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John Shrapnel

John Shrapnel

Acting April 27, 1942 (77 years old) February 14, 2020 Birmingham, England, UK

Biography

Shrapnel was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, the son of Mary Lillian Myfanwy (née Edwards) and journalist/author Norman Shrapnel.[1] As a stage actor, he was a member of Laurence Olivier's Royal National Theatre company and the Royal Shakespeare Company and most recently appeared as Sir Oliver Surface in The School for Scandal (directed by Deborah Warner) at the Barbican Centre in 2011. He has also appeared extensively in film and on television in roles in Elizabeth R, Z-Cars, Edward and Mrs. Simpson, 101 Dalmatians, Space: 1999, Inspector Morse, Coogan's Run, Notting Hill and Foyle's War. He presented an episode of the 1983 BBC television travel series Great Little Railways. He gave performances in three entries in the BBC Television Shakespeare plays and as Creon in the BBC's 1984 productions of the Three Theban plays of Sophocles. In America, he has starred in supporting roles as Senator Gaius in Gladiator, Nestor in Troy and Pompey in the second episode of Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire. He also played the Jail Warden in the 10th Kingdom, an epic fantasy miniseries. He has the rare achievement of appearing in two episodes of Midsomer Murders as two different characters, in Death in Chorus and Written in Blood. Shrapnel appeared in an episode of Jonathan Creek as Professor Lance Graumann in the episode The Omega Man. He appears in Chemical Wedding alongside Simon Callow, telling the tale of the resurrection of occultist Aleister Crowley. Shrapnel also has experience in the field of BBC radio drama through such characters as Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse and William Gibson's Neuromancer. He is the son-in-law of Deborah Kerr through his 1975 marriage to her younger daughter Francesca Ann Bartley. They have three sons, the actors Lex Shrapnel (b.1979), Tom Shrapnel (b.1981) and the writer Joe Shrapnel (b.1976). They live in Highbury, north London.

Movies 80

Gladiator 8.2

Gladiator

as Gaius

2000
Troy 7.2

Troy

as Nestor

2004
Notting Hill 7.3

Notting Hill

as PR Chief

1999
101 Dalmatians 5.9

101 Dalmatians

as Skinner

1996
K-19: The Widowmaker 6.6

K-19: The Widowmaker

as Admiral Bratyeev

2002
Mirrors 6.3

Mirrors

as Lorenzo Sapelli

2008
Elizabeth: The Golden Age 6.7

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

as Lord Howard

2007
The Awakening 6.4

The Awakening

as Reverend Hugh Purslow

2011
The Duchess 7.0

The Duchess

as General Grey

2008
Fatherland 6.3

Fatherland

as General Globus

1994
The Body 5.5

The Body

as Moshe Cohen

2001
Nicholas and Alexandra 7.0

Nicholas and Alexandra

as Petya

1971
King Charles III 6.4

King Charles III

as Archbishop of Canterbury

2017
How to Get Ahead in Advertising 6.3

How to Get Ahead in Advertising

as Psychiatrist

1989
Mary, Mother of Jesus 4.1

Mary, Mother of Jesus

as Simon

1999
Alien Autopsy 5.7

Alien Autopsy

as Michael Kuhn

2006
Hennessy 5.2

Hennessy

as Tipaldi

1975
Shadow of the Sword 5.8

Shadow of the Sword

as Archbishop

2005
National Theatre Live: Macbeth 6.9

National Theatre Live: Macbeth

as Duncan/Seyton/Old Man

2013
Branagh Theatre Live: The Winter's Tale 7.7

Branagh Theatre Live: The Winter's Tale

as Camilo

2015
Two Deaths 5.6

Two Deaths

as Cinca

1996
Alone 5.1

Alone

as Hannah

2002
Pope Joan 6.1

Pope Joan

as Father James

1972
Hornblower: The Frogs and the Lobsters 7.2

Hornblower: The Frogs and the Lobsters

as General Charette

1999
National Theatre Live: Phèdre 7.8

National Theatre Live: Phèdre

as Théramène

2009
Hamlet Within

Hamlet Within

2022
Personal Services 6.0

Personal Services

as Lionel

1987
Troilus & Cressida 8.0

Troilus & Cressida

as Hector

1981
Edward & Mrs. Simpson 10.0

Edward & Mrs. Simpson

as Maj. Alexander Hardinge

1978
King Lear 6.5

King Lear

as Earl of Kent

1982
Theban Plays: Antigone 9.0

Theban Plays: Antigone

as Creon

1986
The Strange Case of Delfina Potocka 10.0

The Strange Case of Delfina Potocka

as Iwaszkiewicz

1999
Claim 5.1

Claim

as Lex Vandenberg

2002
Theban Plays: Oedipus the King 4.5

Theban Plays: Oedipus the King

as Creon

1986
Hamlet 8.2

Hamlet

as Claudius/Ghost

2015
An Organization of Dreams

An Organization of Dreams

as Father

2009
The Tragedy of Flight 103: The Inside Story 7.0

The Tragedy of Flight 103: The Inside Story

as BKA Police Chief

1990
The Misfit and the Matterhorn

The Misfit and the Matterhorn

as Narrator

2001
Theban Plays: Oedipus at Colonus 8.0

Theban Plays: Oedipus at Colonus

as Creon

1986
Flayed

Flayed

as Robert

1978
Once Upon a Time on the Westway

Once Upon a Time on the Westway

as Billy Palmer

2007
Gossip from the Forest 7.0

Gossip from the Forest

as Matthias Erzberger

1979
Animals of the Ocean Desert

Animals of the Ocean Desert

as Narrator

2001
OXI, an Act of Resistance

OXI, an Act of Resistance

as Creon

2014
Professional Foul 7.5

Professional Foul

as McKendrick

1977
Chemical Wedding 4.2

Chemical Wedding

as Crowley

2008
Testimony 5.6

Testimony

as Andre Zhdanov

1988
Seven Wonders of Ancient Egypt 10.0

Seven Wonders of Ancient Egypt

as Narrator

2004
The Burston Rebellion 8.0

The Burston Rebellion

as Rev. Charles Tucker Eland

1985
Hindenburg: Titanic of the Skies 6.0

Hindenburg: Titanic of the Skies

as Himself (Narrator)

2007
England, My England 6.5

England, My England

as Samuel Pepys

1995
Selling Hitler 8.0

Selling Hitler

as Gerd Schulte-Hillen

1993
The Race for Everest 10.0

The Race for Everest

as Narrator

2003
SS-3: The Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich 4.0

SS-3: The Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich

as Narrator

1992
The Gentleman Thief

The Gentleman Thief

as Monty Sinclair

2001
Whistle 6.2

Whistle

as Paul

2002
King Lear 10.0

King Lear

as Duke of Cornwall

1975
Wild Women of Viramba

Wild Women of Viramba

as Narrator

2003
Run.

Run.

as St. Peter

2013
The Victim 7.0

The Victim

as Vincent Craig

1980
Timon of Athens 8.5

Timon of Athens

as Alcibiades

1981
Poppyland 7.0

Poppyland

as George Sims

1985
Seven Wonders of Ancient Greece

Seven Wonders of Ancient Greece

as Narrator

2004
The Three Hostages

The Three Hostages

as Gaudian

1977
The Tom Machine

The Tom Machine

1980
Partition 5.5

Partition

as General Flood

1987
Mountain Men: The Ghosts of K2 7.5

Mountain Men: The Ghosts of K2

as Narrator

2001
Horizon: Supermassive Black Holes 8.0

Horizon: Supermassive Black Holes

as Narrator

2000
Britain's Nuclear Bomb - The Inside Story 7.0

Britain's Nuclear Bomb - The Inside Story

as Narrator (Voice)

2017
Seven Wonders of Ancient Rome

Seven Wonders of Ancient Rome

as Narrator

2004
It's Called the Sugar Plum

It's Called the Sugar Plum

as Wally Zuckerman

1969
King Arthur: His Life and Legends 8.5

King Arthur: His Life and Legends

1995
The Ha-Ha

The Ha-Ha

as Jamie

1969
Building Burma's Death Railway: Moving Half the Mountain

Building Burma's Death Railway: Moving Half the Mountain

as Narrator

2014
Hamlet

Hamlet

as Claudius

1992
Hitting Town

Hitting Town

as Leonard Brazil (voice)

1976
Solo Shuttle

Solo Shuttle

as Cain

1998
The Return of the Flying Scotsman

The Return of the Flying Scotsman

as Narrator - (Voice)

2016
Lion Queen 9.0

Lion Queen

as Narrator (voice)

1998
Lost on Everest: The Search for Mallory and Irvine

Lost on Everest: The Search for Mallory and Irvine

as Self - Narrator

2000

TV Shows 55

Midsomer Murders 7.5

Midsomer Murders

as Max Jennings

1997
Midsomer Murders 7.5

Midsomer Murders

as Leo Clarke

1997
Natural World 7.4

Natural World

as Narrator

1983
Merlin 7.8

Merlin

as The Sarrum

2008
BBC Play of the Month 5.2

BBC Play of the Month

as Duke of Cornwall

1965
BBC Play of the Month 5.2

BBC Play of the Month

as Viktor Myshlaevsky

1965
Omnibus 7.2

Omnibus

as Zborowski

1967
Screen Two 7.1

Screen Two

as Rev. Charles Tucker Eland

1985
Screen Two 7.1

Screen Two

as Heiger

1985
New Tricks 7.3

New Tricks

as DAC John Felsham

2004
Waking the Dead 7.2

Waking the Dead

as John Christie

2001
ITV Playhouse 7.0

ITV Playhouse

as Schoner

1967
Foyle's War 7.9

Foyle's War

as Raymond Brooks

2002
Space: 1999 7.1

Space: 1999

as Jack Tanner

1975
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries 7.4

The Inspector Lynley Mysteries

as Sergent Mike McCaffrey

2002
Wycliffe 6.8

Wycliffe

as Dr. Sam Malvern

1994
Jonathan Creek 7.6

Jonathan Creek

as Prof. Lance Graumann

1997
Between the Lines 5.5

Between the Lines

as Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dunning

1992
Between the Lines 5.5

Between the Lines

as D.C.C. Dunning

1992
The Chief 7.0

The Chief

as Dan Cheyney

1990
Justice 7.3

Justice

as Roger Anderson

1971
BBC2 Play of the Week 7.0

BBC2 Play of the Week

as McKendrick

1977
BBC2 Play of the Week 7.0

BBC2 Play of the Week

as Robert

1977
Kavanagh Q.C. 7.3

Kavanagh Q.C.

as Mr. Justice Griffin

1995
The 10th Kingdom 7.6

The 10th Kingdom

as Governor of Prison

2000
Shakespeare: The Animated Tales 6.5

Shakespeare: The Animated Tales

as Claudius / The Ghost (voice)

1992
Mr. Palfrey of Westminster 5.7

Mr. Palfrey of Westminster

as Adrian Vyner

1984
Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire 7.6

Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire

as Pompey

2006
The Modern World: Ten Great Writers 8.0

The Modern World: Ten Great Writers

as Thomas Mann

1988
Private Schulz 5.3

Private Schulz

as German Newsreel Commentator (voice, uncredited)

1981
Elizabeth R 7.5

Elizabeth R

as Earl of Sussex

1971
Armchair Thriller 4.7

Armchair Thriller

as Vincent Craig

1978
Edward and Mrs Simpson 6.8

Edward and Mrs Simpson

as Major Alexander Hardinge

1978
G.B.H. 6.3

G.B.H.

as Dr Jacobs

1991
I Am Not an Animal 8.6

I Am Not an Animal

as Narrator (voice)

2004
About Face 7.0

About Face

1989
About Face 7.0

About Face

as Donald

1989
Coogan's Run 6.6

Coogan's Run

as Douglas Crown

1995
Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair

as Lord Steyne

1987
Invasion: Earth 6.3

Invasion: Earth

as Air Marshal Bentley

1998
Apparitions 7.2

Apparitions

as Cardinal Bukovak

2008
Blackeyes 5.9

Blackeyes

as Detective Blake

1989
Screenplay 6.3

Screenplay

as Matthias Erzberger

1979
For the Greater Good 9.0

For the Greater Good

as Norman May-Boys MP

1991
Plays for Britain 6.0

Plays for Britain

as Voice of Leonard Brazil

1976
Selling Hitler 7.0

Selling Hitler

as Gerd Schülte-Hillen

1991
Bodyguards 8.0

Bodyguards

as Commander Alan MacIntyre

1997
The Woman in White 8.2

The Woman in White

as Sir Percival Glyde

1982
Predators Killing for a Living

Predators Killing for a Living

1997
True Tilda 8.0

True Tilda

as Reverand Glasson

1997
Centrepoint 6.7

Centrepoint

as Claud Wareing

1990
Good Girl

Good Girl

as Christopher Wimple

1974
Sorrell and Son 6.0

Sorrell and Son

as Thomas Roland

1984
The Lions Rule 9.0

The Lions Rule

as Narrator (voice)

2017
Alien Empire

Alien Empire

as Narrator

1996

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