Name
Ronald Pickup
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1940-06-07
Deathday
2021-02-25 (81 years old)
Place of Birth
Chester, England, UK
Biography
Pickup was born in Chester, England, the son of Daisy (née Williams) and Eric Pickup, who was a lecturer.[1] Pickup was educated at The King's School, Chester, trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, and became an Associate Member of RADA.
His television work began with an episode during the second series of Doctor Who in 1964, for which he was paid £30. Pickup worked with Laurence Olivier at the Royal National Theatre, most notably in Three Sisters and Long Day's Journey Into Night. In 1973, he starred in the BBC drama series The Dragon's Opponent, playing a World War II bomb disposal expert and also appeared in The Day of the Jackal. He played Lt. Harford in Zulu Dawn in 1979, portrayed Igor Stravinsky in Nijinsky in 1980, Prince John in Ivanhoe in 1982, and in 1983 he appeared opposite Penelope Keith in Moving, in 1988 in the BBC miniseries The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1988 TV Serial) as the voice of Aslan, and in 1990 he starred in the short lived sit-com, Not with a Bang. More modern roles have included parts in Hornblower, Hustle, Foyle's War, Midsomer Murders, Waking the Dead, The Bill, Silent Witness, Sherlock Holmes, and Inspector Morse. He is also a regular character in the BBC sitcom The Worst Week of My Life. His most recent appearance was in Holby City as Lord Charles Byrne.
Pickup gave a highly acclaimed performance as a decayed Russian aristocrat in the BBC series Fortunes of War, based on a work by Olivia Manning. He also provided the voice for Aslan in the BBC's adaptation of the Chronicles of Narnia and starred opposite Judi Dench in the 1989 Channel 4 serial Behaving Badly.
He is also an accomplished stage actor. He was nominated for a 1998 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role of 1997 for his performance in Amy's View.
Pickup had the starring role as composer Giuseppe Verdi in the acclaimed The Life of Verdi, written and directed by Renato Castellani. In 2005, he had a supporting role in the family-based film, The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby.
Between March and August 2009, he starred as Lucky in Sean Mathias' production of Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett opposite Sir Ian McKellen (Estragon), Patrick Stewart (Vladimir) and also Simon Callow (Pozzo). The tour opened in Malvern before travelling to Milton Keynes, Brighton, Bath, Norwich, Edinburgh and Newcastle; its run at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket was extended due to demand.
In February 2010 he also appeared as 'Pegleg' in the BBC's period drama Lark Rise to Candleford.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Ronald Pickup, licensed under CC-BY-SA,full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
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- 2004 The Tulse Luper Suitcases, Part 2: Vaux to the Sea as Monsieur Moitessier (uncredited)
- 1986 The Mission as Hontar
- 1989 The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian & The Voyage of the Dawn Treader as Aslan (voice)
- 1993 Bethune: The Making of a Hero as Alan Coleman
- 2010 Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time as King Sharaman
- 1990 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair as Aslan (voice)
- 2008 Dark Floors as Tobias
- 1999 Hornblower: The Duchess and the Devil as Don Massaredo
- 1991 A Murder of Quality as Felix D'Arcy
- 2004 Evilenko as Aron Richter
- 1982 Ivanhoe as Prince John
- 1990 Jekyll & Hyde as Jeffrey Utterson, Esquire
- 1989 Danny the Champion of the World as Captain Lancaster
- 2012 The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel as Norman Cousins
- 1984 Puccini as Giulio Ricordi
- 2025 Schadenfreude as The Gambler
- 2014 A Little Place Off the Edgware Road as Bearded Man
- 1997 Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis as Percy Stone
- 1980 Nijinsky as Igor Stravinsky
- 2009 Theatreland as Self
- 1977 Joseph Andrews as Mr. Wilson
- 1994 In The Cold Light Of Day as Morris
- 2021 End of Term as Damian Self
- 1995 Henry IV as Henry IV
- 1973 Long Day's Journey Into Night as Edmund Tyrone
- 1974 Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill as Lord Randolph Churchill
- 1992 The Golden Years
- 1984 Pope John Paul II as Jan Tyranowski
- 1983 Never Say Never Again as Elliott
- 1967 Much Ado About Nothing as Don Pedro
- 1977 ...but the clouds...
- 2005 Supernova as Dr. Malcolm Handey
- 1975 King Lear as Edgar
- 1984 Camille as Jean
- 1974 All Good Men
- 2015 The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel as Norman Cousins
- 1975 The Philanthropist as Philip
- 2004 Secret Passage as Da Monte
- 1979 Zulu Dawn as Lt. Harford
- 1982 The Letter as Howard Joyce
- 1988 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe as Aslan (voice)
- 1991 The War That Never Ends as Diodotus
- 1991 Absolute Hell as Siegfried Shrager
- 1997 Lolita as Young Humbert's Father
- 2007 The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey as William McDowell
- 2016 The Have-Nots as Bentham
- 1982 Verdi as Giuseppe Verdi
- 1987 The Fourth Protocol as Wynne-Evans
- 1967 Romeo and Juliet as Mercutio
- 1994 Message for Posterity as Richard Browning
- 1994 Milner as Jocelyn Fry
- 2005 Cherished as Professor Sir Roy Meadow
- 2017 The Time of Their Lives as Frank
- 1985 Eleni as Spiro
- 1989 A Dry White Season as Louw
- 2017 Darkest Hour as Neville Chamberlain
- 1974 Mahler as Nick
- 1988 Testimony as Marshall Tukhachevsky
- 1973 The Day of the Jackal as The Forger
- 2005 The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby as Cecil Johnson
- 2017 Stealing Silver as Udo
- 1995 A Very Open Prison as Brian Silcott
- 1996 Der Blinde as Dr. Bartnik
- 1978 The Thirty Nine Steps as Bayliss
- 1979 Henry VIII as Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury
- 1991 Journey of Honor as Capt. Crawford
- 1992 My Friend Walter as Sir Walter Raleigh
- 2018 The Happy Prince as Judge
- 1996 Samuel Beckett: As the Story Was Told as Narrator
- 1964 Doctor Who: The Reign of Terror as Physician
- 1970 Three Sisters as Baron Tusenbach
- 1983 The Crystal Spirit: Orwell on Jura as George Orwell
- 2000 Breathtaking as Dr. Maclaren
- 1986 Ladies' Night as James Tripp
- 1988 The Hound of the Baskervilles as Barrymore
- 1977 Ghost Trio
- 1978 For Tea on Sunday as Ian
- 1979 In England's Green and Pleasant Land as Norman Reynolds
- 2004 Benefit to Mankind as Professor Quentin Tapscott
- 2003 The Tulse Luper Suitcases, Part 1: The Moab Story as Monsieur Moitessier
- 2005 The Tulse Luper Suitcases, Part 3: From Sark to the Finish as Monsieur Moitessier
- 2005 A Life in Suitcases: A History of Tulse Luper as Monsieur Moitessier
- 1983 Waters of the Moon as Julius Winterhalter
- 1988 Chekhov in Yalta as Konstantin Stanislavski
- 1998 The Untitled as Robert Kennings
- 1973 The Roses of Eyam as Reverend William Mompesson
- 1997 Midsomer Murders ( 1 episode ) as Rupert Smythe-Webster
- 2002 The Inspector Lynley Mysteries ( 1 episode ) as Sir Stuart Stinhurst
- 2004 Hustle ( 1 episode ) as Harry Holmes
- 1996 Silent Witness ( 2 episodes )
- 1985 Moving ( 6 episodes )
- 1987 Inspector Morse ( 1 episode ) as Ian Matthews
- 2004 The Worst Week of My Life ( 13 episodes ) as Fraser Cook
- 1986 Lovejoy ( 1 episode ) as Edwin Felt
- 2001 Waking the Dead ( 2 episodes ) as Charles Sutton
- 1951 Hallmark Hall of Fame ( 1 episode ) as Jean
- 1990 Not with a Bang ( 7 episodes ) as Brian Appleyard
- 2004 Sea of Souls ( 1 episode ) as Alex Galt
- 1989 Behaving Badly ( 4 episodes )
- 2004 Feather Boy ( 6 episodes ) as Ernest Sorrel
- 1974 Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill ( 4 episodes ) as Randolph Churchill
- 1998 Hornblower ( 1 episode ) as Don Massaredo
- 1994 The Riff Raff Element ( 12 episodes ) as Roger Tundish
- 1991 Performance ( 1 episode ) as King Henry IV
- 2002 The Jury ( 5 episodes ) as Jeffrey Livingstone
- 1996 Hetty Wainthropp Investigates ( 1 episode ) as Lester Rose
- 2002 Foyle's War ( 1 episode ) as Sir Giles Messinger
- 2013 Atlantis ( 3 episodes ) as Orpheus
- 1987 The Ruth Rendell Mysteries ( 2 episodes ) as Chief Inspector Moore
- 1970 Play for Today ( 1 episode ) as Richard Massingham
- 2001 Murder Rooms: The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes ( 1 episode ) as Sir John Starr
- 2012 Pramface ( 1 episode )
- 1984 Sherlock Holmes ( 1 episode ) as Barrymore
- 2008 Lark Rise to Candleford ( 1 episode )
- 2010 Downton Abbey ( 1 episode ) as Sir Michael Reresby
- 1984 Albert Einstein ( 4 episodes ) as Albert Einstein
- 1986 Matlock ( 2 episodes ) as Sir Alec Moore
- 2011 Vera ( 1 episode ) as Mr. Kipford
- 1986 Casualty ( 1 episode ) as Martin / Reginald Freeborn
- 1997 Ivanhoe ( 6 episodes ) as Waldemar Fitzurse
- 1975 The Fight Against Slavery ( 6 episodes ) as William Pitt
- 1994 The Rector's Wife ( 4 episodes ) as Daniel Byrne
- 1988 The Chronicles of Narnia ( 10 episodes ) as Aslan (voice)
- 2003 Cambridge Spies ( 2 episodes ) as Colonel Winter
- 1995 Black Hearts in Battersea ( 6 episodes ) as Duke Of Battersea
- 1982 Verdi ( 9 episodes ) as Giuseppe Verdi
- 1981 Bergerac ( 1 episode ) as Sir Antony Villiers
- 1990 El C.I.D. ( 1 episode ) as Jack
- 1965 BBC Play of the Month ( 1 episode ) as Mercutio
- 1992 A Time to Dance ( 3 episodes ) as Andrew Powell
- 2016 The Crown ( 4 episodes ) as Archbishop of Canterbury
- 1997 Midsomer Murders ( 1 episode ) as Ernest Balliol
- 1991 Performance ( 1 episode ) as Siegfried Shrager
- 1985 Screen Two ( 1 episode ) as Brian Silcott
- 1963 Doctor Who ( 1 episode ) as Physician
- 1991 Performance ( 1 episode ) as Richard Browning
- 1965 BBC Play of the Month ( 1 episode ) as Ariel
- 1965 BBC Play of the Month ( 1 episode ) as Brother Martin Ladvenu
- 1965 BBC Play of the Month ( 1 episode ) as Edgar
- 1977 BBC2 Play of the Week ( 1 episode ) as Ian
- 1977 BBC2 Play of the Week ( 1 episode ) as Norman Reynolds
- 2004 New Tricks ( 1 episode ) as Sir Wilfred Felspar
- 1987 Fortunes of War ( 4 episodes ) as Prince Yakimov
- 1994 Scarlett ( 1 episode ) as Whitlock
- 1967 ITV Playhouse ( 1 episode ) as Graham
- 1986 Unnatural Causes ( 1 episode ) as James Tripp
- 1996 Dalziel and Pascoe ( 1 episode ) as Walter Wulfstan
- 1969 ITV Saturday Night Theatre ( 1 episode ) as Edmund Tyrone
- 1974 Father Brown ( 1 episode ) as Kalon
- 1976 The Lively Arts ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1978 The BBC Television Shakespeare ( 1 episode ) as Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury
- 2007 Lewis ( 1 episode ) as Fr Moreno Mancini
- 1973 The Dragon's Opponent ( 4 episodes ) as Charles "Mad Jack" Howard
- 1984 Sharing Time ( 1 episode ) as Philip
- 1977 Romance ( 1 episode ) as Rory Balneath
