Edward Fox (actor)

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Edward Charles Morice Fox (born 13 April 1937) is an English actor and a member of the Fox family.

Fox starred in the film The Day of the Jackal (1973), playing the part of a professional assassin, known only as the "Jackal", who is hired to assassinate French president, Charles de Gaulle, in the summer of 1963. Fox is also known for his roles in Battle of Britain (1969), The Go-Between (1971), for which he won a BAFTA award, and The Bounty (1984). He also collaborated with director Richard Attenborough, appearing in his films Oh! What a Lovely War (1969), A Bridge Too Far (1977) and Gandhi (1982).

Fox won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for playing Edward VIII in the television drama series Edward & Mrs. Simpson (1978). He also appeared in the historical series Taboo (2017). In addition to film and television work, Fox has received acclaim as a stage actor.

Early life and education

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Fox was born the first of three sons on 13 April 1937 in Chelsea, London, the son of Robin Fox, a theatrical agent, and Angela Muriel Darita Worthington, an actress and writer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He is the father of actors Emilia Fox and Freddie Fox, the elder brother of actor James Fox and film producer Robert Fox, and an uncle of actor Laurence Fox. His paternal great-grandfather was industrialist and inventor Samson Fox, and his paternal grandmother was Hilda Hanbury, sister of stage performer Lily Hanbury. His maternal grandfather was dramatist Frederick Lonsdale, and his maternal grandmother was the daughter of football player and stockbroker Charles Morice.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Fox was educated at Harrow School and completed his National Service in the Loyals, having failed to gain a commission in the Coldstream Guards.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref><ref>Template:London Gazette</ref><ref>Template:London Gazette</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> He left a two-year course at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, saying that it was not useful to him and did not compare to "an apprenticeship in repertory theatre".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Career

Fox's first film appearance was as an extra in The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962). He also had a non-speaking part as a waiter in This Sporting Life (1963). Throughout the 1960s he worked mostly on stage, including a turn as Hamlet. In the late 1960s and early 1970s he established himself with roles in major British films, including Oh! What a Lovely War (1969), Battle of Britain (1969) and The Go-Between (1971). In The Go-Between he played the part of Lord Hugh Trimingham, for which he won a BAFTA award for Best Supporting Actor. His acting ability also brought him to the attention of director Fred Zinnemann, who was looking for an actor who was not well known and could be believable as the assassin in the film The Day of the Jackal (1973). Fox won the role, beating other contenders such as Roger Moore and Michael Caine.<ref name=max>Template:Cite news</ref>

From then on Fox was much sought after, appearing in such films as A Bridge Too Far (1977) as Lieutenant General Horrocks, a role he has cited as a personal favourite,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and for which he won the Best Supporting Actor award at the British Academy Film Awards. He also starred in Force 10 from Navarone (1978), with Robert Shaw and Harrison Ford.

In 1990 Fox appeared as a contestant on Cluedo, facing off against fellow actor Joanna David.

Fox portrayed King Edward VIII in the television drama Edward & Mrs Simpson (1978). In the film Gandhi (1982), Fox portrayed Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer, who was responsible for the Amritsar massacre in India. He then appeared as M in the unofficial Bond film Never Say Never Again (1983), a remake of Thunderball (1965). He also appeared in The Bounty (1984) and Wild Geese II (1985), both opposite Laurence Olivier, and in The Importance of Being Earnest (2002), Nicholas Nickleby (2002), and Stage Beauty (2004).

Later stage work

Fox consolidated his reputation with regular appearances on stage in London's West End. He was seen in Four Quartets, a set of four poems by T. S. Eliot, accompanied by the keyboard music of Johann Sebastian Bach, performed by Christine Croshaw. In 2010 Fox performed a one-man show, An Evening with Anthony Trollope, directed by Richard Digby Day. In 2013 he replaced Robert Hardy in the role of Winston Churchill in the premiere of The Audience, after Hardy withdrew for health reasons. In 2018 he appeared with his son Freddie Fox in an adaption of Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband.

Awards

Year Awards Category Nominated work Result Ref.
1972 British Academy Film Awards Best Actor in a Supporting Role The Go-Between Template:Won <ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>
1978 A Bridge Too Far Template:Won
1979 British Academy Television Awards Best Actor Edward & Mrs. Simpson Template:Won <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1981 Laurence Olivier Awards Actor of the Year in a New Play Quartermaine's Terms Template:Nom <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1983 British Academy Film Awards Best Actor in a Supporting Role Gandhi Template:Nom <ref name=":1" />

Honours

Fox was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his services to drama in the 2003 New Year Honours.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref><ref>Template:Cite episode</ref>

Personal life

From 1958 until their 1961 divorce, Fox was married to actress Tracy Reed, with whom he has a daughter. In 1971 he began a relationship with actress Joanna David; they married in July 2004.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They have two children together, actors Emilia and Frederick.<ref name=":0" />

Fox has two grandchildren through his daughters.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Fox has residences in London and Wareham, Dorset.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Fox, Edward">Template:Cite news</ref>

Views and advocacy

Fox spoke at the conference for the Referendum Party ahead of the 1997 general election and was a friend of its leader, James Goldsmith.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="archbishopcranmer.com">Template:Cite web</ref> He has also been a patron of the UK Independence Party.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2002 Fox joined the Countryside March to support hunting rights in the UK.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He supported the restoration of the Royal Hall, Harrogate, funded by his great-grandfather Samson Fox.

In 2010 Fox gave his support to a local campaign to prevent a supermarket being built close to his home in Dorset, citing the impact it would have upon small and independent businesses in the area. He chronicled the events in an article for The Daily Telegraph.<ref name="Fox, Edward"/>

Fox also endorsed the successful Leave vote campaign ahead of the referendum to leave the European Union.<ref name="archbishopcranmer.com"/>

Filmography

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Selected theatre performances

Other projects and contributions

Books

References

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