David Schofield (actor)

David Schofield
Schofield in 2011
Born 1951 (age 66–67)
Wythenshawe, Manchester, England, UK
Occupation Actor
Years active 1972–present

David Schofield (born 1951) is an English actor. He has appeared in numerous television programmes and feature films during his career.

Early life

Schofield was born in Wythenshawe, Manchester, England, one of ten children in a working-class family. David attended St. John Fisher and Thomas More R.C. Primary School, along with his brother, Peter. His first acting experience was at Manchester Boys' School at the age of 12. In 1967 he was accepted as student assistant stage manager at a local repertory theatre. He started on the lowest step of the ladder and worked in every department as a prop-maker, sound-man, writer, stage sweeper, waiter and tea-maker, putting in 14-hour days, six days a week. After two seasons, at the age of 19, he became a student of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, which he left early to pursue his path as a working actor.

Career

Film and television

He made a successful career in television, earning numerous credits in popular TV series such as Band of Gold , Footballers' Wives and Holby City among many other TV productions. On the big screen he is best known as the paranoid darts player in the Slaughtered Lamb in An American Werewolf In London (1981), and his other films include The Dogs of War (1980), Tree of Hands (1989), The Last of the Mohicans (1992), Anna Karenina (1997), Gladiator (2000), From Hell (2001), and as Mr. Mercer in the Pirates of the Caribbean films. He has also appeared in Valkyrie (2008) as anti-Hitler conspirator Erwin von Witzleben, The Wolfman (2010), F (2010), Burke and Hare (2010), Lord of Tears (2013) and as Peter Carmichael in the suspense thriller Last Passenger (2013). On TV he appeared in Jekyll & Hyde (1990) starring Michael Caine, and played DCS John Salway in the award-winning BBC series Our Friends in the North in 1996. In 2008, he starred as Kirill, in the web series of the same name. In 2009 Schofield guest starred as King Alined in the BBC fantasy drama series Merlin. In 2011 he played the sinister Police Sergeant Foley in Hugo Blick's The Shadow Line, a seven-part series for BBC Two. In autumn 2015, he was seen as Odin in the episode "The Girl Who Died" in the ninth series of the BBC1 series Doctor Who. In 2016 he appears as Vivan Wolsey in the BBC series' Father Brown episode 4.1 "The Mask of the Demon" and The Coroner episode 2.6 "Life".

Stage

Schofield's distinguished stage career has seen the actor performing for the Royal Shakespeare Company and long associations with the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Exchange, Manchester. He played Roy Cohn in the National's 1993 production of Angels in America. He also acted in musicals (Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens) and straight plays on the West End stage in London. During his 30-year acting career he maintains the same agent. His roles include[1] [2]

Personal life

David Schofield's wife is Lally and their children are Fred and Blanche.

Schofield has become a patron of the Gesar Foundation.[3]

Selected filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1980 The Dogs of War Endean's Man
1981 An American Werewolf In London Dart Player
1989 Tree of Hands Detective Inspector
1992 The Last of the Mohicans Sergeant Major
1997 Anna Karenina Nikolai
Tangier Cop Omar Larbi
2000 The Miracle Maker Caiaphas Voice
Gladiator Senator Falco
2001 Chunky Monkey Frank
The Musketeer Rochefort, Richelieu Henchman
From Hell McQueen
Superstition Roberto Fallaci
2004 Unstoppable Dr. Collins
2006 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Mr. Ian Mercer
2007 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Freebird Dart player (scenes deleted)
2008 Valkyrie Erwin von Witzleben
2010 The Wolfman Constable Nye
Devil's Bridge Parry
F Robert Anderson
Burke & Hare Fergus
2011 Ghosted Donner
2013 All Things to All Men Police Commissioner
Last Passenger Peter Carmichael
Lord of Tears Owl Man
2016 Mindhorn Chief Inspector Derek Newsome
2017 Darkest Hour Clement Attlee
2015-2017 The Last Kingdom Abbot Eadred

Theatre

References

  1. ↑ Murray, Braham (2007). The Worst It Can Be Is a Disaster. London: Methuen Drama. ISBN 978-0-7136-8490-2
  2. ↑ The Royal Exchange Theatre Company Words & Pictures 1976–1998, 1998, ISBN 0-9512017-1-9
  3. ↑ "The Gesar Foundation". Archived from the original on 9 October 2007.

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