Birth Name: Derek George Jacobi
Birth: October 22,1938

Biography and Career:

Derek Jacobi was born on October 22, 1938. He was an actor and director.

Derek Jacobi was born in Leytonstone, London, England. He is the son of Daisy Gertrude and Alfred George Jacobi. His great grandfather emigrated to England from Germany during the 19th century. He claims to have a happy childhood. In his teens he went to the Leyton Country High School and became an integral part of the drama club, The Players of Leyton.

Jacobi quickly came to the fore, and his talent was recognized by Laurence Olivier, who invited him back home to London to become one of the founding members of the new National Theatre, even though at the time he was relatively unknown. He played Laertes in the National Th eatre's inaugural production of Hamlet opposite Peter O'Toole in 1963. On July 27, 1965, Jacobi starred as Brindsley Miller in the first production of Peter Shaffer's Black Comedy. It was presented by the National Theatre at Chichester. Subsequently it was presented at the Old Vic Theatre, London.

In 1980, Jacobi took the leading role in the BBC's Hamlet, made his Broadway debut in The Suicide, and then joined the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1982 to 1985 where he played four demanding roles simultaneously: Benedick in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, for which he won a Tony for its Broadway run; Prospero in The Tempest; Peer Gynt; and Cyrano de Bergerac which he brought to the US and played in repertory with Much Ado About Nothing on Broadway and in Washington DC. In 1986, he made his West End debut in Breaking the Code by Hugh Whitemore, with the role of Alan Turing which was written with Jacobi specifically in mind. The play was taken to Broadway. In 1988 Jacobi alternated in West End the title roles of Shakespeare's Richard II and Richard III in repertoire.

His TV career saw him measure with Inside the Third Reich, where he played Hitler; Mr Pye; Little Dorrit, from Charles Dickens's book; The Tenth Man with Anthony Hopkins and Kristin Scott Thomas. In 1982, he starred as the voice of Nicodemus in the animated film, The Secret of NIMH. In 1990, he starred as Daedalus in episode 4 of Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Greek Myths.

Why do we like Derek Jacobi?

We like him because of his stage production.

Why is Derek Jacobi famous?

Derek Jacobi is famous for his plays.

by FW Editor

Derek Jacobi Lists

	Actors awarded British knighthoods
	Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge
	Audio book narrators
	BAFTA winners (people)
	Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
	Emmy Award winners
	English film actors
	English stage actors
	English television actors
	English theatre managers and producers
	Evening Standard Award for Best Actor
	Knights Bachelor
	LGBT people from England
	LGBT television personalities
	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners
	Royal National Theatre Company members
	Royal Shakespeare Company members
	Shakespearean actors
	Tony Award winners
	Gay actors
	1938 births
	Living people

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Derek Jacobi Pictures

 

Derek Jacobi Movies
The Secret of NIMH The Statue of Liberty Discovering Hamlet Dead Again Hamlet Looking for Richard Up at the Villa Gosford Park The Body Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson Nanny McPhee Underworld: Evolution The Golden Compass Adam Resurrected Hippie Hippie Shake
Derek Jacobi Filmography

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Tags: libra, actor, 1938, london

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Category: Actors  - ( Actors Archive)

Date Added: 01 March '10

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