James Broadbent (born 24 May 1949) is an English actor. A graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 1972, he came to prominence as a character actor for his many roles in film and television. He has received various accolades including an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, an International Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and one Volpi Cup as well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award.

Broadbent received an Academy Award for his supporting role as John Bayley in the film Iris (2001), and a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for playing Harold Zidler in Moulin Rouge! (2001). His early film roles include the Terry Gilliam films Time Bandits (1981) and Brazil (1985) before a breakthrough role in Mike Leigh's Life Is Sweet (1990). Notable film roles include Bullets Over Broadway (1994), Topsy-Turvy (1999), Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), Gangs of New York (2002), Another Year (2010), The Iron Lady (2011), Le Week-End (2013), and Brooklyn (2015).

Broadbent is also known for his roles in franchise films such as Horace Slughorn in the Harry Potter film series, Digory Kirke in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) and Samuel Gruber in the Paddington film series. He also acted in blockbuster and studio films such as The Borrowers (1997), Robots (2005), Hot Fuzz (2007), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), Arthur Christmas (2011), and Cloud Atlas (2012).

Broadbent's television roles include playing Roy Slater in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, Desmond Morton in the HBO / BBC film The Gathering Storm (2002), and Lord Longford in the Channel 4 film Longford (2006), which won him a BAFTA Award for Best Actor. He portrayed Archmaester Ebrose in the seventh season of the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones in 2017. He also acted in London Spy (2015), War & Peace (2016), King Lear (2018) and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (2023).

Early life and education

James Broadbent was born on 24 May 1949, in Holton cum Beckering, The two have been described by the BBC as conscientious objectors who "worked the land" rather than participate in World War II. In Wickenby, a former Methodist Chapel was purchased in 1970 by Holton Players, who converted it into a 100-seat theatre, named Broadbent Theatre in memory of Roy Broadbent, who designed the conversion. and briefly attended art college before transferring to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, graduating in 1972. His early stage work included appearances as Patrick Barlow's assistant in the mock National Theatre of Brent.

Career

1971–1989: Rise to prominence

Broadbent's early stagework included a number of productions for The National Theatre of Brent as the downtrodden assistant Wallace to Patrick Barlow's self-important actor-manager character Desmond Olivier Dingle. Broadbent and Barlow played many male and female character roles in comically less-than-epic tellings of historical and religious stories, such as The Complete Guide to Sex, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Revolution!!, and All The World's A Globe. These were hits at the Edinburgh Fringe, in London, and on tour. In 1978, he had two roles, first as Vroomfondel (who may, or may not be, a philosopher) and then as Shooty (a gratuitously violent policeman, who writes novel in crayon) in the Primary Phase of the groundbreaking radio series The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Forty years later, he took the role of Marvin in the Hexagonal Phase radio series. Towards the end of the decade, Broadbent began appearing in small roles on television and films, including a Fielder in The Shout and Mackanees in the Play for Today episode Long Distance Information. He also appeared in an edition of Not the Nine O'Clock News, playing a Union Negotiator.

Broadbent also appeared in 1983, 1985 and 1991 as DCI Roy Slater, a minor character in the prominent sitcom Only Fools and Horses. In 2002, he appeared in Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York, Based on a true story, the drama tells of Deric Longden's wife, Diana and her fight against a mysterious wasting illness which turned out to be myalgic encephalomyelitis. It began as a type of flu but it grew progressively worse. She was subject to blackouts and became so debilitated that she could barely get out of her wheelchair. It led to years of pain and paralysis that ended in her death. Broadbent portrayed the title role in the Channel 4 drama Longford In 2009, he portrayed Sam Longson, chairman of Derby County football club in the 1960s and 1970s, in the film The Damned United; He also starred as the older Logan Mountstuart in the TV adaptation of William Boyd's novel Any Human Heart.

thumb|upright|right|Broadbent at the [[2010 Toronto International Film Festival]]

In 2010, Broadbent reunited with director Mike Leigh, in Another Year Broadbent has also appeared alongside Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters and Ben Whishaw in the British comedy films, Paddington (2014) In 2017 he starred alongside Charlotte Rampling, Michelle Dockery, and Emily Mortimer in the ensemble thriller The Sense of an Ending.

In 2018, he played Hans Christian Andersen in the premiere of Martin McDonagh's play A Very Very Very Dark Matter at the Bridge Theatre in London. In 2020, Broadbent starred in the limited series Black Narcissus

On 26 June 2018, Fantagraphics Books published the graphic novel Dull Margaret, a collaboration between The Guardian cartoonist Dix and Broadbent. The novel is inspired by the 1563 painting Dulle Griet by Pieter Bruegel the Elder.

In 2024, he was involved in the third Paddington Bear film alongside Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Carla Tous, Antonio Banderas, Olivia Colman and Emily Mortimer in Paddington in Peru (2024).

Filmography

Films

Selected films:

  • The Passage (1979)
  • Time Bandits (1981)
  • Brazil (1985)
  • Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
  • Erik The Viking (1989)
  • Life is Sweet (1990)
  • Enchanted April (1991)
  • The Crying Game (1992)
  • Bullets Over Broadway (1994)
  • Richard III (1995)
  • Rough Magic (1995)
  • The Borrowers (1997)
  • Little Voice (1998)
  • Topsy-Turvy (1999)
  • Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
  • Moulin Rouge! (2001)
  • Iris (2001)
  • Gangs of New York (2002)
  • Nicholas Nickleby (2002)
  • Bright Young Things (2003)
  • Around the World in 80 Days (2004)
  • Vanity Fair (2004)
  • Vera Drake (2004)
  • Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)
  • The Magic Roundabout (2005)
  • Robots (2005)
  • Valiant (2005)
  • The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
  • Art School Confidential (2006)
  • Hot Fuzz (2007)
  • Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
  • Inkheart (2008)
  • Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
  • The Young Victoria (2009)
  • The Damned United (2009)
  • Another Year (2010)
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011)
  • The Iron Lady (2011)
  • Arthur Christmas (2011)
  • Cloud Atlas (2012)
  • Filth (2013)
  • Le Week-End (2013)
  • Big Game (2014)
  • Paddington (2014)
  • Get Santa (2014)
  • Brooklyn (2015)
  • The Lady in the Van (2015)
  • Eddie the Eagle (2016)
  • The Legend of Tarzan (2016)
  • Bridget Jones's Baby (2016)
  • The Sense of an Ending (2017)
  • Paddington 2 (2017)
  • King of Thieves (2018)
  • Dolittle (2020)
  • The Duke (2020)
  • A Boy Called Christmas (2021)
  • The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (2023)
  • Paddington in Peru (2024)
  • Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025)
  • Jay Kelly (2025)

Television

Selected Television:

  • Tales of the Unexpected - Stranger in Town S5 ep5 (uncredited) (1982)
  • Only Fools and Horses - DCI Roy Slater (1983 to 1991)
  • The Gathering Storm (2002)
  • And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003)
  • Longford (2006)
  • Any Human Heart (2010)
  • London Spy (2015)
  • War & Peace (2016)
  • Game of Thrones (2017)
  • King Lear (2018)
  • Black Narcissus (2020)
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2024)
  • Love, Death & Robots (2025)

Personal life

Broadbent has been married to painter and former theatre designer Anastasia Lewis since 1987. He has no children, but Lewis has two sons from a previous relationship. Broadbent primarily lives in the Lincolnshire Wolds. He also owns a property in London. He is an atheist.

Awards and honours

Broadbent received his Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Richard Eyre's Iris (2001) starring alongside Judi Dench. That same year he won his British Academy Film Award for his performance in Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! (2001). In 2007, he received a British Academy Television Award for his work in Tom Hooper's television film, Longford (2007). He has received two Golden Globe Awards for his performances in Iris (2001) and Longford (2007). He also received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his performance as Desmond Morton in the BBC/HBO production The Gathering Storm (2002) and as Lord Longford in Longford (2007).

Broadbent was offered an OBE in 2002, but he declined it, stating that there were more deserving recipients than actors and that the British Empire was not something he wanted to "celebrate". Broadbent was made an Honorary Associate of London Film School.

Bibliography

In 2018, Broadbent's first graphic novel Dull Margaret was published by Fantagraphics Books.

References

  • Jim Broadbent | Culture | The Guardian
  • Jim Broadbent at the British Film Institute