Top 5 Favorite British Actors of My Youth

It seems improbable that a little girl tucked away in a sleepy town in New York's rural Hudson Valley would come to admire a bunch of proper British actors, but the stars I remember the most fondly from my youth are actors who starred in films like Chariots of Fire and TV shows like Masterpiece Theatre.

In the days before cable television, my family only had a few basic TV channels, like a few of the major networks, a channel that played old black and white films, and the local PBS affiliate. I've always been intrigued by everything about the UK, and consider myself to be a true Anglophile, so it's no surprise that at a young age, I gravitated toward Jane Austen novels and the many British dramas on PBS.

There are so many British actors I came to admire from those early days watching British television and movies. This article pays tribute to a few favorite British actors that defined my youth.

Nigel Havers

One day in my formative years I happened to see a bunch of dashing young British men run majestically across the beach in the film Chariots of Fire, and my life was changed forever! Chariots of Fire only deepened my love for British drama, and I became interested in the work of one of the stars of the film, a young actor named Nigel Havers.

Chariots of Fire was quite the rage during the eighties; however, this blockbuster film failed to launch a successful film career for Nigel Havers or its other stars, like Ian Charleson and Ben Cross. But I continued to follow Nigel's career, and when he turned up on Masterpiece Theatre, I was in heaven. My favorite Nigel Havers Masterpiece Theatre performances include A Perfect Hero and the sublime miniseries The Charmer (oh Nigel, you play the cad and scoundrel so well!)

Some unforgettable Nigel Havers film performances are Empire of the Sun, and A Passage to India. Nigel's been quite active as a respected theater actor, and a few years ago his role as Maxim de Winter was a hit in a UK stage run of Rebecca. Nigel Havers is also a fixture on British television, starring in popular shows like the comedy Don't Wait Up. Imagine my surprise when I learned that Nigel had guest starred as Sally Field's love interest in Season 3 of ABC-TV's Brothers and Sisters (how did this slip by me? I'll have to rent it on DVD).

Nigel Havers certainly has had an illustrious career, and if you're interested in learning more about his life and work, his autobiography Playing with Fire was published a few years ago.

Peter Davison and Robert Hardy

This list of influential British actors is in no particular order really, but I have to confess that Peter Davision is pretty much one of my all time favorite British performers (sharing top honors with Nigel Havers). I'm discussing Peter Davison with Robert Hardy, because it's hard to think of one without the other, as they were both co-stars in All Creatures Great and Small, one of my favorite series of all time.

When I was a young girl, I discovered the All Creatures Great and Small books by James Herriot, and I loved the stories about a veterinarian living and working in England's Yorkshire Dales. In the PBS adaptation of All Creatures, Peter Davison and Robert Hardy played the Farnon brothers, the colleagues of hard working vet James Herriot.

These two portrayals, Peter Davison as the young happy-go-lucky veterinary student Tristan Farnon, and seasoned actor Robert Hardy as his older brother (and Herriot's employer) Dr. Siegfried Farnon, were simply unforgettable for me. I spent many joyful hours reading the All Creatures books and watching the series on my local PBS affiliate, and I've followed Peter Davison's and Robert Hardy's acting careers ever since.

Robert Hardy is quite a distinguished actor in the UK, going on to play such varied roles as Winston Churchill, but in my mind, he'll always be Siegfried! Peter Davison went on to much acclaim as one of the actors that portrayed Doctor Who, and has starred in a variety of popular British TV shows, like the Campion mysteries.

I long ago discarded all the memorabilia of my youth, things I collected in my childhood on some favorite shows and performers. But one piece of memorabilia remains. A few years ago my sister and brother in law attended a Sci-Fi convention and there was Peter Davison, attending as Dr. Who! My sister asked Peter to sign a picture for me and he was very kind and gracious, signing it to "Allison from Peter Davison." I still keep this on a shelf in a closet, a reminder of my little girl wishes for an acting career upon the British stage, and longed for trips to England (a nice memento of my childhood dreams).

Pierce Brosnan

One day in my girlhood, a tall dark and handsome Irishman rode across my television screen on horseback, and he made quite the impression on me. This young man turned out to be actor Pierce Brosnan, starring in his breakout role in the miniseries The Manions of America, which he followed with a role on Masterpiece Theatre's Nancy Astor (this series also starred a very young Nigel Havers).

Evidently, young Pierce made a deep impression on a lot of other people also, because it wasn't long before he was starring with beautiful Stephanie Zimbalist in the hot NBC show Remington Steele. Playing the title role of Remington Steele, Pierce Brosnan was part Cary Grant, part James Bond, and it was in this role that Pierce really made a name for himself.

When it was time to cast a new James Bond in the nineties, Pierce Brosnan seemed a natural for the part, and his Bond had less brawn and brute force, more suaveness and style (similar to Roger Moore's Bond). Pierce is probably the most well known of this entire list, and the one to achieve major cinema stardom. I still enjoy Pierce and keep up with his movies (like the recent Mamma Mia!) but I'll always have a soft spot for him as playful, goofy and oh so debonair Remington Steele.

Ian Charleson

Ah, Ian Charleson...just the name makes my heart skip a bit (because I've always loved Scottish actors!) Chariots of Fire was definitely one of the defining films of my youth, and Ian Charleson starred in this film along with Nigel Havers and Ben Cross. In my youth I watched Chariots of Fire countless times, and was always inspired by the writing and acting, the amazing score by Vangelis and lovely cinematography.

I also enjoyed Ian Charleson very much in a television miniseries he did called Master of the Game, based on the novel by Sidney Sheldon (a typical eighties potboiler miniseries!) Ian Charleson was also an accomplished British theater actor who tackled the challenging role of Hamlet several times.

I got busy for a few years and lost touch with what Ian Charleson was working on, and when I discovered one day that he had died in 1990 at age 40, I was so sad. I felt like the world had lost such a wonderful man and a great actor, whose promising career was cut short by his untimely death. I still think of Ian (who would have turned sixty this summer) and whenever I see Chariots of Fire or think back to my younger days of admiring fine British actors, I am reminded of his immense talent and charisma.

There are many other great British actors, who I enjoyed watching at various stages of my youth and adulthood, like Ben Cross, Jeremy Irons, Anthony Andrews, Kenneth Branagh, Colin Firth, and the list goes on and on. In my opinion, British shows broadcast on American TV these days, like the modern incarnation of Masterpiece Theatre, are not quite the same as they were in earlier decades.

However, in the glory days of British TV shown on American television, there were so many memorable programs and performances. Fortunately, some of the classic British shows from the old Masterpiece Theatre are available to be enjoyed on DVD. Also, check out timeless British films like Chariots of Fire to see the work of outstanding male British performers like Ian Charleson and Nigel Havers.

If you have the opportunity, definitely seek out the work of my top 5 British actors mentioned above, you'll be glad you did!

Sources:

Nigel Havers at IMDB:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0369814/

Peter Davison at IMDB:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0205749/

Robert Hardy at IMDB:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0362735/

Pierce Brosnan Official Site:

http://www.piercebrosnan.com/

Sir Ian McKellen on Ian Charleson:

http://www.mckellen.com/writings/90charleson.htm

Ian Charleson at IMDB:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0153182/