James Villiers(1933-1998)
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Character actor James Villiers was of an aristocratic background - you
could half tell, not only from his sardonic looks and precisely
modulated voice, but from the roles he played. More often than not, he
was typecast as a snobbish, supercilious upper-class twit, effete
weakling or comic second-string villain. A graduate of RADA (Royal
Academy of Dramatic Art), his first major appearance on stage was in a
1954 West End production of "Toad of Toad Hall". During the following
years, he expanded his repertoire at the Old Vic with performances of
William Shakespeare's
"Julius Caesar" and "Richard III", also touring on Broadway. During his
extensive theatrical career, he acted in plays by
Noël Coward (including a
critically-acclaimed performance in "Private Lives" in 1972),
Oscar Wilde and
George Bernard Shaw, and, just prior
to his death, played "Mr. Brownlow" in "Oliver!" at the London
Palladium.
In the 1960's, James Villiers was featured in several films by Joseph Losey, most notably The Damned (1962). One of his most convincing roles was as one of the parents of a 10-year old boy threatened by a homicidal Bette Davis in The Nanny (1965). He was also featured in several horror movies, such as Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971) and the Amicus production of Asylum (1972), reverting to his best plummy-voiced form. On television, he was perfectly cast as "Professor Higgins" in Pygmalion (1973); a 1973 adaptation which co-starred Lynn Redgrave as "Eliza Doolittle". One of his earlier successes was in the 1969 BBC period drama, The First Churchills (1969), in the part of "King Charles II" (whom he was said to have resembled). One of the most British of actors, Villiers died of cancer in West Sussex in January 1998.
In the 1960's, James Villiers was featured in several films by Joseph Losey, most notably The Damned (1962). One of his most convincing roles was as one of the parents of a 10-year old boy threatened by a homicidal Bette Davis in The Nanny (1965). He was also featured in several horror movies, such as Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971) and the Amicus production of Asylum (1972), reverting to his best plummy-voiced form. On television, he was perfectly cast as "Professor Higgins" in Pygmalion (1973); a 1973 adaptation which co-starred Lynn Redgrave as "Eliza Doolittle". One of his earlier successes was in the 1969 BBC period drama, The First Churchills (1969), in the part of "King Charles II" (whom he was said to have resembled). One of the most British of actors, Villiers died of cancer in West Sussex in January 1998.
