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Oliver Tobias

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Oliver Tobias
Oliver Tobias (1969)
Born
Oliver Tobias Freitag

(1947-08-06) 6 August 1947 (age 77)
Zürich, Switzerland
Alma materEast 15 Acting School
Years active1968–present
Spouse
Arabella Zamoyska
​
(m. 2001)​
Websitewww.olivertobias.co.uk (Archive from 2018)

Oliver Tobias Freitag (born 6 August 1947), known professionally as Oliver Tobias, is a Swiss-born, UK-based film, stage and television actor and director.[1]

Biography

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Born in Zürich, Switzerland, he is the son of the Austrian-Swiss actor Robert Freitag and the German actress Maria Becker. He came to the United Kingdom at the age of eight and trained at East 15 Acting School, London. In 1968, he appeared in the original London production of Hair, playing the prime rebel role of Berger.[2] The following year, he starred in, directed, and choreographed the rock opera in Amsterdam and, in 1970, directed a production in Tel Aviv.

Film career

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Tobias's first role was in the feature film Romance of a Horsethief, co-starring with Yul Brynner, Serge Gainsbourg and Eli Wallach.[3] He then co-starred with Charlotte Rampling in the Jacobean tragedy 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, a film directed by Giuseppe Patroni Griffi. He became popular as Arthur in the TV series Arthur of the Britons (1972). Peter Weir then directed him in the TV series Luke's Kingdom.[4]

Many other successful films followed, including The Stud in 1978 in which he co-starred with Joan Collins, helping to rekindle her career. In 1981, he starred in the British television series Dick Turpin's Greatest Adventure, where he played the character Noll Bridger, a Colonial North American. Tobias also starred in Smuggler (1981) a children's drama series, set in Cornwall in 1801. Tobias also appeared as the Devil in the promotional video for Ultravox's 1982 hit "Hymn". Tobias became a frontrunner for the role of James Bond in Octopussy (1983) when Roger Moore intended to retire from the role, but Moore was ultimately recast.[5]

In 1991, Tobias starred alongside Charles Gray in the sci-fi movie "Firestar – First Contact" for Ice International Films. In 1996, Tobias played Rebecque, an aide to the Prince of Orange (Paul Bettany), in Sharpe's Waterloo. In 1998, he played Bassa Selim in Mozart in Turkey. In 2000, he starred in the West End musical La Cava. Three years later, he portrayed Percival Brown in the 50th-anniversary production of The Boy Friend and the next year toured in the rock musical Footloose. In 2005, he finished shooting the film An Airfield in England. He has been acting in a variety of roles for German and Swiss TV and has recently reprised the role of Bassa Selim in Mozart's Seraglio at the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari, Italy. Tobias is famous for his voiceover work and was the narrator on the opening track of DJ Shadow's 2006 album The Outsider.

Personal life

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In 2001, he married Arabella Zamoyska, with whom he has two sons.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1969 Arthur? Arthur! Peter "Bobo" Jackson
1970 Romance of a Horsethief Zanvill Kradnik
1971 'Tis Pity She's a Whore Giovanni
1974 The God King General Miara
1975 Arthur of the Britons King Arthur
1978 The Stud Tony Blake
1979 Arabian Adventure Prince Hasan
1979 A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square "Foxy"
1983 The Wicked Lady Kit Locksby
1985 Mata Hari Captain Georges Ladoux
1986 Operation Nam (Cobra Mission) Richard Wagner
1987 Johann Strauss: The King Without a Crown [de] Johann Strauss
1988 The Choice Unknown
1991 L'ultima meta Cliff Gaylor
1991 Firestar: First Contact Captain Bremner
1993 Nexus Tarn
1995 Vendetta Colonel de Piemonte
1995 Savage Hearts Country Gent
1996 Past Into Present Himself
1997 Breeders Police Lieutenant Moore
1997 Diana & Me Himself
1998 The Brylcreem Boys Hans Jorg Wolff
1998 Candy The Man
1998 Mozart in Turkey Bassa Selim
1999 Grizzly Falls Genet
1999 Darkness Falls The Money Dealer
1999 Alec to the Rescue! Professor James Richards
2001 Journey of a Lifetime, Europe and the Middle East Narrator
2003 Half-Empty Lead
2003 Don't Look Back! Tom Johnson
2004 Method Teddy
2005 An Airfield in England Writer / Director
2015 Dad's Army Wilhelm Canaris
2015 The Honourable Rebel Himself
2016 Open My Eyes Gunter Meinertzhagen
2017 When the Devil Rides Out "Doc" Antler
2020 Conjuring: The Book of the Dead Dr. Klien

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1972–1973 Arthur of the Britons King Arthur 24 episodes
1974 Luke's Kingdom Luke Firbeck 13 episodes
1975 Thriller Alan Smerdon Episode: "Won't Write Home Mom - I'm Dead"
1977 Jesus of Nazareth Joel TV Mini-Series
1980 Smuggler Jack Vincent 13 episodes
1985 Robin of Sherwood Bertrand de Nivelle Episode: "Lord of the Trees"
1985 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Captain Jack Crocker Episode: "The Abbey Grange"
1986 Mountain Men: A Dangerous Kind of Love Melchior Anderegg TV movie
1986 Adventurer Jack Vincent 12 episodes
1988 Boon Jonathan Hillary 2 episodes
1989 Der Schattenspieler Unknown
1990 Cluedo Count Henri de Beauchamp Episode: "Countdown"
1990 The Paper Man Ian Harris 3 episodes
1992–1993 Flash - Der Fotoreporter "Flash" 6 episodes
1992 Glückliche Reise Leibwächter Mathias Episode: "Sri Lanka"
1993 Donauprinzessin Rick Reimers 12 episodes
1993 Das Traumschiff Stefan Reinking Episode: "Hongkong"
1994 Broken Lullaby Count Borodin TV movie
1994 Eurocops Crook Episode: "Drei Mädchen"
1995 The Knock II Alan Montfort 6 episodes
1997 Sharpe's Waterloo Colonel Rebecque TV movie
1997 Real Women Callun
2000 Klinik unter Palmen Dr. Rudolfo Garcia 3 episodes
2001 Der Bestseller Miguel Gonzales TV movie
2002 Holby City Jim Frost Episode: "Every Cloud..."
2005 Unter weißen Segeln Yussuf Arazi Episode: "Abschiedsvorstellung"
2006 Mord in bester Gesellschaft Comissario Santa Cruz Episode: "Mord in bester Gesellschaft"
2006 Abschiedsmorgen Father
2008 Hunkeler macht Sachen Thomas Garzoni TV movie

References

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  1. ^ Editorial Staff (4 February 2002). "20 Questions with Oliver Tobias". WhatsOnStage.com, Inc. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  2. ^ Tobias, Oliver (7 January 2011). "Stage". Oliver Tobias – The Official Website. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  3. ^ "Romance of a Horsethief (1971)". Turner Classic Movies. Time Warner Company. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  4. ^ Luke's Kingdom. 22 May 1974. p. 24. Retrieved 5 August 2014. {{cite book}}: |newspaper= ignored (help)
  5. ^ "Octopussy". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
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