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Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland (29 February 1928 – 19 November 2023) was an English actor who appeared in more than 130 film, radio and television roles. He was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for portraying Jock Delves Broughton in White Mischief (1987). "Film in 1989" - Winners & Nominees at awards.bafta.org
Initially educated at Dame Alice Owen's School, Ackland left aged fifteen to become an actor. Thus, Ackland was trained by Elsie Fogerty at the Central School of Speech and Drama, then based at the Royal Albert Hall, London.V&A, Theatre and Performance Special Collections, Elsie Fogerty Archive, THM/324
Ackland and Rosemary Kirkcaldy were married on 18 August 1951, when Ackland was 23 and she was 22. She was an actress and Ackland wooed her when they appeared on stage together in Pitlochry, Scotland. The couple struggled initially as Ackland's acting career was in its infancy. In 1954 they moved to Lilongwe in what was then Nyasaland, now Malawi, where Ackland managed a tea plantation for six months but, deciding it was too dangerous, they moved to Cape Town, South Africa. Though they both obtained steady acting jobs in South Africa, after two years they returned to England in 1957.
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.
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. 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. 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.
Ackland's stage roles included creating the role of Juan Perón in Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Evita opposite Elaine Paige. 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.
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. 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.
Ackland also co-starred as Emilio Estevez's mentor and friend Hans in the 1992 Disney The Mighty Ducks. He reprised the role four years later in 1996's .
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", "Joss Ackland admits 'awful' films". BBC News. 6 August 2001 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.
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.
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.
In 1963, their house in Barnes caught fire. Rosemary, who was pregnant at the time, saved their five children but broke her back when jumping from the bedroom window. 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. Their eldest son, Paul, died of a heroin overdose in 1982, aged 29. In 2000, Rosemary was diagnosed with motor neurone disease; she died on 25 July 2002.
In 2020, Ackland participated in the "Letters Live" project, and was recorded from his home in Clovelly, Devon. His letter reflected on the COVID-19 crisis and his hopes for how the country could draw "strength from adversity".
Ackland died at home in Clovelly, on 19 November 2023, aged 95.
2014
Dawn of the Mummy
Career
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.
Personal life and death
Ackland and his wife Rosemary (née Kirkcaldy) were married for 51 years. They had seven children,"Travelling with the archetypal Englishman Joss Ackland has spent fifty years in showbusiness" by Alison Jones, The Birmingham Post (12 August, 2008) CITY. Retrieved from thirty-two grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Despite his filming taking him to far-flung locations, he said Rosemary and he "were hardly ever apart". Daughter Kirsty married Anthony Shawn Baring family, a descendant of the merchant banker Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet and a descendant of Robert Rundell Guinness family, founder of the merchant bank Guinness Mahon.Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th edition, vol. 2, pp. 1694-5, 2932Burke's Irish Family Records, ed. Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 1976, p. 531
Filmography
Film
1949 Landfall O'Neill (uncredited) 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 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 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) Silver Bears Henry Foreman The Greek Tycoon 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 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 Giorgino Father Glaise 1995 Mad Dogs and Englishmen Insp. Sam Stringer The Thief and the Cobbler Brigand (voice) A Kid in King Arthur's Court King Arthur 1996 Surviving Picasso Henri Matisse 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 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
1957 Destination Downing Street Immelmann TV series 1963 The Indian Tales of Rudyard Kipling William Stevens 1964,
1967–1968 Z-Cars Mr Shields/Det. Insp. Todd 42 episodes 1966 David Copperfield Mr. Peggotty 6 episodes Lord Raingo Tom Hogarth 3 episodes 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 1967 The Further Adventures of the Three Musketeers d'Artagnan Miniseries 1969 The Avengers Brig. Hansing Episode: "The Morning After" The Gold Robbers Derek Hartford Episode: "Grounded" W. Somerset Maugham Harold Bannon Episode: " Before the Party" Canterbury Tales The Host in the Wife of Bath's tale Miniseries 1966, 1970 Play of the Month Charley/Chebutykin 2 episodes 1971, 1972 Thirty-Minute Theatre The Applicant/The Man 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 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 BBC Television Shakespeare Menenius Episode: The Tragedy of Coriolanus 1985 Shadowlands C. S. Lewis TV movie 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 '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 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 2 episodes, including "Deadly Voyage" 1994 Citizen Locke Lord Ashley TV movie Julius Caesar (voice) Episode: "Julius Caesar" 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 Noah (voice)/Samuel (voice) 2 episodes 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
Audio books
Honours
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 Year Honours List.
Awards and nominations
Bibliography
External links
Categories: 1928 Births, 2023 Deaths, 20th-century English Male Actors, 21st-century English Male Actors, Actors From The Royal Borough Of Kensington And Chelsea, Alumni Of The Royal Central School Of Speech And Drama, Commanders Of The Order Of The British Empire, English Male Film Actors, English Male Stage Actors, English Male Television Actors, English Male Voice Actors, English People Of Irish Descent, Male Actors From London, People From Ladbroke Grove, People From North Kensington, Royal Shakespeare Company Members
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