Old Etonians
Actors who studied at Eton College
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British actor Eddie Redmayne won the Academy Award for Best Actor (for The Theory of Everything (2014)).
Edward John David Redmayne was born and raised in London, England, the son of Patricia (Burke) and Richard Charles Tunstall Redmayne, a businessman. His great-grandfather was Sir Richard Augustine Studdert Redmayne, a noted civil and mining engineer. He has English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh ancestry. Redmayne is the only member of his family to follow a career in acting, and also modeled during his teen years. He was educated at Eton College before going on to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied History of Art. Encouraged by his parents, Redmayne took drama lessons from a young age. His first stage appearance was in the Sam Mendes production of "Oliver!", in London's West End. He played a workhouse boy. Acting continued through school and university, including performing with the National Youth Music Theatre.
Redmayne's first professional stage performance came in 2002 at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre where he played Viola in "Twelfth Night". In 2004, he won the prestigious Evening Standard Outstanding Newcomer Award for his working in Edward Albee's play "The Goat". Further stage successes followed, and in 2009, he starred in John Logan's "Red" at the Donmar Warehouse in London. He won huge critical acclaim for his role, winning an Oliver Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The play transferred to Broadway in 2010, and Redmayne went on to win a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play.
Alongside his stage career, Redmayne has worked steadily in television and film. Notable projects include Robert De Niro's The Good Shepherd (2006), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), Tess of the D'Urbervilles (2008), The Pillars of the Earth (2010) and My Week with Marilyn (2011). He co-starred as Marius Pontmercy in the musical Les Misérables (2012). He played scientist Stephen Hawking in the biographical drama The Theory of Everything (2014), opposite Felicity Jones, as Stephen's wife Jane Hawking. For his performance, Redmayne won multiple awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor. As such, he became the first man born in the 1980s to win an acting Oscar. He received further critical acclaim for his portrayal of Lili Elbe, one of the first known recipients of sex reassignment surgery, in The Danish Girl (2015). For his performance, he was nominated for multiple awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor.
In 2014, Redmayne married publicist Hannah Bagshawe.- Actor
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Thomas William Hiddleston was born in Westminster, London, to English-born Diana Patricia (Servaes) and Scottish-born James Norman Hiddleston. His mother is a former stage manager, and his father, a scientist, was the managing director of a pharmaceutical company. He started off at the preparatory school, The Dragon School in Oxford, and by the time he was 13, he boarded at Eton College, at the same time that his parents were going through a divorce. He continued on to the University of Cambridge, where he earned a double first in Classics. He continued to study acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, from which he graduated in 2005.
Whilst at University of Cambridge, he was seen by the Hamilton Hodell agency in the play "A Streetcar Named Desire" and was signed. Following this, he was cast in his first television role in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (2001). Hiddleston won his first film role as Oakley in Joanna Hogg's award-winning first feature, Unrelated (2007). His breakthrough role came when he portrayed the nemesis Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe feature film Thor (2011). He reprised the character in The Avengers (2012), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), and Avengers: Infinity War (2018).
He has also appeared in Steven Spielberg's War Horse (2011), The Deep Blue Sea (2011), Woody Allen's romantic comedy Midnight in Paris (2011), and the romantic vampire film Only Lovers Left Alive (2013). On television, he appeared on the BBC series The Hollow Crown (2012), in the adaptations of Shakespeare's "Henry IV" and "Henry V". In theatre, he has been in the productions of "Cymbeline" (2007) and "Ivanov" (2008). In December 2013, he starred as the title character in the Donmar Warehouse production of "Coriolanus" which played until February 2014. He won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Newcomer in a Play for his role in "Cymbeline" while also being nominated for the same award the same year for his role as Cassio in "Othello".- Actor
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Simon Woods was born in 1980 in England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Pride & Prejudice (2005), Penelope (2006) and Rome (2005). He has been married to Christopher Bailey since 2012.- Actor
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Sebastian Armesto (born 3 June 1982) is an English film, television and theatre actor. He is the son of the historian Felipe Fernandez-Armesto. He was educated at Eton College. Armesto has acted in high-profile theatre productions in Britain, including three shows at the National Theatre and one at the Royal Court. He also writes and directs theatre with company Simple 8. His productions include directing and adaptating Les Enfants du Paradis to great acclaim. Most recently, he co-wrote and directed a play based on William Hogarth's The Four Stages of Cruelty and new versions of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Moby-Dick.- Actor
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Harry Charles Salusbury Lloyd is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Will Scarlet in the 2006 BBC drama Robin Hood, Jeremy Baines in the 2007 Doctor Who episodes "Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood", Viserys Targaryen in the first season of the HBO series Game of Thrones, Peter Quayle in the Starz series Counterpart, Charles Xavier in the third season of the FX series Legion, Bernard Marx in the Peacock series Brave New World, and Viktor in the Netflix series Arcane. He has also appeared on stage, and in films including The Theory of Everything and Anthropoid.- Additional Crew
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Born in 1989, Max Pirkis performed in several school plays before winning his first role in a motion picture, as the ultra kind and friendly Midshipman Lord Blakeney in the blockbuster Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) starring Russell Crowe, reading for the part alongside Max Benitz (Benitz auditioning for Midshipman Calamy). Max currently lives in London with his mother (a publisher), father (a stockbroker) and little sister, enjoys cricket and football, plays violin and saxophone and has two dogs.- Actor
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Julian Ovenden was born on 29 November 1976 in Sheffield, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Bridgerton (2020), Downton Abbey (2010) and Adult Material (2020). He has been married to Kate Royal since 20 December 2010. They have two children.- Jordan Frieda was born on 17 June 1977. He is an actor, known for Prince William (2002), Out of Season (2004) and Daniel Deronda (2002).
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Born in Dorset, England, Oliver went to school at the prestigious Eton College, and was member of a drama group called Double Edge Drama. He did not train to be an actor at university but went instead straight into television, with an extensive stint on the soap opera "Families" (which also kicked off the career of Brit actor Jude Law). He won the lead role in "Loaded" (1994) which got him some attention from film critics. He has done a great deal of television and theatre work and was in "Crime and Punishment" on BBC Radio 4.- Producer
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Bear Grylls was born on 7 June 1974 in Isle of Wight, England, UK. He is a producer and writer, known for You vs. Wild (2019), You vs. Wild: Out Cold (2021) and The Count of Monte Cristo. He has been married to Shara Cannings-Knight since 19 January 2000. They have three children.Okay, he's not an actor, but he is a television personality.- Dominic was born in London, England. He went to Eton College and then to the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, where he studied zoology, but more importantly - discovered his love of acting. He then went back to London to train at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts. Dominic now resides in London, and when not filming - he can often be found upon the stage of one of London's many theatres.
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Born in England in 1974, Will was partially brought up in America, where his father was in the Army. It was here that he picked up the accent for his comic persona, the motivational speaker Chris John Jackson. He went to Eton College in England and the Oxford School of Drama and started to gain stage notice in 1999. He spent much time at London's Battersea Arts Center, noted as a springboard for offbeat comedy, and this is where he honed the character of 'Jackson'. He took it to the Edinburgh Festival, planning initially on only a week's booking as a friend was running another venue and there was a vacant slot. However, it won him the Perrier Comedy Award for 2004.- Oliver Dimsdale was born on 28 October 1972 in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Downton Abbey (2010), Grantchester (2014) and The Last Czars (2019). He has been married to Zoë Tapper since 30 December 2008. They have one child.
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Damian Lewis was born on February 11, 1971, in St. John's Wood, London, England, to Charlotte Mary (Bowater), from an upper-class background, and J. Watcyn Lewis, a city broker whose own parents were Welsh. He was raised on Abbey Road in London until the age of 8 with his siblings Gareth, William, and Amanda. In 1979, he was sent to Ashdown House boarding school, then was educated at Eton College. At age 16, he formed his own theater company, then worked in South London, then traveled around Africa. From 1990 to 1993, he studied at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, alongside Daniel Craig and Joseph Fiennes. Among his teachers was RSC stalwart Colin McCormack. Lewis graduated in 1993, and worked on the stage, particularly with the Royal Shakespeare Company. There he was seen by director Steven Spielberg, who subsequently cast him as Richard Winters in the HBO/BBC miniseries Band of Brothers (2001), for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe, among other awards. Lewis continues his career in films, TV, and theater.- Actor
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Will Keen was born on 4 March 1970 in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Operation Mincemeat (2021), Victor Frankenstein (2015) and Love and Other Disasters (2006). He has been married to María Fernández Ache since 10 August 2002. They have one child.- Actor
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Dominic West was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England as Dominic Gerard Francis Eagleton West. He is an actor and producer, known for The Wire (2002), Chicago (2002), 300 (2006), The Affair (2014) and The Forgotten (2004). He has been married to Catherine Fitzgerald since June 26, 2010. They have four children.- Speaks fluent Spanish and French. Lives in London. Attended Bristol University (BA in Hispanic Studies). Has appeared in numerous British plays and television programs. Most recognized by Americans as Sherlock Holmes in Young Sherlock Holmes (1985). The son of a member of Parliament. Lived with Lou Gish for six years until her death in February, 2006.
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Hugh was born in Oxford, England on June 11, 1959, to Patricia (Laidlaw) and William George Ranald Mundell "Ran" Laurie, a doctor, both of Scottish descent. He was educated at Eton and Cambridge. Son of an Olympic gold medalist in the sport, he rowed for the England youth team (1977) and for Cambridge (1980). He met Emma Thompson at Cambridge in 1978 when both joined "Footlights" and was introduced to Stephen Fry by Emma in 1980. Hugh is married and lives in Los Angeles. His wife and three children, who previously lived in London, are moving to Los Angeles to live with him. Besides acting and comedy, he has written the best-selling thriller The Gun Seller. A second novel, titled The Paper Soldier, is forthcoming.- Actor
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Charles was born into a show business family. His father, Alfred Shaughnessy, was the principal writer for the popular London Weekend Television/ITV series Upstairs, Downstairs (1971) and his mother, Jean Lodge, was an actress. He started appearing in plays during school. He attended Eton College and read law at Magdalene College, Cambridge. While at Cambridge, he joined Footlights, a comedy revue. After graduating, he decided to return to acting and enrolled in a London drama school, which led to him to touring in a repertory company. Eventually moving to America to follow the actress he later married, he got his break on The Nanny (1993).- After studying at Eton, Jeremy Child worked for a short while in the City of London but left at his earliest opportunity, which was a disappointment to his father, who'd worked in the Foreign Office, and had hoped that his son would join the Guards. To please his father Jeremy had an interview for the Guards but when he was asked why he wanted to join he said 'I don't' and was told Well that's the end of your military career. He then went to drama school which was where he learned to fend for himself and to lose his somewhat posh accent. When his father died in the mid '70s Jeremy inherited his baronetcy, becoming Sir Jeremy, a title that he never used. He had a daughter Melissa from his first marriage and a daughter, Leonora and a son, Alexander from his second.
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Ian Ogilvy was born on 30 September 1943 in Woking, Surrey, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Death Becomes Her (1992), I, Claudius (1976) and My Life in Ruins (2009). He has been married to Kathryn Holcomb since 1992. He was previously married to Diane Sarah Patricia Hart.- Actor
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Heathcote Williams was born on 15 November 1941 in Helsby, Cheshire, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Basic Instinct 2 (2006), City of Ember (2008) and The Legend of 1900 (1998). He died on 1 July 2017 in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK.- Actor
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Jeremy Clyde was born on 22 March 1941 in Dorney, Buckinghamshire, England, UK. He is an actor and director, known for Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019), The Musketeer (2001) and North Sea Hijack (1980).- Actor
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Christopher Cazenove was born on 17 December 1943 in Winchester, Hampshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for A Knight's Tale (2001), Three Men and a Little Lady (1990) and Dynasty (1981). He was married to Angharad Rees. He died on 7 April 2010 in Lambeth, London, England, UK.- Actor
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The refined and debonair English actor Jeremy Brett will forever be best remembered for his long-running and critically acclaimed portrayal of Sherlock Holmes for Britain's Granada Television. From a privileged background, Brett was educated at England's most prestigious independent school, Eton College. After training as an actor at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, Brett made his professional stage debut in repertory in 1954. He became a noteworthy classical actor who was to make regular appearances on stage, including many with the National Theatre.
Brett was as cultured off screen as on. His interests included classical music, archery and horseback riding. His greatest popularity and acclaim would come with his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes on television from the 1980s through to the 1990s. Where so many have tried and failed to capture the essence of the character, either being derided or forgotten, Brett's widely praised take on it has been described by many as superlative and even definitive. Brett suffered from poor health towards the end of his life but he was still playing the role of Holmes shortly before his death in 1995 at the age of 61.- Jonathan Cecil is deeply treasured as the narrator of countless books by comedic novelist P. G. Wodehouse (1881 - 1975) in audiobook version on Audible and also largely available on YouTube. Listeners love him particularly for his readings of the Bertie Wooster and Jeeves books, such as "Leave it to Jeeves," "The Inimitable Jeeves," "Thank you, Jeeves," "The Code of the Woosters," and many more. Cecil's performances of the plentiful and very diverse cast of characters excel beyond those of other known Wodehouse interpreters such as Frederick Davidson and Martin Jarvis. He has been referred to as The Voice of P. G. Wodehouse and his readings may constitute his greatest legacy.
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Sir John Standing is one of England's most respected stage, film and television actors. From a distinguished acting dynasty which includes his great-grandfather Herbert Standing (1846-1923), grandfather Sir Guy Standing (1873-1937) and mother, the actress Kay Hammond, John Robert Leon Standing, born in London on August, 16, 1934, succeeded his father Sir Ronald Leon, as the 4th baronet in 1964.
A one-time art student and avid painter, Sir John attended both Millfield Preparatory School and Eton College and made his debut on stage in minor roles in the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company's production of "Titus Andronicus." In London from 1959, he worked productively on the London stage (Bristol Old Vic, Chicester, Haymarket, Royal Court) for two decades with a resume that included "The Darling Buds," "The Irregular Verb to Love," "See How They Run," "The Clandestine Marriage," "The Cherry Orchard," "The Fighting Cock," The Beaux' Stratgem," "The Importance of Being Earnest" (as Algernon), "Ring Around the Moon," "The Alchemist," "Arms and the Man, "A Sense of Detachment" by John Osborne, "Saint Joan," "Dead-Eyed Dicks," "Plunder," "The Philanderer" and, most notably, as Elyot Chase in Noël Coward's "Private Lives," co-starring Maggie Smith and directed by John Gielgud, which was taken to Broadway in 1975.
Lesser known for his work on the big screen, a few BBC-TV guest parts came to Sir John's way before he entered films in 1962 with featured roles in the light comedy A Pair of Briefs (1962) and romantic drama Young and Willing (1962). Standing followed these with performances in such films as King Rat (1965), The Psychopath (1966), Walk Don't Run (1966), A Touch of Love (1969), All the Right Noises (1970), X, Y & Zee (1972), Au Pair Girls (1972), The Eagle Has Landed (1976), The Legacy (1978), The Sea Wolves (1980), The Elephant Man (1980), Privates on Parade (1983), Nightflyers (1987), Chaplin (1992), Mrs Dalloway (1997), and a starring role as a businessman who opens a brothel with his playboy son after the death of his wife in the dramedy 8 ½ Women (1999).
Sir John had more prestigious work come to him on TV. He lightened up at times as he died as a aristocratic politician who falls for a working class model in the British comedy series The Other 'Arf (1980) and a spy partnered with Tom Conti in Old Boy Network (1992), but found more rewarding work in the classic mini-series The First Churchills (1969), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979), Windmills of the Gods (1988), The Choir (1995), Club V.R. (1996) and Drovers' Gold (1997).
In the U.S., he has graced numerous weekly programs including L.A. Law (1986), Civil Wars (1991), and Murder, She Wrote (1984) and co-starred briefly with Robert Wagner and the late Samantha Smith in the action series Lime Street (1985), which ended abruptly with the young girl's death in a plane crash. The 13-year-old Smith became an instant celebrity after writing a touching and concerned letter to the then Soviet President Yuri Andropov about the relations between the two dominant powers and being invited to Russia.
Into the millennium, the elderly Standing has remained extremely busy playing a number of distinguished lords and higher-ups, especially with British TV appearances ("The Vice," "In Deep," "Keen Eddie," "MidSommer Murders," "Game of Thrones," "The Crown") and in above-par TV movies and miniseries including Longitude (2000), Love in a Cold Climate (2001), The Falklands Play (2002), The Gathering Storm (2002), King Solomon's Mines (2004), The Line of Beauty (2006), Fallen Angel (2007), The Other Wife (2012), Patrick Melrose (2018) and King Lear (2018).
Divorced from actress Jill Melford, Sir John's second wife, actress Sarah Forbes, is the daughter of director Bryan Forbes and actress Nanette Newman.- Actor
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Daniel Massey was an English actor of Canadian descent, best known for portraying his godfather Noël Coward (1899-1973) in the critically acclaimed film "Star!" (1968). For this role he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. It was his only Academy Award nomination.
Massey was the son of Canadian actor Raymond Massey (1896-1983) and English actress Adrianne Allen (1907-1993). He was raised by his mother, following his parents' divorce. His paternal uncle was Canadian diplomat Vincent Massey (1887-1967), who became the first Canadian-born Governor General of Canada (term 1952-1959).
Massey was educated at Eton College and King's College, Cambridge. He made his film debut as a child actor, in the war film "In Which We Serve" (1942). The film depicted the Battle of Crete (1941) and its aftermath.
Massey did not return to film roles until the late 1950s. His early roles included the comedy film "Girls at Sea" (1958), the military-themed comedy "Operation Bullshine" (1959), the comedy-drama "Upstairs and Downstairs" (1959), the music-hall themed drama and "The Entertainer" (1960). He played the leading role of John Fellowes (Daniel Massey), an officer in the Grenadier Guards, in the military-themed drama "The Queen's Guards" (1961).
His next major role was as an incompetent thief in the crime comedy "Go to Blazes" (1962). He had a supporting role in the historical comedy "The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders" (1965), which was an adaptation of the novel "Moll Flanders" (1722) by Daniel Defoe (c. 1660-1731).
Massey received his best known role in the film "Star!" (1968), and received his nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The Award was instead won by rival actor Jack Albertson (1907-1981). Massey's next found a critically acclaimed role in television. He played the openly gay character Daniel in the historical drama "The Roads to Freedom" (1970). The series was an adaptation of a trilogy of novels: "The Age of Reason" (1945), "The Reprieve" (1945) and "Troubled Sleep" (1949) by Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980). They depicted the last years of the interwar period in France and the Fall of France (1940) in World War II.
Massey played the historical figure Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester (1532-1588) in the historical film "Mary, Queen of Scots" (1971). In the film. Dudley was depicted as a court favorite of Elizabeth I of England, (played by Glenda Jackson) and as a suitor for Mary I of Scotland (played by .Vanessa Redgrave).
Massey next has a role in the anthology horror film "The Vault of Horror " (1973), which adapted several classic horror stories published by EC Comics. It was his first appearance in a comic book adaptation. He played the French dramatist Victorien Sardou (1831-1908) in the biographical film "The Incredible Sarah" (1976).
Massey was mostly reduced to supporting roles in the religious drama "The Devil's Advocate" (1977), the fantasy film "Warlords of Atlantis" (1978), and the horror comedy "The Cat and the Canary" (1979). He only appeared in a hand full of films in the 1980s, but played the historical judge Mervyn Griffith-Jones (1909-1979) in "Scandal" (1989). The film was loosely based on the political scandal Profumo affair, which had damaged the reputation of the Conservative Party in the early 1960s.
Massey was in poor health in the 1990s, and his career consequently suffered. His last film role was voicing Jesus' disciple Cleopas in the animated Biblical drama "The Miracle Maker" (1999). The film was an an adaptation of the Gospels of the New Testament, and was released following Massey's death.
Massey died in March 1998, suffering from Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer affecting the white blood cells. He was buried at Putney Vale Cemetery in southwest London. The cemetery is located at the small community of Putney Vale, within the London Borough of Wandsworth.- Actor
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British actor Patrick Macnee was born on February 6, 1922 in London, England into a wealthy and eccentric family. His father, Daniel Macnee, was a race horse trainer, who drank and gambled away the family fortune, leaving young Patrick to be raised by his lesbian mother, Dorothea Mary, and her partner. Shortly after graduating from Eton (from which he was almost expelled for running a gambling ring), Macnee first appeared on stage and made his film debut as an extra in Pygmalion (1938). His career was interrupted by World War II, during which he served in the Royal Navy. After military service, Macnee attended the Webber Douglas School of Dramatic Art in London on scholarship. He also resumed his stage and film career, with bit parts such as Young Jacob Marley in A Christmas Carol (1951). Disappointed with his limited roles, Macnee left England for Canada and the United States.
In 1954, he went to Broadway with an Old Vic troupe and later moved on to Hollywood, where he made occasional television and film appearances until returning to England in 1959. Once back home, he took advantage of his producing experience in Canada to become co-producer of the British television series Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years (1960). Shortly thereafter, Macnee landed the role that brought him worldwide fame and popularity in the part of John Steed, in the classic British television series The Avengers (1961). His close identification with this character limited his career choices after the cancellation of the series in 1969, prompting him to reprise the role in The New Avengers (1976), which, though popular, failed to recapture the magic of the original series. During the 1980s and 1990s, Macnee became a familiar face on American television in such series as Gavilan (1982), Empire (1984), Thunder in Paradise (1994) and NightMan (1997). In the past decade, Macnee has also made several audio recordings of book fiction.- Writer
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When he appeared at the London Palladium in 1948 sporting an untidy black beard he brought the house down with a 5 minute act using an antique chair back which became a ships rudder , a harp, a flag, a comb and a cows udder, He was booked for the Royal Variety show and looked set for stardom but 5 years of obscurity followed during which time he toured the States and spent 2 years in Australia. Back in Britain he made the comedy film The Sandwhich Man (Oct 65) and periodically he goes to a West Londonm rifle range and fires off at clay pigeons,