Adrian Scarborough
Adrian Philip Scarborough (born 10 May 1968) is an English actor.
Adrian Scarborough | |
---|---|
Born | Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, England | 10 May 1968
Years active | 1993–present |
Spouse(s) | Rose Blackshaw |
Children | 2 |
He has appeared in films including The Madness of King George (1994), Gosford Park (2001), Vera Drake (2004), The History Boys (2006), The Kings Speech (2010), Les Misérables (2012) and 1917 (2019). He is also known for his roles in television such as Cranford (2007–2009), Upstairs Downstairs (2010–2012), The Paradise (2013), Crashing (2016), A Very English Scandal (2018), and Killing Eve (2019).
Scarborough is also an accomplished theatre actor and has twice won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role; he won in 2011 for his role in the Terence Rattigan play After the Dance and in 2020 for his performance in Tom Stoppard's play Leopoldstadt.
Early life
Scarborough was born and raised in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. He attended Brooksby Melton College and trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, winning the Chesterton Award for Best Actor for school graduates.[1]
Career
Scarborough made his big-screen debut in 1994 in The Madness of King George.[1] His other movie appearances have included Sweet Revenge, Gosford Park, Vera Drake, Notes on a Scandal, The History Boys, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The King's Speech, and Les Misérables.
One of Scarborough's early television roles was J.G. Quiggin in the 1997 adaptation of A Dance to the Music of Time. He was also seen in the BBC series Let Them Eat Cake with Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. He played "Bouffant", the gay couturier/servant/confidante to Saunder's character, the "Comtesse de Vache".[2] His other appearances on television have included productions such as Cranford, the television film Into the Storm, Psychoville and as Charlie in the BBC comedy series Miranda.[3] He has appeared in three episodes of Midsomer Murders, playing separate characters in series 5, series 10, and series 18. He is also the voice of Abney in the BBC Children's Television programme Abney & Teal. He voiced Benjamin Bunny in The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends.
In 2007, he played the character Harry Hepple in an episode of BBC New Tricks series 4.4 Nine Lives.
Scarborough is particularly well known for his appearances with Julia Davis in the BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey as warring married couple Pete and Dawn Sutcliffe, who are friends and neighbours of Gavin Shipman's (Mathew Horne) parents in Essex. He is also identified for his role as the butler Mr. Pritchard in the BBC series Upstairs, Downstairs.[4][5]
In 2012 he appeared in the ITV series Mrs Biggs with fellow Gavin & Stacey star Sheridan Smith, playing the eponymous character's father Bernard (the real-life father of Charmian Brent, ex-wife of Ronnie Biggs). He played an alien known as Kahler-Jex in an episode of Doctor Who entitled "A Town Called Mercy", which aired on 15 September 2012.[6]
On stage, Scarborough has made frequent appearances at the Donmar, the Almeida, and in the West End and he has appeared in twenty productions for the Royal National Theatre. On 19 June 2011, he took part in The Barn Theatre presents... with Elliot Brown at the Barn Theatre, Welwyn Garden City[7] Most recently he has appeared in Hedda Gabler at the Old Vic, again with frequent collaborator Sheridan Smith.[8] In 2013, he played a role in Darkside, Tom Stoppard's radio drama based on Pink Floyd's album The Dark Side of the Moon.[9] In 2013 he starred in the ITV sitcom Edge of Heaven he played Bald Gary.
In 2015, Scarborough appeared as Clive Trueman in the BBC TV series Father Brown episode 3.15 "The Owl of Minerva". Scarborough also appeared in the Starz sitcom Blunt Talk as Harry, valet to Walter Blunt, a role which he reprised in the second season a year later.
In 2016, Scarborough appeared as Colin in the Channel Four sitcom Crashing and as Tony Pitt in the ITV series Midsomer Murders episode 18.4 "A Dying Art".
In 2017, Scarborough appeared in the film adaptation of Ian McEwan's On Chesil Beach as Lionel Mayhew, as well as alongside David Tennant in Don Juan in Soho as his Chauffeur, for its run in the West End at Wyndham's Theatre.
From 2 to 24 November 2018, Scarborough portrayed Dr Willis in the Nottingham Playhouse production of the Alan Bennett play The Madness of George III, with Mark Gatiss as the king,[10] which follows his role as Fortnum in the 1994 film version of the play. The same year, he was Hal Gallsworthy in the film Christopher Robin. In 2019, Scarborough was Villanelle's handler "Raymond" in the 2nd season of the TV show Killing Eve.[11]
Personal life
Scarborough lives in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. He and his wife, Rose (née Blackshaw), have a son named Jake and a daughter named Esme.[12]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1994 | The Madness of King George | Fortnum | |
1995 | In the Bleak Midwinter | Young Actor | |
1998 | The Revengers' Comedies | Percy Cutting | |
Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon | Daniel Farson | ||
St. Ives | Le Bon | ||
2000 | Last Resort | Council Official | |
2001 | Gosford Park | Barnes | |
2002 | Dirty Pretty Things | The Doctor | |
2003 | To Kill a King | Sergeant Joyce | |
Bright Young Things | Customs Officer | ||
2004 | Vera Drake | Frank | |
2006 | The History Boys | Wilkes | |
Notes on a Scandal | Martin | ||
2007 | Elizabeth: The Golden Age | Calley | |
2010 | The Kings Speech | BBC Radio Announcer | |
2012 | Les Misérables | Toothman | |
2013 | Delicious | Victor | |
2014 | A Little Chaos | Daniel Le Vielle | |
2017 | On Chesil Beach | Lionel Mayhew | |
2018 | Patrick | Mr. Peters | |
Christopher Robin | Hal Gallsworthy | ||
2019 | The Last Vermeer | Dirk Hannema | |
1917 | Major Hepburn | ||
2020 | Artemis Fowl | The Goblin Chief | |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1991–2008 | The Bill | Tim Lock/Harvey/Tommy | 3 episodes |
1993–1995 | The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends | Mr. Benjamin Bunny (voice) | 2 episodes |
1995 | The Governor | Walter Brinkley | 6 Episodes |
An Independent Man | Robin Swallow | Episode: And So to Bed | |
Coogan's Run | Councillor Len Crabbe | 2 episodes | |
1996 | The Wind in the Willows | Nephew Mole (voice) | Television Movie |
1997 | Cows | Vicar | Television Movie |
A Dance to the Music of Time | JG Quiggin | 3 episodes | |
1999 | Let Them Eat Cake | Bouffant | 6 episodes |
The Passion | Martin | Television series | |
2000 | Heartbeat | Martin Padmore | Episode: Smile for the Camera |
2002 | TLC | The Phlebotomist | Episode: Angry Nurse |
2002–2016 | Midsomer Murders | Tony Pitt/Eddie Carfax/Peter Fogden | 3 episodes |
2003 | Promoted to Glory | Arnold | Television Movie |
2006 | Saxondale | Chairman | Episode: Episode 1.2 |
2007 | The Trial of Tony Blair | Simon | Television Movie |
New Tricks | Harry Hepple | Episode: Nine Lives | |
Maxwell | Bob Cole | Television Movie | |
The History of Mr Polly | Rusper | Television Movie | |
The Commander: The Fraudster | Clive Seway | Television Movie | |
2007–2009 | Cranford | Mr. Johnson | 7 episodes |
2007–2009, 2019 | Gavin & Stacey | Pete Sutcliffe | Supporting role, 8 episodes |
2008 | 10 Days to War | Steve | Episode: Blowblack |
Poppy Shakespeare | Middle Class Michael | Television Movie | |
2009 | Minder | Harvey Stevensen | Episode: Thank Your Lucky Stars |
Kingdom | Jeff | Episode: Episode #3.4 | |
Into the Film | Sawyers | Television Movie | |
Psychoville | Mr. Jolly/Surgeon | 6 episodes | |
2010–2012 | Upstairs Downstairs | Mr. Warwick Pritchard | 9 episodes |
2011 | National Theatre Live: The Habit of Art | Donald / Humphrey Carpenter | Television Special, PBS |
The Adventures of Abney & Teal | Narrator / Abney (voice) | Television Series | |
2012 | Watson & Oliver | Performer | 4 Episodes |
Doctor Who | Kahler-Jex | 2 episodes | |
Mrs. Biggs | Bernard Powell | 4 episodes | |
Restless | Morris Devereux | 2 episodes | |
2013 | The Paradise | Fenton | 4 episodes |
2013–2014 | Plebs | Claudius | 6 episodes |
2013–15 | Up the Women | Frank | 7 episodes |
2014 | Death in Paradise | Leo Pascal | Episode: An Artistic Murderer |
Edge of Heaven | Bald Gary | 6 episodes | |
The Great War: The People's Story | Winston Churchill | Documentary Series | |
National Theatre Live: King Lear | The Fool | Television Movie, PBS | |
The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawn | The Vicar | Television Movie | |
2015 | Professor Branestawn Returns | The Vicar | Television Movie |
Miranda | Charlie | 5 episodes | |
Father Brown | Clive Trueman | Episode: The Owl of Minerva | |
Call the Midwife | Barrington Swann | Christmas Special | |
2015–16 | Blunt Talk | Harry Chandler | 20 episodes |
2016 | Crashing | Colin | 6 episodes |
Stella | Horst | Christmas Special | |
Maigret in Montmartre | Dr. Bloch | Television Movie | |
2017 | Urban Myths | Chief Inspector Danders | Episode: Agatha Christie |
Little Women | Mr. Davis | Episode: #1.2 | |
2018 | A Very English Scandal | George Carman Q.C | Episode: #1.3 |
National Theatre Live: The Madness of King George III | Willis | Television Special, PBS | |
2019 | The Accident | Philip Walters | 4 episodes |
Sanditon | Dr. Fuchs | 3 episodes | |
Killing Eve | Raymond | 3 episodes | |
Awards
In 1993, he was nominated for the Ian Charleson Award and won the Manchester Evening News Award for his performance in The Comedy of Errors at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester.[13] In March 2011 he won a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a revival of the play After the Dance by Terence Rattigan.[14]
References
- "Hunt is launched for missing drama award". This is Bristol. 19 June 2012. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- "British Comedy Guide - Let Them Eat Cake - Characters". Sitcom.co.uk. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- "Comedy - Miranda - Miranda Meets... Sally Phillips And Adrian Scarborough". BBC. 29 November 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- "Adrian Scarborough - IMDb".
- Adrian Scarborough. "TV blog: Upstairs Downstairs: Playing Mr Pritchard". BBC. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- Jones, Paul (7 March 2012). "Doctor Who: Upstairs Downstairs star Adrian Scarborough cast in series seven". Radio Times. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- "King's Speech actor coming to Welwyn Garden City theatre". Welwyn Hatfield Times. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
- "Q&A: Adrian Scarborough; OfficialLondonTheatre.com". OfficialLondonTheatre.com. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
- "Pink Floyd album inspires Sir Tom Stoppard radio play". BBC. 28 March 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
- "The Madness of George III". Nottingham Playhouse. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
- Killing Eve, season 2
- "The Gavin & Stacey star you pass in the street". Berkhamsted & Tring Gazette. 11 November 2009. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
- Fowler, Rebecca. "Triumphant first acts". Sunday Times. 13 March 1994.
- "Olivier Awards 2011: The winners". BBC. 13 March 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2012.