Derek Jacobi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir
Derek Jacobi
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Jacobi in 2022
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| Born | 22 October 1938 Leytonstone, Essex, England
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| Alma mater | St John's College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1959–present |
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Works
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Full list |
| Partner(s) | Richard Clifford (1979–present) |
| Awards | Full list |
Sir Derek George Jacobi (born 22 October 1938) is a famous English actor. He is well-known for his work in theatre, especially at the Royal National Theatre. He has also starred in many films and TV shows.
Derek Jacobi has won many important awards. These include a BAFTA Award, two Olivier Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Tony Award. In 1994, Queen Elizabeth II made him a knight for his great work in theatre.
Jacobi began his acting career with the legendary actor Laurence Olivier. He was one of the first members of the National Theatre. He has performed in many plays by Shakespeare, such as Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, and Twelfth Night. He won Olivier Awards for his roles in Cyrano de Bergerac (1983) and Twelfth Night (2009). He also won a Tony Award for his role in Much Ado About Nothing (1985).
On television, he played Claudius in the BBC series I, Claudius (1976). This role won him a British Academy Television Award. He also won Emmy Awards for The Tenth Man (1988) and for a guest role in Frasier (2001). You might also know him from TV shows like Cadfael (1994–1998), Vicious (2013-2016), and The Crown (2019).
In movies, Jacobi has appeared in many popular films. These include Henry V (1989), Nanny McPhee (2005), Cinderella (2015), and Murder on the Orient Express (2017). He played Senator Gracchus in Ridley Scott's Gladiator (2000) and will be in Gladiator II (2024). He also won Screen Actors Guild Awards for his roles in Gosford Park (2001) and The King's Speech (2010).
Contents
Early Life and Education
Derek George Jacobi was born on 22 October 1938 in Leytonstone, England. He was the only child of Daisy Gertrude and Alfred George Jacobi. His mother was a secretary, and his father ran a sweet shop. His family was working-class, and he remembers his childhood as happy.
As a teenager, he attended Leyton County High School for Boys. He was a very active member of the school's drama club. When he was 16, he starred in a school play of Hamlet. This play was even performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, a famous arts festival.
At 18, he won a scholarship to the University of Cambridge. There, he studied history at St John's College. During his time at Cambridge, he acted in many plays, including Hamlet again. His acting in Edward II at Cambridge led to him being invited to join the Birmingham Repertory Theatre right after he graduated in 1960.
Acting Career Highlights
Starting His Stage Career
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Derek Jacobi's talent was noticed by the famous actor Laurence Olivier. Olivier asked Jacobi to be one of the first members of the new Royal National Theatre in London. This was a big deal because Jacobi was not very well known at the time.
In 1963, Jacobi played Laertes in the National Theatre's first play, Hamlet. He also played Cassio in the theatre's successful play Othello. He later repeated this role in the 1965 film version. Jacobi stayed at the National Theatre for eight years.
After leaving the National Theatre in 1971, Jacobi looked for new roles. In the 1970s, he worked a lot with the touring Prospect Theatre Company. He performed in many classic plays during this time.
Breakthrough in Television
Jacobi's big break came in 1976. He starred as the main character in the BBC series I, Claudius. He played the Roman Emperor Claudius, who had a stammer and twitches. His performance was highly praised and made him very famous.
In 1979, because of his international fame, he took his play Hamlet on a world tour. He performed it in countries like England, Egypt, Japan, and China. He even got to play Hamlet at Kronborg Castle in Denmark, which is known as Elsinore Castle, the setting of the play.
Established Actor: Stage and Screen
From 1982 to 1985, Jacobi took on four challenging roles at the same time. He played Benedick in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, for which he won a Tony Award. He also played Prospero in The Tempest, Peer Gynt, and Cyrano in Cyrano de Bergerac.
In 1986, he made his debut in London's West End in the play Breaking the Code. He played Alan Turing, a famous mathematician. The play was written especially for Jacobi. He also continued to play Shakespearean roles. He was the Chorus in Kenneth Branagh's 1989 film of Henry V.
The 1990s saw Jacobi in more stage work. He also starred in the TV series Cadfael (1994–1998). This show was based on novels by Ellis Peters. In films, he appeared in Branagh's Dead Again (1991) and as King Claudius in Branagh's full-length Hamlet (1996). He also played Senator Gracchus in the movie Gladiator (2000).
Recent Work
In the 2000s, Derek Jacobi continued to be very busy. He narrated audiobooks like The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis. In 2001, he won an Emmy Award for his guest role in the TV sitcom Frasier. He played a funny, over-the-top actor named Jackson Hedley.
In 2003, Jacobi voiced the Master in a Doctor Who webcast. He later appeared in the actual Doctor Who TV episode "Utopia" in 2007. He played Professor Yana, who was later revealed to be the Master. Jacobi said he had always wanted to be on Doctor Who.
He starred in the play Don Carlos in 2004, which received great reviews. In 2005, he played Mr. Wheen in the movie Nanny McPhee. He also narrated the BBC children's show In the Night Garden..., which started in 2007.
In 2009, he played Malvolio in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night again. This role won him another Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor. In 2010, he starred in a production of King Lear, which critics called one of his best performances ever.
From 2012 to 2014, he starred in the BBC series Last Tango in Halifax. From 2013 to 2016, he also starred with Ian McKellen in the ITV sitcom Vicious. They played an old gay couple who had lived together for nearly 50 years.
More recently, Jacobi has continued to voice the Master in Doctor Who audio dramas. In 2019, he played Emperor Claudius again in Horrible Histories: The Movie – Rotten Romans. In 2022, he appeared in the film Allelujah.
Interests
Derek Jacobi is interested in the question of who really wrote Shakespeare's plays. He supports the idea that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford wrote them, not William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon. This is called the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship.
In 2007, Jacobi and actor Mark Rylance started a "Declaration of Reasonable Doubt". This was to encourage more research into who wrote Shakespeare's works. In 2011, Jacobi took a role in the film Anonymous, which is about the Oxfordian theory. He narrated the beginning and end of the film.
Awards and Honors
Derek Jacobi has received many awards for his acting. These include two Olivier Awards, a Tony Award, a BAFTA Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Some of his special honors include:
- 1985: Commander of the Order of the British Empire (United Kingdom)
- 1989: Knight 1st class of the Order of the Dannebrog (Denmark)
- 1994: Knight Bachelor, for his services to Drama (United Kingdom)
See also
In Spanish: Derek Jacobi para niños
- List of Oxfordian theory supporters
