Ian McNeice
| Ian McNeice | |
|---|---|
 Ian McNeice at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole hotel, 17 April 2009 | |
| Born |
2 October 1950 Basingstoke, Hampshire, England |
| Occupation | Actor, voice actor |
Ian McNeice (born 2 October 1950) is an English actor and voice actor. He found fame portraying government agent Harcourt in the 1985 television miniseries Edge of Darkness, and went on to feature in popular films such as The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, and Frank Herbert's Dune. He plays Bert Large in the comedy drama series Doc Martin, and played The Newsreader in historical drama Rome.
Early life
McNeice was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire. His acting training started at the Taunton School in Somerset, followed by the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and two years at the Salisbury Playhouse. The next few years were spent in theatre, including a four-year career with the Royal Shakespeare Company and a production of Nicholas Nickleby on Broadway.
Career
McNeice's television breakthrough was as Harcourt in the award-winning series Edge of Darkness. He played the alcoholic sous chef Gustave LaRoche on the television series Chef!, and went on to appear in the 2000 miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune as the evil Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, a role he later reprised for the 2003 sequel Children of Dune. His television appearances have included all seven series of Doc Martin, in which he plays Bert Large, as well as the third episode of the second series of Lewis. He appears as the Newsreader in the HBO/BBC production Rome.
McNeice has also appeared in a number of films, including 84 Charing Cross Road, Day of the Dead, No Escape, From Hell, and The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain. His breakthrough into American films occurred when he played Fulton Greenwall in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995). He played the Nazi Gerhard Klopfer in the 2001 BBC/HBO television film Conspiracy. Since then, he has been in Around the World in 80 Days (2004) and the 2005 supernatural thriller White Noise. He also appeared as Potiphar in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
McNeice gave his distinctive voice and accent to voice-acting roles like the Vogon character Kwaltz, director of the Vogon Constructor Fleet, in the 2005 film adaptation of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. In 2007, he made his Doctor Who debut when he guest-starred as villain Zeus in the Big Finish BBC Digital Radio 7 drama Immortal Beloved. He had a cameo role as Joachim von Kortzfleisch, a German general who refused to put his troops under the command of officers plotting to depose Hitler's government, in Valkyrie.
McNeice was initially cast in the role of Illyrio Mopatis in the HBO pilot of Game of Thrones, but because of scheduling conflicts the role was then given to Roger Allam.[1] McNeice appeared as Winston Churchill[2] in four episodes of Doctor Who in 2010 and 2011; he had previously played Churchill in the 2008 premiere production of the Howard Brenton play Never So Good, and later played him again in the 2012 stage version of The King's Speech.[3]
Filmography
Film and television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, TheThe Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby | Wackford Squeers / Scaley / Croupier | TV series |
| 1983 | The Cleopatras | Alexander | TV series |
| 1983 | Voice Over | "Fats" Bannerman | |
| 1984 | Minder | Eric Morgan | Episode: "Rocky Eight and a Half" |
| 1984 | Top Secret! | Blind souvenir salesman | |
| 1985 | Edge of Darkness | Harcourt | TV Mini-Series |
| 1987 | 84 Charing Cross Road | Bill Humphries | |
| 1987 | Personal Services | Harry | |
| 1987 | Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, TheThe Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne | Bernard Rice | |
| 1987 | A Perfect Spy | Sefton Boyd | |
| 1988 | Whoops Apocalypse | Thrush | |
| 1988 | Raggedy Rawney, TheThe Raggedy Rawney | Farmer | |
| 1989 | Valmont | Azolan | |
| 1989 | Around the World in 80 Days | Batcular | TV Mini-Series |
| 1990 | Russia House, TheThe Russia House | Merrydew | |
| 1990 | 1871 | Prince of Wales | |
| 1991 | Secret Friends | Businessman | |
| 1992 | B & B | Horace Gilbert | |
| 1992 | Year of the Comet | Ian | |
| 1992 | Ungentlemanly Act, AnAn Ungentlemanly Act | Dick Baker | TV film |
| 1992 | Blackheath Poisonings, TheThe Blackheath Poisonings | George Collard | TV film |
| 1993 | Age of Treason | Casca | TV film |
| 1993 | Don't Leave Me This Way | Oscar Ghilardi | |
| 1994 | No Escape | King | |
| 1995 | Funny Bones | Stanley Sharkey | |
| 1995 | Pie in the Sky | Mr Wilkes | |
| 1995 | Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain, TheThe Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain | George Garrad | |
| 1995 | Sharpe's Battle | Wagonmaster-General Colonel Runciman | TV film |
| 1995 | Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls | Fulton Greenwall | |
| 1996 | Chef! | Gustave LaRoche | TV series |
| 1996 | Cadfael : The Devil's Novice | Canon Eluard | TV series |
| 1997 | Beautician and the Beast, TheThe Beautician and the Beast | Iva Grushinsky | |
| 1997 | Life Less Ordinary, AA Life Less Ordinary | Mayhew | |
| 1998 | How to Make the Cruelest Month | Peggy Asks | |
| 1998 | Hornblower: The Examination for Lieutenant | Mr. Tapling | TV film |
| 1999 | Auteur Theory, TheThe Auteur Theory | Sir Maximilian Fair Brown | |
| 1999 | Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat | Potiphar | |
| 1999 | Cherry Orchard, TheThe Cherry Orchard | Pishchik | |
| 1999 | Christmas Carol, AA Christmas Carol | Fezziwig | TV film |
| 1999 | David Copperfield | Mr. Dick | TV film |
| 2000 | Longitude | Doctor | TV series |
| 2000 | Frank Herbert's Dune | Baron Vladimir Harkonnen | TV miniseries |
| 2000 | Sleeper, TheThe Sleeper | Mr. Tarburck | TV film |
| 2000 | The Nine Lives of Tomas Katz | Inspector | |
| 2001 | Anazapta | Bishop | |
| 2001 | Body, TheThe Body | Dr. Sproul | |
| 2001 | Conspiracy | Dr. Gerhard Klopfer | TV film |
| 2001 | From Hell | Dr. Robert Drudge | |
| 2001 | Town & Country | Peter Principal | |
| 2001 | Fourth Angel, TheThe Fourth Angel | MI5 officer | |
| 2002 | Amnèsia | Doug Chandler | |
| 2002 | Man and Boy | Nigel Batty | |
| 2002 | Final Curtain, TheThe Final Curtain | Priest | |
| 2003 | Chaos and Cadavers | Harry Kane | |
| 2003 | Frank Herbert's Children of Dune | Baron Vladimir Harkonnen | TV miniseries |
| 2003 | Blackball | Hugh the Sideburns | |
| 2003 | I'll Be There | Graham | |
| 2004 | Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason | Quizmaster | |
| 2004 | Spartacus | Lentulus Batiatus | TV film |
| 2004 | Around the World in 80 Days | Kitchener | |
| 2004 | Rocket Post, TheThe Rocket Post | Alex Miln | |
| 2004 | Freeze Frame | Saul Seger | |
| 2004– | Doc Martin | Bert Large | TV series |
| 2005 | Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, TheThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | Kwaltz | Voice |
| 2005 | White Noise | Raymond Price | |
| 2005 | Cherished | Bill Bache | TV film |
| 2005 | Oliver Twist | Limbkins | |
| 2005–2007 | Rome | The Newsreader | TV series |
| 2006 | Black Dahlia, TheThe Black Dahlia | Coroner | |
| 2008 | Day of the Dead | DJ Paul | |
| 2008 | Valkyrie | Joachim von Kortzfleisch | |
| 2009 | Cleopatra: Portrait of a Killer | Cassius Dio (Historian) | TV film |
| 2010–2011 | Doctor Who | Winston Churchill | Episodes: "The Beast Below" "Victory of the Daleks" "The Pandorica Opens" "The Wedding of River Song" |
| 2010 | Jonathan Creek | Father Roderick Alberic | |
| 2012 | Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger | Mr. Peterson Senior | Film |
| 2012 | The Mystery of Edwin Drood | Mayor Sapsea | TV film |
References
- ↑ "Illyrio recast". Winter-Is-Coming.net. 2010-09-16. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
- ↑ "First Smith 'Doctor Who' titles confirmed". 3 February 2010. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
- ↑ "The King's Speech play has its world premiere". BBC News. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2012.