Alex Michael Jennings is an English actor of the stage and screen who has worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre. For his work on the London stage, Jennings has received three Olivier Awards, winning for Too Clever by Half (1988), Peer Gynt (1996), and My Fair Lady (2003). He is the only performer to have won Olivier awards in the drama, musical, and comedy categories.
Jennings is known for his film work, in particular for his performance as Prince Charles in Stephen Frears's film The Queen (2006) opposite Helen Mirren. His other film appearances include The Wings of the Dove (1997), Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), Babel (2006), Belle (2013), and The Lady in the Van (2015) starring Maggie Smith.
Jennings has won acclaim for his performances in television, including for his portrayal of Edward VIII, the Duke of Windsor, in the Netflix series The Crown opposite Claire Foy. He also starred as Leopold I of Belgium in the ITV series Victoria (2016–2019) opposite Jenna Coleman. His other roles include Stephen Frears's A Very English Scandal (2018) alongside Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw, and in Steve McQueen's Small Axe: Mangrove (2020) starring Letitia Wright.
Early life and education
Alex Michael Jennings was born 10 May 1957 in Romford, Essex, the son of Peggy Patricia (née Mahoney) and Michael Thomas Jennings. He attended Abbs Cross Technical High School in Hornchurch and studied English and theatre studies at the University of Warwick, graduating in 1978.
Jennings trained as an actor for two years at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
Career
1980s
In the early 1980s, Jennings began his career in regional repertory theatre. In 1985, playing a range of roles including Maximilien Robespierre in The Scarlet Pimpernel. Jennings met director Nicholas Hytner during this production and has worked with him many times since. Angelo in Measure for Measure, and the title role in Hamlet.
Jennings also appeared in War Requiem, the RSC's film version of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1999). Jennings also appeared as Lord Mark in the romantic drama film The Wings of the Dove starring Helena Bonham Carter, Elizabeth McGovern, Charlotte Rampling, and Michael Gambon. The film received great acclaim and many awards nominations including four Academy Award nominations and five British Academy Film Award nominations.
2000s
In 2002, Jennings appeared in the Cameron Mackintosh/Trevor Nunn revival of My Fair Lady at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and won an Olivier Award as Best Actor in a Musical. He was an Associate Artist at the Royal Shakespeare Company.
2010s
In 2010, Jennings played Captain Shipshape in the CBeebies second series of Grandpa in my Pocket and starred in the film Belle. After that, he played Henry Tizard in Castles in the Sky.
In 2011, he played Mikhail Bulgakov in the National Theatre's production of Collaborators. In 2014, he played the role of Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the Musical, which was directed by Sam Mendes and was performed on London's West End theatre district. He took over the role from Douglas Hodge in 2014. He has also appeared in the ITV television series Lewis (2012), and Foyle's War (2015).
Jennings portrayed playwright Alan Bennett in the 2015 film The Lady in the Van opposite Academy Award winner Dame Maggie Smith in the title role. The film is directed by Nicolas Hytner, who is a long-time collaborator from the theatre. On television, from 2016 to 2017, he appeared in the Netflix series The Crown alongside Claire Foy and Jared Harris, as Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor, uncle to Queen Elizabeth and great-uncle to Prince Charles (whom Jennings played in The Queen). The series has received widespread acclaim from audiences and critics alike. Jennings also portrayed King Leopold I of Belgium in the ITV/PBS series Victoria (2016–2019) alongside Jenna Coleman.
In 2018, Jennings played Liberal MP Peter Bessell in the BBC One series, A Very English Scandal alongside Hugh Grant, and Ben Whishaw, a miniseries about the Jeremy Thorpe affair directed by Stephen Frears. The film received widespread critical acclaim with a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes with the critics consensus reading, "Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw impress in A Very English Scandal, an equally absorbing and appalling look at British politics and society". The series also received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations including a win for Whishaw for his performance.
In 2019, Jennings played Andrew Aldridge, a Conservative MP, in the American TV miniseries Four Weddings and a Funeral.
2020s
In 2020, Jennings appeared in the Small Axe miniseries directed by Steve McQueen, specifically the television movie Mangrove as Judge Edward Clarke alongside Letitia Wright as physician and British Black Panther Altheia Jones-LeCointe. In Mangrove, the story revolves around the true story based on the Mangrove Nine who were British black activists tried for inciting a riot at a protest, in 1970, against the police targeting of the Mangrove restaurant, Notting Hill, in west London. The film received widespread critical acclaim, with the critics consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reading, "Anchored by strong performances and an even stronger sense of conviction, Mangrove is a powerful indictment of institutional racism."
Work
Film
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" |Notes
|-
| 1989 || War Requiem || Blinded Soldier ||
|-
| 1996 || A Midsummer Night's Dream || Theseus/Oberon||
|-
| 1997 || The Wings of the Dove || Lord Mark ||
|-
| 1999 || Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat || The Butler ||
|-
| 2002 || The Four Feathers || Colonel Hamilton ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2004 || Five Children and It || Father ||
|-
| Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason || Horatio ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2006 || Babel || Ken Clifford ||
|-
| The Queen || Prince Charles ||
|-
| 2008 || The Disappeared || Adrian Ballan ||
|-
| 2010 || Words of the Blitz || George Orwell ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2013 || Trap for Cinderella || Chance ||
|-
| Belle || Lord Ashford ||
|-
| 2014 || Castles in the Sky || Henry Tizard ||
|-
| 2015 || The Lady in the Van || Alan Bennett ||
|-
| 2016 || Denial || Sir Charles Gray ||
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2021 || Munich – The Edge of War || Sir Horace Wilson ||
|-
| Operation Mincemeat || John Masterman ||
|-
| The Forgiven || Lord Swanthorne ||
|-
|2022 || Your Christmas or Mine?|| Humphrey Hughes||
|-
|2023 ||Your Christmas or Mine 2 ||Humphrey Hughes ||
|-
|2024 ||Blitz ||Victor Smythe ||
|-
| rowspan="2" |2025 ||The Phoenician Scheme ||Broadcloth ||
|-
|Ballad of a Small Player|| Adrian Lippett||
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" |Notes
|-
| 1982 || Smiley's People || P.C. Hall || Episode: "Episode No. 1.1"
|-
| 1986 || Kit Curran || PC Woods || Episode: "A Sick Society"
|-
| 1988 || The Franchise Affair || Nevil Bennet || 6 episodes
|-
| 1989 || The Return of Shelley || Jeremy || Episode: "The Gospel According to Shelley"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1990 || Inspector Morse || Victor Preece || Episode: "The Sins of the Fathers"
|-
| Alfonso Bonzo || Alfonso Bonzo || 6 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1991 || Ashenden || John Ashenden || 4 episodes
|-
| Bye Bye Columbus || King Ferdinand || Television movie
|-
| 1992 || ScreenPlay || Byron || Episode: "Dread Poets' Society"
|-
| 1993 || The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries || Sebastian Parish || Episode: "Death at the Bar"
|-
| 1994 || Hard Times || Bitzer || Episode: "Episode No. 1.1"
|-
| 1997 || Liberty! The American Revolution || King George III || 6 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1999 || Bad Blood || Joe Harker || Television movie
|-
| The Hunley || Lt. Alexander || Television movie
|-
| 2000 || Too Much Sun || Julian Edgbaston-Bowles || 6 episodes
|-
| 2002 || 100 Greatest Britons || Churchill || Voice; Episode: "Sir Winston Churchill"
|-
| 2004 || London || Stephen Spender || Television movie
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2005 || A Very Social Secretary || Alastair Campbell || Television movie
|-
| Riot at the Rite || Sergei Diaghilev || Television movie
|-
| Agatha Christie's Poirot || Dr Roberts || Episode: "Cards on the Table"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2006 || Spooks || James Allan || Episode: "Episode No. 5.4"
|-
| The State Within || James Sinclair || 6 episodes
|-
| 2007 || Waking the Dead || James Andrews || 2 episodes
|-
| 2007–2009 || Cranford || Reverend Hutton || 7 episodes
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2008 || 10 Days to War || Vincent || Episode: "Failure Is Not an Option"
|-
| Fairy Tales || Roger Bateman || Episode: "Rapunzel"
|-
| Hancock & Joan || John Le Mesurier || Television movie
|-
| The 39 Steps || Captain Kell || Television movie, BBC
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2009 || The Last Days of Lehman Brothers || Timothy Geithner || Television movie
|-
| Agatha Christie's Marple || Inspector Curry || Episode: "They Do It with Mirrors"
|-
| 2009–2010 || Whitechapel || Commander Anderson || 5 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2010 || Masterpiece Classic || Captain Kell || Episode: "The 39 Steps"
|-
| Grandpa in My Pocket || Captain Shipshape || Episode: "Captain Shipshape and a Fish Called Bryan"
|-
| On Expenses || Andrew Walker || Television movie
|-
| 2011–2014 || Silk || Alan Cowdrey, QC || 13 episodes
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2012 || Being Human || Griffin || Episode: "Eve of the War"
|-
| Lewis || Rev Conor Hawes || Episode: "The Soul of Genius"
|-
| New Tricks || Prof. Blake || Episode: "Body of Evidence"
|-
| We'll Take Manhattan || John Parsons || Television movie
|-
| 2013 || The Lady Vanishes || The Professor || Television movie
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2015 || Churchill's Secret || Anthony Eden || Television movie, PBS
|-
| Foyle's War || Clive Ord-Smith || Episode: "Trespass"
|-
| 2016–2019 || Victoria || King Leopold I || 9 episodes
|-
| 2016–2017, 2022 || The Crown || Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor || Main role (Seasons 1–2);<br>Guest role (Season 5)
|-
| 2017 || The Halcyon || Lord Hamilton || Episode: #1.1
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2018 || A Very English Scandal || Peter Bessell || 3 episodes
|-
| Unforgotten || Tim Finch || 6 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2019 || Four Weddings and a Funeral || Andrew Aldridge || Miniseries, Hulu
|-
| Gold Digger || Ted Day || 6 episodes
|-
| 2020 || Small Axe || Judge Clarke || Episode: "Mangrove"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2022 || This Is Going to Hurt || Nigel Lockhart|| 7 episodes
|-
| The Undeclared War || David Neal || 5 episodes
|-
| rowspan="5" | 2024 || Mr Bates vs The Post Office || James Arbuthnot || 4 episodes
|-
| The New Look || Raymond Dior|| 2 episodes
|-
| A Very Royal Scandal || Sir Edward Young || 3 episodes
|-
| Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light || Stephen Gardiner ||3 episodes
|-
| The Agency || Frank ||Episode: "The Bends"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2025 || MobLand || Archie Hammond ||3 episodes
|-
| Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes || Michael Mansfield || Episode: "The Verdict"
|-
|2026
|Legends
|Home Secretary
|Supporting cast; 6 episodes
|}
Theatre
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Playwright
! Venue
! class="unsortable" |Ref.
|-
| 1985 || The Scarlet Pimpernel || Performer || Baroness Orczy || Her Majesty's Theatre ||
|-
| 1987–88 || Measure for Measure || Lucio || William Shakespeare || Royal Shakespeare Company ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1988 || Too Clever by Half || Yegor Dimitrich Gloumov || Alexander Ostrovsky || Old Vic Theatre, London ||
|-
| The Country Wife || Performer || William Wycherley || Royal Exchange, Manchester ||
|-
| 1989 || Ghetto || Kittel || Yehoshua Sobol || National Theatre ||
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1990 || The Wild Duck || Hjalmar Ekdal || Henrik Ibsen || Peter Hall Company ||
|-
| The Liars || Dorante || Henry Arthur Jones || Old Vic Theatre, London ||
|-
| Richard II || Richard II|| William Shakespeare || Royal Shakespeare Company ||
|-
| 1992 || The Recruiting Officer || Captain Plume || George Farquhar || National Theatre ||
|-
| 1993 || The Importance of Being Earnest || John Worthing || Oscar Wilde || Aldwych Theatre ||
|-
| 1994 || Peer Gynt || Peer Gynt || Henrik Ibsen || Royal Shakespeare Company ||
|-
| 1994–95 || Measure for Measure || Angelo || William Shakespeare || Royal Shakespeare Company ||
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1996 || A Midsummer Night's Dream || Oberon/Theseus || William Shakespeare || Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, Broadway ||
|-
| Hyde Park || Performer || James Shirley || rowspan=3|Royal Shakespeare Company ||
|-
| The Taming of the Shrew || Lucentio || William Shakespeare ||
|-
| 1997 || Hamlet || Hamlet|| William Shakespeare ||
|-
| 2000 || Albert Speer || Albert Speer || David Edgar || Lyttelton Theatre, London ||
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2001 || The Winter's Tale || Performer || William Shakespeare || rowspan=3|Royal National Theatre ||
|-
| The Relapse || Foppington || John Vanbrugh ||
|-
| My Fair Lady || Prof. Henry Higgins || Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe||
|-
| 2007 || Present Laughter || Garry Essendine || Noël Coward || Royal National Theatre ||
|-
| 2009 || The Habit of Art || Henry || Alan Bennett || National Theatre of Great Britain <br/> Lyttelton Theatre in London ||
|-
| 2011 || Collaborators || Mikhail Bulgakov || John Hodge || National Theatre of Great Britain <br/> Cottesloe Theatre in London ||
|-
| 2012 || Hymn/Cocktail Sticks || Performer || Alan Bennett || National Theatre of Great Britain <br/> Lyttelton Theatre in London ||
|-
| 2013 || Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ||Willy Wonka || Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman & David Greig|| Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London ||
|-
| 2016 || My Fair Lady || Prof. Henry Higgins|| Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe|| Sydney Opera House ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2019 || Hansard || Robin Hesketh || Simon Woods || Royal National Theatre||
|-
| The Light in the Piazza || Signor Naccarelli || Adam Guettel & Craig Lucas|| Royal Festival Hall, London <br> Civic Opera House Chicago ||
|-
| 2022 || The Southbury Child || David Highland || Stephen Beresford || Chichester Festival Theatre<br/>Bridge Theatre, London ||
|-
|}
Filmed Theatrical Events
- 1999: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat as Butler
- 2010: National Theatre Live: The Habit of Art as Henry / Benjamin Britten
- 2011: National Theatre Live: Collaborators as Mikhail Bulgakov
- 2013: National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage as Henry Higgins
- 2019: National Theatre Live: Hansard as Robin Hesketh
Awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Award
! Category
! Title
! Result
! class="unsortable" |Ref.
|-
| 1988 || rowspan="4" |Olivier Award || rowspan="2" | Best Comedy Performance || Too Clever by Half || ||
|-
|1990
|The Liar
|
|
|-
| 1996 || Best Actor|| Peer Gynt||
|
|-
| 2003 || Best Actor in a Musical|| My Fair Lady||
|
|-
| 2019 || British Academy Television Awards || Best Supporting Actor || Unforgotten || ||
|-
|}
Jennings was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2024 Birthday Honours for services to drama.