Charles Dance
Born: 10 October 1946
Where: Redditch, Worcestershire, England
The former stagehand has breathed life into roles ranging from Bond to Alien and is now launching a parallel career as a director.
After training for a career in graphic design he developed a taste for the theatre by listening to the reminiscences of two elderly actors who ran a pub in his Devon neighbourhood.
He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company at the age of 29 and appeared on the small screen in Edward the King and Tales of the Unexpected.
In 1981, he made his feature debut in the Bond movie For Your Eyes Only but attracted acclaim for the 14-part TV mini series The Jewel in the Crown.
He went on to play Meryl Streep's husband in Plenty and big screen roles followed in The Golden Child, Good Morning, Babylon and White Mischief.
Sticking to stiff upper lip Brit roles, he starred alongside Ben Kingsley in Pascali's Island and also memorably played The Phantom of the Opera on TV.
In 1994, he played Clemens in Alien3 and was the displaced "imaginary" villain in Arnold Schwarzenegger's The Last Action Hero.
Roles followed in Century, China Moon and Exquisite Tenderness before director Neil Jordan cast him as Soames in the Irish biopic Michael Collins.
Subsequent notable appearances included Derek du Pre in Hilary & Jackie and Raymond Stockbridge in Robert Altman's Oscar-winning whodunnit Gosford Park.
He played a Tory MP in the broad comedy Ali G Indahouse and switched styles to essay Charlotte Rampling's publisher in Swimming Pool.
In 2004, he made his directorial debut with Ladies in Lavender, starring Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith.
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