Anthony Higgins (born 9 May 1947) is an English stage, film and television actor. His credits include '' A Walk with Love and Death'' (1969), '' Taste the Blood of Dracula'' (1970), '' Hadleigh'' (1976), '' The Eagle of the Ninth'' (1977), '' Love in a Cold Climate'' (1980), ''

Quartet In music, a quartet (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations of four instruments in chamber music is the string quartet. String quar ...

'' (1981), '' The Draughtsman's Contract'' (1982), ''

Lace Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is split into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...

'' (1984), '' The Bride'' (1985), ''

Young Sherlock Holmes ''Young Sherlock Holmes'' (also known with the title card name of ''Young Sherlock Holmes and the Pyramid of Fear'') is a 1985 American mystery adventure film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Chris Columbus, based on the characters ...

'' (1985), '' Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story'' (1987), '' Sherlock Holmes Returns'' (1993), ''

Nostradamus Michel de Nostredame (December 1503 – July 1566), usually Latinisation of names, Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French Astrology, astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed Oracle, seer, who is best known for his book ''Les Prophéti ...

'' (1994), ''

Peak Practice ''Peak Practice'' is a British drama series about a GP surgery in Cardale — a small fictional town in the Derbyshire Peak District — and the doctors who worked there. It originally starred Kevin Whately as Dr Jack Kerruish, Amanda Burton ...

'' (2000), '' Chromophobia'' (2005), '' Heroes and Villains: Napoleon'' (2007), '' Lewis'' (2009), '' Malice in Wonderland'' (2009), ''

Bel Ami ''Bel-Ami'' (, "Dear Friend") is the second novel by French author Guy de Maupassant, published in 1885; an English translation titled ''Bel Ami, or, The History of a Scoundrel: A Novel'' first appeared in 1903. The story chronicles journalist ...

'' (2012), and ''

Tutankhamun Tutankhamun or Tutankhamen, (; ), was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled during the late Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt. Born Tutankhaten, he instituted the restoration of the traditional polytheistic form of an ...

'' (2016).

Early life

Higgins was born in Northampton, England. He started acting in school and Cosmopolitan Club theatre plays, taking the lead in ''

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure a ...

'', ''

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial '' The String of Pearls'' (1846–1847). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet St ...

'', and '' The Beggar's Uproar''. After graduation he studied at the school of the

Birmingham Repertory Theatre Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre ...

Company.

Career

In 1967 he became a professional stage actor. He performed as

Romeo Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Characters in Romeo and Juliet#Lord Montague, Lord Montague and his wife, Characters in Romeo and Juliet#Lady Montague, Lady Montague, he ...

in ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'' at Birmingham Repertory. He worked onstage in

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

and at the Chichester Festival in

Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...

. One of his first television appearances was a pivotal role in a 1968 episode of the TV series ''

Journey to the Unknown ''Journey to the Unknown'' is a British anthology television series, produced by Hammer Film Productions and 20th Century Fox Television. It aired on ABC from September 26, 1968, to January 30, 1969. with Janice Rule. Another television appearance was in '' Strange Report'' (1969), with

Anthony Quayle Sir John Anthony Quayle (7 September 1913 – 20 October 1989) was a British actor. He was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his supporting role as Thomas Wolsey in the film '' Anne of the Thousand Days'' (1969). He also played impor ...

. Higgins' first successes in cinema were: '' A Walk with Love and Death'', by

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics. He rec ...

with

Anjelica Huston Anjelica Huston ( ; born July 8, 1951) is an American actress, director and model. She is best known for playing Morticia Addams in the ''The Addams Family'' and '' The Addams Family Values'', as well as often portraying eccentric and distincti ...

(1969), '' Something for Everyone'' (1970), with

Michael York Michael York (born Michael Hugh Johnson; 27 March 1942) is an English film, television, and stage actor. After performing on stage with the Royal National Theatre, he had a breakthrough in films by playing Tybalt in Franco Zeffirelli's ''Romeo ...

and

Angela Lansbury Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American actress, producer, and singer. In a career spanning 80 years, she played various roles on stage and screen. Among her numerous accolades wer ...

, '' Taste the Blood of Dracula'' (1970), with Christopher Lee, and a cult film '' Vampire Circus'' (1972). In all the films of his early career until 1975, Higgins was credited as 'Anthony Corlan' due to the similarity of his real name to that of another actor. There followed a period of television and plays for the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

, the National Theatre, and other British theatre productions. In 1970 he played Boris in the BBC TV series '' The Roads to Freedom'', based on the

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary criticism, literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th ...

trilogy. In 1976 he played a supporting role in a popular British television series, '' Hadleigh''. In 1977 he played the lead role in a BBC series '' The Eagle of the Ninth'', based on

Rosemary Sutcliff Rosemary Sutcliff (14 December 1920 – 23 July 1992) was an English novelist best known for children's books, especially historical fiction and retellings of myths and legends. Although she was primarily a children's author, some of her novel ...

's 1954 book. In 1980 he was Juan in '' Love in a Cold Climate'', and in 1981 played the

supporting role A supporting character is a character in a narrative that is not the focus of the primary storyline, but is important to the plot/protagonist, and appears or is mentioned in the story enough to be more than just a minor character or a cameo a ...

of Major Gobler in the feature film, ''

Raiders of the Lost Ark ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. Set in 1936, the film stars Harrison Ford as Indiana ...

'', starring

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. Regarded as a cinematic cultural icon, he has starred in Harrison Ford filmography, many notable films over seven decades, and is one of List of highest-grossing actors, the highest-gr ...

and directed by

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

. Higgins won Best Actor of 1979 from '' Time Out'' magazine for his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company that year. Higgins played the role of Stephan in the American film production of ''

'', opposite French actress

Isabelle Adjani Isabelle Yasmine Adjani (born 27 June 1955) is a French actress and singer of Algerian and German descent. She has received various accolades, including five César Awards and a Lumière Award, along with nominations for two Academy Awards. ...

in 1981. In the same year the British director

Peter Greenaway Peter Greenaway, (born 5 April 1942) is a British film director, screenwriter and artist. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Mannerist painting in particular. Common traits in his films a ...

chose Higgins for the leading role in his breakthrough film '' The Draughtsman's Contract''. In 1985 Higgins appeared as the cuckolded husband in

Nagisa Oshima is a Japanese name, Japanese given name used by either sex and is occasionally used as a surname. Written forms Nagisa can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *渚, "beach, strand" *汀, "water's edge/shore" *凪砂, "lu ...

's with

Charlotte Rampling Tessa Charlotte Rampling (born 5 February 1946) is an English actress. An icon of the Swinging London, Swinging Sixties, she began her career as a model. She was cast in the role of Meredith in the 1966 film ''Georgy Girl'', which starred Lynn ...

. In 1985 he acted opposite Sting in '' The Bride'', a version of ''

Bride of Frankenstein ''Bride of Frankenstein'' is a 1935 American Gothic science fiction horror film, and the first sequel to Universal Pictures' 1931 film ''Frankenstein''. As with the first film, ''Bride of Frankenstein'' was directed by James Whale starring ...

''. Throughout the 1980s Higgins appeared in supporting roles in many television series such as ''

'', '' Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story'', with Armand Assante, and ''

Reilly, Ace of Spies ''Reilly, Ace of Spies'' is a 1983 British television programme dramatizing the life of Sidney Reilly, a Russian-born adventurer who became one of the greatest spies ever to work for the United Kingdom and the British Empire. Among his exploits ...

'', with

Sam Neill Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. His career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he is regarded as one of the most versatile acto ...

. He went to Australia to play the lead as Sir Laurence Olivier in an Australian made-for-television film, ''Darlings of the Gods'', about the time spent in Australia by Olivier and

Vivien Leigh Vivien Leigh ( ; born Vivian Mary Hartley; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967), styled as Lady Olivier after 1947, was a British actress. After completing her drama school education, Leigh appeared in small roles in four films in 1935 and progress ...

. In 1991 Higgins played

Johann Strauss I Johann Baptist Strauss I (; ; 14 March 1804 – 25 September 1849), also known as Johann Strauss Sr., the Elder or the Father (), was an Austrian composer of the Romantic music, Romantic Period. He was famous for his light music, namely waltzes, ...

in the Austrian-produced, made-for-television series, ''The Strauss Dynasty'', which was filmed in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

with many well-known actors and aired internationally. He played both

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

and Holmes' enemy Professor Moriarty, in two different decades of his career. He was the villain Rathe (not yet going by the name Moriarty) in ''

'' (1985), and played Sherlock Holmes himself in '' Sherlock Holmes Returns'' (1993). In 1993 he played a lead part in the film ''Sweet Killing''. In 2005 he appeared in '' Chromophobia''. He played General Jacques Francois Dugommier in 2007 in '' Heroes and Villains: Napoleon''. In 2009 he appeared in '' Lewis'', '' Law & Order: UK'', and ''Agatha Christie's Marple'' ("The Secret of Chimneys").

Filmography

Film

* '' A Walk with Love and Death'' (1969) as Robert of Loris (as Anthony Corlan) * '' Taste the Blood of Dracula'' (1970) as Paul Paxton (as Anthony Corlan) * '' Something for Everyone'' (1970) as Helmuth Von Ornstein (as Anthony Corlan) * '' Vampire Circus'' (1972) as Emil (as Anthony Corlan) * '' Flavia the Heretic'' (1974) as Ahmed (as Anthony Corlan) * ''

Voyage of the Damned ''Voyage of the Damned'' is a 1976 drama (film and television), drama film directed by Stuart Rosenberg, with an Ensemble cast, all-star cast featuring Faye Dunaway, Oskar Werner, Lee Grant, Max von Sydow, James Mason, Lynne Frederick and Malco ...

'' (1976) as Seaman Heinz Berg * ''

'' (1981) as Stephan Zelli * ''

'' (1981) as Major Gobler * '' The Draughtsman's Contract'' (1982) as Mr. Neville * '' The Bride'' (1985) as Clerval * '' She'll Be Wearing Pink Pyjamas'' (1985) as Tom * ''

'' (1985) as Professor Rathe * (1986) as Peter Jones * '' The Bridge'' (1992) as Reginald Hetherington * ''Sweet Killing'' (1993) as Adam Crosse * '' For Love or Money'' (1993) as Christian Hanover * ''

'' (1994) as King Henry II * ''

Indian Summer An Indian summer is a period of unseasonably warm, dry weather that sometimes occurs in autumn in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Several sources describe a true Indian summer as not occurring until after the first frost, or mor ...

'' (1996) as Ramon * ''The Fifth Province'' (1997) as Marcel * '' Bandyta'' (1997) as Prison's Director * '' Deeply'' (2000) as Adm. Griggs * '' The Last Minute'' (2001) as Walsh * '' Chromophobia'' (2005) as Geoffrey Wharton * '' Malice in Wonderland'' (2009) as Rex * ''

'' (2012) as Comte de Vaudrec * '' United Passions'' (2014) as Lord Kinnaird

Television

* ''Blood of the Lamb'' (1969) (as Anthony Corlan) as Alec * '' The Roads to Freedom'' (1970) as Boris * ''

Armchair Theatre ''Armchair Theatre'' is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by ABC Weekend TV. Its successor Thames Television took over from mid-1968. The Ca ...

'' (1972) as Adolph * '' The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes'' (1973) as William Hazeldene * '' Hadleigh'' (1976) as Gregory Baker * '' Wings'' (1977) as Lt. Wollerton * ''The Eagle of the Ninth'' (1977) as Marcus Flavius Aquila * ''

Danton's Death ''Danton's Death'' (''Dantons Tod'') was the first play written by Georg Büchner, set during the French Revolution. History Georg Büchner wrote his works in the period between Romanticism and Literary realism, Realism in the so-called Vormär ...

'' (1978) as Camille * '' Love in a Cold Climate'' (1980) as Juan * '' Tales of the Unexpected'' (1983) as Cassan * ''

'' (1983) as Trilisser * ''

'' (1984) as Prince Abdullah * '' The Cold Room'' (1984) as Erich * '' Lace II'' (1985) as King Abdullah of Sydon * ''The Shutter Falls'' (1986) as Photographer * ''The Last Seance'' (1986) as Raoul * '' Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story'' (1987) as

Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

* ''Darlings of the Gods'' (1989) as

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

* ''The Strauss Dynasty'' (1991) as Johann Strauss * ''One Against the Wind'' (1991) as SS Capt. Herman Gruber * '' 1994 Baker Street: Sherlock Holmes Returns'' (1993) as

* '' The Governor'' (1995) as Norman Jones * ''

Moses In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...

'' (1995) as

Korah Korah ( ''Qōraḥ''; ''Qārūn''), son of Izhar, is an individual who appears in the Biblical Book of Numbers of the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) and four different verses in the Quran, known for leading a rebellion against Moses. Some olde ...

* '' Supply & Demand'' (1997) as Lloyd St John * ''Close Relations'' (1998) as Robert * ''Trial & Retribution III'' (1999) as Karl Wilding * ''

'' (2000) as Paul Redman * '' The Inspector Lynley Mysteries: A Traitor to Memory'' (2004) as James Pitchley * '' Judge John Deed'' (2005) as Sir Maurice Avebury * ''The Commander: Blackdog'' (2005) as David Sperry * ''Heroes and Villains: Napoleon'' (2007) as General Dugommier * '' Lewis'' (2009) as Franco * '' Law & Order: UK'' (2009) as Ed Connor * '' Marple'' (2010) as Count Ludwig * ''

Zen Zen (; from Chinese: ''Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka phil ...

'' (2011) as Eduardo Guerchini * '' The Curse of Edgar Hoover'' (2013) as Clyde Tolson * ''

'' (2016) as Theodore Davis

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Higgins, Anthony 1947 births 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors English male television actors English male film actors English people of Irish descent Living people Male actors from Northampton