David Suchet facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sir David Suchet CBE
Suchet in 2006
Born	David Courtney Suchet (1946-05-02) 2 May 1946 (age 79) Paddington, London, England
Alma mater	London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1969–present
Spouse(s)	Sheila Ferris ​ (m. 1976)​
Children	2
Parent(s)	Jack Suchet (father)
Relatives	John Suchet (brother) James Jarché (grandfather)

Sir David Courtney Suchet (born 2 May 1946) is a famous English actor. He is well-known for his many roles on stage and in television shows. He played Edward Teller in the TV series Oppenheimer (1980). He also won awards for his role as Augustus Melmotte in The Way We Live Now (2001).

David Suchet became famous around the world for playing Agatha Christie's detective Hercule Poirot. He starred as Poirot in the TV series Agatha Christie's Poirot from 1989 to 2013. For this role, he was nominated for a British Academy Television Award for Best Actor in 1991. He has also been nominated for many theatre awards, including nine Olivier Awards and a Tony Award.

Early Life and Family Background

David Suchet was born in Paddington, London, on 2 May 1946. His father, Jack Suchet, was a doctor. His mother, Joan Patricia, was an actress. Jack Suchet moved to England from South Africa in 1932. He studied medicine in London and became a specialist in childbirth and women's health.

David's father's family came from Lithuania and were Jewish. Their original family name was "Suchedowitz." It was later changed to "Schohet," which is a Yiddish word for a kosher butcher. David's father changed the name to Suchet when he lived in South Africa. David's mother was born in England and was Christian (Anglican). Her father's family was Russian-Jewish, and her mother's family was English Anglican. David was not raised with any religion. However, he became a Christian in 1986.

David and his brothers, John and Peter, went to boarding schools in Kent and Somerset. David became interested in acting when he was 16. He joined the National Youth Theatre. He later studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He even became a vice president there before retiring in 2018.

Acting Career

David Suchet has had a long and successful acting career. He has performed in many plays and TV shows.

Theatre Performances

Suchet started his acting career in Chester in 1969. He performed in many different theatres across England. In 1973, he joined the famous Royal Shakespeare Company. He played important roles like Bolingbroke in Richard II in 1981–82.

He first performed in London's West End in 1987 in a play called Separation. From 1996 to 1997, he starred with Dame Diana Rigg in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. He also played Salieri in the Broadway play Amadeus from 1998 to 2000. In 2007, he played Cardinal Benelli in The Last Confession, a play about the death of Pope John Paul I. He performed this role again in Australia in 2014.

In June 2015, Suchet began playing Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. He performed this role in London and on tour. In January 2022, he had a special show called Poirot and More, A Retrospective in London.

Television and Film Roles

David Suchet has appeared in many TV shows and films. In 1985, he played Blott in the TV series Blott on the Landscape.

In 1989, he took on the role that made him famous worldwide: Hercule Poirot. This was for the long-running TV series Agatha Christie's Poirot. Suchet shared that another actor who played Poirot, Peter Ustinov, once told him he would be good at the role. When Suchet read the original books, he realized the TV character was different from what he imagined. He saw Poirot as "more elusive, more pedantic and, most of all, more human."

Even though his brother advised him against it, Suchet accepted the role. To prepare, he wrote a five-page study of Poirot, detailing 93 different parts of his character. He carried this list with him on set and shared it with every director. Suchet played Poirot in every single story written by Agatha Christie that featured the detective.

In 2001, he had the main role in the BBC TV series The Way We Live Now. In 2003, he played Cardinal Wolsey in the ITV drama Henry VIII. In 2006, he played the newspaper owner Robert Maxwell in the BBC2 show Maxwell. He also voiced Poirot in the video game Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express.

Around Christmas 2006, he played the vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing in a BBC version of Dracula. He appeared in the film Flood (2007) as the Deputy Prime Minister. In 2008, he was in the film The Bank Job. He also took part in the family history TV series Who Do You Think You Are?.

In 2010, he played Reacher Gilt in the Sky TV show Going Postal. He also had roles in films like A Perfect Murder and The In-Laws.

Between 2014 and 2015, Suchet narrated two BBC documentaries. These shows followed the journeys of the apostles St. Peter and St. Paul around the Mediterranean Sea.

In 2016, Suchet was the narrator for the BBC live show Peter Pan Goes Wrong. During the show, he even acted like Poirot for a moment to distract the audience. In 2017, he appeared in the BBC One show Decline and Fall. He also guest starred in an episode of Doctor Who called Knock Knock.

Awards and Recognition

David Suchet has received many awards and honors for his acting. In 2002, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This is a special award from the Queen for his contributions to the arts.

In October 2008, he received an honorary degree from the University of Chichester. On 7 January 2009, he was given the Freedom of the City of London. In July 2010, he received another honorary degree from the University of Kent.

He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2011 for his services to drama. In 2014, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Royal Television Society for his amazing work as Hercule Poirot.

David Suchet was made a knight in 2020 for his services to drama and charity. This means he is now called "Sir David Suchet."

Personal Life

Family and Background

David Suchet met his wife, Sheila Ferris, in 1972 at a theatre in Coventry. They got married on 30 June 1976. They have two children: a son named Robert (born 1981) and a daughter named Katherine (born 1983). Robert used to be a captain in the Royal Marines, and Katherine is a physiotherapist.

David Suchet's brother is John Suchet, a well-known news presenter. David's maternal grandfather, James Jarché, was a famous photographer. He took many important pictures, including the first photos of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson.

Religious Beliefs

David Suchet was not raised with a religion. However, in 1986, he became a Christian after reading a passage from the Bible. He was later baptized into the Church of England. Suchet has said that his faith guides him in his life.

In 2012, Suchet made a documentary for the BBC about Saint Paul. He explored Paul's journey around the Mediterranean. In 2014, he filmed another documentary about the apostle Saint Peter.

In 2012, the British and Foreign Bible Society made David Suchet a vice-president. After finishing his role as Hercule Poirot, Suchet completed a long-time goal. He made an audio recording of the entire Bible (New International Version), which was released in April 2014.

Political Views

In August 2014, David Suchet was one of many public figures who signed a letter to The Guardian newspaper. They expressed their hope that Scotland would remain part of the United Kingdom in the 2014 vote on independence.

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Stage Performances

Video Games

• Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express (2006)

Interviews and TV Documentaries

• David Suchet on the Orient Express (TV documentary) (2010)
• David Suchet: In the Footsteps of St Paul (BBC documentary) (2012)
• David Suchet: In the Footsteps of St Peter (BBC Documentary) (2015)
• Being Poirot BBC documentary (2014)

See also

In Spanish: David Suchet para niños