Christopher de Lerisson Cazenove (17 December 1943 – 7 April 2010) was an English film, television and stage actor.

Early life and career

He was born Christopher de Lerisson Cazenove, on 17 December 1943, the son of Brigadier Arnold de Lerisson Cazenove and Elizabeth Laura (née Gurney, 1914–1994) in Winchester, Hampshire, but was brought up in Bowlish, Somerset. He was educated at the Dragon School, Eton College, Durham University's College of the Venerable Bede and the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Cazenove often portrayed British aristocrats, and first made his name in the 1972 drama series, The Regiment. Other notable roles included Charlie Tyrrell in the 1976-77 period drama series The Duchess of Duke Street, and in 1986 he appeared as Ben Carrington in the US soap opera Dynasty, which he played until the following year. From 2001 to 2003, he had a recurring role in the British drama series Judge John Deed, playing Row Colemore.

On the stage, he appeared as Henry Higgins in the British and American productions of My Fair Lady from 2005 through to 2008. From 2003 until his death, Cazenove's partner was Isabel Davis. The actor "died peacefully surrounded by his loved ones", said a statement released by his agent, his family and girlfriend.

Cazenove's funeral on 16 April 2010 was held at St Paul's, Covent Garden, London.

Filmography

Film

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes

|-

| rowspan="2" | 1970

| Julius Caesar || Servant to Mark Antony || Uncredited

|-

| There's a Girl in My Soup || Nigel || Uncredited

|-

| 1974 || Doctor Watson and the Darkwater Hall Mystery || Sir Harry ||

|-

| 1975 || Royal Flash || Eric Hansen ||

|-

| 1977 || East of Elephant Rock || Robert Proudfoot ||

|-

| 1978 || La petite fille en velours bleu (aka Little Girl in Blue Velvet) || "Baby" ||

|-

| 1979 || Zulu Dawn || Lieutenant Coghill ||

|-

| rowspan="2" | 1981

| Eye of the Needle || David Rose ||

|-

| From a Far Country || Tadek ||

|-

| 1983 || Heat and Dust || Douglas Rivers, The Assistant Collector || (The Nineteen Twenties in the Civil Lines at Satipur)<br>Merchant Ivory Film

|-

| 1984 || Until September || Philip ||

|-

| rowspan="2" | 1985

| Jenny's War || Captain Preston || TV series, 4 episodes

|-

| Mata Hari || Karl Von Bayerling ||

|-

| 1986 || The Fantasist || Inspector McMyler ||

|-

| rowspan="3" | 1988

| Windmills of the Gods || Desforges || TV Mini-Series, 2 episodes

|-

| Tears in the Rain || Michael Bredon || TV movie

|-

| Blind Justice || Joseph Mahoney || Also known as Hold My Hand I'm Dying

|-

| rowspan="2" | 1989

| Souvenir || William Root ||

|-

| The Lady and the Highwayman || Rudolph Vyne || TV movie

|-

| 1990 || 3 Men and a Little Lady || Edward Hargreave ||

|-

| 1992 || Aces: Iron Eagle III || Palmer ||

|-

| 1996 || The Proprietor || Elliott Spencer || Merchant Ivory Film

|-

| 1998 || Shadow Run || Melchior ||

|-

| 2000 || Contaminated Man || The President of Clarion ||

|-

| rowspan="2" | 2001

| A Knight's Tale || John Thatcher ||

|-

| Beginner's Luck || Andrew Fontaine ||

|-

| 2004 || La Femme Musketeer || Athos || TV Mini-Series, 2 episodes

|-

| 2009 || Hotel Babylon || Damien Rushby || TV series, 1 episode

|-

| 2010 || Alexander the Great from Macedonia || Aristotle || (final film role)

|}

Television

  • 1972-1973 The Regiment
  • 1973 Omnibus: The British Hero (BBC TV documentary/selected dramatised scenes) as Heroes: Tom Brown / Richard Hannay / Beau Geste / Bulldog Drummond / James Bond
  • 1974 Thriller Episode: "K is for Killing" as Sunny Garrick
  • 1974 Jennie, Lady Randolph Churchill as George Cornwallis-West
  • 1976-1977 Duchess of Duke Street as Charlie Tyrrell
  • 1980 Hammer House of Horror Episode: "Children of the Full Moon" as Tom Martin
  • 1981 Ladykillers Episode: A Smile Is Sometimes Worth a Million Dollars as Ronald True
  • 1982 The Letter (1982 film) as Officer Withers
  • 1982 The Agatha Christie Hour as Jack Trent
  • 1984 Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense Episode: "In Possession" as Frank Daly
  • 1985 Kane & Abel as The Baron
  • 1986-1987 Dynasty as Ben Carrington
  • 1989 A Fine Romance (1989 TV series) as Michael Trent
  • 2001-2003 Judge John Deed as "Row" Colemore
  • 2004 Charmed as Thrask
  • 2005 Dalziel and Pascoe Episode: "Dead Meat", Parts 1 and 2 as Guy Latimer

References

  • BBC profile
  • NY Times filmography
  • Obituary in The Daily Telegraph
  • Obituary in The Times