|
|
|
| Derek George Jacobi was born on October 22, 1938 in Leytonstone, East London, England, and is the only child of a department store manager and a secretary. Although a "war" baby, he claims a happy childhood. But he does admit that he did not see much of his parents in the early years since his father was a soldier and his mother worked. |
|
|
Derek always loved movies and would go to them every chance her got. His favorite movies include Pinocchio and Alec Guinness movies. Besides taking him to the movies, his parents taught him how to dance, and he loved the emerging 1950's rock & roll style when he was in his teens, even to having an Elvis Presley hairstyle. He had terrible acne as a teenager and was deeply embarrassed by it. He also had "carrot-red" hair and tons of freckles. |
|
|
|
Derek went to the Leyton County High School and was an integral part of the drama club, The Players of Leyton. Since that was an all-boys school, he had to play female parts until his voice broke. His first male part was DeSoto in The Last of the Inca. His second male part was Hamlet, for which he would win great national accolades when the school troupe played it at the Edinburgh Festival in 1957. As a result of that acclaimed Hamlet, he was invited to see a 20th Century Fox agent in Soho, who finally decided that Derek was too young (he was 18). The agent also told him that his only asset was his red hair because it photographed well. |
|
At 18, Derek went to Cambridge for three years on a
scholarship, where his younger classmates included Ian McKellan and
Trevor Nunn. Since drama was not a recognized course of study, he
chose history. His parents were also concerned that he have a fall-back occupation
(history teacher) in case acting did not give
him a living: He never had any doubts about
acting and never once believed that he would become a teacher.
|
|
|
|
During his tenure at Cambridge,
he played many leading parts including another Hamlet. This Hamlet
was taken on tour to Switzerland where he met Richard Burton.
Burton advised him to roughen up his voice
because it was so mellifluous that, he thought, it would end up putting audiences to sleep.
As a result of his wonderful performance of Edward II at Cambridge, he was invited to become a member of the Birmingham Rep immediately upon graduation.
|
| Upon being seen by Sir Lawrence Olivier in a Birmingham Rep production of Henry VIII, Olivier invited him back home to London to become one of the eight founding members of the new National Theatre. He was the youngest and only unknown of the eight members. Below are two of the National productions, Othello in 1965 and one with Anthony Hopkins. | |
|
|
|
| National Theater: Othello | As You Like It with Anthony Hopkins |
| After eight years at the National Theatre, Derek left in 1971 to pursue a larger variety of roles and mediums, including television. In 1972, he starred in the BBC miniseries "Man of Straw", directed by Herbert Wise, who also cast him for the title role in "I, Claudius" three years later. Other television work included the coveted roles of Richard II and Hamlet in the BBC Shakespeare plays. His theatre work in the 1970's also branched out enormously, Derek now consistently playing leading roles, starting with a triumphant return to the Birmingham Rep in a virtuosic double bill of "Oedipus Rex" and "The Critic". Most of his theatrical work in the 70's was with the touring classical Prospect Theatre Company, with which he did a variety of roles including Ivanov, Pericles and Hamlet, the latter prestigiously being invited to play at Elsinore Castle. | |
|
|
In 1980, Derek gave his Broadway debut in "The Suicide" and then joined the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1982-1985 where he alternated four demanding roles in repertoire at the same time: Benedick, Prospero, Peer Gynt and Cyrano de Bergerac, an unprecedented feat. In 1986, he made his commercial West End debut in "Breaking the Code", which was also taken to Broadway, and continued on the West End two years later when he alternated the roles of Shakespeare's Richard II and Richard III in repertoire. Important TV and film work of the 80's included parts in "Inside the Third Reich" (Hitler), "Little Dorrit" and "Henry V".
|
| The 1990's saw a continuation of classical stage work with "Kean" at the Old Vic, "Becket" in the West End (The Haymarket) and "Macbeth" at the RSC in both London and Stratford. In 1995 and 1996, taking a job once held by Laurence Olivier, Derek became artistic director of the Chichester Festival Theatres for two successful seasons, returning to the theatres where he had played so many times previously with the National and Prospect Theatre companies. As an actor at Chichester, he also starred in four plays, including his first "Uncle Vanya" in 1996. Television highlights during the 90's included 13 episodes of the Cadfael mysteries (1994-1998) and a televised version of "Breaking the Code". Films highlights included marvelous performances in "Dead Again", "Hamlet" (King Claudius) and "Love is the Devil" (Bacon). |
|
|
|
Derek is only the second actor to hold two knighthoods, Danish and English (Sir Lawrence Olivier was the other). Shy and humble, blushing at all accolades, he describes himself as "placid in temperament" and his looks as "a pudding of a face -- moon shaped -- and my hair is too fair." He puts all the temperament and emotion he has into his plays. Modest to a fault, he credits his success to "luck" and none to his remarkable talent. In one of his interviews, Derek described himself as "Dull as dishwater. [Having] no creative talent whatsoever." |
|
Derek lives a quiet life in a Victorian in Hampstead that he bought in 1984 with his long time companion, Richard Clifford. His loves are gardening and crosswords. He is admittedly a workaholic whose compulsion is acting. Derek has a wry sense of humor and a mischievous twinkle in those deep blue eyes. After 27 years together, Derek registered his civil partnership Richard Clifford in March 2006, four months after civil unions became legal in England and Wales. |
|
|
|
|
