Walter Charles Dance (born 10 October 1946) is an English actor. He is known for playing strict, authoritarian characters and villains. His most notable film roles include Sardo Numspa in ''

The Golden Child ''The Golden Child'' is a 1986 American dark fantasy martial arts action comedy film directed by Michael Ritchie. The film stars Eddie Murphy as Chandler Jarrell, a Los Angeles social worker who is informed that he is " The Chosen One", and is ...

'' (1986), Dr. Jonathan Clemens in ''

Alien 3 ''Alien 3'' (stylized as ''A''LIEN³) is a 1992 American science fiction horror film directed by David Fincher and written by David Giler, Walter Hill, and Larry Ferguson, from a story by Vincent Ward. It stars Sigourney Weaver, reprising her ...

'' (1992), Benedict in ''

Last Action Hero ''Last Action Hero'' is a 1993 American fantasy action comedy film directed and produced by John McTiernan and co-written by Shane Black and David Arnott. It is a satire of the action genre and associated clichés, containing several parodies ...

'' (1993), Lord Havelock Vetinari in ''

Terry Pratchett's Going Postal ''Terry Pratchett's Going Postal'' is a two-part television film adaptation of ''Going Postal'' by Terry Pratchett, adapted by Richard Kurti and Bev Doyle and produced by The Mob, which was first broadcast on Sky1, and in high definition on S ...

'' (2010), the Master Vampire in ''

Dracula Untold ''Dracula Untold'' is a 2014 American dark fantasy action-horror film directed by Gary Shore in his feature film debut and written by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. A reboot of the ''Dracula'' film series, the plot creates an origin story f ...

'' (2014),

Alastair Denniston Commander Alexander "Alastair" Guthrie Denniston (1 December 1881 – 1 January 1961) was a Scottish codebreaker in Room 40, deputy head of the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) and hockey player. Denniston was appointed operational he ...

in ''

The Imitation Game ''The Imitation Game'' is a 2014 American historical drama film directed by Morten Tyldum and written by Graham Moore, based on the 1983 biography '' Alan Turing: The Enigma'' by Andrew Hodges. The film's title quotes the name of the game c ...

'' (2014), Alan Jonah in '' Godzilla: King of the Monsters'' (2019), and

William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...

in '' Mank'' (2020). On television, Dance played Guy Perron in '' The Jewel in the Crown'' (1984), Mr Tulkinghorn in

Bleak House ''Bleak House'' is a novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a 20-episode serial between March 1852 and September 1853. The novel has many characters and several sub-plots, and is told partly by the novel's heroine, Esther Summerson, and ...

(2005),

Tywin Lannister Tywin Lannister is a fictional character in the fantasy series ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' by American novelist George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones''. He is introduced in ''A Game of Thrones'' (1996) and subsequent ...

in '' Game of Thrones'' (2011–2015), and Lord Mountbatten in the third and fourth seasons of ''

The Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...

'' (2019–2020). For his role in the latter, he was nominated for a

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series is an award presented annually by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a guest st ...

Early life

Walter Charles Dance was born in

Redditch Redditch is a town, and local government district, in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district has a population of 85,000 as of 2019. In the 19th century, it became the international centre for the ...

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see H ...

on 10 October 1946, the younger son of Eleanor Marion ( Perks; 1911–1984), a cook, and Walter Dance (1874–1949), an electrical engineer who served as a sergeant in the 2nd Regular Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

(having previously served in the 2nd Volunteer Battalion) and who was in his 70s when his younger son was born. By his father's previous marriage, Dance had two older half-sisters, Norah (1898–1993) and Mary (1903–1908). He also has an elder brother, Michael (born 1936). During filming of an episode for the genealogical series '' Who Do You Think You Are?'' in 2016, Dance also discovered that his mother had Belgian ancestry, which traced back to the city of Spa. His immigrant ancestor Charles François Futvoye (1777–1847) had been a pioneer in the art of

Japanning Japanning is a type of finish that originated as a European imitation of East Asian lacquerwork. It was first used on furniture, but was later much used on small items in metal. The word originated in the 17th century. American work, with the ...

during the early half of the 19th century. Growing up in Plymouth, Dance attended the now-defunct Widey Technical School for Boys (then known as Widey High School) in

Crownhill Crownhill is an area of northern Plymouth, in the county of Devon, England. Overview It was originally known as Knackersknowle, meaning "the hill of the knacker's yard". In 1860 a fort was built on a high piece of land, just to the north wes ...

. He later attended

Arts University Plymouth Arts University Plymouth is an independent university-sector Higher Education (HE) provider located in Plymouth in South West England. The former Plymouth College of Art was officially granted university status in 2022. In April 2019 the s ...

and

De Montfort University De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) is a public university in the city of Leicester, England. It was established in accordance with the Further and Higher Education Act in 1992 as a degree awarding body. The name De Montfort University was tak ...

(then known as the Leicester College of Arts), where he studied graphic design and photography.

Career

Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)

Dance was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company during the mid-to-late 1970s and was in many of their productions in London and Stratford-upon-Avon. Later he returned to the RSC to take the title role in ''

Coriolanus ''Coriolanus'' ( or ) is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608. The play is based on the life of the legendary Roman leader Caius Marcius Coriolanus. Shakespeare worked on it during the same yea ...

'' at Stratford-upon-Avon and

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

in 1989, and at the

Barbican Theatre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhib ...

in 1990. He received rave reviews and a Critics' Circle Best Actor award for his performance as

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univers ...

in William Nicholson's '' Shadowlands'', in the 2007 stage revival.

Television and film

Dance made his screen debut in 1974, in the ITV series ''

Father Brown Father Brown is a fictional Roman Catholic priest and amateur detective who is featured in 53 short stories published between 1910 and 1936 written by English author G. K. Chesterton. Father Brown solves mysteries and crimes using his intui ...

'' as Commandant Neil O'Brien in "The Secret Garden". Other small parts followed, including a 1983 cameo as a

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

n assassin in '' The Professionals'', but his big break came the following year when he played the major role of Guy Perron in '' The Jewel in the Crown'' (Granada Television, Christopher Morahan 1984), an adaptation of Paul Scott's novels that also made stars of

Geraldine James Geraldine James, OBE (born 6 July 1950) is an English film and television actress. Biography Early life and family James was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, to a cardiologist father and an alcoholic mother, who had been a nurse. She failed her ...

and Art Malik. Dance made one of his earliest big-screen appearances in the 1981

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

film '' For Your Eyes Only'' as evil henchman Claus. Though he turned down the opportunity to screen test for the James Bond role, in 1989 he played Bond creator Ian Fleming in

Anglia Television ITV Anglia, previously known as Anglia Television, is the ITV franchise holder for the East of England. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional news bureaux in Cambridge and Northampton. ITV Anglia is owned and operated b ...

's dramatised biography directed by

Don Boyd Donald William Robertson Boyd (born 11 August 1948 in Nairn, Scotland) is a Scottish film director, producer, screenwriter and novelist. He was a Governor of the London Film School until 2016 and in 2017 was made an Honorary Professor in the Col ...

, ''Goldeneye'' (the name of Fleming's estate in Jamaica and a title later used for a

film). He has also starred in many other British television dramas such as ''

Edward the Seventh ''Edward the Seventh'' is a 1975 British historical drama series, made by ATV in 13 episodes. Based on the biography of King Edward VII by Philip Magnus, it starred Annette Crosbie as Queen Victoria, Timothy West as the elder Edward VII, w ...

'' (as

Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (Albert Victor Christian Edward; 8 January 1864 – 14 January 1892) was the eldest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra) and grandson of the ...

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

's oldest son, and heir to the throne), ''

Murder Rooms ''Murder Rooms: Mysteries of the Real Sherlock Holmes'' is a television crime drama series created by David Pirie, and co-produced by the BBC and WGBH Boston, a PBS station. Six episodes were made and were first broadcast on BBC Two, the first ...

'', '' Randall and Hopkirk'', '' Rebecca'', ''

The Phantom of the Opera ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pier ...

'', '' Fingersmith'' and ''

'' (for which he received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie). He was name-checked in the British comedy series ''

Absolutely Fabulous ''Absolutely Fabulous'' (also known as ''Ab Fab'') is a British television sitcom based on the ''French and Saunders'' sketch, "Modern Mother and Daughter", created by Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. The show was created and written by Saund ...

'', as being slated to play the title character in ''The Life of Jesus Christ 2'', which was filming in

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

at the same time as the main characters of the series were there for a photo shoot. He also played Guy Spencer, the pro-

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

propagandist, in the second instalment of ''

Foyle's War ''Foyle's War'' is a British detective drama television series set during and shortly after the Second World War, created by '' Midsomer Murders'' screenwriter and author Anthony Horowitz and commissioned by ITV after the long-running series ...

'', and had an ongoing role as Dr. Maltravers in the ITV drama ''

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...

''. Dance made a guest appearance on the BBC drama series '' Merlin'' as the Witchfinder Aredian, and as a vainglorious version of himself in the third series of '' Jam & Jerusalem''. He played Lord Vetinari in the 2010 Sky adaptation of ''

'', and as the

Russian oligarch Russian oligarchs ( Russian: олигархи, romanized: ''oligarkhi'') are business oligarchs of the former Soviet republics who rapidly accumulated wealth in the 1990s via the Russian privatisation that followed the dissolution of the Sovi ...

Aleksandr Borinski in ''

Paris Connections ''Paris Connections'' is a 2010 British film directed by Harley Cokeliss. The script was written by Michael Tupy, based on a thriller by Jackie Collins. The film was the first direct to DVD film that the British supermarket firm Tesco produced ...

''. He played the role of

in HBO's '' Game of Thrones'', based on the '' A Song of Ice and Fire'' novels by

George R. R. Martin George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948), also known as GRRM, is an American novelist, screenwriter, television producer and short story writer. He is the author of the series of epic fantasy novels ''A Song ...

. Dance was wooed for the role by the producers while filming ''

Your Highness ''Your Highness'' is a 2011 American stoner comic fantasy film directed by David Gordon Green. It stars Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel and Justin Theroux. Written by McBride and Ben Best, the film was release ...

'' in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

. Dance also played Conrad Knox on the British television series '' Strike Back: Vengeance'' as the primary villain in the series. On 30 June 2013, Dance appeared with other celebrities in an episode of the BBC's ''

Top Gear Top Gear may refer to: * "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission Television * ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme * ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the or ...

'' as a "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" for the debut of the

Vauxhall Astra The Vauxhall Astra is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) that has been sold by Vauxhall since 1980. It is currently produced at Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England. For its first two generations, the nameplate was applied to right-han ...

. In summer 2018, Dance narrated a documentary entitled ''Spitfire'', which featured the legendary Supermarine Spitfire and recounted the efforts of the RAF pilots who flew them during the Second World War. In 2019, he played an antagonist in '' Godzilla: King of the Monsters'' and appeared as Lord Mountbatten in series 3 of ''

'' later in the same year. In 2020, Dance portrayed

in David Fincher's '' Mank'', co-starring alongside

Gary Oldman Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an English actor and filmmaker. Known for his versatility and intense acting style, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and three British Academy ...

and

Amanda Seyfried Amanda Michelle Seyfried ( ; born December 3, 1985) is an American actress. Born and raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania, she began modeling at age 11 and ventured into acting at 15, with recurring roles as Lucy Montgomery on the CBS soap opera ...

. In January 2021, Dance was cast in the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

adaptation of '' The Sandman''.

Screenwriting and directing

Dance's debut film as a screenwriter and director was ''

Ladies in Lavender ''Ladies in Lavender'' is a 2004 British drama film written and directed by Charles Dance. The screenplay is based on a 1908 short story by William J. Locke. The film stars Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Natascha McElhone, and Miriam Margolyes. Plot ...

'' (2004), which starred

Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...

and Maggie Smith. In 2009, he directed his own adaptation of

Alice Thomas Ellis Alice Thomas Ellis (born Ann Margaret Lindholm, 9 September 1932 – 8 March 2005) was an English writer and essayist born in Liverpool. She wrote numerous novels and some non-fiction, including cookery books. Life Ellis was born in Liverpool to ...

's ''The Inn at the Edge of the World''.

Personal life

Dance lives in

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nor ...

. He married Joanna Haythorn in 1970, and they had a son named Oliver (born 1974) and a daughter named Rebecca (born 1980) before divorcing in 2004. He later dated Eleanor Boorman from 2008 to 2012, and they had a daughter named Rose (born 2012). He has been engaged to Italian film producer and painter Alessandra Alma Masi since October 2019.

Honours

Dance was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on 17 June 2006.

Filmography

Film

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Victor Frankenstein Victor Frankenstein is a fictional character and the main protagonist and title character in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel, ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus''.. He is an Italian-Swiss scientist (born in Naples, Italy) who, after studyin ...

'' , Frankenstein , , - , ''

Michiel de Ruyter Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter (; 24 March 1607 – 29 April 1676) was a Dutch admiral. Widely celebrated and regarded as one of the most skilled admirals in history, De Ruyter is arguably most famous for his achievements with the Dutch N ...

'' , Charles II , , - , '' Woman in Gold'' , Sherman , , - , '' Child 44'' , Major Grachev , , - , 2016 , ''

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies ''Pride and Prejudice and Zombies'' is a 2009 parody novel by Seth Grahame-Smith. It is a mashup combining Jane Austen's classic 1813 novel ''Pride and Prejudice'' with elements of modern zombie fiction, crediting Austen as co-author. It was fir ...

'' , Mr. Bennet , , - , rowspan=4, 2016 , ''

Me Before You ''Me Before You'' is a romance novel written by Jojo Moyes. The book was first published on 5 January 2012 in the United Kingdom. A sequel titled ''After You'' was released on 24 September 2015 through Pamela Dorman Books. A second sequel, ''St ...

'' , Stephen Traynor , , - , ''

Ghostbusters ''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, thr ...

'' , Harold Filmore , , - , '' Despite the Falling Snow'' , Old Alexander , , - , '' Underworld: Blood Wars'' , Thomas , , - , rowspan=2, 2017 , '' Euphoria'' , Mr. Daren , , - , ''

That Good Night ''That Good Night'' is a play by NJ Crisp, written with the intention of it being performed by Donald Sinden and his son Marc Sinden playing the central characters of the father and son. However Marc, who in 1991 had starred in Crisps' psycholog ...

'' , The Visitor , , - , rowspan=2, 2018 , ''

Johnny English Strikes Again ''Johnny English Strikes Again'' is a 2018 action spy comedy film directed by David Kerr. It is the sequel to '' Johnny English Reborn'' (2011) and is the third and final installment of the ''Johnny English'' series. The film stars Rowan Atk ...

'' , Agent Seven , Cameo , - , '' Happy New Year, Colin Burstead'' , Bertie , , - , rowspan=3, 2019 , '' Godzilla: King of the Monsters'' , Alan Jonah , , - , '' Viy 2: Journey to China'' , Lord Dudley , , - , '' Fanny Lye Deliver'd'' , John Lye , , - , rowspan=2, 2020 , '' The Book of Vision'' , Johan Anmuth , , - , '' Mank'' ,

, ‘Mank’: Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins, ‘Downton Abbey's Tuppence Middleton & More Join David Fincher Pic
/ref> , - , 2021 , ''

The King's Man ''The King's Man'' is a 2021 spy action film directed by Matthew Vaughn from a screenplay by Vaughn and Karl Gajdusek and a story by Vaughn. The third installment in the British ''Kingsman'' film series, which is based on the comic book ''The ...

'' , Lord Kitchener , , - , rowspan=3, 2022 , '' Against the Ice'' , Neergaard , , - , ''Lancaster'' , Narrator , , - , '' The Hanging Sun'' , Jacob , , - , TBA , ''The Liar'' , Tickford ,

Television

Video games

Audiobooks

Podcasts

Stage

* ''

Toad of Toad Hall ''Toad of Toad Hall'' is a play written by A. A. Milne – the first of several dramatisations of Kenneth Grahame's 1908 novel '' The Wind in the Willows'' – with incidental music by Harold Fraser-Simson. It was originally produced by Willi ...

'' as Badger (1971) * ''

The Beggar's Opera ''The Beggar's Opera'' is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of satiri ...

'' as Wat Dreary (

Chichester Festival Theatre Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, it was opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Mart ...

, 1972) * ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken ...

'' as Philip (Chichester, 1972) * '' Three Sisters'' as Soliony (

Greenwich Theatre Greenwich Theatre is a local theatre located in Croom's Hill close to the centre of Greenwich in south-east London. Theatre first came to Greenwich at the beginning of the 19th century during the famous Eastertide Greenwich Fair at which the Ric ...

, 1973) * ''Hans Kohlhaus'' as Meissen (Greenwich, 1973) * '' Born Yesterday'' as Hotel Manager (Greenwich, 1973) * '' Saint Joan'' as Baudricourt (Oxford Festival, 1974) * '' The Sleeping Beauty'' as Prince (1974) * ''

Travesties ''Travesties'' is a 1974 play by Tom Stoppard. The play centres on the figure of Henry Carr, an elderly man who reminisces about Zürich in 1917 during the First World War, and his interactions with James Joyce when he was writing '' Ulysses'' ...

'' as Henry Carr (Leeds Playhouse, 1977) * ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' as Fortinbras / Reynaldo / Player ( RSC The Other Place 1975;

The Roundhouse The Roundhouse is a performing arts and concert venue situated at the Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England. The building was erected in 1846–1847 by the London & North Western Railway as a roundhous ...

, 1976) * '' Perkin Warbeck'' as Hialas / Astley / Spanish Ambassador (RSC The Other Place, 1975) * '' Richard III'' as Catesby / Murderer (RSC The Other Place, 1975) * ''

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1 ...

'' as Henry V (RSC Glasgow and New York, 1975) * '' Henry IV, Part One'' and '' Henry IV, Part Two'' as Prince John of Lancaster (RSC Stratford, 1975;

Aldwych Theatre The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Aldwych in the City of Westminster, central London. It was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200 on three levels. History Origins The theatre was constructed in th ...

, 1976) * '' As You Like It'' as Oliver (RSC Stratford, 1977; Aldwych, 1978) * ''

'' as Scroop / Williams (RSC Stratford, 1977) * ''

Henry VI, Part 2 ''Henry VI, Part 2'' (often written as ''2 Henry VI'') is a Shakespearean history, history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591 and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England. Whereas ''Henry VI, Part 1'' ...

'' as Buckingham (RSC Stratford, 1977; Aldwych, 1978) * ''The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs'' as Whistling Guard / Freeman (RSC

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by Mi ...

, 1978; The Other Place, 1979) * ''

'' as Volscian Lieutenant (RSC Stratford, 1977) * ''

'' as Tullus Aufidius (Aldwych, 1978 and 1979) * ''The Women Pirates'' as Blackie / Vosquin (RSC Aldwych, 1978) * '' The Changeling'' as Tomazo (RSC Aldwych, 1978) * ''

Irma la Douce ''Irma la Douce'' (, "Irma the Sweet") is a 1963 American romantic comedy film directed by Billy Wilder from a screenplay he co-wrote with I. A. L. Diamond, based on the 1956 French stage musical of the same name by Marguerite Monnot and Alexa ...

'' as Nestor (

Shaftesbury Theatre The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. Opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, it was the last theatre to be built in Shaftesbury Avenue. History The theatre was ...

, 1979) * ''

The Heiress ''The Heiress'' is a 1949 American romantic drama film directed and produced by William Wyler, from a screenplay written by Ruth and Augustus Goetz, adapted from their 1947 stage play of the same title, which was itself adapted from Henry Jame ...

'' as Morris Townsend (1980) * ''Turning Over'' as Frank ( Bush Theatre, 1983) * ''

'' as Coriolanus (RSC Stratford and

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

, 1989;

, 1990) * '' Three Sisters'' as Vershinin (Birmingham Rep, 1998) * ''

Good In most contexts, the concept of good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice between possible actions. Good is generally considered to be the opposite of evil and is of interest in the study of ethics, morality, ph ...

'' as John Halder (Donmar Warehouse, 1999) * '' Long Day's Journey into Night'' as James Tyrone ( Lyric Theatre, 2000) * ''

The Play What I Wrote ''The Play What I Wrote'' is a comedy play written by Hamish McColl, Sean Foley and Eddie Braben, starring Foley and McColl (the double act The Right Size, playing characters named "Sean" and "Hamish"), with Toby Jones, directed by Kenneth Br ...

'' as a guest star (

Wyndham's Theatre Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c.1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the archit ...

, 20012002) * '' Celebration'' as Richard (

Gate Theatre The Gate Theatre is a theatre on Cavendish Row in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1928. History Beginnings The Gate Theatre was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir with Daisy Bannard Cogley and Gearóid Ó Lochlai ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

;

Albery Theatre Albery is a name. It may refer to: ;People by given name *Albery Allson Whitman (1851−1901), African American poet, minister and orator ;People by surname: *A. S. Albery, British politician *Bronson Albery (1881−1971), English theatre director ...

, 2005) * ''

The Exonerated ''The Exonerated'' is a made-for-cable television film that dramatizes the stories of six people, some of whom, were wrongfully convicted of murder and other offenses, placed on death row, and later exonerated and freed after serving varying ye ...

'' (

Riverside Studios Riverside Studios is an arts centre on the banks of the River Thames in Hammersmith, London, England. The venue plays host to contemporary performance, film, visual art exhibitions and television production. Having closed for redevelopment i ...

, Hammersmith, London, 2006) * ''

Eh Joe ''Eh Joe'' is a piece for television, written in English by Samuel Beckett, his first work for the medium. It was begun on the author's fifty-ninth birthday, 13 April 1965, and completed by 1 May. “It asfollowed by six undated typescripts (nu ...

'' as Joe (Parade Theatre, Sydney, 2006) * '' Shadowlands'' as

(Wyndham's Theatre, 2007 and Novello Theatre 20072008)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dance, Charles 1946 births Living people 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Alumni of De Montfort University Alumni of the Plymouth College of Art Audiobook narrators Critics' Circle Theatre Award winners English male film actors English male Shakespearean actors English male stage actors English male television actors English people of Belgian descent Male actors from Plymouth, Devon Officers of the Order of the British Empire Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners People from Redditch Royal Shakespeare Company members