Christopher Francis Villiers (born 7 September 1960) is a British actor, screenwriter and producer.

Biography

Villiers was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, the son of

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) was established in 1936 to support the preparedness of the U.K. Royal Air Force (RAF) in the event of another war. The Air Ministry intended it to form a supplement to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force ( ...

Wing commander David Hugh Villiers (1921–1962) and his second wife, Elizabeth Barbara, daughter of Leonard Hobbins. His sister, Cat Villiers, is a film producer; brother Jay Villiers is also an actor. A direct descendant of the politician and diplomat

Thomas Villiers, 1st Earl of Clarendon Thomas Villiers, 1st Earl of Clarendon, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, PC (1709 – 11 December 1786) was a Kingdom of Great Britain, British politician and diplomat from the Villiers family. Clarendon was the second son of William Villie ...

, he is a second great-grandson of the Right Reverend Henry Montagu Villiers,

Bishop of Durham The bishop of Durham is head of the diocese of Durham in the province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler (bishop), Paul Butler was the most recent bishop of Durham u ...

from 1860 to 1861, whose brothers were George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon, and Charles Pelham Villiers. Through Henry Montagu Villiers' mother, the brothers descend from

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

. He was educated at

Stowe School The Stowe School is a public school (English private boarding school) for pupils aged 13–18 in the countryside of Stowe, England. It was opened on 11 May, 1923 at Stowe House, a Grade I Heritage Estate belonging to the British Crown. ...

. In 1983, he played Tom Bertram in a television serial adaptation of Jane Austen's ''

Mansfield Park ''Mansfield Park'' is the third published novel by the English author Jane Austen, first published in 1814 by Thomas Egerton (publisher), Thomas Egerton. A second edition was published in 1816 by John Murray (publishing house), John Murray, st ...

''. Villiers may be best known for his former role on ''

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British television soap opera that is broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a List of fictional towns and villages, fict ...

'', in which he played Grayson Sinclair. He played Captain Nigel Croker in '' Mile High'' (2004–2005) and appeared in such films as ''

The Scarlet Pimpernel ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with her husband Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in Lo ...

'' (1982), '' Top Secret!'' (1984, as the double-faced resistance leader Nigel), '' A Hazard of Hearts'' (1987) and '' First Knight'' (1995). In 2003, he co-wrote (with actor/playwright/producer Richard Everett) and co-produced (again, with Everett) British feature film, '' Two Men Went to War'' (2002). He also continued to appear in films such as '' Sliding Doors'' (1998), '' Bloody Sunday'' (2002), '' Kidulthood'' (2006) and '' Land Gold Women'' (2011). In 1983, he starred in '' Sweet Sixteen'' with Penelope Keith. In 1996, he had a role in '' Sharpe's Siege''. He has also appeared in an episode of '' Adventure Inc.'' when filming transferred to the UK for four episodes. In 1995, Villiers co-founded 2020 Casting, Ltd. The company's credits include ''

Gladiator A gladiator ( , ) was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their ...

'', '' Bridget Jones's Diary'', '' Shakespeare in Love'', ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'', '' United 93''. He appeared in two episodes of ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British Mystery fiction, mystery television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the ''Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series created by Caroline Graham (writer), Caroline Graham. ...

'' as David Whitely in both "The Killings at Badger's Drift" in 1997 and "Death's Shadow" in 1999. In 2007, he guest-starred in the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

audio drama Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatised, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...

Absolution Absolution is a theological term for the forgiveness imparted by ordained Priest#Christianity, Christian priests and experienced by Penance#Christianity, Christian penitents. It is a universal feature of the historic churches of Christendom, alth ...

'' after having previously appeared in the 1983 TV two-part serial '' The King's Demons''. In 2009, he was seen in the five-part drama series ''Collision'' for ITV. In 2013, he appeared in the '' Father Brown'' episode "The Blue Cross" as Justin De Vey. He appeared in '' By Any Means''. In 2014, Villiers returned to ''

'' when he guest starred as Professor Moorhouse in the story " Mummy on the Orient Express". In 2019, he married journalist Caroline Daniel.Guardian
accessed 20 July 2024,

''Emmerdale''

On 29 March 2008, ITV released a statement saying Villiers would be written out of ''Emmerdale'' as Grayson Sinclair in a summer storyline. Upon the termination of his contract, Villiers stated; "Grayson has been a great character to play but we've agreed that the current storyline is going to provide an exciting exit for him. I've got several projects that I'm looking at but you never know, this might not be the last we see of Gray."

Filmography

*''

'' (1982) – Lord Anthony Dewhurst *'' Young Sherlock: The Mystery of the Manor House'' (1982) – Jasper Moran (8 episodes) *'' Top Secret!'' (1984) – Nigel "The Torch" *'' A Hazard of Hearts'' (1987) – Captain Jackson *'' Little Sir Nicholas''-William Randle *'' First Knight'' (1995) – Sir Kay *''Princess In Love'' (1996) – James Hewitt, lover of

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...

*'' Sliding Doors'' (1998) – Steve *'' Bloody Sunday'' (2002) – Major Steele *'' Two Men Went to War'' (2002) – Dr. Oliver Holmes *'' Kidulthood'' (2006) – Mr. Fineal *'' From Time to Time'' (2009) – Officer *''The Shouting Men'' (2010) – Christopher *'' Triassic Attack'' (2010) – Professor Richmond Keller *'' Land Gold Women'' (2011) – Timothy James *'' The Knot'' (2012) – Mr. Giddings *''Seven Lucky Gods'' (2014) – Adrian *''Chasing Robert Barker'' (2015) – Robert Barker * ''

Silent Hours ''Silent Hours'' is a 2015 psychological thriller film written and directed by Mark Greenstreet. It stars James Weber Brown, Indira Varma, Dervla Kirwan and Hugh Bonneville. Cast Release Although the film was originally released as a feature ...

'' (2015) – George Barton QC *'' The Coroner'' (2015) – Tim Morris (Series 1 Episode 7) *'' The Saint'' (2017) – Arthur Templar *'' The ABC Murders'' (2018 TV miniseries) – Sir Carmichael Clarke *'' Fisherman's Friends'' (2019 film) – Charles Montague *'' Magic Mike's Last Dance'' (2023) – Robert

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Villiers, Christopher 1960 births English male film actors English male television actors English screenwriters English male screenwriters Living people Male actors from London Writers from London

Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...

People educated at Stowe School