Ronald Alfred Pickup (7 June 1940 – 24 February 2021) was an English actor. He was active in television, film, and theatre, beginning with a 1964 appearance in ''

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 ...

''. Theatre critic Michael Billington described him as "a terrific stage star and an essential member of Laurence Olivier's National Theatre company". His major screen roles included the title role in '' The Life of Verdi'' and Prince Yakimov in '' Fortunes of War'' (1987).

Early life and training

Pickup was born in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

on 7 June 1940. His father, Eric, worked as a lecturer; his mother was Daisy (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Williams).Ronald Pickup
FilmReference.com; accessed 2 January 2014. Pickup attended the

King's School, Chester The King's School, Chester, is a co-educational private day school for pupils aged 4 to 18. It is one of the seven 'King's Schools' established (or re-endowed and renamed) by King Henry VIII in 1541 after the Dissolution of the Monaster ...

, and went on to study English at the

University of Leeds The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science. In 1884, it merged with the Leeds School of Medicine (established 1831) and was renamed Y ...

, graduating in 1962. He then trained at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...

(RADA) 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 ...

, receiving the annual Bancroft Medal (silver) on graduation in 1964. He met his wife at RADA and later became a member of the RADA Academy.

Acting roles

Television

Pickup's television work began with an episode during the first series of ''

'' (as a physician in part 4 of '' The Reign of Terror'') in 1964. He was paid £30, in what is regarded as the breakthrough in his acting career. He went on to star in the BBC drama series ''The Dragon's Opponent'' in 1973, playing Charles Howard, 20th Earl of Suffolk, a

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

bomb disposal expert. In 1976, he appeared in the Thames Television serial '' Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill'' playing Lord Randolph Churchill to Lee Remick's Jennie. Almost a decade later, Pickup had the starring role as composer

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...

in the acclaimed '' The Life of Verdi'', written and directed by Renato Castellani. Pickup appeared opposite Penelope Keith in '' Moving'' and as

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher. He began his career as a classical philology, classical philologist, turning to philosophy early in his academic career. In 1869, aged 24, Nietzsche bec ...

in '' Wagner'' in 1983; existing in several versions, ''Wagner'' has also been released as a film. The following year, Pickup portrayed Jan Tyranowski in the TV movie ''

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

'' and

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein (14 March 187918 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence f ...

in the TV mini series ''Einstein''. He also acted the part of

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...

in ''Crystal Spirit: Orwell on Jura''; Pickup later revealed in 2012 that this was his favourite role. For this role and a 1983

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

adaptation of the play ''Waters of the Moon'', Pickup was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor in 1984. He went on to play Prince Yakimov, a hapless, down-at-heel Russo-British aristocrat, opposite Emma Thompson and

Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh ( ; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Born in Belfast and raised primarily in Reading, Berkshire, Branagh trained at RADA in London and served as its president from 2015 to 2024. List of award ...

in the BBC serial '' Fortunes of War'' (1987), based on a novel cycle by Olivia Manning. He was the voice of

Aslan Aslan () is a major character in C. S. Lewis's ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' series. Unlike any other character in the Narnian series, Aslan appears in all seven chronicles. Aslan is depicted as a Talking animals in fiction, talking lion and is ...

in the BBC television serial adaptation of ''

The Chronicles of Narnia ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' is a series of seven portal fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, the series is set in the fictional realm of Narnia (wor ...

'' (1988–1990), derived from the books by

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer, literary scholar and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Magdalen College, Oxford (1925–1954), and Magdalen ...

. Pickup starred in the short lived sit-com '' Not with a Bang'', broadcast in 1990, and appeared opposite

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, 14 March 1933) is a retired English actor. Known for his distinct Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films over Michael Caine filmography, a career that spanned eight decades an ...

in '' Jekyll & Hyde'' the same year. In 1992 he appeared alongside

Dervla Kirwan Dervla Kirwan (born 24 October 1971) is an Irish actress. She has received a number of accolades, including two IFTA Awards for her performances in the film '' Ondine'' (2009) and the RTÉ thriller series '' Smother'' (2021–2023) respective ...

in the television adaptation of Melvyn Bragg's book ''A Time To Dance'', considered by some to be one of his best performances. Pickup's other roles included parts in '' Hornblower'', '' The Riff Raff Element'', '' Hustle'', '' Foyle's War'', '' Midsomer Murders'', ''

Lovejoy ''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery fiction, mystery series, based on the Lovejoy (novel series), novels by John Grant (Lovejoy), John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six ser ...

'', '' Waking the Dead'', ''

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 ...

'', '' Silent Witness'', ''

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 ...

'', '' Doc Martin'', ''

Inspector Morse Endeavour Morse, GM, is the namesake character of the series of "Morse" detective novels by British author Colin Dexter, a Detective Chief Inspector in the Thames Valley Police in Oxford, England. On television he was portrayed by John ...

'', ''The Rector's Wife'', the 1991 television adaptation of John le Carré's '' A Murder of Quality'', and the BBC's 2004 drama for children, '' Feather Boy''. He also appeared in '' The Ruth Rendell Mysteries'' series, playing Chief Inspector Moore in "A Case of Coincidence". Pickup played a regular part, Fraser Cook in the 2004 BBC sitcom '' The Worst Week of My Life''. He starred opposite Judi Dench in the 1989

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

serial '' Behaving Badly''. In February 2010, he also appeared as Pegleg in the BBC's period drama '' Lark Rise to Candleford''. He played Fr. Moreno Mancini in “Wild Justice”, S5:E2 of '' Lewis'', which aired April 2011. Pickup appeared in the fifth series of '' Young Dracula'' in early 2014, portraying Morgan, chairman of the vampire high council, who later becomes the host of the Blood Seed, the main antagonist of the series finale. He appeared in ''

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a Spin-off (media), spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' ...

'' as Charles, Lord Byrne, and in November 2014 appeared on ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...

'' in a cameo role as an OAP arranging a birthday party with Michelle Connor in the Rovers Return. Pickup, in 2015, appeared as Sir Michael Reresby an episode of the 6th season of ''

Downton Abbey ''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. It first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV (TV network), ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United St ...

''. In 2016, he played the role of Geoffrey Fisher, the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

, in four episodes of 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 ''

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 ...

''.

Theatre

Pickup was also an accomplished stage actor. His first professional role was in 1964 as Friendly in '' Virtue in Danger'' at the Phoenix Theatre, Leicester. His London debut was in November 1964 as Octavius in ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

'', for director Lindsay Anderson at the Royal Court Theatre. He worked with Laurence Olivier at 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, ...

, most notably as Baron Tusenbach in '' Three Sisters'' (1967) and '' Long Day's Journey into Night''. His first appearance with the company was a minor part in Michael Elliott's production of '' Miss Julie'' (1965 Chichester Festival; 1966

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

). This was followed by a role which brought him to popular attention: again at the Old Vic he was Rosalind in Clifford Williams's all-male production of ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...

'', portraying "serious emotion" in an otherwise "comic" production in 1967. He was nominated for a 1998 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for his performance in '' Amy's View''. Between March and August 2009, Pickup starred as Lucky in Sean Mathias's production of '' Waiting for Godot'' by

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...

opposite Sir Ian McKellen (Estragon), Patrick Stewart (Vladimir), and Simon Callow (Pozzo). The tour opened in Malvern,

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...

, before travelling to

Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of Milton Keynes urban area, its urban area was 264,349. The River Great Ouse forms t ...

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

, Bath,

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, and Newcastle; its run at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, was extended due to popular demand. His last stage appearance was as Mazzini Dunn in '' Heartbreak House'' at the Chichester Festival in 2012.

Film

Pickup appeared as a forger in '' The Day of the Jackal'' in 1973. The following year he was seen in

Ken Russell Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was a British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films were mainly liberal adaptations of ...

's film '' Mahler'', and also appeared in '' Joseph Andrews'' in 1977. Pickup played one of the Prussian agents conspiring to blow up the Houses of Parliament in '' The Thirty Nine Steps'' (1978). Pickup played

Thomas Cranmer Thomas Cranmer (2 July 1489 – 21 March 1556) was a theologian, leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He is honoured as a Oxford Martyrs, martyr ...

, Archbishop of Canterbury in the

BBC Television Shakespeare The ''BBC Television Shakespeare'' is a series of British television adaptations of Shakespeare's plays, the plays of William Shakespeare, created by Cedric Messina and broadcast by BBC Television. Transmitted in the UK from 3 December 1978 to ...

version of ''

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

'' (1979). He played Lt. Harford in '' Zulu Dawn'' (1979),

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...

in '' Nijinsky'' (1980), Prince John in ''

Ivanhoe ''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' ( ) by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in December 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. It marked a shift away from Scott's prior practice of setting stories in Scotland and in the more ...

'' (1982), and a government official in the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

film ''

Never Say Never Again ''Never Say Never Again'' is a 1983 spy film directed by Irvin Kershner. The film is based on the 1961 James Bond novel ''Thunderball (novel), Thunderball'' by Ian Fleming, which in turn was based on an original story by Kevin McClory, Jack Wh ...

'' (1983) opposite

Sean Connery Sir Thomas Sean Connery (25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to Portrayal of James Bond in film, portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond (literary character), James Bond in motion pic ...

. He portrayed Portuguese governor Don Hontar in '' The Mission'' (1986). Three years later, he played Captain Lancaster, a very strict teacher in '' Danny, the Champion of the World'', and also appeared as a state advocate in '' A Dry White Season'' the same year. Pickup appeared in the film '' Secret Passage'' in 2004 alongside John Turturro. The following year, he had a supporting role in the family-based film, '' The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby'', and the science fiction TV movie ''

Supernova A supernova (: supernovae or supernovas) is a powerful and luminous explosion of a star. A supernova occurs during the last stellar evolution, evolutionary stages of a massive star, or when a white dwarf is triggered into runaway nuclear fusion ...

''. Pickup gained international recognition playing one of the main characters, bachelor Norman Cousins, in '' The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'' (2012). He reprised the role in the sequel, '' The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'', released in 2015. In the 2017 film '' Darkest Hour'', Pickup portrayed Prime Minister

Neville Chamberlain Arthur Neville Chamberlain (; 18 March 18699 November 1940) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from ...

as he cedes power to

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

in the early months of World War II.

Personal life

Pickup married Lans Traverse in 1964 and they had two children: Rachel Pickup, an actress, and Simon Pickup. Ronald and Rachel appeared together in two productions: the '' Midsomer Murders'' episode "The Magician's Nephew" (2008), and the motion picture ''Schadenfreude'' (2016). Pickup died on 24 February 2021 following a long illness, aged 80.

Filmography

*'' Three Sisters'' (1970) – Baron Nikolaj Tusenbach *'' The Day of the Jackal'' (1973) – The Forger *'' Mahler'' (1974) – Nick *'' Joseph Andrews'' (1977) – Mr. Wilson *'' The Thirty Nine Steps'' (1978) – Bayliss *'' Zulu Dawn'' (1979) – Lt Harford *'' Nijinsky'' (1980) –

*''

'' (1982) – Prince John *'' The Letter'' (1982) *'' The Life of Verdi'' (1982) –

*''Crystal Spirit: Orwell on Jura (TV movie 1983) - George Orwell *''

'' (1983) – Elliott *'' Wagner'' (1983) –

*''

'' (1984) – Jan Tryanowski *'' Camille'' (1984) – Jean *''Einstein'' (1984 TV mini series) –

*'' Eleni'' (1985) – Spiro Skevis *'' The Mission'' (1986) – Hontar *'' The Fourth Protocol'' (1987) – Wynne-Evans *''

Testimony Testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. Etymology The words "testimony" and "testify" both derive from the Latin word ''testis'', referring to the notion of a disinterested third-party witness. Law In the law, testimon ...

'' (1988) – Marshall

Mikhail Tukhachevsky Mikhail Nikolayevich Tukhachevsky ( rus, Михаил Николаевич Тухачевский, Mikhail Nikolayevich Tukhachevskiy, p=tʊxɐˈtɕefskʲɪj; – 12 June 1937), nicknamed the Red Napoleon, was a Soviet general who was prominen ...

*''

'' (1988) *'' Danny, the Champion of the World'' (1989) – Capt. Lancaster *'' A Dry White Season'' (1989) – Louw *'' Bethune: The Making of a Hero'' (1990) – Alan Coleman *'' Not With a Bang'' (1990) *''Kabuto'' (1991) – Capt. Crawford *'' Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis'' (1997) – Percy Stone *''

Lolita ''Lolita'' is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The protagonist and narrator is a French literature professor who moves to New England and writes under the pseudonym Humbert Humbert. He details his obsession ...

'' (1997) – Mr. Humbert *''Breathtaking'' (2000) – Dr. Maclaren *'' Evilenko'' (2004) – Aron Richter *'' Secret Passage'' (2004) – Da Monte *'' The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby'' (2005) – Cecil Johnson *''A Life in Suitcases'' (2005) – Monsieur Moitessier *'' The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey'' (2007) – William McDowell *'' Dark Floors'' (2008) – Tobias *'' Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time'' (2010) – King Sharaman *'' The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'' (2012) – Norman Cousins *'' Doc Martin'' (Season 6, episode 4. 2013) – John Moysey *'' The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'' (2015) – Norman Cousins *''

'' (Season 6, Episode 3. 2015) – Sir Michael Reresby *''

'' (2016) – the

*''

The Time of Their Lives ''The Time of Their Lives'' is a 1946 American fantasy comedy film directed by Charles Barton and starring the comedic duo Abbott and Costello alongside Marjorie Reynolds, Gale Sondergaard and Binnie Barnes. It was produced and distributed ...

'' (2017) – Frank *'' The Rebel'' (Season 2, Episode 3) (2017) – Dr. Cranmore *'' Darkest Hour'' (2017) –

*'' The Happy Prince'' (2018) – Judge *''Stealing Silver'' (Short) (2018) – Udo *''The Coming of the Martians'' (2018) – The Curate *''Flicker and go out'' (Short) (2019) – Mr. Addington *'' Summer of Rockets'' (TV mini-series) (2019) – Walter *''Still Got It'' (Short) (2019) – Jim *''End of Term'' (2021) – Damian Self (Posthumous release; Final film role)

References

External links

*
Ronald Pickup
at Theatricalia {{DEFAULTSORT:Pickup, Ronald 1940 births 2021 deaths Academics of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Alumni of the University of Leeds English male film actors English male Shakespearean actors English male stage actors English male television actors People educated at The King's School, Chester Male actors from Chester Royal Shakespeare Company members