Ronald Pickup
Born
June 7, 1940
Died
February 25, 2021 (80 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Chester, England, UK
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
End of Term
Damian Self
2021
The Happy Prince
Judge
2018
Darkest Hour
Neville Chamberlain
2017
Stealing Silver
Udo
2017
The Time of Their Lives
Frank
2017
The Have-Nots
Bentham
2016
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Norman Cousins
2015
A Little Place Off the Edgware Road
Bearded Man
2014
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Norman Cousins
2012
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
King Sharaman
2010
Theatreland
Himself
2009
Dark Floors
Tobias
2008
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
William McDowell
2007
The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby
Cecil Johnson
2005
A Life in Suitcases
Monsieur Moitessier
2005
Supernova
Dr. Malcolm Handey
2005
Cherished
Professor Sir Roy Meadow
2005
Evilenko
Aron Richter
2004
The Tulse Luper Suitcases, Part 2: Vaux to the Sea
Monsieur Moitessier
2004
Secret Passage
Da Monte
2004
Hornblower: The Duchess and the Devil
Don Massaredo
1999
Lolita
Young Humbert's Father
1997
Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis
Percy Stone
1997
Samuel Beckett: As the Story Was Told
Narrator
1996
Der Blinde
Dr. Bartnik
1996
A Very Open Prison
Brian Silcott
1995
Henry IV
Henry IV
1995
Milner
Jocelyn Fry
1994
Message for Posterity
Richard Browning
1994
In The Cold Light Of Day
Morris
1994
Bethune: The Making of a Hero
Alan Coleman
1993
My Friend Walter
Sir Walter Raleigh
1992
The Golden Years
1992
Absolute Hell
Siegfried Shrager
1991
A Murder of Quality
Felix D'Arcy
1991
Journey of Honor
Capt. Crawford
1991
The War That Never Ends
Diodotus
1991
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair
Aslan (voice)
1990
Jekyll & Hyde
Jeffrey Utterson, Esquire
1990
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian & The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Aslan (voice)
1989
A Dry White Season
Louw
1989
Danny the Champion of the World
Captain Lancaster
1989
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe
Aslan (voice)
1988
Testimony
Marshall Tukhachevsky
1988
The Fourth Protocol
Wynne-Evans
1987
The Mission
Hontar
1986
Eleni
Spiro
1985
Camille
Jean
1984
Pope John Paul II
Jan Tyranowski
1984
Puccini
Giulio Ricordi
1984
The Letter
Howard Joyce
1982
Ivanhoe
Prince John
1982
Schadenfreude
The Gambler
The Crown
Archbishop of Canterbury · (4 episodes)
2016
Atlantis
Orpheus · (3 episodes)
2013
Pramface
(1 episode)
2012
Vera
Mr. Kipford · (1 episode)
2011
Downton Abbey
Sir Michael Reresby · (1 episode)
2010
Lark Rise to Candleford
(1 episode)
2008
Feather Boy
Ernest Sorrel · (6 episodes)
2004
The Worst Week of My Life
Fraser · (17 episodes)
2004
Benefit to Mankind
Professor Quentin Tapscott
2004
Hustle
Harry Holmes · (1 episode)
2004
Sea of Souls
Alex Galt · (1 episode)
2004
Cambridge Spies
Colonel Winter · (2 episodes)
2003
Foyle's War
Sir Giles Messinger · (1 episode)
2002
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries
Sir Stuart Stinhurst · (1 episode)
2002
The Jury
Jeffrey Livingstone · (5 episodes)
2002
Murder Rooms: Mysteries of the Real Sherlock Holmes
Sir John Starr · (1 episode)
2001
Waking the Dead
Charles Sutton · (2 episodes)
2001
Breathtaking
Dr. Maclaren
2000
Hornblower
Don Massaredo · (1 episode)
1998
Midsomer Murders
Rupert Smythe-Webster · (1 episode)
1997
Midsomer Murders
Ernest Balliol · (1 episode)
1997
Ivanhoe
Waldemar Fitzurse · (6 episodes)
1997
Silent Witness
(2 episodes)
1996
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates
Lester Rose · (1 episode)
1996
Black Hearts in Battersea
Duke Of Battersea · (6 episodes)
1995
The Riff Raff Element
Roger Tundish · (12 episodes)
1994
The Rector's Wife
Daniel Byrne · (4 episodes)
1994
A Time to Dance
Andrew Powell · (3 episodes)
1992
Performance
King Henry IV · (1 episode)
1991
Performance
Siegfried Shrager · (1 episode)
1991
Performance
Richard Browning · (1 episode)
1991
Not with a Bang
Brian Appleyard · (7 episodes)
1990
El C.I.D.
Jack · (1 episode)
1990
Behaving Badly
(4 episodes)
1989
The Chronicles of Narnia
Aslan (voice) · (10 episodes)
1988
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Barrymore
1988
Fortunes of War
Prince Yakimov · (7 episodes)
1987
The Ruth Rendell Mysteries
Chief Inspector Moore · (2 episodes)
1987
Inspector Morse
Ian Matthews · (1 episode)
1987
Ladies' Night
James Tripp
1986
Unnatural Causes
James Tripp · (1 episode)
1986
Casualty
Martin / Reginald Freeborn · (1 episode)
1986
Matlock
Sir Alec Moore · (2 episodes)
1986
Lovejoy
Edwin Felt · (1 episode)
1986
Moving
(6 episodes)
1985
Screen Two
Brian Silcott · (1 episode)
1985
Sherlock Holmes
Barrymore · (1 episode)
1984
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein · (4 episodes)
1984
The Crystal Spirit: Orwell on Jura
George Orwell
1983
Never Say Never Again
Elliott
1983
Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi · (9 episodes)
1982
Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
1982
Bergerac
Sir Antony Villiers · (1 episode)
1981
Nijinsky
Igor Stravinsky
1980
In England's Green and Pleasant Land
Norman Reynolds
1979
Zulu Dawn
Lt. Harford
1979
Henry VIII
Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury
1979
The BBC Television Shakespeare
Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury · (1 episode)
1978
The Thirty Nine Steps
Bayliss
1978
For Tea on Sunday
Ian
1978
BBC2 Play of the Week
Ian · (1 episode)
1977
BBC2 Play of the Week
Norman Reynolds · (1 episode)
1977
Ghost Trio
1977
...but the clouds...
1977
Joseph Andrews
Mr. Wilson
1977
The Philanthropist
Philip
1975
King Lear
Edgar
1975
The Fight Against Slavery
William Pitt · (6 episodes)
1975
Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill
Lord Randolph Churchill
1974
Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill
Randolph Churchill · (4 episodes)
1974
Father Brown
(1 episode)
1974
Mahler
Nick
1974
All Good Men
1974
The Day of the Jackal
The Forger
1973
Long Day's Journey Into Night
Edmund Tyrone
1973
Play for Today
Richard Massingham · (1 episode)
1970
Three Sisters
Baron Tusenbach
1970
Romeo and Juliet
Mercutio
1967
Much Ado About Nothing
Don Pedro
1967
BBC Play of the Month
Mercutio · (1 episode)
1965
BBC Play of the Month
Ariel · (1 episode)
1965
BBC Play of the Month
Brother Martin Ladvenu · (1 episode)
1965
BBC Play of the Month
Edgar · (1 episode)
1965
Doctor Who: The Reign of Terror
Physician
1964
Doctor Who
Physician · (1 episode)
1963
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Jean · (1 episode)
1951