- David Haig
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For the biologist, see David Haig (biologist).
David Haig Born 20 September 1955
Aldershot, Hampshire, United KingdomOccupation Actor, Writer David Haig (born 20 September 1955) is an Olivier Award-winning English actor and FIPA Award-winning writer. He is known for his versatility, having played dramatic, serio-comic and comedic roles, playing characters of varied social classes. He has appeared in top roles in stage productions all over the West End and has done numerous TV and film roles over the past 20 years.
Contents
Career
Film and television
He appeared in the 1994 film Four Weddings and a Funeral and had a secondary lead in the BBC television sitcom The Thin Blue Line playing Inspector Grim, the inept foil to Rowan Atkinson's Inspector Fowler. In 2002 he played the brother of Four Weddings' co-star Hugh Grant in the romantic comedy Two Weeks Notice, alongside Sandra Bullock. In 2007, He appeared in a Comic Relief sketch called "Mr. Bean's Wedding" as the bride's father, reuniting with his Thin Blue Line co-star Rowan Atkinson.
He is one of only two male actors to have performed an Alan Bennett Talking Heads monologue on television, the other being Bennett himself.
Other TV work includes Doctor Who story "The Leisure Hive" (1980); Blake's 7 episode "Rumours of Death" (1980); Campion story "Sweet Danger" (1990); Inspector Morse episode "Dead On Time" (1992); and Cracker. In the 90s he appeared in the successful TV series Soldier Soldier.
He appears in the Richard Fell adaptation of the 1960s science fiction series A for Andromeda, on the UK digital television station BBC Four. Haig appeared in a television-film adaptation of his own play My Boy Jack which was shown on ITV on 11 November 2007. It starred himself as Rudyard Kipling and Daniel Radcliffe as his son, John. In 2008, he appeared in the BBC film Dustbin Baby and The 39 Steps, an adaptation of the 1915 novel by John Buchan. He also appeared in the Midsomer Murders episode "The Glitch". In 2009 he appeared as 'Steve Fleming' in BBC TV's The Thick Of It and as 'Jon', husband to former MP Mo Mowlam in the hugely successful drama Mo opposite Julie Walters.
Stage
He also won an Olivier Award in 1988 for Actor of the Year in a New Play, for his performance in Our Country's Good at the Royal Court in Sloane Square. He toured England with the stage version of My Boy Jack, in which he played Rudyard Kipling and directed a production of Private Lives by Noel Coward which made a successful national tour in 2005.
Haig has appeared in several stage productions in London's West End, including Hitchcock Blonde at the Royal Court, Life X 3 at the Savoy Theatre, as the character "Osborne" in R. C. Sherriff's play Journey's End at the Comedy Theatre, and as Mr George Banks in Mary Poppins at the Prince Edward Theatre for which he received an Olivier Award nomination. He was also nominated for playing Christopher Headingley in a revival of Michael Frayn's comedy Donkeys' Years at the Comedy Theatre. Having appeared in the role of 'Pinchwife' in the comedy The Country Wife at the Royal Haymarket Theatre in London, he appeared in The Sea at the same theatre. Haig's next role was 'Truscott' in the Joe Orton black farce Loot at London's Tricycle Theatre from 11 December 2008 to 31 January 2009 and at Theatre Royal, Newcastle, 2 to 7 February 2009.
In 2010 he played the role of Jim Hacker in the stage version of Yes, Prime Minister[1] at the Chichester Festival[2] Gielgud Theatre, in London's West End from 17 September 2010.[3]
Personal life
Haig was born in Aldershot in Hampshire. He currently lives in South London. He is father to five children and is a patron of SANDS, a charity which deals with stillbirth and neonatal death.
Recent theatre work
Year Title Character Production Notes 2010 Yes, Prime Minister
by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn[4]Jim Hacker Chichester Festival Theatre and Gielgud Theatre) 2009 Loot
by Joe Orton[5]Inspector Truscott Tricycle Theatre 2008 The Sea
by Edward Bond[6]Hatch Royal Haymarket Theatre 2007 The Country Wife
by William Wycherley[7]Pinchwife Royal Haymarket Theatre 2006 Donkey's Years
by Michael Frayn[8]Chris Headlingly Comedy Theatre Olivier Award Nomination 2005 Mary Poppins
by Julian Fellowes[9]Mr Banks (Prince Edward Theatre Olivier Award Nomination 2004 Journey's End
by R.C. Sherriff[10]Osbourne Comedy Theatre 2003 Hitchcock Blonde
by Terry Johnson[11]Royal Court and Lyric Theatre, West End 2002 Life x3
by Yasmina Reza[12]Henri Savoy Theatre 1997 "Art"
by Yasmina Reza[13]Ivan Wyndham's Theatre and Broadway 1997 My Boy Jack
by David Haig[14]Rudyard Kipling Hampstead Theatre 1994 Dead Funny
by Terry JohnsonRichard Hampstead Theatre and West End 1991 Measure For Measure
by William Shakespeare[15]Angelo Young Vic and RSC tour 1988 Our Country's Good
by Timberlake WertenbakerRalph Clark Royal Court Olivier Award Best Actor In a New Play 1988 The Recruiting Officer
by George FarquharPlume Royal Court 1988 Greenland Paul Royal Court 1985 Tom and Viv
by Michael Hastings[16]Maurice Royal Court and Broadway Filmography
- Doctor Who - The Leisure Hive (as Pangol) (TV) (1980)
- Dark Enemy (1984)
- Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
- The Four Corners of Nowhere (1995)
- Rachel's Attic (2002)
- Two Weeks Notice (2002)
- My Boy Jack (2007)
- The 39 Steps (2008)
- Dustbin Baby (2008)
- Dickens' Secret Lover (2009)
- Doc Martin – Series 4, Episodes 1 & 2 (2009)
- Mo (2010)
References
- ^ "Stage plan for Yes Prime Minister". BBC News. 18 February 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/8522359.stm.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Chicester Minister Bound for Gielgud, 17 Sep". Whats On Stage website. 11 June 2010. http://www.whatsonstage.com/news/theatre/london/E8831276247171/Chichester+Minister+Bound+for+Gielgud%2C+17+Sep.html. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
- ^ Yes Prime Minister http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2010/may/25/what-to-say-about-yes-prime-minister
- ^ Loot http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article5318332.ece
- ^ The Sea http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/the-sea-theatre-royal-haymarket-london-773706.html
- ^ The Country Wife http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/TRHcwife-rev.htm
- ^ Donkey’s Years http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/donkeysyears-rev.htm
- ^ Mary Poppins http://www.musicalheaven.com/Detailed/478.html
- ^ Journey’s End http://www.indielondon.co.uk/theatre/t_journeys_end_comedy_rev.html
- ^ Hitchcock Blonde http://www.royalcourttheatre.com/whats-on/hitchcock-blonde-on-tour
- ^ Life x3 http://www.whatsonstage.com/reviews/theatre/london/E882999605824/Life+X+3.html
- ^ Art http://www.londontheatre.co.uk/londontheatre/reviews/art-wyndhams.htm
- ^ My Boy Jack http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/myboyjack-rev.htm
- ^ Measure for Measure http://www.rscshakespeare.co.uk/Measure2.html
- ^ Tom and Viv http://www.thebeautifulchanges.co.uk/tom_and_viv.htm
External links
Categories:- 1955 births
- Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
- English film actors
- English stage actors
- English television actors
- Living people
- Laurence Olivier Award winners
- People from Aldershot
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