Arthur Nigel Davenport

From Wikipedia:

Arthur Nigel Davenport (23 May 1928 – 25 October 2013) was an English stage, television and film actor.[1]

Early life and education

Nigel Davenport was born on May 23, 1928 in Shelford, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England as Arthur Nigel Davenport. He was an actor and assistant director, known for Chariots of Fire (1981), A Man for All Seasons (1966) and The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977). He was married to Maria Aitken and Helena Margaret White. He died on October 25, 2013 in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England.

Davenport was born in Great Shelford,[2] Cambridgeshire, to Katherine Lucy (née Meiklejohn) and Arthur Henry Davenport.[3] His father was a bursar at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. 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.[4]

Career

Davenport first appeared on stage at the Savoy Theatre and then with the Shakespeare Memorial Company, before joining the English Stage Company, on of its earliest members, at the Royal Court Theatre in 1956.[5] 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).[5]

He made an impression as Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk in A Man for All Seasons (1966), costarred 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.

Speaking of working with Jack Palance on the Dan Curtis production of Dracula (1973), Davenport said "I was pretty frightened of that gentleman because he was so bloody tall! He was six-foot-four and, as he wanted to look like Dracula, he had three-inch lifts in his shoes, so he was like six-foot-seven - and he was a big guy".[6] During the production of Stanley Kubrick's 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. Canadian actor Douglas Rain was ultimately chosen for the role of HAL's voice.[7] Davenport took the leading role in the off-beat Phase IV (1974), which failed to find an audience.

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 retired from acting at the turn of the 21st century when he could no longer memorise lines from scripts.

He was president of Equity from 1986 to 1992.[1][6]

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 daughter, Laura and a son, Hugo. His second wife was actress Maria Aitken with whom he had a second son, Jack, also an actor, best known for co-starring in Pirates of the Caribbean. According to Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of the Pirates of the Caribbean films, Jack was cast as the James Norrington character, partly because of Nigel's involvement in A High Wind in Jamaica.[citation needed]

Father of author Hugo Davenport and actress Laura Davenport with his first wife, Helena Margaret White, and actor Jack Davenport with his second, Maria Aitken.

His father was a bursar of Sidney Sussex College in Cambridge, England.

Was educated at St. Peter's School, Seaford; Cheltenham College and read English at Trinity College, Oxford, where he received his Master of Arts degree.

He grew up in Cambridge but went to Trinity College, Oxford.

At Oxford University, his talent was for Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

He switched to studying English after his moral tutor told him his future was as an actor, which he claims he hadn't realised for himself at the time.

It was during his time at Oxford University that he met his first wife, Helena Margaret White, with whom he had two children.

During production of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), 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 after a few weeks he dismissed him, so Canadian actor Douglas Rain, who was ultimately chosen for the role, quickly recorded his lines for the final film in post-production.

Retired from acting in the early 21st Century because he could no longer remember dialogue.

Was president of the British Actors' Equity Association, from 1986-1992.

Was one of the first members of the English Stage Company at the Royal Court.

Worked as a British Army disc jockey in Hamburg, Germany while doing military service.

What Davenport referred to as his "dodgy eyes" was the consequence of a botched childhood operation to correct a squint. The vision in his right eye remained blurred for the rest of his life.

Had appeared with Susannah York in four films: Sands of the Kalahari (1965), A Man for All Seasons (1966), Sebastian (1968) and A Christmas Carol (1984).

Was among the actors in the running for Dr. Hans Fallada in the science fiction horror film Lifeforce (1985). Frank Finlay was cast instead.

He appeared in two Best Picture Academy Award winners: A Man for All Seasons (1966) and Chariots of Fire (1981).

He has two roles in common with Peter Cushing, Frank Finlay and David Warner: (1) Cushing played Professor Van Helsing in Horror of Dracula (1958), The Brides of Dracula (1960), Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972), The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973) and The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974), Davenport played him in Dracula (1974), Finlay played him in Count Dracula (1977) and Warner played him in Penny Dreadful (2014) and (2) Davenport played Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in The Edwardians: Conan Doyle (1972), Cushing played him in The Great Houdini (1976), Finlay played him in The Other Side (1992) and Warner played him in Houdini (1998).

Took his son Jack Davenport to see Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) but fell asleep and snored loudly through it, saying afterwards "it just couldn't hold his interest".

He was a member of the Oxford University Dramatic Society.

In 1975 he started filming 'Trick or Treat' produced by David Putnam, directed by Michael Apted and starring Bianca Jagger. However about 6 weeks into the shoot Bianca refused to do the nude shots, which she'd originally agreed to which resulted in the film being abandoned.

[In his 2010 Shock Cinema interview with journalist Anthony Petkovich about working with Jack Palance on the Dan Curtis production of Dracula (1974)] I was pretty frightened of that gentleman, because he was so bloody tall! He was six-foot-four and, as he wanted to look like Dracula, he had three-inch lifts in his shoes, so he was like six-foot-seven - and he was a big guy.

[on tycoons like his character in Howards' Way (1985)] They are not generally very cheerful people. They also tend to dress soberly and conventionally. They may go for the trappings of rich living, but they are rarely flash or even seem to enjoy their money. What I think they do enjoy is the fight, the competition.

Filmography

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1957–58; episodes: "Too Many Earls"; "The Mystery of Ireland's Eye"; "The Infidel"; "The Road in the Air"; "The Path of True Love", and "Bride for an Outlaw")

Look Back in Anger (1959)

Peeping Tom (1960)

The Entertainer (1960)

Mix Me a Person (1962)

Ladies Who Do (1963)

The Third Secret (1964)

A High Wind in Jamaica (1965)

Where the Spies Are (1965)

Sands of the Kalahari (1965)

Life at the Top (1965)

A Man for All Seasons (1966)

Sebastian (1968)

Play Dirty (1968 film)

The Strange Affair (1968)

The Royal Hunt of the Sun (1969)

The Virgin Soldiers (1969)

No Blade of Grass (1970)

The Mind of Mr. Soames (1970)

Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)

Villain (1971)

The Last Valley (1971)

Living Free (1972)

South Riding (TV series)

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1973)

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1973)

Phase IV (1974)

The Regent's Wife (1975)

Trick or Treat (1975) (unfinished)

Oil Strike North (1975 TV Series)

The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977)

Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers (1977)

Prince Regent (1979)

The London Connection (1979)

Zulu Dawn (1979 alongside Simon Ward)

Cry of the Innocent (1980- Gray Harrison Hunt)

Chariots of Fire (1981)

Nighthawks (1981)

Masada (1981)

Minder (1982)

An Inspector Calls (Arthur Birling) (1982 TV series)

A Christmas Carol (1984)

Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)

Caravaggio (1986)

Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy (1986)

Death of a Snowman

Without a Clue (1988)

Howards' Way (TV series) (1985–1990)

Trainer (TV series as James Brant) (1991)

Keeping Up Appearances ("The Commodore") (1993)

The Treasure Seekers (1996)

Shanghai 1937 (1997)

Mosley (TV Serial as Viscount Rothermere) (1998)

Longitude (miniseries) (2000)

David Copperfield (TV series) (2000) (USA)

Midsomer Murders (TV series) (2000)