Clive Francis (born 26 June 1946) is a British actor and illustrator, known for his extensive work in television, film, and theatre. He has appeared in a wide range of British television dramas and comedies, including ''Poldark'', ''Yes, Prime Minister'', and ''The Crown''. His film credits include ''A Clockwork Orange'' (1971) and ''Mr. Turner'' (2014). In addition to acting, Francis has had a successful stage career, performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company and in West End productions. He is also an illustrator, having produced artwork for books and theatre productions.

Early life

Francis was born in

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. It is also a non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, bor ...

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

. He is the son of actors Raymond Francis and his second wife Margaret Towner. His father played Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Lockhart in the 1960s series ''

No Hiding Place ''No Hiding Place'' is a British television series that was produced at Wembley Studios by Associated-Rediffusion for the ITV (TV network), ITV network between 16 September 1959 and 22 June 1967. It was the sequel to the series ''Murder Bag'' ...

''. His mother played Jira,

Anakin Skywalker Darth Vader () is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was first introduced in the Star Wars original trilogy, original film trilogy as the primary Antagonist, antagonist and one of the leaders of the Galactic Empire (Star W ...

's friend, in '' Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'' in 1999.

Career

Clive Francis began his acting career at the age of 16 in weekly repertory as a Penguin Player at

Bexhill-on-Sea Bexhill-on-Sea (often shortened to Bexhill) is a seaside town and civil parish in the Rother District in the county of East Sussex in South East England. It is located along the Sussex Coast and between the towns of Hastings, England, Hastings ...

and has acted on stage, radio, television and films. He is also a

caricaturist A caricaturist is an artist who specializes in drawing caricatures. List of caricaturists * Abed Abdi (born 1942) * Abril Lamarque (1904–1999) * Al Hirschfeld (1903–2003) * Alex Gard (1900–1948) * Alexander Saroukhan (1898–1977) * Alfre ...

and has had several exhibitions at the National Theatre. His caricatures have appeared on the covers of several books including ''Blessings in Disguise'' by

Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. In the BFI, British Film Institute listing of 1999 of BFI Top 100 British films, the 100 most important British films of the 20th century ...

and a biography of John Gielgud. His own publications include: ''Laughlines'', ''There Is Nothing Like a Dane'' (''

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

'') ''There Is Nothing Like a Thane'' (''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

''). ''A Star is Drawn'' and ''The Many Faces of Gielgud'', to celebrate Gielgud's 90th birthday.

Films

Francis appeared as Joe the Lodger in

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American filmmaker and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Stanley Kubrick filmography, his films were nearly all adaptations of novels or sho ...

's '' A Clockwork Orange'' (1971). His other films include '' Inspector Clouseau'' (1968), '' The Man Who Had Power Over Women'' (1970), '' Girl Stroke Boy'' (1971), ''

Villain A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...

'' (1971), '' Pierrepoint'' (2005), '' Mr. Turner'', (2014), '' The Lost City of Z'', (2015), ''

The Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

'' (2016),''

The Little Stranger :The Little Stranger ''is also the title of one of the Color Classics series produced 13 March 1936, in three-strip Technicolor, by Fleischer Studios. It is also the 2018 film adaptation of Waters' novel.'' ''The Little Stranger'' is a 2009 g ...

'' (2018), '' Official Secrets'' (2019), ''Cursed'' (2019), and '' Dolittle'' (2020).

Television

His first television role was playing Tommy Traddles opposite Ian McKellen in the 1966 production of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

' ''

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield''Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work; see is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from infancy to matur ...

''. Francis considers his part as Mr. Sloane in the '' ITV Playhouse'' production of ''

Entertaining Mr Sloane ''Entertaining Mr Sloane'' is a three-act play written in 1963 by the English playwright Joe Orton. It was first produced in London at the New Arts Theatre on 6 May 1964 and transferred to the West End's Wyndham's Theatre on 29 June 1964. Pl ...

'' in 1968 as his first look important television role, appearing alongside the likes of

Sheila Hancock Dame Sheila Cameron Hancock (born 22 February 1933) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has performed on stage in both plays and musicals in London theatres, and is also known for her roles in films and on television. Her Broadway ...

and Edward Woodward. He states on his website that the production was taped just a week after the murder of playwright

Joe Orton John Kingsley Orton (1 January 1933 – 9 August 1967), known by the pen name of Joe Orton, was an English playwright, author, and diarist. His public career, from 1964 until his murder in 1967 committed by his partner, was short but highly i ...

. Francis played the character of Willoughby in the BBC's 1971 production of ''

Sense and Sensibility ''Sense and Sensibility'' ( working title; ''Elinor and Marianne'') is the first novel by the English author Jane Austen, published in 1811. It was published anonymously: ''By A Lady'' appears on the title page where the author's name might h ...

.'' In the BBC's first adaptation of '' Poldark'' (1975–76), he played Ross Poldark's weak, troubled and debt-ridden cousin Francis. He played Det. Sgt. Dexter in ''

New Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's London boroughs, 32 boroughs. Its name derives from the location of the original ...

'' in 1974. In the 1976 television adaptation of

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

's '' Caesar and Cleopatra'', he portrayed Apollodorus opposite

. Francis appeared opposite

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 ...

in ''Saturday, Sunday, Monday'', a play which was part of the ''

Laurence Olivier Presents ''Laurence Olivier Presents'' is a British television anthology series made by ITV Granada, Granada Television which ran from 1976 to 1978. The plays, with the exception of ''Hindle Wakes (play), Hindle Wakes'', all starred Laurence Olivier. S ...

'' series for

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...

. He also appeared as Standartenfuhrer Grunwald in ''

Enemy at the Door ''Enemy at the Door'' is a British television drama series made by London Weekend Television for ITV. The series was shown between 1978 and 1980 and dealt with the German occupation of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands, during the Second Wo ...

''. In 1981, Francis played the Roman officer and imperial spy Attius in the ABC miniseries ''

Masada Masada ( ', 'fortress'; ) is a mountain-top fortress complex in the Judaean Desert, overlooking the western shore of the Dead Sea in southeastern Israel. The fort, built in the first century BCE, was constructed atop a natural plateau rising ov ...

'' opposite Peter O'Toole. In 1986, Francis guest starred in episode five, "The Man with the Twisted Lip," of the series ''

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 ...

'', as Neville St Clair. Francis starred in the series '' The 10%ers''; '' The Piglet Files'' (which as noted above used his caricatures in the credits), as Colonel Windham in '' Sharpe's Company'' and '' May to December''. Francis has guest-starred in dozens of other television programmes, including '' Yes, Prime Minister'', in which he played Luke, a private secretary for foreign affairs, who, the Prime Minister is told, is in fact a spy for the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United ...

, a department whose policy is often in conflict with the PM's. His television work also includes: ''The Rear Column'', ''The Critic'', '' Pierrepoint'', ''New Tricks'' and '' Lipstick on Your Collar''. In 2016, he played the part of

Lord Salisbury Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (; 3 February 183022 August 1903), known as Lord Salisbury, was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United ...

in the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

series ''

''.

Theatre

His first West End appearance was in ''

There's A Girl in My Soup ''There's a Girl in My Soup'' is a 1970 British romantic comedy film directed by Roy Boulting and starring Peter Sellers and Goldie Hawn. Terence Frisby wrote the screenplay based on his 1966 stage play of the same name. Plot Robert Danve ...

'' opposite Donald Sinden. Since then he has gone on to appear in over twenty West End shows including, ''The School for Scandal'', ''The Importance of Being Ernest'', ''The Rear Column'', ''Benefactors'', '' The Return of A. J. Raffles'', ''Bloomsbury'', ''Single Spies'', '' Look after Lulu!'', ''The Circle'', ''Entertaining Mr Sloane'', ''What the Butler Saw'', ''Gross Indecency'', ''Enron'', ''The Madness of King George'' and ''Inspector Calls''. He also appeared at the National Theatre in ''A Small Family Business'', Tis Pity She's a Whore'', ''Never so Good'' and ''Les Blancs''. For the RSC, Francis appeared in ''Three Hours after Marriage'', ''Troilus and Cressida'' and ''A Christmas Carol''. He regularly tours his one-man version of

' ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...

'', a show that he has taken from France to Ireland to Monaco and many major towns and cities in the UK.

Adaptations

Apart from adapting ''A Christmas Carol'' as his one-man show, Clive Francis has also brought from the page to the stage ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'', ''Three Men in a Boat'',

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a re ...

's ''

Our Man in Havana ''Our Man in Havana'' (1958) is a novel set in Cuba by the British author Graham Greene. Greene uses the novel to mock intelligence services, especially the British MI6, and their willingness to believe reports from their local informants. Th ...

'', and Susan Hill's ''The Small Hand''. Together with composer Charles Miller, he adapted the book and wrote the lyrics to the ''Alice in Wonderland'' adaptation, ''Alice the Musical!''. In February 2015, he played the part of Frank Doel in the Salisbury Playhouse's production of '' 84, Charing Cross Road''. This was a production he repeated at the Arts Theatre, Cambridge in 2016.

Private life

Francis has been married to actress Natalie Ogle since 1989.

Selected filmography

* '' Inspector Clouseau'' (1968) as Clyde Hargreaves * '' The Man Who Had Power Over Women'' (1970) as Barry Black * ''

'' (1971) as Vivian * '' A Clockwork Orange'' (1971) as Joe the Lodger * '' Girl Stroke Boy'' (1973) as Laurie * ''

'' (1981, TV series) as Attius, Head Tribune * '' Amy'' (1984, TV film) as Jim Mollison * '' Pierrepoint'' (2005) as Field Marshal

Bernard Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Independence and the ...

* '' Mr. Turner'' (2014) as Sir Martin Archer Shee * ''

'' (2016–2017, TV series) as

* '' The Lost City of Z'' (2017) as Sir John Scott Keltie * '' Official Secrets'' (2019) as Admiral Nick Wilkinson * '' Cursed'' (2020, TV series) as Pope Abel

References

External links

clivefranciscaricaturist.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Francis, Clive 1946 births Living people British caricaturists Male actors from Eastbourne English male television actors English male film actors English male stage actors 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors