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Derek Jacobi

Birth Place: London, ENGLAND

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BIO

He is known for his work at the Royal National Theatre and for his film and television roles. He has received numerous accolades including a BAFTA Award, two Olivier Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Tony Award. He was given a knighthood for his services to theatre by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994.


Jacobi started his professional acting career with Laurence Olivier as one of the founding members of the National Theatre. He has appeared in numerous Shakespearean stage productions including Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth, Twelfth Night, The Tempest, King Lear, and Romeo and Juliet. Jacobi received the Laurence Olivier Award, for the title role in Cyrano de Bergerac in 1983 and Malvolio in Twelfth Night in 2009. He also won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role as Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing in 1985.
On television, he portrayed Claudius in the BBC series I, Claudius (1976), for which he won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor. He received two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for The Tenth Man (1988), and Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for Frasier (2001). He also took roles in ITV drama series Cadfael (1994–1998), the HBO film The Gathering Storm (2002), the sitcom Vicious (2013-2016), in BBC's Last Tango in Halifax (2012–2020), and the Netflix series The Crown in 2019.
Jacobi has acted in numerous films including Othello (1965), The Day of the Jackal (1973), Henry V (1989), Dead Again (1991), Hamlet (1996), Nanny McPhee (2005), The Riddle (2007), My Week with Marilyn (2011), Anonymous (2011), Cinderella (2015), and Murder on the Orient Express (2017). Jacobi portrayed Senator Gracchus in Ridley Scott's Gladiator (2000) and Gladiator II (2024). Jacobi has also earned two Screen Actors Guild Awards along with the ensemble cast for Robert Altman's Gosford Park (2001), and Tom Hooper's The King's Speech (2010).

Photos

STAGE CREDITS

Les Misérables
[TV]
MASTERPIECE on PBS Drama, 2019
Bishop
Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet
[West End]
Kenneth Branagh West End Revival, 2016
Juliet
Uncle Vanya
[Broadway]
Roundabout Revival, 2000
Ivan Petrovich Voinitsky
Breaking the Code
[Broadway]
1987
Alan Turing
Cyrano de Bergerac
[Broadway]
1984
Cyrano de Bergerac
Much Ado About Nothing
[Broadway]
Broadway Revival, 1984
Signior Benedick of Padua
The Suicide
[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 1980
Semyon Semyonovich Podsekalnikov

Movies

Interlude
[ 1968 ] Paul
Three Sisters
[ 1970 ] Andrei
The Day of the Jackal
[ 1973 ] Caron
Blueblood
[ 1974 ] Gregory
The Odessa File
[ 1974 ] Klaus Wenzer
The Medusa Touch
[ 1978 ] Moulton - John's Publisher
The Human Factor
[ 1979 ] Arthur Davis
The Man Who Went Up in Smoke
[ 1980 ] Martin Beck
Charlotte
[ 1981 ] Daberlohn
The Secret of NIMH
[ 1982 ] Nicodemus
Little Dorrit
[ 1987 ] Arthur Clennam
Henry V
[ 1989 ] Chorus
The Fool
[ 1990 ] Mr. Frederick, Sir John
Dead Again
[ 1991 ] Franklyn Madson
Hamlet
[ 1996 ] Claudius
Basil
[ 1998 ] Father Frederick
Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon
[ 1998 ] Francis Bacon
Molokai
[ 1999 ] Father Leonor Fousnel
Gladiator
[ 2000 ] Gracchus
Up at the Villa
[ 2000 ] Lucky Leadbetter
The Body
[ 2001 ] Father Lavelle
Revelation
[ 2001 ] Librarian
On Wings of Fire
[ 2001 ] Narrator
Gosford Park
[ 2001 ] Probert
The Children's Midsummer Night's Dream
[ 2001 ] Theseus
Revengers Tragedy
[ 2002 ] Duke
Two Men Went to War
[ 2002 ] Major Merton
Strings
[ 2004 ] Nezo
Cloud Cuckoo Land
[ 2004 ] Victor
Bye Bye Blackbird
[ 2005 ] Lord Dempsey
Nanny McPhee
[ 2005 ] Mr Wheen
Underworld: Evolution
[ 2006 ] Corvinus Sir Derek Jacobi
Anastezsi
[ 2007 ] Balzer
Guantanamero
[ 2007 ] Guido, Commander
The Golden Compass
[ 2007 ] Magisterial Emissary
Adam Resurrected
[ 2008 ] Dr. Nathan Gross
A Bunch of Amateurs
[ 2008 ] Nigel Dewberry
Morris: A Life with Bells On
[ 2009 ] Quentin Neely
Endgame
[ 2009 ] Rudolph Agnew
The King's Speech
[ 2010 ] Archbishop Cosmo Lang
Hereafter
[ 2010 ] Derek Jacobi
Ironclad
[ 2011 ] Baron Reginald de Cornhill
There Be Dragons
[ 2011 ] Honorio Soto
National Theatre Live: King Lear
[ 2011 ] King Lear
Anonymous
[ 2011 ] Prologue
My Week with Marilyn
[ 2011 ] Sir Owen Morshead
Jail Caesar
[ 2012 ] Sulla
Grace of Monaco
[ 2014 ] Count Fernando D Aillieres Sir Derek Jacobi
Effie Gray
[ 2014 ] Travers Twiss
Cinderella
[ 2015 ] King
The History of Love
[ 2016 ] Léo Gursky
The Bed-Sitting Room
[ 2016 ] Lord Fortnum
Branagh Theatre Live: Romeo and Juliet
[ 2016 ] Mercutio
Murder on the Orient Express
[ 2017 ] Edward Henry Mterman
Stratton
[ 2017 ] Ross
Tomb Raider
[ 2018 ] Mr. Yaffe
Horrible Histories: The Movie - Rotten Romans
[ 2019 ] Claudius
The Warrior Queen of Jhansi
[ 2019 ] Lord Palmerston
Tolkien
[ 2019 ] Professor Wright
The Host
[ 2020 ] Dr. Hobson
Say Your Prayers
[ 2020 ] Father Enoch
Come Away
[ 2020 ] Mr Brown
A Bird Flew In
[ 2021 ] David
Romeo & Juliet
[ 2021 ] Narrator
Allelujah
[ 2022 ] Ambrose
Gladiator II
[ 2024 ] Gracchus
Gladiator II
[ 2024 ] Gracchus

TV Shows

Good Omens
Metatron
Inside No. 9
Webster, Dennis Fulcher
Last Tango in Halifax
Alan
Mist: Sheepdog Tales
Narrator, Lord Henry
Mystery!: Cadfael
Brother Cadfael
Tales of the Unexpected
The Stranger, Drioli
Vicious
Stuart Bixby
The War Master
[ 2017-2024 ] The War Master
Family Guy
Rupert
Ludwig
Mr. Todd
Dark Gallifrey
The Master
Extraordinary
Audio Book Narrator
The War Master
[ 2017-2024 ] The War Master
Family Guy
Rupert
Ludwig
Mr. Todd
Dark Gallifrey
The Master
Extraordinary
Audio Book Narrator

Awards and Nominations

Olivier Awards - 2011 - Best Actor

Derek JacobiKing Lear


winner
Olivier Awards - 2009 - Best Actor

Derek JacobiTwelfth Night

Olivier Awards - 2006 - Best Actor

Derek JacobiDon Carlos


winner
Drama Desk Awards - 2000 - Outstanding Actor - Play

Derek Jacobi, Uncle Vanya


winner
Outer Critics Circle Awards - 2000 - Outstanding Actor in a Play

Derek Jacobi, Uncle Vanya


winner
Helen Hayes Awards - 1988 - Outstanding Lead Actor, Non-Resident Production

Derek JacobiBreaking The Code

Tony Awards - 1988 - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

Derek Jacobi, Breaking the Code

Drama Desk Awards - 1987 - Outstanding Actor - Play

Derek Jacobi, Breaking the Code

Olivier Awards - 1986 - Actor of the Year

Derek JacobiBreaking The Code

Drama Desk Awards - 1985 - Outstanding Actor in a Play

Derek Jacobi, Cyrano de Bergerac

Drama Desk Awards - 1985 - Outstanding Actor in a Play

Derek Jacobi, Much Ado About Nothing


winner
Tony Awards - 1985 - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

Derek Jacobi, Much Ado About Nothing


winner
Olivier Awards - 1983 - Actor of the Year in a Revival

Derek JacobiCyrano De Bergerac

Drama Desk Awards - 1981 - Outstanding Actor in a Play

Derek Jacobi, The Suicide

Olivier Awards - 1978 - Actor of the Year in a Revival

Derek JacobiIvanov

Olivier Awards - 1977 - Actor of the Year in a Revival

Derek JacobiHamlet

Videos

More Videos

News


Over £110,000 Raised at the Acting For Others West End Flea Market Photo
Over £110,000 Raised at the Acting For Others West End Flea Market
by Stephi Wild - May 19, 2025

Theatrical charity Acting for Others has announced that more than £110,000 was raised at their fifth annual West End Flea Market, held on Saturday 17 May at St Paul's Church in Covent Garden, making it their most successful event to date.
Video: JULIET & ROMEO Star Jamie Ward Teases 'Insane' Pop Music in New Film Photo
Video: JULIET & ROMEO Star Jamie Ward Teases 'Insane' Pop Music in New Film
by Josh Sharpe - May 14, 2025

During a recent visit to The Kelly Clarkson Show, Juliet & Romeo star Jamie Ward shed light on the new pop musical reimagining of the Shakespeare play, now in theaters. Watch the interview here!
Review Roundup: What Do Critics Think of the New JULIET & ROMEO Pop Musical? Photo
Review Roundup: What Do Critics Think of the New JULIET & ROMEO Pop Musical?
by Josh Sharpe - May 9, 2025

A new Shakespeare adaptation is now in theaters. Juliet & Romeo, a movie musical reimagining of the classic play, tells the familiar story of the star-crossed lovers with a pop twist. Find out what critics think of the movie here!
Exclusive: Rebel Wilson Shares Personal Connections to JULIET & ROMEO Role Photo
Exclusive: Rebel Wilson Shares Personal Connections to JULIET & ROMEO Role
by Josh Sharpe - May 9, 2025

With Juliet & Romeo now in theaters, BroadwayWorld caught up with Rebel Wilson to talk about playing the role of Lady Capulet in the pop musical, the anthemic song 'The Mask I Wear,' and how becoming a mother herself helped her better understand the character.
Exclusive: Jamie Ward Explains How the Music of JULIET & ROMEO Transforms a Familiar Photo
Exclusive: Jamie Ward Explains How the Music of JULIET & ROMEO Transforms a Familiar Tale
by Josh Sharpe - May 9, 2025

BroadwayWorld caught up with Jamie Ward to discuss the new pop musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, playing the iconic character of Romeo, and how the pop songs breathe new life into a familiar tale.
Video: Rebel Wilson Teases JULIET & ROMEO Pop Musical on LIVE WITH KELLY AND MARK Photo
Video: Rebel Wilson Teases JULIET & ROMEO Pop Musical on LIVE WITH KELLY AND MARK
by Josh Sharpe - May 8, 2025

On a recent visit to Live with Kelly and Mark, Rebel Wilson shared why she chose to appear as Lady Capulet in the new pop musical rendition of Romeo and Juliet, hitting theaters tomorrow. Watch the interview now!
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN is Coming to Milton Keynes Theatre Photo
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN is Coming to Milton Keynes Theatre
by Stephi Wild - May 2, 2025

A new UK Tour of the Wiltshire Creative Production of The Girl on the Train is coming to Milton Keynes Theatre this June. Learn more about the show here!
WEST END UNSCRIPTED! Reveals Sir Derek Jacobi as Next Special Guest Star Photo
WEST END UNSCRIPTED! Reveals Sir Derek Jacobi as Next Special Guest Star
by Stephi Wild - Apr 10, 2025

Producer and Director Tegan Summer has announced the latest West End Unscripted! Honouree as Sir Derek Jacobi. After its inaugural show in March, West End Unscripted! Is taking its second show to the Gillian Lynne Theatre.
Videos/Photo: Rebel Wilson and Jason Isaacs Star in First Trailer for JULIET & ROMEO Photo
Videos/Photo: Rebel Wilson and Jason Isaacs Star in First Trailer for JULIET & ROMEO Pop Musical
by Josh Sharpe - Apr 9, 2025

Juliet & Romeo, the upcoming pop musical, has released its first trailer. The twist on the Shakespearean classic features a star-studded cast, including Rebel Wilson, Jason Isaacs, Rupert Everett, and more. Watch the trailer and check out new photos now!
JULIET & ROMEO Pop Musical Film Sets UK Release Date; See New Photos Photo
JULIET & ROMEO Pop Musical Film Sets UK Release Date; See New Photos
by Josh Sharpe - Apr 3, 2025

In cinemas nationwide for a special one-night event on 11th June, the screening will include an exclusive recorded Q&A starring a dynamic ensemble of the film’s rising stars and industry veterans. Take a look at new photos from the film here!
A Guide to Upcoming Movie Musicals- MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, GUYS & DOLLS & More Photo
A Guide to Upcoming Movie Musicals- MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, GUYS & DOLLS & More
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Though many are eagerly awaiting Wicked: For Good, there are plenty of other upcoming movie musicals to get Broadway fans on their feet, some of which we will see before November. Take a look at our guide to all upcoming movie musicals!
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JULIET & ROMEO Pop Musical Film Sets Release Date
by Josh Sharpe - Mar 7, 2025

Juliet & Romeo, a new pop musical reimagining of one of the world’s most iconic love stories, will be released on May 9, 2025. The movie stars Clara Rugaard and Jamie Ward in the title roles and features original pop music by Evan Kidd Bogart.
BEATNIK GIRL Opens March 20 At Theatre 40 Photo
BEATNIK GIRL Opens March 20 At Theatre 40
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Full Cast and Creative Team Set For MY MASTER BUILDER Starring Ewan McGregor and More
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Video: Paul Mescal Sings in GLADIATOR II Musical Parody on SNL
by Blair Ingenthron - Dec 8, 2024

Gladiator II star Paul Mescal, who will make his New York stage debut in A Streetcar Named Desire at BAM this season, showed off his voice in a musical version of Gladiator II during his stint as host of SNL last night. Watch the video here!
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Interview: Will Lyman Talks Playing Scrooge in Commonwealth Shakespeare Company's A CHRISTMAS CAROL
by R. Scott Reedy - Dec 6, 2024

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Orange Tree Fundraiser Will Be Hosted By Gyles Brandreth For Primary Shakespeare Project
by Stephi Wild - Dec 6, 2024

With Tom Littler's production of Twelfth Night currently in performances, Orange Tree Theatre has announced a special Shakespearean Under the Orange Tree fundraiser celebrating Twelfth Night.
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Emma Thompson-Penned NANNY MCPHEE Musical Eyes 2026 West End Run
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Laura Whitmore Joins UK And Ireland Tour Of THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN Photo
Laura Whitmore Joins UK And Ireland Tour Of THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN
by A.A. Cristi - Nov 22, 2024

Irish presenter, writer, broadcaster and former Love Island host, Laura Whitmore is set to star as Rachel Watson in a new UK tour of the smash-hit Wiltshire Creative Production of The Girl on the Train.
Laura Whitmore Joins UK Tour of THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN Photo
Laura Whitmore Joins UK Tour of THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN
by Stephi Wild - Nov 21, 2024

Irish presenter, writer, broadcaster and former Love Island host, Laura Whitmore is set to star as Rachel Watson at certain dates in a new UK tour of The Girl on the Train. Learn more here!
More News

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many Broadway shows has Derek Jacobi been in?

Derek Jacobi has appeared on Broadway in 5 shows.

How many West End shows has Derek Jacobi been in?

Derek Jacobi has appeared on London's West End in 1 shows.

What was Derek Jacobi's first West End show?

Derek Jacobi's first West End show was Romeo and Juliet which opened in 2016

What awards has Derek Jacobi been nominated for?

Best Actor (Olivier Awards) for King Lear, Best Actor (Olivier Awards) for Twelfth Night, Best Actor (Olivier Awards) for Don Carlos, Outstanding Actor - Play (Drama Desk Awards) for Uncle Vanya, Outstanding Actor in a Play (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Uncle Vanya , Outstanding Lead Actor, Non-Resident Production (Helen Hayes Awards) for Breaking The Code, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for Breaking the Code, Outstanding Actor - Play (Drama Desk Awards) for Breaking the Code, Actor of the Year (Olivier Awards) for Breaking The Code, Outstanding Actor in a Play (Drama Desk Awards) for Cyrano de Bergerac, Outstanding Actor in a Play (Drama Desk Awards) for Much Ado About Nothing, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for Much Ado About Nothing, Actor of the Year in a Revival (Olivier Awards) for Cyrano De Bergerac, Outstanding Actor in a Play (Drama Desk Awards) for The Suicide, Actor of the Year in a Revival (Olivier Awards) for Ivanov and Actor of the Year in a Revival (Olivier Awards) for Hamlet.

What awards has Derek Jacobi won?

Derek Jacobi has won several prestigious awards throughout his career. He received the Best Actor Olivier Award for Twelfth Night and was honored with the Outstanding Actor in a Play Drama Desk Award for Uncle Vanya. Additionally, he earned the Outstanding Actor in a Play Outer Critics Circle Award for Uncle Vanya. Jacobi also won the Outstanding Lead Actor, Non-Resident Production Helen Hayes Award for Breaking The Code. His performance in Much Ado About Nothing garnered him the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play Tony Award. Furthermore, he was named Actor of the Year in a Revival at the Olivier Awards for Cyrano De Bergerac.

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