Nigel Davenport

Acting

Nigel Davenport

Born May 23, 1928 · Shelford, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK

Died October 25, 2013 · aged 85

Arthur Nigel Davenport (23 May 1928 – 25 October 2013) was an English stage, television and film actor, best known as the Duke of Norfolk and Lord Birkenhead in the Academy Award-winning films A Man for All Seasons and Chariots of Fire, respectively.

Known For

Chariots of FireChariots of Fire · 1981
Chariots of Fire
6.81981
MovieDramaHistory
In the class-obsessed and religiously divided UK of the early 1920s, two determined young runners train for the 1924 Paris Olympics. Eric Liddell, a devout Christian born to Scottish missionaries in China, sees running as part of his worship of God's glory and refuses to train or compete on the Sabbath. Harold Abrahams overcomes anti-Semitism and class bias, but neglects his beloved sweetheart in his single-minded quest.
NighthawksNighthawks · 1981
Nighthawks
6.41981
MovieActionCrime
When one of Europe's most lethal terrorists shows up in New York, an elite undercover cop is assigned to take him down by any means necessary.
The AssassinationThe Assassination · 1972
The Assassination
6.81972
MovieThrillerHistory
Darien, a left-wing police informant, is forced to lure his old friend Sadiel to Paris, allegedly to film a television special about the Third World. Sadiel, the exiled leader of a North African state, is being hunted by the ruthless Colonel Kassar, who will stop at nothing to capture his political rival. Once Sadiel arrives in Paris, Darien realizes he has been manipulated. He tries to turn back the clock, not realizing what or who he’s truly dealing with.
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the ApesGreystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes · 1984
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes
6.41984
MovieAdventureDrama
A shipping disaster in the 19th Century has stranded a man and woman in the wilds of Africa. The lady is pregnant, and gives birth to a son in their tree house. Soon after, a family of apes stumble across the house and in the ensuing panic, both parents are killed. A female ape takes the tiny boy as a replacement for her own dead infant, and raises him as her son. Twenty years later, Captain Phillippe D'Arnot discovers the man who thinks he is an ape. Evidence in the tree house leads him to believe that he is the direct descendant of the Earl of Greystoke, and thus takes it upon himself to return the man to civilization.
Play DirtyPlay Dirty · 1969
Play Dirty
6.31969
MovieWarAdventure
During World War II in North Africa, a group of British commandos disguised as Italian soldiers must travel behind enemy lines and destroy a vital Nazi oil depot.
Where the Spies AreWhere the Spies Are · 1966
Where the Spies Are
5.41966
MovieComedy
A local doctor is recruited as a cold war spy to fulfill a very important secret mission in the Middle East, only to experience that his mission is complicated by a sexy female double agent.
Peeping TomPeeping Tom · 1960
Peeping Tom
7.51960
MovieHorrorThriller
Loner Mark Lewis works at a film studio during the day and, at night, takes racy photographs of women. Also he's making a documentary on fear, which involves recording the reactions of victims as he murders them. He befriends Helen, the daughter of the family living in the apartment below his, and he tells her vaguely about the movie he is making.
A Man for All SeasonsA Man for All Seasons · 1966
A Man for All Seasons
7.31966
MovieDramaHistory
A depiction of the conflict between King Henry VIII of England and his Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas More, who refuses to swear the Oath of Supremacy declaring Henry Supreme Head of the Church in England.

Movies

Chariots of FireChariots of Fire · 1981
Chariots of Fire
6.81981
MovieDramaHistory
In the class-obsessed and religiously divided UK of the early 1920s, two determined young runners train for the 1924 Paris Olympics. Eric Liddell, a devout Christian born to Scottish missionaries in China, sees running as part of his worship of God's glory and refuses to train or compete on the Sabbath. Harold Abrahams overcomes anti-Semitism and class bias, but neglects his beloved sweetheart in his single-minded quest.
NighthawksNighthawks · 1981
Nighthawks
6.41981
MovieActionCrime
When one of Europe's most lethal terrorists shows up in New York, an elite undercover cop is assigned to take him down by any means necessary.
The AssassinationThe Assassination · 1972
The Assassination
6.81972
MovieThrillerHistory
Darien, a left-wing police informant, is forced to lure his old friend Sadiel to Paris, allegedly to film a television special about the Third World. Sadiel, the exiled leader of a North African state, is being hunted by the ruthless Colonel Kassar, who will stop at nothing to capture his political rival. Once Sadiel arrives in Paris, Darien realizes he has been manipulated. He tries to turn back the clock, not realizing what or who he’s truly dealing with.
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the ApesGreystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes · 1984
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes
6.41984
MovieAdventureDrama
A shipping disaster in the 19th Century has stranded a man and woman in the wilds of Africa. The lady is pregnant, and gives birth to a son in their tree house. Soon after, a family of apes stumble across the house and in the ensuing panic, both parents are killed. A female ape takes the tiny boy as a replacement for her own dead infant, and raises him as her son. Twenty years later, Captain Phillippe D'Arnot discovers the man who thinks he is an ape. Evidence in the tree house leads him to believe that he is the direct descendant of the Earl of Greystoke, and thus takes it upon himself to return the man to civilization.
Play DirtyPlay Dirty · 1969
Play Dirty
6.31969
MovieWarAdventure
During World War II in North Africa, a group of British commandos disguised as Italian soldiers must travel behind enemy lines and destroy a vital Nazi oil depot.
Where the Spies AreWhere the Spies Are · 1966
Where the Spies Are
5.41966
MovieComedy
A local doctor is recruited as a cold war spy to fulfill a very important secret mission in the Middle East, only to experience that his mission is complicated by a sexy female double agent.
Peeping TomPeeping Tom · 1960
Peeping Tom
7.51960
MovieHorrorThriller
Loner Mark Lewis works at a film studio during the day and, at night, takes racy photographs of women. Also he's making a documentary on fear, which involves recording the reactions of victims as he murders them. He befriends Helen, the daughter of the family living in the apartment below his, and he tells her vaguely about the movie he is making.
A Man for All SeasonsA Man for All Seasons · 1966
A Man for All Seasons
7.31966
MovieDramaHistory
A depiction of the conflict between King Henry VIII of England and his Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas More, who refuses to swear the Oath of Supremacy declaring Henry Supreme Head of the Church in England.
A Christmas CarolA Christmas Carol · 1984
A Christmas Carol
7.51984
MovieDramaFantasy
Miser Ebenezer Scrooge is awakened on Christmas Eve by spirits who reveal to him his own miserable existence, what opportunities he wasted in his youth, his current cruelties, and the dire fate that awaits him if he does not change his ways. Scrooge is faced with his own story of growing bitterness and meanness, and must decide what his own future will hold: death or redemption.
Without a ClueWithout a Clue · 1988
Without a Clue
6.71988
MovieComedyCrime
Sherlock Holmes is as dashing as ever, but with a little secret: Dr. Watson is the brains behind the operation. When Reginald Kincaid, the actor he has hired to play Holmes becomes insufferable, Watson fires him and tries to go out on his own, but finds that he has done too good a job building Holmes up in the public's mind.
Zulu DawnZulu Dawn · 1979
Zulu Dawn
6.11979
MovieAdventureDrama
In 1879, the British suffer a great loss at the Battle of Isandlwana due to incompetent leadership.
Living FreeLiving Free · 1972
Living Free
6.61972
MovieAdventureDrama
When Elsa's three mischievious cubs begin wreaking havok on the nearby villages, Joy and her husband are forced to move them hundreds of miles to a game preserve.
Ladies Who DoLadies Who Do · 1963
Ladies Who Do
7.01963
MovieComedy
The "Ladies Who Do" are office cleaners. One of them discovers some hot stock tips and they make a fortune. They then make good use of it to save their old neighbourhoods from the wicked developer.
The CutterThe Cutter · 1992
The Cutter
1992
Movie
'The Cutter' is a master of his craft – gangland killings using a cut-throat razor. When his son disturbs him in his work and announces that he wants to follow in his father's footsteps, 'The Cutter' is faced with a dilemma.
CaravaggioCaravaggio · 1986
Caravaggio
6.11986
MovieDramaHistory
A retelling of the life of the celebrated 17th-century Baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio through his brilliant, nearly blasphemous paintings and his flirtations with the underworld.
The Island of Dr. MoreauThe Island of Dr. Moreau · 1977
The Island of Dr. Moreau
5.71977
MovieScience FictionHorror
A ship-wrecked man floats ashore on an island in the Pacific Ocean. The island is inhabited by a scientist, Dr. Moreau, who in an experiment has turned beasts into human beings.
Mary, Queen of ScotsMary, Queen of Scots · 1971
Mary, Queen of Scots
6.71971
MovieDramaHistory
Mary Stuart, who was named Queen of Scotland when she was only six days old, is the last Roman Catholic ruler of Scotland. She is imprisoned at the age of 23 by her cousin Elizabeth Tudor, the English Queen and her arch adversary. Nineteen years later the life of Mary is to be ended on the scaffold and with her execution the last threat to Elizabeth's throne has been removed. The two Queens with their contrasting personalities make a dramatic counterpoint to history.
Dial M for MurderDial M for Murder · 1967
Dial M for Murder
7.51967
MovieDramaMystery
Wealthy Margo Wendice's husband (Laurence Harvey) plots her murder to inherit her fortune after discovering her affair, leading to a tense, failed, and improvised criminal scheme. A made-for-television remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 film.
The Last ValleyThe Last Valley · 1971
The Last Valley
6.51971
MovieHistoryWar
People in a small German village in the last valley to remain untouched by the devastating Thirty Years' War try to exist in peace with a group of soldiers occupying the valley.
David CopperfieldDavid Copperfield · 2001
David Copperfield
6.32001
MovieTV MovieDrama
A young man journeys from a difficult childhood to maturity, exploring social injustice, personal development, and the complexities of human relationships.
Phase IVPhase IV · 1974
Phase IV
6.31974
MovieHorrorScience Fiction
Arizona ants mock the food chain on their way to a desert lab to get two scientists and a woman.
Look Back in AngerLook Back in Anger · 1959
Look Back in Anger
6.71959
MovieDrama
A disillusioned, angry university graduate comes to terms with his grudge against middle-class life and values.
DraculaDracula · 1974
Dracula
6.31974
MovieDramaHorror
Dracula is searching for a woman who looks like his long dead wife.
The Third SecretThe Third Secret · 1964
The Third Secret
6.21964
MovieMysteryThriller
A prominent London psychologist seems to have taken his own life, causing stunned disbelief amongst his colleagues and patients. His teenage daughter refuses to believe it was suicide as this would go against all of the principles her father stood for, therefore she is convinced it was murder. She enlists the help of a former patient to try to get to the truth. However, the truth turns out to be both surprising and disturbing.

TV Shows

Midsomer MurdersMidsomer Murders · 1997
Midsomer Murders
7.51997
SeriesCrimeDrama
The peacefulness of the Midsomer community is shattered by violent crimes, suspects are placed under suspicion, and it is up to a veteran DCI and his young sergeant to calmly and diligently eliminate the innocent and ruthlessly pursue the guilty.
MinderMinder · 1979
Minder
7.21979
SeriesComedyDrama
Roguish comedy drama following the misadventures of small-time crook Arthur Daley.
The AvengersThe Avengers · 1961
The Avengers
7.81961
SeriesCrime
A quirky spy show of the adventures of eccentrically suave British Agent John Steed and his predominantly female partners. Jonathan Steed - an urbane, proper gentleman spy - teams with various assistants throughout the series' run, including Dr. David Keel, Cathy Gale, Emma Peel and Tara King, to repeatedly save the world from diabolical schemes plotted by equally diabolical evil-doers (among them robots and man-eating monsters).
The SaintThe Saint · 1962
The Saint
7.41962
SeriesCrime
Simon Templar is The Saint, a handsome, sophisticated, debonair, modern-day Robin Hood who recovers ill-gotten wealth and redistributes it to those in need.
BBC Play of the MonthBBC Play of the Month · 1965
BBC Play of the Month
5.31965
SeriesDrama
A BBC television anthology series featuring productions of classic and contemporary stage plays usually broadcast on BBC1. Each production featured a different work, often using prominent British stage actors in the leading roles. The series was transmitted from October 1965 to September 1983.
Theatre 625Theatre 625 · 1964
Theatre 625
7.21964
SeriesDrama
Theatre 625 is a British television drama anthology series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC2 from 1964 to 1968. It was one of the first regular programmes in the line-up of the channel, and the title referred to its production and transmission being in the higher-definition 625-line format, which only BBC2 used at the time.
The Name of the GameThe Name of the Game · 1968
The Name of the Game
7.01968
SeriesSci-Fi & Fantasy
The Name of the Game is an American television series starring Tony Franciosa, Gene Barry, and Robert Stack that ran from 1968 to 1971 on NBC, totaling 76 episodes of 90 minutes. It was a pioneering wheel series, setting the stage for The Bold Ones and the NBC Mystery Movie in the 1970s. The show had an extremely large budget for a television series.
ITV Saturday Night TheatreITV Saturday Night Theatre · 1969
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
7.01969
Series
Anthology series of dramatic works.
The Wednesday PlayThe Wednesday Play · 1964
The Wednesday Play
5.21964
SeriesDrama
An anthology series of television plays which aired on BBC1 from October 1964 to May 1970. The plays were usually written for television, although adaptations from other sources also featured.
Thirty-Minute TheatreThirty-Minute Theatre · 1965
Thirty-Minute Theatre
4.21965
SeriesDrama
An anthology of short plays shown on BBC Television between 1965 and 1973, used in part at least as a training ground for new writers, on account of its short length, and which therefore attracted many writers who later became well known.
The Adventures of Robin HoodThe Adventures of Robin Hood · 1955
The Adventures of Robin Hood
6.41955
SeriesFamily
The legendary character Robin Hood and his band of merry men in Sherwood Forest and the surrounding vicinity. While some episodes dramatised the traditional Robin Hood tales, most episodes were original dramas created by the show's writers and producers.
Howards' WayHowards' Way · 1985
Howards' Way
5.91985
SeriesDrama
The BBC's answer to Dynasty, Howards' Way was launched in 1985 with an enormous 1 million pound budget. The main characters in the show were 'best boat designer in the world' Tom Howard, his boutique running wife Jan Howard, 'I'll have a drink' Jack Rolfe and a nasty man called Ken Masters. It starred Maurice Colbourne.
The Upper HandThe Upper Hand · 1990
The Upper Hand
7.21990
SeriesComedy
The Upper Hand is a British television sitcom, produced by Central Independent Television and Columbia Pictures Television and broadcast by ITV from 1990 to 1996. The programme was adapted from the American sitcom Who's the Boss?. As in the former series, an affluent single woman, raising a son with the help of her mother, hires a housekeeper only to have a man apply for the job.
Keeping Up AppearancesKeeping Up Appearances · 1990
Keeping Up Appearances
7.71990
SeriesComedy
Hyacinth Bucket (whose name, she insists, is pronounced "Bouquet") is a suburban housewife in the West Midlands. She would be the first to tell you that she is a gracious hostess, a respected citizen, and a well-connected member of high society. If you don't believe that, just ask her best friend Elizabeth, held captive in Hyacinth's kitchen; or the postmen and neighbours who bristle at the sound of her voice; or Richard, her weary and compliant husband. In fact, Hyacinth's reputation could be as perfect as her new lounge set, if not for her senile father's love of running wild in the nip. Oh, and she would prefer it if her brother-in-law was a sharper dresser. And that her husband was more ambitious. And that her sisters were more presentable. And do take your shoes off before you come in the house, dear. Mind that you don't brush against the wallpaper.
Sunday Night TheatreSunday Night Theatre · 1950
Sunday Night Theatre
3.51950
SeriesDrama
Sunday Night Theatre was a long-running series of televised live television plays screened by BBC Television from early 1950 until 1959. The productions for the first five years or so of the run were re-staged live the following Thursday, partly because of technical limitations in this era, and the theatrical basis of early television drama. Some of the earliest collaborations between Rudolph Cartier and Nigel Neale were produced for this series, including Arrow to the Heart and Nineteen Eighty-Four. The Sunday night drama slot was subsequently renamed The Sunday-Night Play which ran for four seasons between 1960 and 1963. ITV transmitted its own unrelated run of Sunday Night Theatre between 1971 and 1974.
The Wonderful World of DisneyThe Wonderful World of Disney · 1954
The Wonderful World of Disney
7.91954
SeriesAnimation
Walt Disney Productions has produced an anthology television series under several different titles since 1954. The original version of the series premiered on ABC, Wednesday night, October 27, 1954. The show, which was hosted by Walt Disney until his death and then from 1996 to 2002 by then-CEO Michael Eisner (with one-off hosts or no hosts during other periods) has since aired continually as either a weekly program or an irregular series of specials on several networks and streaming services, most recently on ABC and Disney+. The show is the second longest showing prime-time program on American television, behind its rival, Hallmark Hall of Fame. However, Hallmark Hall of Fame was a weekly program only during its first five seasons, while Disney remained a weekly program for more than forty years.
The DetectivesThe Detectives · 1993
The Detectives
6.91993
SeriesComedy
The absurd adventures of two defective detectives, who - despite unbelievable incompetence - somehow manage to solve their cases (or be nearby when the cases are solved) and retain their jobs.
The Count of Monte CristoThe Count of Monte Cristo · 1956
The Count of Monte Cristo
5.61956
SeriesDrama
The Count of Monte Cristo was a 1956 ITC Entertainment/TPA television series adapted very loosely from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, adapted by Sidney Marshall. It premiered in the UK in early 1956 and ran for 39 thirty-minute episodes. The first twelve episodes were filmed in the United States, at the Hal Roach studios, with the rest being filmed at ITC's traditional home of Elstree. A 5-disc DVD set containing all thirty-nine episodes was released by Network Studio on 12 April 2010. ITC produced a film based on the same source-material, The Count of Monte-Cristo, in 1975.
EspionageEspionage · 1963
Espionage
10.01963
SeriesDrama
Pulled from actual case histories and utilizing newsreel and documented narratives, the activities of spies from various countries are depicted as far back as the American Revolution and as recent as the Cold War.
David CopperfieldDavid Copperfield · 2000
David Copperfield
2000
SeriesDrama
A young man journeys from a difficult childhood to maturity, exploring social injustice, personal development, and the complexities of human relationships.
Man of the WorldMan of the World · 1962
Man of the World
7.21962
SeriesCrimeDrama
Michael Strait is a world-renowned photographer whose assignments lead him into investigating mysterious goings-on amongst the rich and glamorous and intrigue from far-flung places as Iraq, French Indochina, and Algiers.
MasadaMasada · 1981
Masada
7.01981
SeriesDrama
Masada is a 1981 American historical drama television miniseries aired on ABC under the tentpole ABC Novel for Television. The screenplay by Joel Oliansky is based on Ernest Gann's 1971 novel The Antagonists. A dramatization of the historical siege of the Masada citadel in Roman Palestine by legions of the Roman Empire in AD 73. A siege that ended when the Roman armies entered the fortress, only to discover the mass suicide by the Jewish defenders when defeat became imminent.
Bird of PreyBird of Prey · 1982
Bird of Prey
7.31982
SeriesDramaSci-Fi & Fantasy
Bird of Prey is a British techno-thriller television serial written by Ron Hutchinson and produced by Michael Wearing and Bernard Krichefski for the BBC in 1982. From its video game-inspired opening titles to its pervasive electronic music track, Bird of Prey went to great lengths to demonstrate its credentials as 'a thriller for the electronic age'. These elements, together with a clever and complex plot that combines a breathless fascination with the still-young field of computing with pan-European fraud, international terrorism, rogue intelligence operatives and organised crime, link it firmly to the early 1980s, expressing that era's growing anxieties about the burgeoning 'Eurocracy'.
Sir Francis DrakeSir Francis Drake · 1961
Sir Francis Drake
5.11961
Series
Sir Francis Drake was a British adventure television series starring Terence Morgan as Sir Francis Drake, commander of the sailing ship the Golden Hind. As well as battles at sea, sword fights, the series also deals with intrigue at Elizabeth's court, often caused by Spaniard, Mendoza.