Richard Cordery is a character actor of film, television, and stage.

Career

Film and television

Cordery's television credits include ''

Rumpole of the Bailey ''Rumpole of the Bailey'' is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer. It starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, a middle-aged London barrister who defended a broad variety of clients, oft ...

'', as a prosecution Barrister (Series 5 Episode 6 - 1988), ''

Doc Martin ''Doc Martin'' is a British medical comedy drama television series starring Martin Clunes as Doctor Martin Ellingham. It was created by Dominic Minghella after the character of Dr Martin Bamford in the 2000 comedy film '' Saving Grace''. The ...

'' as Dennis Dodds, ''

Whitechapel Whitechapel is a district in East London and the future administrative centre of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a part of the East End of London, east of Charing Cross. Part of the historic county of Middlesex, the area formed ...

'' as George Collier, ''

Garrow's Law ''Garrow's Law'' is a British period legal drama about the 18th-century lawyer William Garrow. The series debuted on 1 November 2009 on BBC One and BBC HD. A second series was announced on 7 July 2010 and was broadcast from 14 November 2010. A th ...

'' as Sir Sampson Wright. He appeared in '' Midsomer Murders'' “The Straw Woman” as Dr John Cole in 2004, as Morris Bingham in “The-Made-to Measure Murders” in 2010, and as Atticus Bradley in “The Killings of Copenhagen“ (2014, S16:E5). He played the Duc De Raguse in the 2012 film ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

''. In the 2013 film '' About Time'', Cordery played Uncle Desmond, the "sweet but mentally-challenged" uncle of the protagonist Tim. He also appeared in Midsomer Murders “The Killings of Copenhagen” as Atticus Bradley in 2014. In the fifth season 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 ...

'', Cordery portrayed

Marmaduke Hussey Marmaduke James Hussey, Baron Hussey of North Bradley (29 August 1923 – 27 December 2006), known as Duke Hussey, was Chairman of the Board of Governors of the BBC from 1986 to 1996, serving two terms in that role. Education and career The so ...

, the Chairman of the

Board of Governors of the BBC The Board of Governors of the BBC was the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation. It consisted of twelve people who together regulated the BBC and represented the interests of the public. It existed from 1927 until it was replace ...

from 1986 to 1996.

Theatre

Much of Cordery's acting career has been in theatre. His body of work includes many Shakespeare performances, such as the tragedy '' Romeo and Juliet'' (1997), the trilogy ''Henry VI'' (2000), the drama '' Richard III'' (2001), the tragedy '' Macbeth'' (2004), and the comedy ''

The Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some crit ...

''. In 2002, Cordery played Menenius in a Swan Theatre adaptation of the Shakespeare play ''

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 ...

''. Later that year, he appeared as

Falstaff Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays '' Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', w ...

in another Shakespeare play, '' The Merry Wives of Windsor''. Cordery portrayed the steward

Malvolio Malvolio is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's comedy ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will''. His name means "ill will" in Italian, referencing his disagreeable nature. He is the vain, pompous, authoritarian steward of Olivia's househo ...

in a 2005 production of ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vi ...

'' at the

Royal Shakespeare Theatre The Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST) (originally called the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre) is a grade II* listed 1,040+ seat thrust stage theatre owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company dedicated to the English playwright and poet William Shakespea ...

. In 2008, he played Russell Blackborough in the play ''Waste'' at the Almeida Theater and the following year he appeared in the musical '' Spring Awakening'' at the Lyric Theatre. Cordery appeared as Canon Chasuble in a 2011 production of ''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...

'' at the

Rose Theatre, Kingston The Rose Theatre Kingston is a theatre on Kingston High Street in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. The theatre seats 822 around a wide, thrust stage. It officially opened on 16 January 2008 with ''Uncle Vanya'' by Anton Chekhov, with ...

. ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'' praised the actor for giving a "performance of comic bliss as the amorous and sententious Canon Chasuble, baffled by each new turn of events while supporting his prodigious bulk on a surprisingly nifty pair of pins."

Personal life

Cordery is a former teacher who once taught in an inner-London secondary school.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cordery, Richard Living people British male television actors 21st-century British male actors 20th-century British male actors British male film actors Year of birth missing (living people)