Nigel Hawthorne Movies
A staple of the British stage for nearly a quarter of a century before he gained his first significant measure of international notice, Nigel Hawthorne has had one of the acting profession's more slow-burning careers. However, it has been an undeniably distinguished career marked with any number of critical peaks, perhaps most notably his brilliant, Oscar-nominated title performance in Nicholas Hytner's 1994 adaptation of Alan Bennett's The Madness of King George.Born in Coventry on April 5, 1929, Hawthorne grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, where he moved with his family at the age of four. After attending the University of Cape Town, where he started acting, he returned to England in 1951. Determined to pursue an acting career, Hawthorne slogged away for years in relative obscurity, oftentimes hovering precipitously close to complete bankruptcy. His early career proved to be so disappointing that the actor returned to Cape Town for a time, but he ultimately returned to England to try his luck all over again. His second attempt was thankfully more successful than his first, and although it would be years before he would be duly appreciated, he did enjoy some measure of success in London's West End.
Hawthorne's first helping of international acclaim came with his portrayal of Sir Humphrey Appleby on the popular British television series Yes, Minister during the '80s. His work on the political satire earned him a number of BAFTA awards and such fame in his native country that he was on occasion mistaken for being an actual politician, even, reportedly, by Queen Elizabeth herself. The actor went on to establish himself as one of Britain's great performers, winning a 1991 Tony Award for his performance in the Broadway production of Shadowlands and a 1992 Olivier Award (as well as an Evening Standard Award and a host of other honors) for his title role in the Royal National Theatre's production of The Madness of George the Third. His work in the latter play was adapted to the screen in 1994 with Nicholas Hytner's widely acclaimed The Madness of King George. Again, Hawthorne enjoyed great critical praise for his portrayal of the mentally unbalanced king, earning an Oscar nomination and a BAFTA award for his rich, manic, and ultimately dignified performance.
Hawthorne, who had been appearing onscreen since 1972's Young Winston, subsequently did starring and supporting work in a number of high profile films, including Richard Loncraine's Richard III (1996), Steven Spielberg's Amistad (1997), The Object of My Affection (1998), and David Mamet's acclaimed adaptation of Terence Rattigan's The Winslow Boy (1999), which cast Hawthorne as the father of the title character.
The actor, who offscreen has enjoyed a long relationship with writer Trevor Bentham, earned additional recognition for his contributions to film, television, and the theatre when he was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1987. In 1999, he was further recognized in the Queen's 1999 New Year's Honours List when he received a much-deserved knighthood. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
While 18-year-old Victoria (Victoria Hamilton) struggles to escape the rule of her domineering mother (Penelope Wilton), King William IV dies and the teenager assumes the throne as Queen of Great Britain and Ireland and empress of India. With the help of sympathetic advisers and her lady-in-waiting, Baroness Lehzen (Diana Rigg), Victoria asserts herself, relocating her mother's living quarters and dismissing her mother's overbearing supporter, Sir John Conroy (Patrick Malahide). She then reluctantly agrees to invite her first cousin, Albert (Jonathan Firth), prince-consort of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Germany, to the royal household as a possible match for her. Remembering him from childhood, she thinks him a bore. But when grown-up Albert arrives, Victoria falls madly in love with him. After they marry, Victoria must counter troublemaking political schemers on the one hand while attempting to assuage a disenchanted Albert on the other. The problem is that he has nothing to do. He is merely an ornament, albeit a cherished one. He cannot even command a servant to clean a fireplace. However, when the administration of the queen's friend and adviser Prime Minister Melbourne (Nigel Hawthorne) collapses, Albert becomes Victoria's partner in government as well as in marriage. In time, she realizes that her husband is really a co-ruler: "A king," she says, "in everything but name." Together, they reign over their empire -- and their brood of nine children. It is Albert's task to supervise the country's Great Exhibition of 1851 to promote British pride, commerce, and industry. But his untiring efforts to make the exhibit a success take their toll on him, and he falls ill. However, he tenaciously clings to life -- and Victoria -- and lives another decade before typhoid fever claims him in 1862, leaving behind a distraught Victoria and a monarchy he helped rescue. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide
- 2000
This animated film from director Alan Simpson tells the story of a seafaring grandfather's travels to the North Pole to find the last polar bears. Based on the book by Harry Horse, the story is told to his grandchild through letters narrated by Nigel Hawthorne. Recommended for ages four to nine. ~ Heather M. Fierst, All Movie Guide
- 1999
In this drama, a man dealing with the ghosts of his past defends a child whose cultural dictates differ with the law. Sean Raine (Gavin Hood) was born and raised in South Africa, but during his time as a soldier in that nation's army, he killed a young black man by mistake while fighting in Angola and has been plagued with guilt ever since. He left South Africa soon after; in time, he studied law and became a successful corporate attorney. While visiting South Africa for the first time in nine years, Sean and his wife Jennifer (Janine Eser) meet a herd boy named Sipho (Loyiso Gxwala) during a canoe trip. As they're returning to camp, Sean and Jennifer meet Sipho again, but this time he's in shock, standing motionless with a bloody axe in his hand as his mother carries the body of a baby with a fatal head injury. When questioned, Sipho asserts that what he killed was not a human infant but a tikoloshe, a creature cursed with evil spirits. Sean offers to defend Sipho, and as he stands before the court, he tries to explain to the judge (Nigel Hawthorne) and jury that Sipho was acting sincerely, in accordance with his faith, and therefore did not truly commit a crime. Actor Gavin Hood made his debut as a writer and director with this film, as well as playing the leading role. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gavin Hood, Nigel Hawthorne, (more)
- 1999
Learn the fascinating history of one of Europe's finest cathedrals, Canterbury Cathedral. The first part of the documentary focuses on the early history of the cathedral and the journey of Archbishop Canterbury. The second part of the documentary discusses the actual construction of the cathedral in 1067. Today millions of people a year visit this fine cathedral as tourists. Learn about some of the darker times in the cathedral's history and how and why it has inspired writers and artists for centuries. ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide
Minnie Driver, her sister Kate Driver, and Nigel Hawthorne teamed as the executive producers of this $2.5 million romantic comedy about a mismatched couple. Writer-director John Huddles describes it as "a modern-day fable about what happens when your worldly ambition collides with the love of your life." At Satchem Farm in California's Simi Valley, an expatriate family of transplanted Brits includes maxim-mouthing Cullen (Hawthorne) and ambitious but bankrupt Ross (Rufus Sewell), a failed entrepreneur who plans to sell off his family's final remaining asset, their famed wine collection, in order to purchase an obsolete manganese mine. The manic Ross is engaged to his opposite, cool businesswoman Kendal (Minnie Driver), who succeeds where Ross fails. Kendal kindles her relationship with Ross -- while carrying the torch for someone else. Shown at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rufus Sewell, Nigel Hawthorne, (more)
In this period piece set in England in 1776, Betsy, the eldest daughter of the 'nouveau riche' Sterling family from the city, is to wed Sir John, the son of the aristocratic but poor Ogleby family from the country. However, Betsy's sister Fanny, who has secretly married her father's clerk by whom she is pregnant, quickly becomes the object of attention not only of Sir John but also of his elderly father, Lord Ogleby. Betsy's father, who is not aware that Fanny is already married, secretly agrees to exchange one daughter for the other. Soon everyone is acting at cross-purposes, the immediate concern being how to save face. The Clandestine Marriage is a comedy of errors set against the lush landscape of an English country estate in high summer. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nigel Hawthorne, Joan Collins, (more)
- 1991
This home video release features three episodes from the sequel to the popular British situation comedy Yes, Minister, following the political misadventures of James Hacker (Paul Eddington) after he rises from Minister for Administrative Affairs to Prime Minister of Parliament; of course, his old partners (and sometimes rivals) Sir Humphrey Appleby (Nigel Hawthorne) and Bernard Woolley (Derek Fowlds) are still on hand to wave comedic verbal battle with Hacker. In "The Bishop's Gambit," it falls to Hacker to choose a new bishop, but he isn't especially happy with his choices -- or Appleby's suggestions. Hacker discovers Appleby helped to pardon a Russian espionage agent years ago in "One of Us," leading to a small outburst of controversy -- and a hilarious attempt by Appleby to clear his name. And in "Man Overboard," the Minister of Employment looks to Hacker to help him scuttle a plan to move military bases from Southern England to the North; however, Appleby insists on running interference against the plan. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Politically satirical British sitcom Yes, Prime Minister is formulated around the events in political office in the U.K. This set contains three episodes originally aired in 1991: "Official Secrets," "A Diplomatic Incident," and "A Conflict of Interest." ~ Sarah Sloboda, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Tartuffe, French playwright Moliere's 16th-century satire of religious quackery, is given right and proper treatment by the Royal Shakespeare Company in this videotaped staging. Anthony Sher plays the title role, a haughty, self-righteous phony who inveigles his way into a wealthy household. Not content with robbing his host blind in the name of the Almighty, Tartuffe also sets about to seduce the lady in the house. The satire was so pointed that, when the play was originally presented, Moliere was forced to shoehorn in a scene showing Tartuffe's punishment at the hands of the authorities--the best possible way of distancing Tartuffe's fraudulent piety with the real-life power abuses then being perpetrated by the Church. Also featured in this witty adaptation of the Moliere original is Nigel Hawthorne, who would later be nominated for an Oscar for The Madness of King George. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Produced by the BBC and shown in the United States on PBS, the comedic send-up of British government Yes, Prime Minister starred Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne, and Derek Fowlds, and was produced and directed by Sydney Lotterby. This collection, Yes, Prime Minister: The Key, features three episodes, including Yes, Prime Minister: The Key, Yes, Prime Minister: A Real Partnership, and Yes, Prime Minister: A Victory for Democracy. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- 1990
This home video release features three episodes from the sequel to the popular British situation comedy Yes, Minister, following the political misadventures of James Hacker (Paul Eddington) after he suddenly rises from Minister for Administrative Affairs to Prime Minister of Parliament; of course, his old partners (and sometimes rivals) Sir Humphrey Appleby (Nigel Hawthorne) and Bernard Woolley (Derek Fowlds) are still on hand to wage comedic verbal battle with Hacker. "The Grand Design" follows Hacker's conflicting emotions when he realizes he has his finger on the button of England's stockpile of nuclear weapons. When Hacker must make his first nationally televised speech, everyone begins coaching him on how to play for the camera in "The Ministerial Broadcast." And Hacker decides to do something about smoking by placing heavy taxes on tobacco in "The Smoke Screen" -- only to earn the enmity of the tobacco industry, as well as the national treasury. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Old Martin (Espen Skjonberg) is haunted by his past, and he has a lot to be haunted by. When he was a young man (Nicolay Lange-Nielsen) his uncle gave him the money to set up business in the wilds of western Norway as a horse trader. His uncle also entrusted a girl, Anna (Camilla Strom Henriksen) to him. Martin was already involved in her life: Anna's father had raped her and gotten her pregnant, and Martin killed the man for this. The two worked hard to make a life for themselves in the wilderness, and they eventually had a social life and a child of their own. For some reason, Martin left his wife while she was giving birth to their child, and he had reason to doubt that she would live through the experience. Now, years later, she has contacted him. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Espen Skjønberg
- 1986
This 16-episode "Britcom" was a sequel to the popular BBC comedy series Yes, Minister. Paul Eddington reprised his role as dimwitted Member of Parliament Jim Hacker, who on this occasion had rather incredibly been elected Prime Minister of Great Britain. Alas, Hacker was still plagued with subordinates who flaunted their intellectual superiority over him, notably scheming undersecretary Sir Humphrey Appleby (Nigel Hawthorne). Also returning from the earlier series were Derek Fowlds as Bernard Wolley, Diana Hoddinott as Anne Hacker, and John Nettleton as Sir Arnold Robinson. Lasting two seasons, Yes, Prime Minister was telecast from January 9 through February 27, 1986, then again from December 3, 1987 to January 28, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne, (more)
- 1986
Based on the British comedy series Yes, Prime Minister, this collection features four episodes of the show, including "Power to the People," "The National Education," "The Patron of the Arts," and "The Tangled Web." ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1984
Filmed in Rome and Austria on a budget of $5 million, the made-for-TV biopic Pope John Paul II stars Albert Finney, making his American TV debut as the Polish-born Pontiff. The film begins in 1938, when teen-aged Karol Wojtyla (Michael Crompton), a would-be actor, decides instead to enter the priesthood. Played from age 26 onward by Finney, Wojtyla spends the war years in the Polish anti-Nazi movement. He continues battling for his beliefs with the Communist-ruled Polish government in the postwar years. In 1978, Wojtyla is elected to succeed Pope John Paul I, thereby becoming the first non-Italian pope in four centuries. Pope John Paul II was written with reverence and intelligence by Christopher Knopf; it was originally telecast April 22, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Like Watership Down, Plague Dogs is an animated cartoon feature based on a novel by Richard Adams and produced by Martin Rosen. And also like Watership Down, it is more appropriate for an older audience. Two dogs escape from a British government research lab. As the authorities hunt down the canine fugitives, the two dogs search for their original master and for a place where they'll be free from the iniquities and cruelties of Mankind. Plague Dogs was completed in 1982, but was not released in the US until two years later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Hurt, Christopher Benjamin, (more)
While most people are familiar only with the Lon Chaney Sr. and Charles Laughton versions of Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, this 1982 TV adaptation was the fourteenth filmization of the Hugo novel. Anthony Hopkins, barely recognizable under mounds of disfiguring body makeup, plays Quasimodo, the deformed 15th-century bellringer of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. Leslie-Anne Down plays Esmerelda, the gypsy girl who wins Quasimodo's unswerving loyalty when she offers him water after he is publicly flogged. And Derek Jacobi plays Dom Claude Frollo, the hypocritically pious archdeacon of Notre Dame, who'll do anything to claim Esmerelda for himself. Produced by Norman Rosemont, The Hunchback of Notre Dame originally aired February 4, 1982, as a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Hopkins, Derek Jacobi, (more)
Adapted from a series of novels by Anthony Trollope, the Masterpiece Theatre production of The Barchester Chronicles features Donald Pleasence as Reverend Harding. Scandal taints the town of Barchester after the local church becomes the object of a scathing investigative report about the use of church funds. The husbands of Harding's daughters are feuding with each other and each manipulates Harding for their individual purposes. A change in church leadership brings Harding into contact with Reverend Obadiah Slope (Alan Rickman), an unpleasant man who may be hiding some deep secrets. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Based on the acclaimed novel by Doris Lessing, this dystopian science fiction tale concerns a woman struggling to make her way in a post-apocalyptic society. D (Julie Christie) is living in a city that's at the point of collapse following a catastrophic nuclear war; lawlessness and violence rule the day, and gangs of brutal youth roam the streets. With the help of her teenage companion Emily (Leonie Mellinger), D tries to make her way, and in order to cope, she often escapes into a fantasy world in which she lives in genteel Victorian surroundings in the 19th century. Memoirs of a Survivor received the International Fantasy Film Award and the Audience Jury Award at Portugal's 1982 Fantasporto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Christie, Christopher Guard, (more)
- 1980
One of Britain's most popular and best-remembered sitcoms, Yes, Minister starred Paul Eddington as thick-eared Tory politician Jim Hacker, who by some miracle of the democratic process was elected MP for Administrative Affairs. The basic joke was that every one of Hacker's subordinates was smarter than he, notably his long-suffering private secretary Bernard Wooley (Derek Fowlds). Each of the series' 21 episodes (plus one 60-minute special) was a battle of wits between Hacker and his scheming, conniving undersecretary Sir Humphrey Appleby (Nigel Hawthorne), with Appleby having twice as much "ammunition" than his dullard boss. Originally telecast from February 25, 1980 to December 23, 1982, with an additional holiday special on December 27, 1984, Yes, Minister was followed by a sequel with the same cast, Yes, Prime Minister. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne, (more)
- 1980
This home video release features four episodes of the popular British situation comedy Yes, Minister, which follows the political misadventures of James Hacker (Paul Eddington), a Minister for Administrative Affairs determined to make government business more efficient; Sir Humphrey Appleby (Nigel Hawthorne), who heads Hacker's department and frequently butts heads with him; and Bernard Woolley (Derek Fowlds), the long-suffering secretary who tries to keep the peace between them. In "Open Government," Hacker discovers soon after taking office that his predecessor made an ill-advised deal for some computer equipment, but matters become sticky when Hacker tries to bring this information to the public eye. The arrival of an African official wanting to buy drilling equipment causes friction in "The Official Visit." "The Economy Drive" finds Hacker and Appleby at odds over how to cut spending in the office. And in "Big Brother," Hacker helps introduce a new secure computer system that proves to be more than Appleby can handle. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Chris Sarandon does the "far, far, better thing" when he tackles the dual role of Syndey Carton and Charles Darnay in this Anglo-American TV adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. The ubiquitous producer/screenwriter combination of Norman Rosemont and John Gay was responsible for this lavish, faithful cinemazation of Dickens' multiplotted account of the French Revolution. Featured in the huge cast are Peter Cushing as Dr. Manette, Alice Krige as Lucie Manette, Billie Whitelaw as the vengeful, eternally knitting Madame DeFarge and Barry Morse as the odious aristocrat St. Evremonde. Poignantly, the film also offers the late Kenneth More, making one of his last appearances as Jarvis Lorry, and the magnificent Flora Robson, taking her final bow in the role of Miss Pross. An Emmy nomination went to Olga Lehmann's costume design. A Tale of Two Cities debuted December 2, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Cushing, Chris Sarandon, (more)
