Robert Hardy

However, in the 21st century, Hardy came to the attention of a whole new generation for his performances in the hugely successful Harry Potter films, while also continuing to make regular appearances in British television series.

One of England's most successful and enduring character actors, with a prolific screen career on television and in films, Robert Hardy was acclaimed for his versatility and the depth of his performances. Born in Cheltenham in 1925, he studied at Oxford University and, in 1949, he joined the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon.

Unlike some British character actors, Hardy was not a Hollywood name and his work in films was therefore restricted to appearances in predominantly British-based productions such as The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965), Frankenstein (1994) and Sense and Sensibility (1995).

Died on the same day as his Berserk (1967) co-star Ty Hardin.

He was considered to play Dr. Fendelman (played by Denis Lill) in Doctor Who: Image of the Fendahl: Part One (1977) and Captain Rorvik (played by Clifford Rose) in Doctor Who: Warriors' Gate: Part One (1981).

Television viewers most fondly remember him as the overbearing Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small (1978) but his most critically acclaimed performance was as the title character of Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years (1981).

His co-star from All Creatures Great and Small (1978), Peter Davison, quite simply described Hardy as an "extraordinary" actor who would "never do the same thing twice" when he was acting with him. He was awarded the CBE for services to acting.

He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1981 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to drama.

He was considered for the roles of Dr. Armstrong and Sir Percy Heseltine in Lifeforce (1985).

His portrayal of Britain's wartime leader was so accurately observed that, in the following years, he was called on to reprise the role in such productions as The Woman He Loved (1988) and War and Remembrance (1988).

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), Hardy's last line as Cornelius Fudge ("He's back!") was repeated, as an uncredited voice-over, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009).

He is one of two actors to play Winston Churchill in several movies. The second was Timothy Spall, who played the role in Jackboots on Whitehall (2010) and The King's Speech (2010). The latter concerned itself with King George VI's speech problems, and with the scandal involving his brother Edwards VIII's relationship with a married American woman. Hardy has been in two films about this period: The Woman He Loved (1988) and Bertie and Elizabeth (2002), playing Franklin D. Roosevelt in the latter. He and Spall both appeared in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005).

He became an expert on the longbow when he played Henry V at Stratford. He became a longbow/weapons consultant for the Mary Rose Trust when that 16th-century warship was recovered at Portsmouth, England, UK.