Malcolm Sinclair (born 5 June 1950) is a British stage and television actor and former President of Trade Union,
Equity 2010–18 when he stood down after 4 terms and was replaced by
Maureen Beattie. He played
Assistant Chief Constable Freddy Fisher in the television series ''
Pie in the Sky'' from 1994 to 1997.
Malcolm's brother is
Keith Sinclair, the former
Bishop of Birkenhead.
Career
A former pupil at
Trinity School in Croydon, and a student at the
University of Hull
The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hu ...
and
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (BOVTS) is a drama school in Bristol, England. The institution provides training in acting and production for careers in film, television and theatre.
BOVTS was an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance a ...
, Sinclair has performed with theatre companies such as the
Royal National Theatre
The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...
and
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 ...
. He has performed widely, both in Britain and internationally, in roles that have included
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
(
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 ...
,
Malvolio),
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...
,
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 ...
,
Ibsen
Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...
and
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...
.
Sinclair appeared in the play ''Little Lies'', starring Sir John Mills, at
Wyndham's Theatre, London, England, which ran from July 1983 through February 1984, written by Joseph George Caruso and produced by Robert Mackintosh and William de Silva, and was directed by Tony Tanner. The play also starred Connie Booth, Anthony Bate, Dominic Guard, Paul Hardwick, Angela Scoular, Katherine Kath, Alison Neil and Gregory Cox. After the London production, the play transferred to the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto, Canada, for a limited engagement of six weeks. This production was directed by Michael Attenborough.
In 2001 Sinclair won the
Clarence Derwent Award
The Clarence Derwent Awards are theatre awards given annually by the Actors' Equity Association on Broadway in the United States and by Equity, the performers' union, in the West End in the United Kingdom.
Clarence Derwent (23 March 1884 – 6 ...
for his role as Gavin Ryng-Maine in the
Royal National Theatre
The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...
's production of ''
House/Garden''. He was also nominated for an
Olivier Award as best supporting actor for his performance as Major Miles Flack in ''
Privates on Parade''. Recently he has performed in a number of
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
dramatisations of the Agatha Raisin book series alongside
Penelope Keith. Penelope Keith stars as Agatha, while Malcolm Sinclair portrays her neighbour James Lacey, who is also an object of Agatha's affection.
Equity
In July 2010 Sinclair was elected president of
Equity, the actors' and performance professionals' trade union.
Act for Change Project
In January 2014, after responding to a trailer for a new season of TV drama which failed to include a single
BAME artist, the actor
Danny Lee Wynter brought together a group of friends and colleagues,
Ruth Wilson, Stephanie Street,
Daniel Evans, Andy Pryor, Malcolm Sinclair,
Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
Kobna Kuttah Holdbrook-Smith (born 23 August 1977) is a Ghanaian-English actor. He has played roles in films, including Father Richard Emery in '' Ghost Stories'' (2017), Oliver in '' The Commuter'', Templeton Frye in '' Mary Poppins Returns'' ...
,
Ony Uhiara, and
Matthew Xia, to find a way to inspire change in TV drama.
Together they wanted to send out the message that TV drama must reflect everyone regardless of race, gender, class, sexual orientation or disability. What started as a small handful of voices soon became the Act for Change project. In 2015 The Act For Change Project became a registered charity and in 2016, Malcolm Sinclair became an ambassador for the charity. Malcolm also serves as a Trustee of ACT, the Actors' Children's Trust, and Denville Hall, the actors' care home.
Selected credits
Television credits include:
* ''
Andor'' as Colonel
Wullf Yularen (2022)
* ''
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. ...
'' in S18E5 “Saints and Sinners” as Rev Peter Corby (2016)
* ''
Salting the Battlefield'' (2014)
* ''
Foyle's War'' (2008)
* ''
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. ...
'' – in 'Shot at Dawn' as Johnny Hammond (2008)
* ''
Daphne
Daphne (; ; , , ), a figure in Greek mythology, is a naiad, a variety of female nymph associated with fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of freshwater.
There are several versions of the myth in which she appears, but t ...
'' as
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...
(2007)
* ''
Falling'' – as Anthony (2005)
* ''
Rosemary & Thyme'' – in 'They Understand Me in Paris' as Quentin Glazer (2004)
* ''
Murder Rooms'' – in 'The Patient's Eyes' as Blythe (2001)
* ''
Victoria & Albert'' – as 'Lord Conyngham (2001)
* ''
A&E'' – as Clive Thornton (2001)
* ''
Anna Karenina'' as Prince Shcherbatsky (2000)
* ''
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. ...
'' – in 'Beyond the Grave' as Alan Bradford (2000)
* ''
The Bill
''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, "Woodentop (The Bill), Woodentop" (part of the ''Storyb ...
'' – in 'Tinderbox' as Geoffrey Levinson (1999)
* ''
Kavanagh QC'' – in 'The More Loving One' as Giles Luckhurst (1999)
* ''
Casualty'' – in 'Toys and Boys' as Mike Price (1998)
* ''
Pie in the Sky'' – as ACC Freddy Fisher (1994–1997)
* ''
A Touch of Frost'' – in 'Quarry' as Chief Constable (1995)
* ''The Scarlet and the Black'' – as Abbé Castanede (1993)
* ''
Agatha Christie's Poirot
''Agatha Christie's Poirot'', or simply ''Poirot'' (), is a British mystery drama television programme that aired on ITV from 8 January 1989 to 13 November 2020. The ITV show is based on many of Agatha Christie's famous crime fiction series, wh ...
'' – in 'The Mystery of the Spanish Chest' as Edward Clayton (1991)
* ''
Hancock'' as
John Le Mesurier
John Le Mesurier (, born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley; 5 April 191215 November 1983) was an English actor. He is probably best remembered for his comedic role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC television situation com ...
(1991)
* ''
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, ...
'' – in 'Rumpole and the Age of Miracles' as Peter Lambert (1988)
* ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' – as Rudolf Rassendyll / King Rudolf V (1984)
Film credits include:
* ''
Casino Royale'' as Dryden (2006)
* ''
V for Vendetta
''V for Vendetta'' is a British graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd (comics), David Lloyd (with additional art by Tony Weare). Initially published between 1982 and 1985 in black and white as an ongoing Serial (li ...
'' as Major Wilson (2005)
* ''
Secret Passage
Secret passages, also commonly referred to as hidden passages or secret tunnels, are hidden routes used for stealthy travel, escape, or movement of people and goods. They are sometimes inside buildings leading to secret rooms.
Others allow pe ...
'' (2004)
* ''
The Statement'' as the Cardinal of Lyon (2003)
* ''
The Young Poisoner's Handbook'' as Dr. Triefus (1995)
* ''
Success Is the Best Revenge'' (1984)
Radio credits include:
*''
Mr Bridger's Orphan'' as
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...
(
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
15 March 2013)
*''Our Man in Jamaica'' as
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...
(
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
2007)
*''
Death at the Desert Inn'' as
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...
(
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
11 December 2004)
*''
A Bullet at Balmain's'' as
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...
(
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
8 November 2003)
*''Blithe Spy'' as
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...
(
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
2002)
*''
Design for Murder'' as
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...
(
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
8 January 2000)
*''
By Jeeves'' as
Jeeves
Jeeves (born Reginald Jeeves, nicknamed Reggie) is a fictional character in a series of comedic short stories and novels by English author P. G. Wodehouse. Jeeves is the highly competent valet of a wealthy and idle young Londoner named Bertie W ...
(
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...
November 1996)
Stage credits include:
*
''Withnail and I'' as Uncle Monty (
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 ...
)
*''
Pressure
Pressure (symbol: ''p'' or ''P'') is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. Gauge pressure (also spelled ''gage'' pressure)The preferred spelling varies by country and eve ...
'' as
Dwight D Eisenhower (
Royal Lyceum Theatre /
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 ...
)
*''
Rattigan's Nijinsky'' (Chichester Festival Theatre)
*''
Racing Demon'' as Lionel Espy (
Crucible Theatre)
*''
The Habit of Art'' as Henry/Benjamin Britten (
National Theatre)
*''
The Power of Yes'' as Scholes (
National Theatre)
*''
Ivanov'' as Shabelsky (
Donmar Warehouse
The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit Off-West End theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977.
Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage, Josie Rourke and Michael Longhurst have all served as artistic direc ...
at
Wyndham's Theatre)
* ''
Rosmersholm'' as Dr Kroll (
Almeida Theatre
The Almeida Theatre is a 325-seat producing house located on Almeida Street off Upper Street in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre opened in 1980, and produces a diverse range of drama. Successful plays are often transferred to West E ...
)
*''
Dealer's Choice'', as Stephen (
Trafalgar Studios
Trafalgar Theatre is a West End theatre in Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London. The Grade II listed building was built in 1930 with interiors in the Art Deco style as the Whitehall Theatre; it regularly staged ...
)
*''
The History Boys'' as the Headmaster (
National Theatre and Broadway)
* ''
Uncle Vanya'' as Serebryakov (
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 ...
at the
Young Vic)
* ''
House/Garden'' as Gavin Ryng-Maine (
Royal National Theatre
The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...
) for which he won a
Clarence Derwent Award
The Clarence Derwent Awards are theatre awards given annually by the Actors' Equity Association on Broadway in the United States and by Equity, the performers' union, in the West End in the United Kingdom.
Clarence Derwent (23 March 1884 – 6 ...
in 2001
* ''
My Fair Lady
''My Fair Lady'' is a musical theatre, musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story, based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion (play), Pygmalion'' and on the Pygmalion (1938 film), 1938 film ...
'' as Col Pickering (
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and listed building, Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) an ...
)
* ''
Privates on Parade'' as 'Major Miles Flack' (
Donmar Warehouse
The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit Off-West End theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977.
Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage, Josie Rourke and Michael Longhurst have all served as artistic direc ...
), for which he was nominated for an
Olivier Award
* ''
By Jeeves'' as
Jeeves
Jeeves (born Reginald Jeeves, nicknamed Reggie) is a fictional character in a series of comedic short stories and novels by English author P. G. Wodehouse. Jeeves is the highly competent valet of a wealthy and idle young Londoner named Bertie W ...
(
Duke of York's Theatre
The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by ...
)
* ''
Heartbreak House
''Heartbreak House: A Fantasia in the Russian Manner on English Themes'' is a play written by Bernard Shaw during the First World War, published in 1919 and first performed in November 1920 at the Garrick Theatre, New York, followed by a West ...
'' as Mazzini Dunn (
Almeida Theatre
The Almeida Theatre is a 325-seat producing house located on Almeida Street off Upper Street in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre opened in 1980, and produces a diverse range of drama. Successful plays are often transferred to West E ...
)
* ''
Hay Fever
Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of rhinitis, inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. It is classified as a Allergy, type I hypersensitivity re ...
'' as Richard Greatham (Tour and
Savoy Theatre)
* ''
Der Freischütz
' (Friedrich Wilhelm Jähns, J. 277, Opus number, Op. 77 ''The Marksman'' or ''The Freeshooter'') is a German List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, opera with spoken dialogue in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Johann Fried ...
'' as Narrator (
Barbican Concert Hall, London)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sinclair, Malcolm
1950 births
British male television actors
Clarence Derwent Award winners
Living people
Alumni of the University of Hull
British male stage actors