James Villiers

James Michael Hyde Villiers (29 September 1933 – 18 January 1998) was a British character actor, and a familiar face on British television. Born in London and educated at Wellington College and RADA, Villiers (pronounced Villers) was from an upper-class background, related to the Earl of Clarendon, and this was often reflected in the types of roles he played, such as King Charles II in the BBC series, The First Churchills (1969). He made his film... more

James Michael Hyde Villiers (29 September 1933 – 18 January 1998) was a British character actor, and a familiar face on British television. Born in London and educated at Wellington College and RADA, Villiers (pronounced Villers) was from an upper-class background, related to the Earl of Clarendon, and this was often reflected in the types of roles he played, such as King Charles II in the BBC series, The First Churchills (1969). He made his film debut in 1958, and appeared in many British films over the years, including The Nanny (1965), Joseph Andrews (1977), For Your Eyes Only (1981), The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982), Mountains of the Moon (1990) and The Tichborne Claimant (1998). He played the role of Colonel Hensman in the children's television drama Brendon Chase and was heard on BBC Radio 4 as the voice of Roderick Spode in The Code of the Woosters and several other adaptations of the Jeeves stories of P. G. Wodehouse, which starred Michael Hordern and Richard Briers. James... less