One of England's most enduringly successful character actors, Robert Hardy is noted for his versatility and depth. Born in Cheltenham in 1925, he studied at Oxford University and, in 1949, he joined the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon. Television viewers most fondly remember him as the overbearing Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small but his most critically acclaimed performance was as the title character of Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years. His portrayal of Britain's wartime leader was so accurately observed that, in the following years, he was called on to reprise the role in such productions as The Woman He Loved and War and Remembrance.

Unlike some British character actors, Hardy has never been recognized by Hollywood and his work in films has therefore been restricted to appearances in predominantly British-based productions such as _Spy Who Came In from the Cold, The (1965)_ , Frankenstein and Sense and Sensibility. He has been awarded the CBE for services to acting.


His ex-wife, Sally Pearson, is Gladys Cooper's daughter. Was a good friend of actor Richard Burton. Spoke at the funeral of "James Herriot". Herriot was the pseudonym of Alf Wight (due to legal requirements of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons) and Hardy and Wight became close friends over the years of the "All Creatures Great and Small" (1978) series, adapted from Wight's books. Has played British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in five separate films ("Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years" (1981), The Woman He Loved (1988) (TV), "War and Remembrance" (1988), "Bomber Harris" (1989) (TV), Agatha Christie Marple: The Sittaford Mystery (2006) (TV)) as well as the fictitious Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge in the Harry Potter series. He has also twice played Winston Churchill's World War II ally and friend, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt.