Preeminent British classical actor of the first post-Olivier generation, Derek Jacobi was knighted in 1994 for his services to the theatre, and, in fact, is only the second to enjoy the honor of holding TWO knighthoods, Danish and English .
Was the mentor and acting instructor of Kenneth Branagh.
He won a Tony in 1985 for "Much Ado About Nothing."
Was on the short list of actors considered for the role of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs
He and Laurence Olivier are the only actors to have received both a Danish and a British Knighthood.
1985: Commander of the Order of the British Empire (United Kingdom). 1989: Knight 1st class of the Order of the Dannebrog (Denmark). 1994: Knight Bachelor, for services to Drama (United Kingdom).
Charlton Heston and Ronnie Barker had been considered for the role of Claudius in "I, Claudius" before he landed the role.
He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1984 (1983 season) for Best Actor in a Revival for "Cyrano de Bergerac".
He was awarded the 1983 London Critics Circle Theatre Award (Drama Theatre Award) for Best Actor for his performances in Cyrano de Bergerac and Much Ado About Nothing.
He was awarded the 1983 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor for his performance in Much Ado About Nothing.
An Associate Member of RADA.
Has a Victorian home in London, England.
Replaced Donald Sutherland as Franklyn Madson in Dead Again .
Won Broadways 1985 Tony Award as Best Actor (Play) for William Shakespeare s "Much Ado About Nothing." He was also Tony-nominated in the same category in 1988 for "Breaking the Code."
Is a native of Leytonstone, in Londons East End, which has also produced film maker Alfred Hitchcock , TV journalists & presenters Jonathan Ross and Paul Ross , TV cook Fanny Cradock , Bangra-DnB composer/producer Talvin Singh , Iron-Maiden bassist/songwriter Steve Harris , former England cricket captain Graham Gooch, and England soccer captain David Beckham.
On the shortlist of actors considered for the main guest lead of Captain Rorvik (played by Clifford Rose ) in the episode "Warriors Gate" of "Doctor Who" .
After 27 years together, registered his civil partnership with long-term partner Richard Clifford in March 2006, four months after civil unions became legal in England and Wales.
Patron of the British American Drama Academy, London.
In 1963, when Jacobi auditioned for Britains just-forming National Theatre, Olivier hired him as an understudy and spear-carrier. Luckily for Jacobi, the actor he was understudying. Jeremy Brett got the call to Hollywood, and Jacobi inherited all his parts.
Was one of three actors considered for the role of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs .
Once was invited to play Hamlet at Kronborg Castle, better known as Elsinore Castle, the setting of the play itself.
Along with Mark Gatiss , he is one of only two actors to play both the "Doctor Who" character the Doctor and his greatest enemy, the Master. He played the former (as well as a failed television writer named Martin Bannister) in the Big Finish "Doctor Who Unbound" audio drama Deadline. He played the latter in both the BBCi webcast "Doctor Who: Scream of the Shalka" and the "Doctor Who" episode "Utopia".
He has portrayed two different versions of the "Doctor Who" character the Master: an android copy of the first incarnation of the Master in the BBCi webcast "Doctor Who: Scream of the Shalka" and the fifth incarnation of the Master in the "Doctor Who" episode "Utopia".
Played "Hamlet" opposite Timothy West and, later, John Turner as "Claudius" in the Prospect Theatre Company productions. He would later direct Kenneth Branagh in the title role, before appearing as "Claudius" in the film production directed by Branagh.
After Roger Delgado , Peter Pratt , Geoffrey Beevers , Anthony Ainley , Gordon Tipple and Eric Roberts , he is the seventh actor to play the Master, the Doctors greatest enemy. He played the role in "Doctor Who" {Utopia (#3.11)} . He was succeeded in the role by John Simm and Michelle Gomez.
Nominated for the 1988 Tony Award (New York City) for Actor in a Drama for "Breaking the Code".
Has appeared in several films as a character with a stutter: the title character in "I, Claudius" , Frankie in Dead Again , Alan Turing in Breaking the Code . He also appears in The Kings Speech , though not as the character who stutters.
He played the Roman Emperor Claudius between the ages of 18 (in 9 AD) and 63 (in 54 AD) in "I, Claudius" .
An only child.
Derek is a fan of "Doctor Who" and wanted to be cast in the series since the beginning. He has also wanted to be cast in "Coronation Street" .
He claims to have been close to being cast as Hannibal Lector in The Silence of the Lambs . The same is true of Daniel Day-Lewis.
He was considered for the roles of Dr. Armstrong and Dr. Bukovsky in Lifeforce . Patrick Stewart and Michael Gothard were eventually cast.
As of 2014, has appeared in three films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Gladiator , Gosford Park and The Kings Speech . Of those, The Kings Speech and Gladiator are winners in the category.
He has appeared in five films directed by Kenneth Branagh : Henry V , Dead Again , Hamlet , Cinderella and Murder on the Orient Express .
He has two roles in common with Charles Laughton : (1) Laughton played the Roman Emperor Claudius in I, Claudius while Jacobi played him in "I, Claudius" and Laughton played Gracchus in Spartacus while Jacobi played him in Gladiator .
Although he played Claire Bloom s son in Hamlet, Prince of Denmark , he is only seven years her junior in real life. Furthermore, he played Patrick Stewart s nephew and stepson in the same production but is almost two years his senior.
Although he played Hanna Schygulla s son in Dead Again , he is five years her senior in real life.
He has appeared in six films with his domestic partner Richard Clifford : Little Dorrit , Henry V , The Fool , A Bunch of Amateurs , My Week with Marilyn and Jail Caesar .
He has two roles in common with his Breaking the Code co-star Richard Johnson : (1) Johnson played King Claudius of Denmark in "ITV Saturday Night Theatre" {Hamlet (#3.30)} while Jacobi played him in Hamlet and Johnson played the Roman Emperor Claudius in "Churchills People" {The Lost Island } while Jacobi played him in "I, Claudius" .
He was awarded the CBE in the 1985 Queens Birthday Honours List and became a Knight Bachelor in the 1994 Queens New Year Honours List for his services to drama.
He was awarded the 1989 Drama-Logue Award for Performance for the play, "Byron-Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know," in the American Premiere in the Centre Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre production at the James A. Doolittle Theatre (University of California) in Los Angeles, California .
He played Archibald Craven in two adaptations of the 1911 novel "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett : The Secret Garden and "ABC Weekend Specials" {The Secret Garden (#15.1)} .
