John Wood

Besides Patrick Macnee, he is the only actor to appear in both The Avengers (1961) and the subsequent film adaptation The Avengers (1998).

Studied law at Jesus College, Oxford, but became president of OUDS by his final year, when he played the lead in "Richard III" to wide critical acclaim. Subsequently joined the Old Vic, where among other roles he played "the Dauphin" to Richard Burton's "Henry V". Left the Old Vic under less than happy circumstances and had even less luck with the Royal Court. Spent some time in France, where he briefly considered remaining, but returned to the UK and spent some seven years working in television and low-paying quickie films. In 1966, played one of the leads in Tom Stoppard's teleplay Thirty-Minute Theatre: Teeth (1967) -- an instant artistic rapport was the result, as was a second Stoppard role in Thirty-Minute Theatre: Another Moon Called Earth (1967), a sort of proto-Jumpers. Critical and commercial break came with the role of "Guil" in the NYC run of Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, for which he received a Tony nomination.

Back in the UK, won Most Promising Actor award in 1970 for his role in the Harold Pinter production of James Joyce's "Exiles". Invited to join the RSC, he began a series of highly individual Shakespearean roles, as well as more popularly-based efforts.

He appeared in two productions which depicted the Russian Revolution from the perspective of the Romanovs: Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) and Rasputin (1996). He played Colonel Kobylinsky in the former and Ptoyr Stolypin in the latter.

His "Sherlock Holmes" in 1974 was reprised in NYC, resulting in a second Tony nomination. The following year, the New York run of Stoppard's "Travesties" -- in which he starred as "Henry Carr" -- gave him the Tony for Best Actor. Additional theatre work in America: "Tartuffe", "Deathtrap" and "Amadeus". UK theatre work included "Devil's Disciple", "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour", "Undiscovered Country", "Man Who Came To Dinner", title role in "Richard III", "Prospero" in "Tempest", "Lear" in "King Lear" and, of course, "A. E.

Won Broadway's 1976 Tony Award as Best Actor (Play) for "Travesties." He was also nominated in 1968, as Best Supporting or Featured Actor (Dramatic) for "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead," and in 1975, as Best Actor (Dramatic) for "Sherlock Holmes".

He was awarded the 1991 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor for his performance in King Lear.

Although he played Maggie Smith's son in Richard III (1995), he was more than four years her senior in real life.

He was nominated for a 1998 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Actor of the 1997 season for his performance in "The Invention of Love", at the Royal National Theatre: Cottesloe and Lyttelton stages.

Was cast by director Robert Altman to appear in the Old Vic's early 2006 production of the Arthur Miller play "Resurrection Blues" but dropped out before previews and was replaced by James Fox.

He was awarded the C.B.E. (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2007 Queens New Years Honors List for his services to drama.