Rupert Nicholas Vansittart (born 10 February 1958) is an English

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to ...

. He has appeared in a variety of roles in film, television, stage and radio, often playing comic characters. He is best known for his role as Lord Ashfordly in the ITV drama ''

Heartbeat A heartbeat is one cardiac cycle of the heart. Heartbeat, heart beat, heartbeats, and heart beats may refer to: Computing *Heartbeat (computing), a periodic signal to indicate normal operation or to synchronize parts of a system *Heartbeat, clus ...

'' and for playing Lord Yohn Royce in the HBO series ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the firs ...

'' (2014–2019).

Life and career

Vansittart is of partial Dutch ancestry and trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Vansittart is known to fans of the 1995 ''

Pride and Prejudice ''Pride and Prejudice'' is an 1813 novel of manners by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreci ...

'' serial as the actor who portrayed Mr Hurst, the brother-in-law of Charles and Caroline Bingley. He has also worked with

Rowan Atkinson Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English actor, comedian and writer. He played the title roles on the sitcoms ''Blackadder'' (1983–1989) and '' Mr. Bean'' (1990–1995), and the film series '' Johnny English'' (2003–20 ...

on a number of occasions, appearing as a guest star in two episodes of '' Mr. Bean'' in addition to '' The Thin Blue Line'', and '' Johnny English Reborn''. In 1993, he appeared in ''

Remains of the Day ''The Remains of the Day'' is a 1989 novel by the Nobel Prize-winning British author Kazuo Ishiguro. The protagonist, Stevens, is a butler with a long record of service at Darlington Hall, a stately home near Oxford, England. In 1956, he take ...

'' as Sir Geoffrey Wren, a character based on the 1930s British fascist Sir Oswald Mosley. In 1994, he appeared in the film '' Braveheart'' as Lord Bottoms. He worked in '' Four Weddings and a Funeral'' as George the Boor at the Boatman in 1995. In 2003, he appeared in the West End adaptation of '' Arsenic and Old Lace''. In 2002, he appeared in the ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British crime drama television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the '' Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series (created by Caroline Graham), and broadcast on two channels of ...

'' episode "Market for Murder". He also portrayed General Asquith in the '' Doctor Who'' episodes " Aliens of London" and " World War Three". In 2006, Vansittart portrayed

Thomas J. Dodd Thomas Joseph Dodd (May 15, 1907 – May 24, 1971) was an American attorney and diplomat who served as a United States Senator and Representative from Connecticut. He is the father of former U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd and Thomas J. Dodd Jr ...

in the BBC three-part drama documentary '' Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial''. In 2007, he appeared in another episode of ''

,'' "The Axeman Cometh". He also appeared in the 2008 BBC serial ''

Spartacus Spartacus ( el, Σπάρτακος '; la, Spartacus; c. 103–71 BC) was a Thracian gladiator who, along with Crixus, Gannicus, Castus, and Oenomaus, was one of the escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprisin ...

'' as Consul Lentulus. In 2009, he was asked to play Peter Morrison in ''

Margaret Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular through ...

''. Two years later in the critically acclaimed '' The Iron Lady'' with

Meryl Streep Mary Louise Meryl Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Often described as "the best actress of her generation", Streep is particularly known for her versatility and accent adaptability. She has received numerous accolades throu ...

he played Cabinet minister

John Biffen William John Biffen, Baron Biffen, (3 November 1930 – 14 August 2007), was a British Conservative Party politician. A member of the House of Lords, he was previously a Member of Parliament for over 35 years, and served in Margaret Thatcher' ...

. He has also played political characters on stage: in 2014 he was one of the main actors in the cast of ''Great Britain'' at the National Theatre. He also appeared in ''This House'' at the National Theatre. 2009 also saw his third appearance in ''Midsomer Murders'', in the episode "The Dogleg Murders". In 2010, he appeared in ''Doctors'' as Anthony Chippington, a friend of Charlie's. He played Harrison Ashton Lard, the "posh girl's father", in '' How Not to Live Your Life''. He provided additional voice-over for ''

World's Craziest Fools ''World's Craziest Fools'' is a clip show made by Roughcut TV for BBC Three, presented by Mr. T. It showcases clips, sometimes viral, of people making themselves look like "Fools" (a reference to Mr. T's catchphrase), often by accident. Many ...

''. He appeared in the final two seasons of '' Foyle's War'' as Sir Alec Myerson, the title character's boss at MI5. Vansittart also appeared in the BBC Three comedy Bad Education, playing Mr. Humpage. In 2014, Vansittart started playing Lord Yohn Royce in the HBO series ''

'', making recurring appearances in season 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. In 2016, he appears in the BBC TV series ''

Father Brown Father Brown is a fictional Roman Catholic priest and amateur detective who is featured in 53 short stories published between 1910 and 1936 written by English author G. K. Chesterton. Father Brown solves mysteries and crimes using his intuiti ...

'' as Arthur Le Broc in episode 4.7 "The Missing Man". In January 2016, he played Peter Jennings in an episode of the BBC series '' Casualty''.

Personal life

Vansittart has been married to Emma Kate, daughter of the actor Moray Watson, since 1987. They have two children. When

Emma Watson Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson (born 15 April 1990) is an English actress and activist. Known for her roles in both blockbusters and independent films, as well as for her women's rights work, she has received a selection of accolades, includ ...

was cast for ''

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' is a 1997 fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. The first novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series and Rowling's debut novel, it follows Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers h ...

'', Emma Kate Watson changed her name to Emma Vansittart, adopting her husband's surname as her new stage name, to avoid being confused with the young actress.

Theatre

* ''The Revengers' Comedies'' (1989) * ''Taking Steps'' (1990) * ''The Revengers' Comedies'' (1991) * ''A Westwood Diary'' (1996) * ''Arsenic and Old Lace'' (2003) * ''This House'' (2013) * ''Great Britain'' (2014)

Filmography

* ''

Bulman ''Bulman'' is a British television crime drama series, principally written and created by Murray Smith. It was first broadcast on ITV on 5 June 1985. The series, featuring retired ex-cop George Bulman ( Don Henderson) and his assistant Lucy M ...

'' (1985, TV Series) .... Jack * ''

Plenty Plenty may refer to: Places * Plenty, Victoria, a town in Australia * Plenty River (Victoria), a river in the Australian state of Victoria *Plenty River (Northern Territory), a river in the Northern Territory of Australia * Plenty, Tasmania, a sma ...

'' (1985) .... Client's Asst. * '' The Comic Strip Presents...'' (1986, TV Series) .... Jeremy * '' Half Moon Street'' (1986) .... Alan Platts-Williams * '' Eat the Rich'' (1987) .... Rupert * ''

Buster Buster may refer to: People First name *Buster Drayton (born 1952), American boxer *Buster Glosson, retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant general *Buster Mathis (1943–1995), American heavyweight boxer *Buster Mathis Jr. (born 1970), American heavyw ...

'' (1988) .... Fairclough * '' Ticket to Ride'' (1989) * ''

Wish Me Luck ''Wish Me Luck'' is a British television drama about the exploits of British women undercover agents during the Second World War. The series was made by London Weekend Television for the ITV network between 17 January 1988 and 25 February 1990 ...

'' (1988–1989, TV Series) .... Guard in Factory / German Soldier at Station * '' The Saint: The Brazilian Connection'' (1989, TV Movie) .... Wyatt * '' The Piglet Files'' (1990–1991, TV Series) .... Zemskov / KGB Officer * ''

'' (1992–2009, TV Series) .... Lord Ashfordly * '' Love Hurts'' (1993, TV Series) .... Richard Hollis * '' Chef!'' (1993, TV Series) .... Diner * '' Frank Stubbs'' (1993, TV Series) .... Businessman * '' The Remains of the Day'' (1993) .... Sir Geoffrey Wren * '' Headhunters'' (1994, TV Series) .... Michael Best * '' Four Weddings and a Funeral'' (1994) .... George the boor at The Boatman - Wedding One * '' Braveheart'' (1994) .... Lord Bottoms * '' Mr. Bean'' (1994–1995, TV Series) .... Guardsman / Hubert * ''

'' (1995, TV Mini-Series) .... Mr Hurst * '' The Thin Blue Line'' (1995, TV Series) .... Commander Crow * ''

Cutthroat Island ''Cutthroat Island'' is a 1995 adventure swashbuckler film directed by Renny Harlin and written by Robert King and Marc Norman from a story by Michael Frost Beckner, James Gorman, Bruce A. Evans and Raynold Gideon. It stars Geena Davis, Matthew ...

'' (1995) .... Captain Perkins * '' Wilderness'' (1996, TV Mini-Series) .... Jeremy * ''

Supply and Demand In microeconomics, supply and demand is an economic model of price determination in a market. It postulates that, holding all else equal, in a competitive market, the unit price for a particular good, or other traded item such as labo ...

'' (1997, TV Movie) .... Police Personnel * ''

Noah's Ark Noah's Ark ( he, תיבת נח; Biblical Hebrew: ''Tevat Noaḥ'')The word "ark" in modern English comes from Old English ''aerca'', meaning a chest or box. (See Cresswell 2010, p.22) The Hebrew word for the vessel, ''teva'', occurs twice in ...

'' (1997, TV Series) .... Mark Villiers * '' A Dance to the Music of Time'' (1997, TV Mini-Series) .... Soper * ''

Diana & Me ''Diana & Me'' is a 1997 Australian romantic comedy film directed by David Parker and starring Toni Collette, Dominic West and John Simm. Plot An Australian named Diana Spencer travels to London to try to get a glimpse of her namesake, Diana, P ...

'' (1997) .... Chef * ''

Painted Lady ''Vanessa cardui'' is the most widespread of all butterfly species. It is commonly called the painted lady, or formerly in North America the cosmopolitan. Description File:Vanessa cardui MHNT CUT 2013 3 14 Pontfaverger-Moronvilliers Dos ...

'' (1997, TV Movie) .... Henry Fellows * ''

Perfect Blue is a 1997 Japanese animated psychological thriller film directed by Satoshi Kon. It is based on the novel by Yoshikazu Takeuchi, with a screenplay written by Sadayuki Murai. Featuring the voices of Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, Shiho Niiy ...

'' (1997) .... Flashback Date #2 * ''

Berkeley Square Berkeley Square is a garden square in the West End of London. It is one of the best known of the many squares in London, located in Mayfair in the City of Westminster. It was laid out in the mid 18th century by the architect William Ke ...

'' (1998, TV Mini-Series) .... Lord Percy Wilton * ''

Monk Dawson ''Monk Dawson'' is a film that was released in 1998, directed and produced by Tom Waller and starring John Michie, Benedict Taylor, Martin Kemp, Rhona Mitra, and Paula Hamilton. It was based on the 1969 novel of the same name written by ...

'' (1998) .... Fr Timothy * '' Vanity Fair'' (1998, TV Mini-Series) .... Smith * '' Frenchman's Creek'' (1998, TV Movie) .... Lord Godolphin * ''

Birds of a Feather ''Birds of a Feather'' is a British sitcom originally broadcast on BBC One from 16 October 1989 to 24 December 1998, then revived on ITV from 2 January 2014 to 24 December 2020. The series stars Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson, with Lesley Jos ...

'' (1998–2014, TV Series) .... Counsel / Wayne * '' CI5: The New Professionals'' (1999, TV Series) .... Chairman * ''

Eviction Eviction is the removal of a tenant from rental property by the landlord. In some jurisdictions it may also involve the removal of persons from premises that were foreclosed by a mortgagee (often, the prior owners who defaulted on a mortg ...

'' (1999, Short) .... The Landlord * '' Kevin & Perry Go Large'' (2000) .... Bank manager * ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

'' (2000, TV Series) .... Solicitor * '' Harry Enfield's Brand Spanking New Show'' (2000, TV Series) * '' Black Books'' (2000, TV Series) .... Rich Guy * '' Take a Girl Like You'' (2000, TV Series) .... Headmaster * '' Sword of Honour'' (2001, TV Movie) .... Commander-in-Chief * '' Sam's Game'' (2001, TV Series) .... Robert * ''

My Family ''My Family'' is a British sitcom created and initially co-written by Fred Barron, which was produced by DLT Entertainment and Rude Boy Productions, and broadcast by BBC One for eleven series between 2000 and 2011, with Christmas specials broa ...

'' (2000–2001, TV Series) .... Mr. Davis / Mr. Quince * '' Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'' (2001, TV Series) .... Brian Babbacombe * '' The Way We Live Now'' (2001, TV Mini-Series) .... Sir Damask Monogram * '' The Falklands Play'' (2002, TV Movie) .... Sir Robert Armstrong * '' Celeb'' (2002, TV Series) .... Johnson * '' Menace'' (2002, TV Mini-Series) .... Ray Hutchens * ''

'' (2002–2009, TV Series) .... Alistair Kingslake / Desmond Harcourt / Selwyn Proctor * '' My Dad's the Prime Minister'' (2003–2004, TV Series) .... Chancellor / Ballon * '' One Last Chance'' (2004) .... Alisdair Robb * '' The Brief'' (2004, TV Mini-Series) .... Prettyman * ''

Roman Road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman R ...

'' (2004, TV Movie) .... Farmer * ''Twisted Tales'' (2005, TV Series) .... Dr. Mantle * '' Doctor Who'' (2005, TV Series) .... General Asquith * '' Wallis & Edward'' (2005, TV Movie) .... Chief Whip * ''

Coup! ''Coup!'' is a 2023 American comedy/thriller written and directed by Austin Stark and Joseph Schuman and starring Peter Sarsgaard, Billy Magnussen, and Sarah Gadon. It premiered in the Giornate degli Autori section of the 80th Venice Internatio ...

'' (2006, TV Movie) .... Roddy Hamilton * '' Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial'' (2006, TV Mini-Series documentary) .... Thomas Dodd * ''

Hustle Hustle or The Hustle may refer to: Film * ''Hustle'' (1975 film), an American crime film starring Burt Reynolds * ''Hustle'' (2004 film), an American television film about Pete Rose * ''Hustle'' (2008 film), a film starring Bai Ling * ''The H ...

'' (2007, TV Series) .... Jonathan Mortimer-Howe * ''

Sensitive Skin Sensitive skin is a skin condition in which skin is prone to itching and irritation experienced as a subjective sensation when using cosmetics and toiletries. When questioned, over 50% of women in the UK and US, and 38% of men, report that they ha ...

'' (2007, TV Series) .... Interview Guest * '' The Bank Job'' (2008) .... Sir Leonard Plugge * '' Heroes and Villains'' (2008, TV Series documentary) .... Lentulus * ''

Caught in a Trap Caught is a method of dismissing a batsman in cricket. A batsman is out caught if the batsman hits the ball, from a legitimate delivery, with the bat, and the ball is caught by the bowler or a fielder before it hits the ground. If the ball ...

'' (2008, TV Movie) .... Judge * ''

'' (2009, TV Movie) .... Peter Morrison * '' How Not to Live Your Life'' (2010, TV Series) .... Harrison * '' Any Human Heart'' (2010, TV Mini-Series) .... The Earl * '' Doctors'' (2010–2014, TV Series) .... Benedict 'Bennie' Harley / Mr. Graham Fitch / Anthony Chippington * ''

Comedy Showcase ''Comedy Showcase'' is a series of one-off comedy specials featuring some of Britain's fledgling comedy talent. Its format is reminiscent of the much earlier '' Comedy Playhouse''. The format was replaced in 2012 by 4Funnies.Khalsa, Balihar (8 N ...

'' (2011, TV Series) .... Headmaster * '' Johnny English Reborn'' (2011) .... Derek * '' Holy Flying Circus'' (2011, TV Movie) .... Bernard Barnard QC * '' The Iron Lady'' (2011) .... Cabinet Minister * '' The Royal Bodyguard'' (2012, TV Mini-Series) .... Roderick Finch * '' Bad Education'' (2012, TV Series) .... Mr. Humpage * '' Foyle's War'' (2013–2015, TV Series, 5 episodes) .... Sir Alec Meyerson / Sir Alec Myerson * '' Austenland'' (2013) .... Mr. Wattlesbrook * ''National Theatre Live: This House'' (2013) .... Esher / Ensemble * '' The Midnight Beast'' (2014, TV Series) .... Headmaster * '' Death in Paradise'' (2014, TV Series) .... Colin Campbell * ''

'' (2014–2019, TV Series, 13 episodes) .... Yohn Royce * ''

Chewing Gum Chewing gum is a soft, cohesive substance designed to be chewed without being swallowed. Modern chewing gum is composed of gum base, sweeteners, softeners/ plasticizers, flavors, colors, and, typically, a hard or powdered polyol coating. Its ...

'' (2015, TV Series) .... Big Boss * ''

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

'' (2015, TV Series, 2 episodes) .... Throckmorton * ''

'' (2016, TV Series) .... Arthur Le Broc * '' Casualty'' (2016-2021 TV Series) .... Peter Jennings/Kenneth Stair * '' Plebs'' (2016, TV Series) .... Tarquin * '' A United Kingdom'' (2016) .... Sir Ian Fraser * ''

Tutankhamun Tutankhamun (, egy, twt-ꜥnḫ-jmn), Egyptological pronunciation Tutankhamen () (), sometimes referred to as King Tut, was an Egyptian pharaoh who was the last of his royal family to rule during the end of the Eighteenth Dynasty (ruled ...

'' (2016, TV Mini-Series) .... Flinders Petrie * ''

King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

'' (2017, TV Movie) .... Sir Matthew * '' The Children Act'' (2017) .... Sherwood Runcie * '' Outlander'' (2017, TV Series) .... Lord William Dunsany * ''

Doc Martin ''Doc Martin'' is a British medical comedy drama television series starring Martin Clunes as Doctor Martin Ellingham. It was created by Dominic Minghella after the character of Dr Martin Bamford in the 2000 comedy film '' Saving Grace''. Th ...

'' (2017-2022, TV Series) .... Professor Langan * '' Gentleman Jack'' (2019, TV Series, 3 episodes) .... Charles Lawton * ''

The Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has differen ...

'' (2019, TV Series, 1 episode) ....

Cecil Harmsworth King Cecil Harmsworth King (20 February 1901 – 17 April 1987) was Chairman of Daily Mirror Newspapers, Sunday Pictorial Newspapers and the International Publishing Corporation (1963–1968), and a director at the Bank of England (1965–1968). B ...

* ''

Spy City ''Spy City'' is a television miniseries created by William Boyd about spies in 1961 Berlin, during the Cold War. The series first aired in Germany, and AMC+ picked up the rights to stream in the United States at MIPTV. Synopsis A British s ...

'' (2020, TV series) .... Ian Stuart-Hay * '' Kleo'' (2022, TV Netflix series) .... Otto Straub English Voiceover * ''

Andor Andor may refer to: * ''Andor'' (TV series), a television series in the ''Star Wars'' universe **Cassian Andor, the titular character * Andor (''Wheel of Time''), a country in Robert Jordan's ''The Wheel of Time'' novels * Andor Technology, a ...

'' (2022, TV series, 2 episodes) .... Chief Hyne

Video games

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vansittart, Rupert 1958 births English male stage actors English male television actors English people of Dutch descent Living people People from Cranleigh Male actors from Surrey 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors