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Ian McNeice

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Ian McNeice
McNeice in 2009
Born (1950-10-02) 2 October 1950 (age 74)
Basingstoke, Hampshire, England
OccupationActor
Years active1977-present
TelevisionB&B (1992)
Doc Martin (2004–2022)
Rome (2005–2007)
Doctor Who (2010–2011)
SpouseKatie Nicholls (separated)
Children3

Ian McNeice (born 2 October 1950) is an English film and television actor. On television, he has played government agent Harcourt in the 1985 television series Edge of Darkness, Bert Large in the comedy-drama Doc Martin, the Newsreader in historical drama Rome (2005–2007) and Winston Churchill in Doctor Who (2010–2011). He has also appeared in films including The Englishman Who Went up a Hill but Came down a Mountain, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls and Frank Herbert's Dune.

Early life and education

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McNeice was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire. His acting training started at the Taunton School in Somerset, followed by the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and two years at the Salisbury Playhouse. The next few years were spent in theatre, including a four-year period with the Royal Shakespeare Company and a production of Nicholas Nickleby on Broadway.[1][2]

Ian McNeice in The Optimist

Career

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McNeice's television breakthrough was as Harcourt in the award-winning series Edge of Darkness. He played the alcoholic sous chef Gustave LaRoche on the television series Chef!, and went on to appear in the 2000 miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune as the evil Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, a role he later reprised for the 2003 sequel Children of Dune. His television appearances have included all ten series of Doc Martin, in which he plays Bert Large, series 4 episode 4 of Midsomer Murders, and the third episode of the second series of Lewis. He appears as the Newsreader in the HBO/BBC production Rome and as the Mr. Tapling of the British diplomatic service in Hornblower - The Examination for Lieutenant.[citation needed]

McNeice has also appeared in a number of films, including 84 Charing Cross Road, Day of the Dead, No Escape, From Hell and The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain.[3] His breakthrough into American films occurred when he played Fulton Greenwall in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995). He played the Nazi Gerhard Klopfer in the 2001 BBC/HBO television film Conspiracy.[4]

Since then, he has been in Around the World in 80 Days (2004) and the 2005 supernatural thriller White Noise.[5] He also appeared as Potiphar in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.[citation needed]

McNeice gave his distinctive voice and accent to voice-acting roles like the Vogon character Kwaltz, director of the Vogon Constructor Fleet, in the 2005 film adaptation of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. In 2007, he made his Doctor Who debut when he guest-starred as villain Zeus in the Big Finish BBC Digital Radio 7 drama Immortal Beloved. He had a cameo role as Joachim von Kortzfleisch, a German general who refused to put his troops under the command of officers plotting to depose Hitler's government, in Valkyrie.[6]

McNeice was initially cast in the role of Illyrio Mopatis in the HBO pilot of Game of Thrones, but because of scheduling conflicts the role was then given to Roger Allam.[7] McNeice appeared as Winston Churchill[8] in four episodes of Doctor Who in 2010 and 2011; he had previously played Churchill in the 2008 premiere production of the Howard Brenton play Never So Good, and later played him again in the 2012 stage version of The King's Speech.[9]

McNeice also starred as The Architect in the 2017 independent feature film, The House of Screaming Death.[10][11][12]

Personal life

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McNeice has three children.[13]

Selected filmography

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Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1982 The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby Wackford Squeers / Scaley / Croupier 3 episodes (TV mini-series)
1983 The Cleopatras Alexander 2 episodes (TV mini-series)
1984 Minder Eric Morgan Episode: "Rocky Eight and a Half"
1985 The Optimist Thug Episode: "The Light Fantastic"
1985 Edge of Darkness Harcourt 5 episodes (TV mini series)
1987 Sputniks, Bleeps and Mr.Perry Geoffrey Perry TV drama/ documentary
1987 A Perfect Spy Sefton Boyd 1 episode (TV mini-series)
1988 Wipe Out Phillip Benton 5 episodes (TV mini-series)
1989 Boon Graham Barker Episode: "In For the Monet"
1989 Around the World in 80 Days Batcular 3 Episodes (TV mini series)
1991 Lovejoy Gervais Rackham Episode: "The Italian Venus"
1991 The Ruth Rendell Mysteries Ivan Teal 3 episodes
1992 B&B Horace Gilbert TV Movie
1992 Miss Pym's Day Out Vicar of Finstock TV Movie
1992 The Cloning of Joanna May Dr. Holly 2 episodes (TV mini-series)
1992 The Blackheath Poisonings George Collard 3 episodes (TV mini series)
1992 An Ungentlemanly Act Dick Baker TV Movie
1993 Watching Minister Episode: "Knotting"
1993 Inspector Morse Pathologist Episode: "Deadly Slumber"
1993 Stay Lucky Franklyn Bysouth 10 episodes
1993 Age of Treason Casca TV Movie
1994 Ain't Misbehavin' Chuck Pervis Series 1, Episode 4
1994 Minder Hargreaves Episode: "All Quiet on the West End Front"
1994 Chef! Gustave LaRoche 3 episodes
1994 - 1995 Pie in the Sky Barry Wilkes 2 episodes
1995 Sharpe's Battle Wagonmaster-General Colonel Runciman TV Movie
1995 Bugs Doctor Peter Hunter Episode: "A Sporting Chance"
1996 Cadfael Canon Eluard Episode: "The Devil's Notice"
1997 Have Your Cake and Eat It Zief 4 episodes (TV mini-series)
1998 Hornblower Mr. Tapling Episode: The Examination for Lieutenant
1998 A Certain Justice Desmond Ulrick 3 episodes
1998 Liverpool 1 George Episode: "Lead Balloon"
1999 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Potiphar Video
1999 David Copperfield Mr. Dick 2 episodes (TV mini-series)
2000 Longitude Astronomer Royal Doctor Nathanial Bliss TV mini-series
2000 Frank Herbert's Dune Baron Vladimir Harkonnen 3 episodes (TV mini-series)
2000 The Sleeper Mr. Tarburck 1 episode (TV mini-series)
2000 Midsomer Murders Village doctor Episode: "Who Killed Cock Robin"
2001 Armadillo Ivan 2 episodes (TV mini-series)
2002 Relic Hunter Harry Kane Episode: "Fountain of Youth"
2003 Frank Herbert's Children of Dune Baron Vladimir Harkonnen 3 episodes (TV mini-series)
2004 Spartacus Lentulus Batiatus 2 episodes (TV mini-series)
2004 Spooks Judge Episode: "Persephone"
2004–2022 Doc Martin Bert Large 78 episodes
2005 The Last Detective Raymond Price Episode: "Three Steps to Hendon"
2005–2007 Rome The Newsreader 20 episodes
2007 New Tricks Michael Meadowcroft Episode: "Big Topped"
2009 Cleopatra: Portrait of a Killer Cassius Dio (Historian) TV film
2010–2011 Doctor Who Winston Churchill 4 episodes
2010 Jonathan Creek Father Roderick Alberic Episode: "The Judas Tree"
2012 The Mystery of Edwin Drood Mayor Sapsea 2 episodes (TV mini-series)
2021 Foundation Master Statistician Tivole Episode: "Barbarian at the Gate"
2022 The Sandman Bartender Episode: "The Sound of Her Wings"

Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1983 Grizzly II: The Concert Bernie
1983 Voice Over "Fats" Bannerman
1984 Top Secret! Blind souvenir salesman
1986 Whoops Apocalypse Thrush
1987 Personal Services Harry
1987 84 Charing Cross Road Bill Humphries
1987 Cry Freedom Uncredited
1987 The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne Bernard Rice
1988 The Raggedy Rawney Farmer
1989 Valmont Azolan
1990 1871 Prince of Wales
1990 The Russia House Merrydew
1991 Secret Friends First Businessman
1992 Year of the Comet Ian
1993 Don't Leave Me This Way Oscar Ghilardi
1994 No Escape King
1995 Funny Bones Stanley Sharkey
1995 The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain George Garrad
1995 Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls Fulton Greenwall
1997 The Beautician and the Beast Iva Grushinsky
1997 A Life Less Ordinary Mayhew
1998 How to Make the Cruelest Month Peggy Asks
1999 The Auteur Theory Sir Maximilian Fair Brown
1999 The Cherry Orchard Pishchik
2000 The Nine Lives of Tomas Katz Inspector
2001 Anazapta Bishop
2001 The Body Dr. Sproul
2001 Town & Country Peter Principal
2001 The Fourth Angel MI5 officer Lewison
2001 From Hell Dr. Robert Drudge
2002 Amnèsia Doug Chandler
2002 Man and Boy Nigel Batty
2002 The Final Curtain Priest
2003 Chaos and Cadavers Harry Kane
2003 I'll Be There Graham
2003 Blackball Hugh the Sideburns
2004 Freeze Frame Forensic Profiler Saul Seger
2004 Around the World in 80 Days Colonel Kitchener
2004 The Rocket Post Alex Miln
2004 Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason Quizmaster
2005 White Noise Raymond Price
2005 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Kwaltz Voice only
2005 Oliver Twist Limbkins
2006 The Black Dahlia Coroner
2008 Day of the Dead DJ Paul
2008 Valkyrie Joachim von Kortzfleisch
2008 Just Because You’re Paranoid… The Therapist Short film
2012 Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger Mr. Peterson Senior
2017 The Man Who Invented Christmas Edward Chapman
2017 The House of Screaming Death The Architect
2023 Napoleon Louis XVIII
2024 We Are Tourists Harry

References

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  1. ^ "Ian McNeice". Theatricalia.com.
  2. ^ "Ian McNeice – Broadway Cast & Staff". IBDb.com.
  3. ^ "Ian McNeice". 2.bfi.org. Archived from the original on 26 April 2017.
  4. ^ "Conspiracy (2001)". 2.bfi.org. Archived from the original on 28 March 2018.
  5. ^ "Ian McNeice | Movies and Filmography". Allmovie.com.
  6. ^ "Valkyrie (2008) - Bryan Singer | Cast and Crew | AllMovie". Allmovie.com. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Illyrio recast". Winter-Is-Coming.net. 16 September 2010. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
  8. ^ "First Smith 'Doctor Who' titles confirmed". Digital Spy. 3 February 2010. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
  9. ^ "The King's Speech play has its world premiere". BBC News. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  10. ^ "April Updates – The House of Screaming Death Completes Post Production". 29 March 2017. Archived from the original on 30 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  11. ^ "Top actor Ian McNeice to star in Black Country horror flick". Express & Star. 3 May 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  12. ^ "House of Screaming Death Completes Post-Production, Celebrates By Releasing 3 New Stills". Horror Society. 28 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  13. ^ "The tragic story behind Ian McNeice's dating and married life, his wife, girlfriend and children" - Hitberry.com
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