Jump to content

Joss Ackland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joss Ackland
CBE
Ackland in The Object of Beauty (1991)
Born
Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland

(1928-02-29)29 February 1928
North Kensington, London, England
Died19 November 2023(2023-11-19) (aged 95)
Clovelly, Devon, England
EducationCentral School of Speech and Drama
OccupationActor
Years active1945–2014
Spouse
Rosemary Kirkcaldy
​
​
(m. 1951; died 2002)​
Children7

Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland CBE (29 February 1928 – 19 November 2023) was an English actor who appeared in more than 130 film, radio and television roles.[1] He was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for portraying Jock Delves Broughton in White Mischief (1987).[2]

Early life

[edit]

Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland was born in a basement flat in "then insalubrious" North Kensington, London, on 29 February 1928,[3] the son of Sydney Norman Ackland (died 1981), an Irish journalist who had been sent to England to live with an aunt by his parents for seducing their maid, but subsequently seduced his aunt's maid, Ruth Izod (died 1957), whom he married.[4][5][6] The Acklands' basement flat was one of "a string of similar places" in which they lived, invariably with "one bedroom and the absolute bare essentials"; Ackland described his upbringing in the Ladbroke Grove area as being "very poor".[7][8]

Ackland was trained by Elsie Fogerty at the Central School of Speech and Drama, then based at the Royal Albert Hall, London.[9]

Ackland and Rosemary Kirkcaldy were married on 18 August 1951, when Ackland was 23 and she was 22.[10] She was an actress and Ackland wooed her when they appeared on stage together in Pitlochry, Scotland.[11] The couple struggled initially as Ackland's acting career was in its infancy.[10] In 1954 they moved to Lilongwe in what was then Nyasaland, now Malawi, where Ackland managed a tea plantation for six months[12] but, deciding it was too dangerous, they moved to Cape Town, South Africa.[10] Though they both obtained steady acting jobs in South Africa, after two years they returned to England in 1957.[10][13]

Career

[edit]

After attending London's Central School of Speech and Drama, he made his professional debut on stage at just 17 years old, starring in the 1945 production of The Hasty Heart. Ackland joined the Old Vic, appearing alongside other notable actors including Maggie Smith, Judi Dench and Tom Courtenay. Ackland worked steadily in television and film in the 1960s and 70s.

He worked opposite Alec Guinness in the 1979 television serial Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, playing sporting journalist and intermittent British espionage operative Jerry Westerby, and his career advanced through the 1980s with important parts in such films as The Sicilian, Lethal Weapon 2, The Hunt for Red October and White Mischief.[3] On television Ackland appeared as Jephro Rucastle with Jeremy Brett and David Burke in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes; the episode entitled "The Copper Beeches". Other appearances included Passion of Mind with Demi Moore and the two-part TV serial Hogfather based on Terry Pratchett's Discworld.[3] He played C. S. Lewis in the television version of Shadowlands before it was adapted into a stage play starring Nigel Hawthorne and then a theatrical film with Anthony Hopkins in the same role.[14] His voice (as well as that of Roy Dotrice) was heard reading quotations in several episodes of Jacob Bronowski's 1973 documentary series The Ascent of Man.

His voice was also a mainstay of many British television commercials including Yellow Pages, WK Kellogg Co and Homepride.[citation needed]

Ackland's stage roles included creating the role of Juan Perón in Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Evita opposite Elaine Paige.[15] He also starred in the London production of Stephen Sondheim's and Hugh Wheeler's A Little Night Music with Jean Simmons and Hermione Gingold, performing on the RCA Victor original London cast album.[16]

Ackland appeared in the Pet Shop Boys' 1988 film It Couldn't Happen Here, and in the video for their version of the song Always on My Mind, which was taken from the film.[17] Several years later, he said in an interview with the Radio Times that he had appeared with the band purely because his grandchildren liked their music.[citation needed]

Ackland also co-starred as Emilio Estevez's mentor and friend Hans in the 1992 Disney The Mighty Ducks.[18] He reprised the role four years later in 1996's D3: The Mighty Ducks.[3]

In a 2001 interview with the BBC, Ackland said that he had appeared in some "awful" films due to being a workaholic. He said that he "regretted" appearing in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey and the Pet Shop Boys music video. He also criticised former co-star Demi Moore as "not very bright or talented",[13] though he worked with her again years later in Flawless (2008).

Also in 2007, Ackland appeared in the film How About You opposite Vanessa Redgrave, portraying a recovering alcoholic living in a residential home after being forced to retire and losing his wife to cancer.[19]

In 2008, Ackland returned to the small screen as Sir Freddy Butler, a much married baronet, in the ITV1 show Midsomer Murders. The episode was entitled Vixens Run.[20]

In September 2013, Jonathan Miller directed a Gala Performance of William Shakespeare's King Lear at the Old Vic in London, with Ackland in the role of Lear.[21]

Personal life and death

[edit]

Ackland and his wife Rosemary (née Kirkcaldy) were married for 51 years. They had seven children,[22] thirty-two grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.[23] Despite his filming taking him to far-flung locations, he said Rosemary and he "were hardly ever apart".[24] Daughter Kirsty married Anthony Shawn Baring, a descendant of the merchant banker Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet and a descendant of Robert Rundell Guinness, founder of the merchant bank Guinness Mahon.[25][26]

In 1963, their house in Barnes caught fire. Rosemary saved their five children but broke her back when jumping from the bedroom window.[27] She was told she would miscarry and never walk again, but she later gave birth and after 18 months in Stoke Mandeville Hospital, was able to walk again.[28][10] Their eldest son, Paul, died of a heroin overdose in 1982, aged 29.[29] In 2000, Rosemary was diagnosed with motor neurone disease; she died on 25 July 2002.[12]

In 2020, Ackland participated in the "Letters Live" project, and was recorded from his home in Clovelly, Devon.[30] His letter reflected on the COVID-19 crisis and his hopes for how the country could draw "strength from adversity".[31]

Ackland died at home in Clovelly, on 19 November 2023, aged 95.[32][33]

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1949 Landfall O'Neill (uncredited) [3]
1950 Seven Days to Noon
1952 Ghost Ship Ron, a seaman
1959 A Midsummer Night's Dream
1962 In Search of the Castaways Seaman on yacht (uncredited)
1966 Rasputin: the Mad Monk The Bishop
1969 Crescendo Carter
1970 The House That Dripped Blood Neville Rogers
1971 Villain Edgar Lewis
Mr. Forbush and the Penguins The Leader
1972 The Happiness Cage Dr Frederick
1973 Hitler: The Last Ten Days Gen. Burgdorf
Penny Gold Jones
England Made Me Haller
The Three Musketeers D'Artagnan's Father
1974 The Black Windmill Chief Supt. Wray
S*P*Y*S Martinson
The Little Prince The King
Great Expectations Joe Gargery
1975 One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing B.J. Spence
Royal Flash Sapten
Operation Daybreak Janák
1977 The Strange Case of the End of Civilisation as We Know It President
1978 Watership Down Black Rabbit (voice) [34]
Silver Bears Henry Foreman
The Greek Tycoon (uncredited)
Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? Cantrell
1979 A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square Prison Warden (uncredited)
Saint Jack Yardley
1980 Rough Cut Insp. Vanderveld
The Apple Hippie Leader/Mr Topps
1985 A Zed & Two Noughts Van Hoyten
1986 Lady Jane Sir John Bridges
1987 White Mischief Sir Jock Delves Broughton
The Sicilian Don Masino Croce
It Couldn't Happen Here Priest/Murderer
1988 To Kill a Priest Colonel
1989 Lethal Weapon 2 Arjen 'Aryan' Rudd
1990 Dimenticare Palermo AKA The Palermo Connection Mafia boss
The Hunt for Red October Ambassador Andrei Lysenko
Tre colonne in cronaca Gaetano Leporino
1991 The Object of Beauty Mr Mercer
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey Chuck De Nomolos
1992 The Sheltering Desert Col. Johnston
Once Upon a Crime Hercules Popodopoulos
Shadowchaser Kinderman
The Bridge Smithson
The Mighty Ducks Hans
1993 Nowhere to Run Franklin Hale
The Princess and the Goblin King Papa (voice)
1994 OcchioPinocchio Brando
Miracle on 34th Street Victor Landberg (uncredited) (Store Competitor for Shopper's Express)
Giorgino Father Glaise
1995 Mad Dogs and Englishmen Insp. Sam Stringer
The Thief and the Cobbler Brigand (voice) [34]
A Kid in King Arthur's Court King Arthur
1996 Surviving Picasso Henri Matisse
D3: The Mighty Ducks Hans
1997 Swept from the Sea Mr Swaffer
Firelight Lord Clare
1998 My Giant Monsignor Popescu (uncredited)
2000 The Mumbo Jumbo Mayor Smith
Passion of Mind Dr Langer, the French Psychiatrist
2002 No Good Deed Mr Thomas Quarre
K-19: The Widowmaker Marshal Zelentsov
2003 I'll Be There Evil Edmonds
2004 A Different Loyalty Randolph Cauffield
2005 The Christmas Eve Snowfall (Narrator)
Asylum Jack Straffen
2006 These Foolish Things Albert
Moscow Zero Tolstoy
2007 How About You Donald
2008 Flawless MKA
2013 Prisoners of the Sun Prof. Mendella
2014 Katherine of Alexandria Rufus

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1957 Destination Downing Street Immelmann TV series
1963 The Indian Tales of Rudyard Kipling William Stevens
1964 Z-Cars Mr Shields Episode: S03E29 "Happy Families"
1966 David Copperfield Mr. Peggotty TV series
Lord Raingo Tom Hogarth
Theatre 625 John Hinks Episode: "On the March to the Sea"
1966–1968 The Troubleshooters Mr Gibbon (1966), Sam Jardine (1966-1967), Considine (1968), Lewis (1968) 5 episodes
1966 Mystery and Imagination Herr Scavenius, Mr. Smedhurst 2 episodes: S02E01 "Room 13", S03E03 A Place of One's Own
1967 The Further Adventures of the Three Musketeers d'Artagnan TV series
1967–1968 Z-Cars Det. Insp. Todd 41 episodes
1969 The Avengers Brig. Hansing Episode: "The Morning After"
The Gold Robbers Derek Hartford
Before the Party Harold Bannon
Canterbury Tales The Host in the Wife of Bath's tale series on BBC Two
1966, 1970 Play of the Month Charley, Chebutykin 2 episodes: S01E08 "Death of a Salesman", S05E04 "The Three Sisters"
1971, 1972 Thirty-Minute Theatre The Applicant, The Man 2 episodes: S07E06 "Getting In", S07E30 "King's Cross Lunch Hour"
1971 Shirley's World Inspector Vaughan Episode: "The Reunion"
1972 The Persuaders! Felix Meadowes Episode: "Read and Destroy"
Six Faces Harry Mellor 2 episodes
1973 The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes Grubber Episode: "The Mystery of the Amber Beads"
1974 The Protectors Arthur Gordon Episode: "Trial"
1976 Centre Play Doctor Episode: "You Talk Too Much"
The Crezz Charles Bronte 12 episodes
1978 Enemy at the Door Major General Laidlaw Episode: "Treason"
Return of the Saint Gunther Episode: "The Nightmare Man"
The Sweeney Alan Ember Episode: "Feet of Clay"
1979 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Jerry Westerby Episode: "Smiley Sets a Trap"
1980, 1988 Tales of the Unexpected Jack Cutler, Colonel George Peregrine 2 episodes: S03E07 "The Stinker", S09E02 "The Colonel's Lady"
1980 A Question of Guilt Samuel Kent
The Love Tapes Narrator (uncredited) TV movie
The Gentle Touch Ivor Stocker Episode: "Menaces"
1981 Dangerous Davies – The Last Detective Chief Insp. Yardbird TV movie
Thicker Than Water Joseph Lockwood TV series
1982 The Confessions of Felix Krull Mr. Twentyman
The Barretts of Wimpole Street Edward Moulton-Barrett TV movie
1984 Shroud for a Nightingale Stephen Courtney-Briggs, surgeon Mini-series
The Tragedy of Coriolanus Menenius TV movie
1985 Shadowlands C. S. Lewis
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Jephro Rucastle Episode: "The Copper Beeches"
1987 A Killing on the Exchange Sir Max Sillman TV movie
Queenie Sir Burton Rumsey Mini-series
When We Are Married Henry Ormonroyd TV movie
1988 The Man Who Lived at the Ritz Hermann Göring Mini-series
Codename: Kyril 'C'
1989 A Quiet Conspiracy Theo Carter
The Justice Game Sir James Crichton 2 episodes
First and Last Alan Holly TV movie
1990 Jekyll & Hyde Charles Lanyon
Spymaker: The Secret Life of Ian Fleming Gen. Gerhard Hellstein
1991 A Murder of Quality Terence Fielding
A Woman Named Jackie Aristotle Onassis Mini-series
Ashenden Cumming
They Do It with Mirrors Lewis Serrocold TV movie
1992 Incident at Victoria Falls King Edward
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles The Prussian Episode: "Austria, March 1917"
1993, 1996 Screen Two Sir Charles (Archie) Peverall, Captain Episodes: S09E08 "Voices in the Garden", S14E02 "Deadly Voyage"
1994 Citizen Locke Lord Ashley TV movie
Shakespeare: The Animated Tales Julius Caesar (voice) 1 episode: "Julius Caesar"[34]
Jacob Isaac TV movie
1995 Citizen X Bondarchuk
Daisies in December Gerald Carmody
1996 Hidden in Silence German factory manager
To the Ends of Time King Francis TV movie
Testament: The Bible in Animation Noah (voice), Samuel (voice) 2 episodes: S01E05 "Creation and the Flood", S01E09 "David and Saul"[34]
1998 Heat of the Sun Max van der Vuurst 1 episode
2001 Othello James Brabant TV movie
2003 Henry VIII Henry VII
2005 Icon General Nikolai Nikolayev
2006 Midsomer Murders Sir Freddy Butler Episode: "Vixen's Run"
Hogfather Mustrum Ridcully Mini-series
Above and Beyond Winston Churchill
2007 Kingdom Mr Narbutowicz 1 episode

Video games

[edit]

Audio books

[edit]

Honours

[edit]

He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the Civil Division for Services to Drama in the 2001 New Years Honours List.[36]

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Ackland, Joss (17 June 2010). My Better Half and Me. Ebury Press. ISBN 978-0-09-193347-0
  • -- (1989). I Must Be In There Somewhere (autobiography). Hodder and Stoughton. ISBN 978-0-340-49396-0

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Hal Erickson (2009). "Joss Ackland". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 21 June 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  2. ^ "Film in 1989" - Winners & Nominees at awards.bafta.org
  3. ^ a b c d e "Joss Ackland". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 28 May 2016.
  4. ^ My Better Half and Me, Joss Ackland and Rosemary Ackland, Random House, 2010, p. 1
  5. ^ People of Today 2017, Debrett's Ltd, 2017, p. 2127
  6. ^ Joss Ackland Biography (1928–). FilmReference.com.
  7. ^ "'I remember the smell of black, dusty sacks of coal'; WHERE I GREW UP". The Independent. 6 September 1997.
  8. ^ "Joss Ackland obituary".
  9. ^ V&A, Theatre and Performance Special Collections, Elsie Fogerty Archive, THM/324
  10. ^ a b c d e "Interview: Joss Ackland - Love and Joss". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. 19 August 2009.
  11. ^ Whitney, Hilary (5 July 2023). "Time and place: Joss Ackland". Archived from the original on 3 October 2021 – via The Sunday Times.
  12. ^ a b "Obituary: Rosemary Ackland". The Daily Telegraph. London. 14 August 2002. Archived from the original on 22 August 2009. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  13. ^ a b "Joss Ackland admits 'awful' films". BBC News. 6 August 2001
  14. ^ "Shadowlands". Radio Times. 22 December 1985. p. 44. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023 – via BBC Genome.
  15. ^ Billington, Michael (22 September 2014). "Evita review – breathtaking inventiveness and quicksilver fluency". The Guardian.
  16. ^ "A Little Night Music - 1975 Original London Cast" – via castalbums.org.
  17. ^ "Watch It Couldn't Happen Here". BFI Player.
  18. ^ "The Mighty Ducks (1992) - Stephen Herek | Cast and Crew". AllMovie.
  19. ^ "How about You (2007)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 16 May 2019.
  20. ^ "Midsomer Murders - S9 - Episode 3: Vixen's Run - Part One". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  21. ^ "The Old Vic - King Lear". Archived from the original on 29 October 2013.
  22. ^ "Travelling with the archetypal Englishman Joss Ackland has spent fifty years in showbusiness" by Alison Jones, The Birmingham Post (12 August, 2008) [CITY Edition]. Retrieved from ProQuest 326412989
  23. ^ Bohdanowicz, Kate (22 June 2010). "Motor neurone disease made Joss Ackland and his wife live life to the full". Daily Express. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  24. ^ Whitney, Interview by Hilary. "Time and place: Joss Ackland". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  25. ^ Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th edition, vol. 2, pp. 1694-5, 2932
  26. ^ Burke's Irish Family Records, ed. Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 1976, p. 531
  27. ^ "Ackland pays tribute to 'plucky' wife". Irish Examiner. 25 July 2002. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  28. ^ Bohdanowicz, Kate (22 June 2010). "Motor neurone disease made Joss Ackland and his wife live life to the full". Daily Express.
  29. ^ White, Roland. "Joss Ackland on love life with wife Rosemary". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  30. ^ Lloyd, Howard (20 April 2020). "Legendary Devon actor says crisis can 'breathe strength' into UK". DevonLive. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  31. ^ "92-year-old Joss Ackland reads a letter to the world - #ReadALetter". 11 April 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020 – via YouTube.
  32. ^ Rutter, Harry (19 November 2023). "Midsomer Murders star Joss Ackland dies as family pay tribute to actor". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  33. ^ "Joss Ackland Dies: 'White Mischief' And 'Lethal Weapon 2' Star Was 95". Deadline. 19 November 2023.
  34. ^ a b c d e "Joss Ackland (visual voices guide)". behindthevoiceactors.com. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  35. ^ "Gorillaz ready for four 'special' releases" at www.nme.com
  36. ^ "No. 56070". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2000. p. 7.
[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to Joss Ackland.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joss_Ackland&oldid=1260308404"