Ronald Pickup
Acting
Pickup was born in Chester, England, the son of Daisy (née Williams) and Eric Pickup, who was a lecturer.[1] Pickup was educated at The King's School, Chester, trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, and became an Associate Member of RADA. His television work began with an episode during the second series of Doctor Who in 1964, for which he was paid £30. Pickup worked with Laurence Olivier at the Royal National Theatre, most notably in Three Sisters and Long Day's Journey Into Night. In 1973, he starred in the BBC drama series The Dragon's Opponent, playing a World War II bomb disposal expert and also appeared in The Day of the Jackal. He played Lt. Harford in Zulu Dawn in 1979, portrayed Igor Stravinsky in Nijinsky in 1980, Prince John in Ivanhoe in 1982, and in 1983 he appeared opposite Penelope Keith in Moving, in 1988 in the BBC miniseries The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1988 TV Serial) as the voice of Aslan, and in 1990 he starred in the short lived sit-com, Not with a Bang. More modern roles have included parts in Hornblower, Hustle, Foyle's War, Midsomer Murders, Waking the Dead, The Bill, Silent Witness, Sherlock Holmes, and Inspector Morse. He is also a regular character in the BBC sitcom The Worst Week of My Life. His most recent appearance was in Holby City as Lord Charles Byrne. Pickup gave a highly acclaimed performance as a decayed Russian aristocrat in the BBC series Fortunes of War, based on a work by Olivia Manning. He also provided the voice for Aslan in the BBC's adaptation of the Chronicles of Narnia and starred opposite Judi Dench in the 1989 Channel 4 serial Behaving Badly. He is also an accomplished stage actor. He was nominated for a 1998 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role of 1997 for his performance in Amy's View. Pickup had the starring role as composer Giuseppe Verdi in the acclaimed The Life of Verdi, written and directed by Renato Castellani. In 2005, he had a supporting role in the family-based film, The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby. Between March and August 2009, he starred as Lucky in Sean Mathias' production of Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett opposite Sir Ian McKellen (Estragon), Patrick Stewart (Vladimir) and also Simon Callow (Pozzo). The tour opened in Malvern before travelling to Milton Keynes, Brighton, Bath, Norwich, Edinburgh and Newcastle; its run at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket was extended due to demand. In February 2010 he also appeared as 'Pegleg' in the BBC's period drama Lark Rise to Candleford. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ronald Pickup, licensed under CC-BY-SA,full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known for
Acting147
movieSchadenfreude
2025
The Gambler
movieEnd of Term
2021
Damian Self
movieDarkest Hour
2017
Neville Chamberlain
tvThe Crown
2016
Archbishop of Canterbury
movieThe Have-Nots
2016
Bentham
movieThe Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
2015
Norman Cousins
movieA Little Place Off the Edgware Road
2014
Bearded Man
tvAtlantis
2013
Orpheus
movieThe Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
2012
Norman Cousins
tvVera
2011
Mr. Kipford
tvDownton Abbey
2010
Sir Michael Reresby
moviePrince of Persia: The Sands of Time
2010
King Sharaman
movieDark Floors
2008
Tobias
movieThe Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
2007
William McDowell
tvLewis
2007
Fr Moreno Mancini
movieThe Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby
2005
Cecil Johnson
movieSupernova
2005
Dr. Malcolm Handey
movieA Life in Suitcases: A History of Tulse Luper
2005
Monsieur Moitessier
movieThe Tulse Luper Suitcases, Part 3: From Sark to the Finish
2005
Monsieur Moitessier
movieCherished
2005
Professor Sir Roy Meadow
movieThe Tulse Luper Suitcases, Part 2: Vaux to the Sea
2004
Monsieur Moitessier (uncredited)
movieEvilenko
2004
Aron Richter
tvFeather Boy
2004
Ernest Sorrel
movieBenefit to Mankind
2004
Professor Quentin Tapscott
tvHustle
2004
Harry Holmes
tvSea of Souls
2004
Alex Galt
movieSecret Passage
2004
Da Monte
tvNew Tricks
2004
Sir Wilfred Felspar
movieThe Tulse Luper Suitcases, Part 1: The Moab Story
2003
Monsieur Moitessier
tvCambridge Spies
2003
Colonel Winter
tvFoyle's War
2002
Sir Giles Messinger
tvThe Inspector Lynley Mysteries
2002
Sir Stuart Stinhurst
tvThe Jury
2002
Jeffrey Livingstone
tvWaking the Dead
2001
Charles Sutton
movieBreathtaking
2000
Dr. Maclaren
movieHornblower: The Duchess and the Devil
1999
Don Massaredo
tvHornblower
1998
Don Massaredo
movieThe Untitled
1998
Robert Kennings
movieLolita
1997
Young Humbert's Father
tvMidsomer Murders
1997
Rupert Smythe-Webster / Ernest Balliol
movieBring Me the Head of Mavis Davis
1997
Percy Stone
tvIvanhoe
1997
Waldemar Fitzurse
tvDalziel and Pascoe
1996
Walter Wulfstan
movieDer Blinde
1996
Dr. Bartnik
tvHetty Wainthropp Investigates
1996
Lester Rose
tvBlack Hearts in Battersea
1995
Duke Of Battersea
movieA Very Open Prison
1995
Brian Silcott
Henry IV
1995
Henry IV
movieMilner
1994
Jocelyn Fry
tvScarlett
1994
Whitlock
movieMessage for Posterity
1994
Richard Browning
tvThe Riff Raff Element
1994
Roger Tundish
tvThe Rector's Wife
1994
Daniel Byrne
movieBethune: The Making of a Hero
1993
Alan Coleman
movieMy Friend Walter
1992
Sir Walter Raleigh
tvA Time to Dance
1992
Andrew Powell
movieAbsolute Hell
1991
Siegfried Shrager
tvPerformance
1991
King Henry IV / Siegfried Shrager / Richard Browning
movieA Murder of Quality
1991
Felix D'Arcy
movieJourney of Honor
1991
Capt. Crawford
movieThe War That Never Ends
1991
Diodotus
movieThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair
1990
Aslan (voice)
tvNot with a Bang
1990
Brian Appleyard
movieJekyll & Hyde
1990
Jeffrey Utterson, Esquire
movieDanny the Champion of the World
1989
Captain Lancaster
tvThe Chronicles of Narnia
1988
Aslan (voice)
movieTestimony
1988
Marshall Tukhachevsky
Chekhov in Yalta
1988
Konstantin Stanislavski
tvFortunes of War
1987
Prince Yakimov
tvThe Ruth Rendell Mysteries
1987
Chief Inspector Moore
movieThe Fourth Protocol
1987
Wynne-Evans
tvInspector Morse
1987
Ian Matthews
movieLadies' Night
1986
James Tripp
tvUnnatural Causes
1986
James Tripp
movieThe Mission
1986
Hontar
tvCasualty
1986
Martin / Reginald Freeborn
tvMatlock
1986
Sir Alec Moore
tvLovejoy
1986
Edwin Felt
movieEleni
1985
Spiro
tvScreen Two
1985
Brian Silcott
movieCamille
1984
Jean
tvSherlock Holmes
1984
Barrymore
moviePope John Paul II
1984
Jan Tyranowski
tvAlbert Einstein
1984
Albert Einstein
moviePuccini
1984
Giulio Ricordi
Waters of the Moon
1983
Julius Winterhalter
movieThe Crystal Spirit: Orwell on Jura
1983
George Orwell
tvVerdi
1982
Giuseppe Verdi
movieThe Letter
1982
Howard Joyce
movieIvanhoe
1982
Prince John
movieVerdi
1982
Giuseppe Verdi
tvBergerac
1981
Sir Antony Villiers
movieNijinsky
1980
Igor Stravinsky
movieIn England's Green and Pleasant Land
1979
Norman Reynolds
movieZulu Dawn
1979
Lt. Harford
movieHenry VIII
1979
Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury
tvThe BBC Television Shakespeare
1978
Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury
tvBBC2 Play of the Week
1977
Ian / Norman Reynolds
movieJoseph Andrews
1977
Mr. Wilson
Romance
1977
Rory Balneath
movieKing Lear
1975
Edgar
tvThe Fight Against Slavery
1975
William Pitt
movieJennie: Lady Randolph Churchill
1974
Lord Randolph Churchill
tvJennie: Lady Randolph Churchill
1974
Randolph Churchill
tvFather Brown
1974
Kalon
movieMahler
1974
Nick
The Dragon's Opponent
1973
Charles "Mad Jack" Howard
movieThe Day of the Jackal
1973
The Forger
movieLong Day's Journey Into Night
1973
Edmund Tyrone
tvPlay for Today
1970
Richard Massingham
movieThree Sisters
1970
Baron Tusenbach
tvITV Saturday Night Theatre
1969
Edmund Tyrone
tvITV Playhouse
1967
Graham
movieRomeo and Juliet
1967
Mercutio
movieMuch Ado About Nothing
1967
Don Pedro
tvBBC Play of the Month
1965
Mercutio / Ariel / Brother Martin Ladvenu / Edgar
tvDoctor Who
1963
Physician
