in 'Broken Souls', an episode of Foyle's War. In 2010, he appeared as Alexander Grozin, president of the fictional Eastern European state of Turgisia, in DR television production of Borgen. In 2013, he played William Corcoran, a proponent of Lamarckism, in the episode "Am I not Monstrous?" of Ripper Street.[9] He also appeared in Agatha Christie’s Poirot "Dead Man’s Folly" as Detective Sergeant Hoskins. In 2014, he appeared as Volkov in the American miniseries The Assets,[10] and as Algernon Wyse in a BBC TV adaptation of E. F. Benson's Mapp and Lucia.[11] In 2014, he played Yaakov in "The Eichmann Show" for the BBC. In 2016, Woodeson played the role of Reverend Matthew Denning in the BBC TV series The Living and the Dead. He has also appeared in episodes of New Tricks, George Gently and Holby City. Woodeson played the lawyer, Thoyt in the BBC One 2017 television drama series Taboo.

Personal life edit

Woodeson lives in London, but has also lived in the United States.[5]

Filmography edit

Film edit

Year Title Role Notes
1980 Heaven's Gate Small Man
1990 The Russia House Niki Landau
1993 The Pelican Brief Stump
1997 Shooting Fish Mr. Collyns
1997 The Man Who Knew Too Little Sergei
1998 Titanic Town Immonger
1998 The Avengers Dr. Darling
1999 Topsy-Turvy Mr. Seymour
1999 Mad Cows Detective Slynne
1999 Dreaming of Joseph Lees Mr. Dian
2000 One of the Hollywood Ten Ben
2006 Amazing Grace Harrison
2009 Pope Joan Arighis
2011 Hysteria Dr. Richardson
2012 John Carter Dalton
2012 Hannah Arendt William Shawn
2012 Skyfall Doctor Hall
2014 Mr. Turner Gentleman Critics
2015 The Danish Girl Dr. Buson
2016 Race Fred Rubien
2016 The Limehouse Golem Toby Dosett
2016 Letters from Baghdad George MacMunn
2017 The Death of Stalin Boris Bresnavich
2017 Disobedience Rabbi Goldfarb
2017 Paddington 2 Insurance Company C.E.O.
2018 Beirut Herzberg
2019 The Hustle Albert
2019 Jarhead: Law of Return Minister of Defense
2021 Firebird Colonel Kuznetsov
2022 My Father's Secrets Old Rabbi

Television edit

Year Title Role Notes
1980 Here's Boomer Theo Episode: "The Jockey"
1980 A Rumor of War Cpl. Kazmarak 2 episodes
1982 The Hound of the Baskervilles Sir Henry Baskerville 4 episodes
1984 Piaf Emil Television film
1985 Miami Vice Artie Cross Episode: "Made for Each Other"
1989 Blackeyes Stilk Episode #1.1
1990 Max and Helen Martin Greenbaum Television film
1991 For the Greater Good Michael Parke-Walsh MP 3 episodes
1991 The Wolvis Family Dr. Graham Wilcockson 6 episodes
1992 A Fatal Inversion Inspector Winder 2 episodes
1992 ScreenPlay Geoff Harris Episode: "Bad Girl"
1992 The Life and Times of Henry Pratt Dr. Hargreaves Episode #1.3
1992 The Blackheath Poisonings Bertie Williams 3 episodes
1992, 1994 Screen Two Keith / Roland 2 episodes
1993 Mr. Wroe's Virgins Brother Moses 4 episodes
1993 Bonjour la Classe Leslie Piper 6 episodes
1993 Performance Jorgen Tesman Episode: "Hedda Gabler"
1993 Cracker Hennessy Episode: "The Mad Woman in the Attic: Part 2"
1993 The Poetry Hall of Fame John Keats Television film
1994 The Chief Milverton Episode #4.8
1995 Pie in the Sky Maurice Plummer Episode: "Brown Bread"
1995 The Last Englishman Air Commodore Boyle Television film
1997 The Woman in White Asylum Proprietor
1998 Midsomer Murders Avery Phillips Episode: "Death of a Hollow Man"
1998 Animated Epics: Beowulf Aschere Television film
1999 Great Expectations John Wemmick
2000 The Mrs Bradley Mysteries John Forrester Episode: "The Rising of the Moon"
2000 Conspiracy Otto Hofmann Television film
2001 Waking the Dead Reece Dickson 2 episodes
2002 Animated Tales of the World Greengrocer / Leader of Primitives Episode: "The Crown and Sceptre"
2002 Helen West Brian Redwood 3 episodes
2003 A Touch of Frost Anton Caldwell Episode: "Held in Trust"
2004 The Last Detective Gerald Leyman Episode: "Christine"
2005 Doc Martin Victor Episode: "Blood Is Thicker"
2005–2007 Rome Posca 17 episodes
2006 Eleventh Hour Martin Callan Episode: "Containment"
2007 Rough Diamond Russian Ambassador Episode: "Old Gold"
2008 Foyle's War Josef Novak Episode: "Broken Souls"
2008 Poppy Shakespeare Professor Television film
2008 Filth: The Mary Whitehouse Story Harman Grisewood
2009 Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1980 Michael Warren
2010 Borgen Alexander Grozin Episode: "Statsbesøg"
2011 The Hour Professor Beckett 2 episodes
2011 Shameless Isaac Episode: "Frank Gallagher: Sent By God"
2012 Silk Professor Stephen Nyman Episode #2.4
2012 Secret State Lord Justice Holbeck Episode #1.2
2012 Loving Miss Hatto Erich Television film
2013 It's Kevin Various Episode #1.6
2013 Agatha Christie's Poirot Detective Sergeant Hoskins Episode: "Dead Man's Folly"
2013 Ripper Street Dr. William Corcoran Episode: "Am I Not Monstrous?"
2013 The Escape Artist George Balfour QC 3 episodes
2013 Moonfleet Bailiff 2 episodes
2014 The Assets Volkov
2014 The Honourable Woman Judah Ben-Shahar 4 episodes
2014 New Tricks Viktor Proust Episode: "The English Defence"
2014 Mapp and Lucia Algernon Wyse 3 episodes
2014 Borgia Alonso Pimental 2 episodes
2015 The Eichmann Show Yaakov Jonilowicz Television film
2015 Inspector George Gently Norman Episode: "Breathe in the Air"
2016 The Living and the Dead Matthew Denning 6 episodes
2016 Friday Night Dinner Rabbi Episode: "The Funeral"
2016–2017 Holby City Artem Chernik 3 episodes
2017 Delicious Allen Billington Episode: "Funeral Plans"
2017 Taboo Robert Thoyt 5 episodes
2017 Will Phillip Henslowe 3 episodes
2019 Baptiste Peter Episode: "Shell"
2020 Quiz Nicholas Hilliard QC 2 episodes
2021 Silent Witness Derek Galton
2023 A Paris Proposal Jacques Laurent Television film
2024 Father Brown Bernard Ross Episode: "The Dead of Night"

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Companies House - Heathfield Court (Chiswick) Limited". The Gazette. 10 November 2005. p. 2. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  2. ^ "Nicholas Robin Frank Woodeson - Heathfield Court (Chiswick) Limited". Companies House. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  3. ^ "Nicholas Robin Frank Woodeson - British Equity Collecting Society Limited". Companies House. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  4. ^ "EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE and More Nominated For UK Theatre Awards; Full List!". Broadway World. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Actor: Nicholas Woodeson". UK Jewish Film. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  6. ^ Armitstead, Claire (29 August 2002). "Obituary: Hugh Cruttwell: Influential Rada principal who shaped a generation of actors". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  7. ^ Dunn, Josephine M (30 March 2018). Jimmy McGovern's Cracker. Amazon: KDP. pp. 2–159. ISBN 9-7819-8062-5452.
  8. ^ IMDB – Harman Grisewood (Character) from 'Filth: The Mary Whitehouse Story (2008) (TV)
  9. ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2782526/ IMDB – "Ripper Street" Am I Not Monstrous? [user-generated source]
  10. ^ "The Assets (TV Mini Series 2014) - IMDb". IMDb.
  11. ^ "Cast announced for BBC One's adaptation of EF Benson's Mapp And Lucia". BBC. 1 May 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2014.

External links edit