Geoffrey Palmer Movies
Geoffrey Palmer is a master of deadpan drollery. His hangdog countenance and understated comedic style are two of the main reasons that his TV situation comedies are popular not only in Britain but also in America. Among the best-loved of his sitcoms -- which enjoy a long afterlife in the rerun market -- are The Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrin and As Time Goes By. In the latter sitcom, Palmer co-stars with one of the U.K.'s most esteemed actresses, Judi Dench. They play old flames reunited after 40 years. Palmer has also performed in other popular TV comedies, including Fawlty Towers, Executive Stress, Fairly Secret Army, Hot Metal, Butterflies, and Whoops Apocalypse. In addition, his finespun wit and waggery has enlivened many a film production, such as Rat, A Fish Called Wanda, and The Madness of King George.Palmer was born in London on June 4, 1927. After a brief career in business, he discovered his acting talent in amateur theater, then became a stage manager and eventually a full-time performer. Like so many other outstanding British actors, he studied and acted in plays written by the greatest popularizer of situation comedies, William Shakespeare. His role as Quince in A Midsummer Night's Dream is well known to fans of BBC Shakespeare productions. However, Palmer has not limited himself to comedies; he has also performed in productions in other genres, such as Mrs. Brown (a drama about Queen Victoria as a widow), Tomorrow Never Dies (a James Bond adventure), and Anna and the King (a historical/costume epic about an Englishwoman's relationship with the King of Siam). Thanks to his resonant voice, Palmer has also obtained work doing TV commercials, selling everything from veal to varooming cars.
In his leisure time, he enjoys foraying into nature with his wife, Sally, who introduced him to trout and salmon fishing. They have two children. ~ Mike Cummings, Rovi
Pop icon Madonna returns to the director's seat for the first time since her 2008 feature debut, Filth and Wisdom, for this ambitious romance detailing one lonely woman's obsession with the relationship between King Edward VIII (James D'Arcy) and American divorcée Wallis Simpson (Andrea Riseborough). To Wally Winthrop (Abbie Cornish), no act of devotion in history is more romantic than King Edward VIII abdicating the throne to be with his one true love. But the deeper Wally dives into the background of this controversial love affair, the more apparent it becomes that their relationship was no bed of roses. Now, as each new discovery paints an increasingly dire picture for the once-happy couple, Wally begins to grow disillusioned about the prospect of true love. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Abbie Cornish, Andrea Riseborough, (more)
A previously pampered society mouse must fight his way back to the comforts of Kensington after he is sent spiraling into an underground world filled with scavenger rats and villainous toads in a fun-filled family adventure produced by DreamWorks Animation and Aardman Features and featuring the voices of Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Ian McKellen, and Jean Reno. Roddy (Jackman) was living the high life when he first met Sid the sewer rat (Shane Richie), but that's all about to change when Sid decides to send the hapless mouse down the pipes and stealthily take his place in the lap of luxury. Though the bustling sewer city of Ratropolis isn't without its fair share of kind citizens, it is certainly no place for a pampered mouse with a taste for life's finer things. Upon making the acquaintance of scavenger rat Rita (Winslet), Roddy is certain that the pair can navigate their way back to the surface in Rita's trusty boat, the Jammy Dodger, but Rita's help doesn't come cheap, and the nefarious Toad (McKellen) is determined to rid Ratropolis of all things rodent. When Toad's hapless hench-rats Spike (Andy Serkis) and Whitey (Bill Nighy) fail to achieve acceptable results, the green meanie is forced to call in the cavalry in the form of legendary French mercenary Le Frog (Reno) to get the job done. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, (more)
Director P.J. Hogan (Muriel's Wedding, My Best Friend's Wedding) helms this live-action retelling of J.M. Barrie's classic children's play Peter Pan. Starring Jeremy Sumpter (Frailty) in the title role, the film follows the adventures of the Darling children, Wendy (Rachel Hurd-Wood), John (Harry Newell), and Michael (Freddie Popplewell), as they are visited by the boy who never grows up and whisked away to Neverland, where they encounter The Lost Boys, Tinker Bell (Ludivine Sagnier), and the evil Captain Hook (Jason Isaacs). ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jason Isaacs, Jeremy Sumpter, (more)
This made-for-TV British comedy begins at the turn of the century, as bumbling ironmonger Alfred Salteena (Jim Broadbent) meets a pretty girl named Ethel Monticue (Lyndsey Marshal) on a train and invites her to his London flat. Hoping to impress the girl, Alfred brags about all the "important" people he knows; swallowing the line whole, the covetous Ethel insists upon meeting Alfred's illustrious acquaintance. Enter Lord Bernard Clark (Hugh Laurie), a seedy nobleman who offers to train Alfred to be a social lion so that he'll be more acceptable to Ethel; what Lord Bernard doesn't tell Alfred is that he intends to keep Ethel for himself. Much of the humor arises from Alfred's experiences at a high-society "boot camp" run by an indigent aristocrat, the Earl of Clincham (Bill Nighy). The Young Visiters was written in 1890 by Daisy Ashford -- who was all of nine years old at the time! The book remained on the shelf until it was published, misspellings and all, in 1919, with a preface by James M. Barrie (whom many reviewers suspected of being the novel's true author). First telecast in the U.K. on December 26, 2003, the film won a BAFTA award for best original music. The Young Visiters premiered in the United States courtesy of the BBC America digital-cable service on November 2, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jim Broadbent, Hugh Laurie, (more)
- 2002
The ninth and final season of As Time Goes By finds Lionel (Geoffrey Palmer) trying to smooth the rocky romantic path for his stepdaughter Judy (Moira Brooker), who has become re-engaged to Lionel's publisher Alistair (Philip Bretherton). Emboldened by the Alistair-Judy example, policeman Harry (David Michaels) pops the question to Sandy (Jenny Funnell), the habitually unlucky-in-love employee of Lionel's wife Jean (Judi Dench). Relieved that Sandy will at last be moving out of his and Jean's house, Lionel is soon to be un-relieved by the arrival of Jean's latest houseguest, a woebegone homeless girl named Davina (Lara Cazalet). The series caps its nine-year run with highlights from previous episodes and an implicit promise that golden-agers Lionel and Jean will live happily ever after. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Geoffrey Palmer, Judi Dench, (more)
Assembled by the same team responsible for the reality series 1900 House and Frontier House, this three-episode endeavor challenges a 21st century British family to live under the same conditions experienced by their countrymen during the WWII years (1939-1945). Three generations of the Hymers family are crowded into an old-fashioned London flat, where they must endure such deprivations as food rationing and air-raid blackouts, as well as conduct their lives within the moral and cultural parameters of the early '40s. How well the Hymers clan fares under these restrictions is determined by a "war cabinet" made up of historians and sociologists. Originally broadcast in the U.K. in January of 2001, all three episodes of 1940s House were later broadcast on a single evening by America's PBS network. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Geoffrey Palmer, Lyn Hymers, (more)
- 2000
The eighth season of As Time Goes By finds golden-age sweethearts Lionel (Geoffrey Palmer) and Jean (Judi Dench) fretting over the breakup of the romance between Lionel's publisher Alistair (Philip Bretherton) and Jean's daughter Judy (Moira Brooker). At the same time, Jean's employee Sandy (Jenny Funnell) calls it quits with her policeman boyfriend Harry (David Michaels). Midway through the season, Alistair has linked up with Sandy, and Judy is going out with Harry. Fun and games of a different nature occur when Lionel and Jean make a foredoomed effort to build a second bathroom in their house. On a more serious note, a financially strapped Lionel is faced with the possibility that he may have to sell his beloved country house. Things brighten up considerably by season's end, as Alistair returns to Judy and Sandy patches things up with Harry. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Geoffrey Palmer, Judi Dench, (more)
In this Irish fable, a man named Hubert Flynn (Pete Postlethwaite) lives in Dublin and takes pride in his indulgence in beer, gambling, and ignoring his patient wife Conchita (Imelda Staunton). One night, after having a few at the local pub, he slowly begins to evolve into a rat, which has an oddly unenchanting effect on his family. His loving daughter Marietta (Kerry Condon) is all for his new transformation, wanting to shower it with love and care, but she is also in the midst of an impending wedding and wonders if his diminutive appearance might not be acceptable. His son Pius (Andrew Lovern) is headed for the religious order and would rather see him dead. Phelim Spratt (David Wilmot), a greedy, ambitious type, moves into Hubert's bedroom and begins to write an novel of the transformation which he hopes will become a major motion picture. Conchita regards it as yet another of her husband's tricks designed to humiliate her, while Uncle Matt (Frank Kelly) has various theories on why the whole occurrence has taken place. Rat was created with the help of the late Jim Henson's animation company and directed by music video pioneer Steve Barron. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi
- Starring:
- Pete Postlethwaite, Imelda Staunton, (more)
- 1999
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Lewis Carroll's classic fantasy about a young girl's adventures in a strange, alternate reality comes to the screen once again in this television adaptation, which stars Kate Beckinsale as Alice, Penelope Wilton as the White Queen, Ian Holm as the White Knight, and Michael Medwin as the Red King. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kate Beckinsale, Ian Holm, (more)
- 1998
Season seven of As Time Goes By details the future misadventures of golden-age lovers Lionel (Geoffrey Palmer) and Jean (Judi Dench), beginning with Jean's efforts to do something about Lionel's encroaching deafness, even as he frets about her (supposedly) failing eyesight. In other episodes, Jean's old flame stirs Lionel's jealousy; the weird behavior of the couple's new neighbors awakens the detective in Jean; and we are introduced to Harry (David Michaels), the policeman boyfriend of Jean's eternally unlucky-in-love employee Sandy (Jenny Funnell). Later on, Jean holds a party for her fellow "oldies," which turns into a riot thanks to Lionel's puckish dad, Rocky (Frank Middlemass); and as the season draws to a close, Lionel's publisher Alistair (Philip Bretherton) finally proposes to Jean's daughter Judy (Moira Brooker) -- but all, alas, is not what it seems on surface. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Geoffrey Palmer, Judi Dench, (more)
- 1997
The sixth season of As Time Goes By finds senior-citizen newlyweds Lionel Hardcastle (Geoffrey Palmer) and Jean Parteger (Judi Dench) more or less adjusted to their marital status. Still, Lionel remains a blustery blowhard, the better to make a fool of himself when trying to prove that he's just as capable of doing things as well today that he did forty years earlier. Meanwhile, the implacable Jean blithely forgets her many promises to retire from running her secretarial service -- in fact, she's now working harder than ever. In other developments, Jean's wearisome sister-in-law, Daisy (Zoe Hilson), incurs Lionel's wrath when she considers moving next door to the couple; and having broken up with Jean's daughter Judy (Moira Brooker), Lionel's publisher Alistair (Philip Bretherton) becomes engaged to another woman -- an arrangement Jean hopes to rend asunder for her daughter's sake. The season closes with a typically hilarious situation as Lionel stumbles in his efforts to inject some "surprise" in his marriage. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Geoffrey Palmer, Judi Dench, (more)
Roger Spottiswoode (Air America) directed this film, the 18th chapter in the 35-year-old James Bond series (excluding Casino Royale and Never Say Never Again). James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) learns billionaire media mogul Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce) is manipulating world events via an exclusive flow of information through his satellite system reaching all corners of the planet. With a stealth battleship sinking a British naval vessel, Carver sees that the Chinese are blamed. Crashing Carver's party in Hamburg, Bond meets "journalist" Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh), later revealed as a Chinese agent. In a brief tryst, Bond renews his past relationship with Carver's wife Paris (Teri Hatcher). Carver dispatches Stamper (Gotz Otto) and other goons to cancel Bond, who eludes attackers with some of his new gadgets. In Southeast Asia, after Bond and Wai Lin scuba dive into the sunken British ship, they are captured by Stamper, handcuffed, and taken to Saigon where they make a motorcycle escape. To thwart Carver's plans for WWIII, the two agents head for Carver's stealth ship where a cruise missile is aimed at Beijing. Principal photography began April 1, 1997 in the new Eon Productions studio facility at Frogmore, northwest of London, and on the 007 stage at Pinewood Studios. Locations included the UK, Hamburg, Southeast Asia, Mexico, and off the Florida coast. The trademark Bond pre-title sequence was filmed in the French Pyrenees snowfields, centered around one of the few high-altitude operational airfields in Europe. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce, (more)
The ruler of England discovers the value of common friendship in this historical drama. After the death of her husband Prince Albert, Queen Victoria (Judi Dench) is despondent, and she remains in mourning for two years after Albert's passing. When one of her servants suggests that a daily ride on horseback might be a tonic for the Queen's health and spirits, a Scotsman named John Brown (Billy Connolly) is hired as her guide and groom. At first, the Queen shows no interest in riding, though Brown readies a horse for her each day; finally, after several days, Mr. Brown speaks frankly to the Queen, announcing, "Honest to God, I never thought I'd see you in such a state!" While her court is shocked, the Queen is refreshed that someone would speak to her so directly. Soon the Queen is riding with Mr. Brown every morning, and she discovers him to be a friend and confidante who will speak to her as a person and not as a potentate. However, many are shocked by their relationship, believing that the commoner Mr. Brown is using his friendship for political advantage -- or worse, that he's become her lover. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Judi Dench, Billy Connolly, (more)
- 1996
Season five of As Time Goes By picks up where the previous season left off: with sixtysomething newlyweds Lionel Hardcastle (Geoffrey Palmer) and Jean Parteger (Judi Dench) adjusting to life together after years of contented loneliness. Jean is in for a shock early in the season when she comes face to face with Lionel's ex-wife, Margaret (Caroline Blakiston), who is not at all what she had expected. Meanwhile, Lionel continues to moan and groan over the changes made in his novel as it is being adapted into an American TV miniseries; and Jean's sister-in-law, Penny (Moyra Fraser), is as irksome as ever. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Geoffrey Palmer, Judi Dench, (more)
The fourth season of As Time Goes By finds acerbic author Lionel Hardcastle (Geoffrey Palmer) upset over the fact that his sweetheart, Jean Parteger (Judi Dench), with whom he has moved in as a means of rekindling their romance from four decades earlier, has invited lovelorn employee Sandy (Jenny Funnell) to move in with the couple as well. Later on, Lionel and Jean are forced to play host to Jean's tiresome sister-in-law Daisy (Zoe Hilson). Publisher Alistair (Philip Bretherton) insists that Lionel "sex up" the TV-movie script based on Lionel's latest novel and to that end hires a troublesome secretary, Gwen Flack (Vivienne Martin). Despite innumerable quarrels and personal and professional travails, Lionel and Jean decide to get married. The wedding goes off as well as possible considering the amount of nervousness and family meddling surrounding it, but things do not bode well for the senior-citizen "newlyweds" when Jean refuses to retire, even though she'd implicitly promised Lionel that she would do so. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Geoffrey Palmer, Judi Dench, (more)
Based on Alan Bennett's acclaimed play The Madness of George III, The Madness of King George takes a dark-humored look at the mental decline of King George III of England. The film's story begins nearly three decades into George's reign, in 1788, as the unstable king (Nigel Hawthorne, reprising his stage role) begins to show signs of increasing dementia, from violent fits of foul language to bouts of forgetfulness. This weakness seems like the perfect chance to overthrow the unpopular George, whom many blamed for the loss of the American colonies, in favor of the Prince of Wales (Rupert Everett), but the king's prime minister William Pitt (Julian Wadham) and his wife Queen Charlotte (Helen Mirren) are determined to protect the throne. Doctors are brought in, but the archaic treatments of the time prove of little value. In desperation, they turn to Dr. Willis (Ian Holm), a harsh, unconventional specialist whose unusual methods recall modern psychiatry. Willis struggles to break through to the mad king, treating him with an anger and haughtiness George has never before experienced. Stressing the absurdity of the entire situation, Bennett's witty screenplay emphasizes dry humor over tragedy, even utilizing references to King Lear for comic effect. Hawthorne's fiery yet vulnerable performance received much critical praise, including Best Actor at the British Academy Awards and a nomination for the same at the Oscars. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- Starring:
- Nigel Hawthorne, Helen Mirren, (more)
- 1994
Season three of As Time Goes By finds sixtyish author Lionel Hardcastle (Geoffrey Palmer) and like-vintage businesswoman Jean Parteger (Judi Dench) deciding to pick up their romance where they left off four decades earlier by moving in together, a decision that leads to a comedy of errors and innumerable delays. Elsewhere, Lionel's boisterous dad, Rocky (Frank Middlemass), finally weds his longtime sweetheart Madge (Joan Sims); Jean's daughter Judy (Moira Brooker) and her employee Sandy (Jenny Funnell) bicker over who will run the newest branch of Jean's secretarial service; and Lionel's publisher, Alistair (Philip Bretherton), arranges for Lionel's latest book to be transformed into an American TV miniseries. This last development sets the stage for the season's climactic episode, in which virtually the entire cast pays a memorable visit to L.A. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Geoffrey Palmer, Judi Dench, (more)
- 1993
In the second season of As Time Goes By, author Lionel Hardcastle (Geoffrey Palmer) and businesswoman Jean Parteger (Judi Dench) are still toying with the notion of resuming their romance which had been interrupted years earlier. In the course of the season's half-dozen episodes, Jean expresses surprise upon meeting Lionel's widowed father, Rocky (Frank Middlemass), who is as eccentric and boisterous as Lionel is persnickety and patronizing. Later on, the couple is put in a variety of situations wherein they must deny that they are still very much attracted to one another. At season's end, Lionel's latest book is published, whereupon he embarks on an autograph tour -- with Jean not far behind, despite her own professional duties. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Geoffrey Palmer, Judi Dench, (more)
The winner of the Ivor Novello Award for Television Theme Music in 1994, director Adrian Shergold's spoof of wartime escape films tells the tale of a bumbling RAF Officer who plots the escape of 327 prisoners from a German POW camp. Few wartime prisoners have attempted escape quite as many times as RAF Officer James Forrester. Though Officer Forrester has twenty-three escape attempts to his name, each successive attempt he makes to break free somehow seems to go worse than the last. But this time there's a difference, because Officer Forrester isn't just plotting his own escape, but the escape of all 327 of his fellow prisoners as well - and all at once to boot. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Nicholas Lyndhurst, Stephen Fry, (more)
- 1992
James Fox stars as real-life British turncoat Anthony Blunt in A Question of Attribution. A highly respected art expert (he was Queen Elizabeth's personal art advisor), Blunt was also intimately involved in the Burgess-Maclean-Philby spy scandal of the 1950s. According to this 1992 adaptation of Alan Bennett's play, Blunt tipped his hand while restoring one of his precious Titians. John Schlesinger (Midnight Cowboy) directed this razor-sharp psychological melodrama. Originally produced for British television, the 90-minute A Question of Attribution premiered in the US on October 4, 1992, as part of PBS' Masterpiece Theatre. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- James Fox, Geoffrey Palmer, (more)
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