David James Bamber (born 19 September 1954) is an English actor. His credits include Privates on Parade (1983), Juliet Bravo (1983), Crown Court (1984), Call Me Mister (1986), The Buddha of Suburbia (1993), Pride and Prejudice (1995), Chalk (1997), Mile High (2004), Beethoven (2005), Rome (2005-2007), Valkyrie (2008), Psychoville (2009-2011), The Borgias (2011), The Hollow Crown (2012), What Remains (2013), Darkest Hour (2017), Borg vs McEnroe (2017), Peterloo (2018), A Very English Scandal (2018), Flesh and Blood (2020), and The Regime (2024).

David Bamber
Bamber in Urban Myths 2019
Born
David James Bamber

(1954-09-19) 19 September 1954 (age 70)
OccupationActor
Years active1982–present
Spouse
Julia Swift
(m. 1982)
Children2, including Ethan
RelativesDavid Swift (father-in-law)
Paula Jacobs (mother-in-law)

His most notable achievement was winning the 1995 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance as Guy in My Night with Reg.

Early years

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Bamber was born 19 September 1954 in Walkden, Lancashire.[1] His very first stage performance was aged 5 as a pig in Tom Tom the Piper's Son.[1] He joined the Manchester Youth Theatre,[2] playing Pandarus in Troilus and Cressida. Bamber studied acting at Bristol University from 1973 to 1976,[1] graduating with a drama degree.[1] He continued his training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art(RADA) graduating 1979, with an Acting (RADA Diploma).[3]

Career

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Bamber's first film role was in 1982 as Sergeant Charles Bishop in the World War II comedy Privates on Parade (1983).[4] he made appearances in Juliet Bravo (1983),[5] and Crown Court (1984), before securing a regular role as Fred Hurley in Call Me Mister (1986).[4]

He appeared in the BBC adaptations of Hanif Kureishi's The Buddha of Suburbia (1993),[5] and Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice,[5] in which he portrayed the Bennets' clergyman cousin, Mr. Collins. He also played the part of a junior treasury minister and stamp collecting enthusiast, Julian Whitaker, in an episode of The New Statesman,[4] in which Alan frames Whitaker and forces his resignation. In 1997 he starred as Eric Slatt in two series of Steven Moffat's Chalk,[5]

His best known international television role to date was his 2005–2007 role as Marcus Tullius Cicero in the HBO/BBC2 original television series, Rome.[5] In Poirot,[4] Series 3: Episode 7 "The Double Clue," he plays the effete middleman to a jewellery collector who is robbed. Bamber also played Adolf Hitler in Bryan Singer's film, Valkyrie.[4] He played the part of Noel in the Sky Atlantic series Camping, and Admiral Ramsay in the 2017 film Darkest Hour.[4]

As a stage actor, Bamber won the 1995 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance as Guy in My Night with Reg,[1] a role he reprised in a 1996 BBC television adaptation.[5] His roles as a voice actor include Emperor Constantine in the Doctor Who audio drama, The Council of Nicaea and as Jeremy Longstaff in the 2008 radio series The Way We Live Right Now.[4]

In 2013, he starred as Mathematics teacher Joe Sellers, alongside David Threlfall and Russell Tovey in the murder mystery miniseries What Remains.[2]

Personal life

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Bamber is married to the actress Julia Swift, daughter of actors David Swift and Paula Jacobs. They have two sons, Theo (1991) and Ethan (1998). Ethan has played cricket for England U19s and Middlesex.[6][7] The family lives in North London.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1983 Privates on Parade Sergeant Charles Bishop
The Oresteia Chorus
1985 The Doctor and the Devils Cronin
1988 High Hopes Rupert
1990 Who Bombed Birmingham? David Mellor MP, Home Office TV film
1991 Dakota Road Man on the Train
1993 Stalag Luft The Prof TV film
1995 Heavy Weather P. Frobisher Pilbeam TV film
1997 My Night with Reg Guy
1998 Neville's Island Angus TV film
2002 The Bourne Identity Consulate Clerk
George Eliot: A Scandalous Life Gossip TV film
Gangs of New York Passenger on Omnibus
2003 Pollyanna Reverend Ford TV film
I Capture the Castle Vicar
2006 Miss Potter Fruing Warne
2007 The All Together Robin Swain
Consenting Adults Dr. Carl Winter TV film
2008 Valkyrie Adolf Hitler
2010 The Village [de] Dr. Wagner TV film
The King's Speech Theatre Director
2012 The Nazi Gospels Heinrich Himmler TV film documentary
2015 Christmas Eve Walt
The Sound of Music Live Herr Zeller TV film
2016 The Limehouse Golem Mr. Greatorex
Chubby Funny Mr. White
One Crazy Thing Michael Steel
2017 Mad to Be Normal Dr. Meredith
Darkest Hour Admiral Ramsay
Borg vs McEnroe UK Commentator - George Barnes
2018 This Weekend Will Change Your Life David
Peterloo Magistrate Rev Mallory
2020 Enola Holmes Sir Whimbrel
2021 End of Term DI Jim Burman

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1983 Brass Heseltine 1 episode
Juliet Bravo Mr. Saddlethwaite Episode: "Mates"
1984 Crown Court John Elliott Episode: "Oddball: Part 1"
Cockles Graham Recurring role
The Brief Lieutenant Dadd Episode: "Long Glyn"
1986 Call Me Mister Fred Hurley Series regular
1987 Never Say Die Verger 1 episode
1988 A Very Peculiar Practice Professor Eric Middling Episode: "Bad Vibrations"
1991 The New Statesman Julian Whitaker Episode: "Natural Selection"
Agatha Christie's Poirot Bernard Parker Episode: "The Double Clue"
4 Play Ted in 'Well Wishers' Episode: "Seduction"
The Bill George Smith Episode: "Samaritan"
1992 The Good Guys Hubert Manuden Episode: "Her Finest Hour"
1993 Comedy Playhouse Chris Episode: "The Complete Guide to Relationships"
The Buddha of Suburbia Shadwell TV Mini-series, 4 episodes
1994 The Chief Philip Garrick Episode #4.9
Murder Most Horrid Ray Episode: "Smashing Bird"
Wycliffe Guy Bottrell Episode: "The Dead Flautist"
The Bill Chris Baxter Episode: "Games"
1995 Capital Lives Fry Episode: "Temp"
Pride and Prejudice Mr. Collins Mini-series, 6 episodes
1996 Heartbeat Adrian Shaw Episode: "Forget Me Not"
Masterpiece P. Frobisher Pilbeam Episode: "Heavy Weather"
1997 Chalk Eric Slatt Series regular
2000 Masterpiece Doctor Forrest Episode: "The Railway Children"
2001 Antonio Episode: "The Merchant of Venice"
2002 Daniel Deronda Lush Mini-series
Casualty Dr. Martin Campbell Episode: "Scapegoat"
2003 Air Crash Investigation Narrator Documentary series
2004 Mile High Bobbi Donnelly 2 episodes
Animated Tales of the World Wang Bao's Father Episode: "The Magic Gourd"
2005 Beethoven Prince Lichnowsky Mini-series - documentary
2005-2007 Rome Marcus Tullius Cicero Recurring role
2006 Midsomer Murders John Starkey Episode: "Dead Letters"
2007 Trial & Retribution Rex Stafford Episode: "Curriculum Vitae"
New Tricks Dale Hewson Episode: "Nine Lives"
The Bill Howard Gould Episode: "Diamonds Are Deadly"
Robin Hood Physician Blight Episode: "Ducking and Diving"
Doc Martin Mr. Porter Episode: "Happily Ever After"
2008 EastEnders Bernard 1 episode
The Way We Live Right Now Right Honorable Jeremy Longstaff
2009 Hotel Babylon Robert Carrick 2 episodes
Collision Sidney Norris Mini-series
Midsomer Murders Anthony Prideaux Episode: "The Black Book"
2009-2011 Psychoville Robin Recurring role
2011 The Borgias Theo 2 episodes
2012 The Hollow Crown Shallow Episode: "Henry IV, Part 2"
The Paradise Charles Chisholm 1 episode
2013 Blandings Herr Schnellhund Episode: "Company for Gertrude"
What Remains Joe Sellers Mini-series
2014 Casualty Anthony Kingston Episode: "In the Name of Love"
Doctor Who Captain Quell Episode: "Mummy on the Orient Express"
2015 Father Brown Walter Hubble Episode: "The Curse of Amenhotep"
Death in Paradise Alan Butler Episode: "Damned If You Do..."
Doctors Professor Jeremy Burroughs Episode: "In the Presence of Beauty"
2016 Midsomer Murders Daniel Fargo Episode: "A Dying Art"
Camping Noel Mini-series, 4 episodes
Plebs Strabo Episode: "The Weatherist"
Victoria Duke of Sussex 2 episodes
Medici Pope Eugenius IV 3 episodes
2017 Tina and Bobby Alf Ramsey Mini-series
Snatch Staff 4 episodes
Quacks Dr. Wyatt Episode: "The Bishops Appendix"
Gunpowder Lord Northumberland Mini-series
2018 Silent Witness Brian Hawke Episode: "Moment of Surrender"
Call the Midwife Stanley Hodgkiss 1 episode
A Very English Scandal Lord Arran Mini-series
Trust Bela von Block Recurring role
Doctors Derek Bartlett Episode: "Face-Off"
2019 Queens of Mystery Maximilian Sinclair Episode: "Murder in the Dark: First Chapter"
Urban Myths Drunk Episode: "Madonna and Basquiat"
2020 Grantchester John Graham Episode #5.2
Inside No. 9 Robin Episode: "Death Be Not Proud"
Flesh and Blood D.I. Doug Lineham TV Mini-series, 4 episodes
2024 The Regime Schiff TV Mini-series, 2 episodes

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Interview - David Bamber". londontheatre.co.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Q&A Interview with David Bamber, who plays Joe in BBC One drama What Remains". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  3. ^ "RADA Student and Graduate Profiles - David Bamber". rada.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "David Bamber". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Drama People Index - David Bamber". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  6. ^ "Ethan Bamber". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  7. ^ "Ethan Bamber sets England Under 19's up for Second World Cup Victory". www.middlesexccc.com.

Further reading

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