Ronald Pickup

Ronald Alfred Pickup (7 June 1940 – 24 February 2021) was an English actor. He was active in television, film, and theatre, beginning with a 1964 appearance in Doctor Who. Theatre critic Michael Billington described him as "a terrific stage star and an essential member of Laurence Olivier's National Theatre company". His major screen roles included the title role in The Life of Verdi and Prince Yakimov in Fortunes of War (1987).

Early life and training Pickup was born in Chester on 7 June 1940. His father, Eric, worked as a lecturer; his mother was Daisy (née Williams). Pickup attended the King's School, Chester, and went on to study English at the University of Leeds, graduating in 1962. He met his wife at RADA and later became a member of the RADA Academy. in what is regarded as the breakthrough in his acting career. He went on to star in the BBC drama series The Dragon's Opponent in 1973, playing Charles Howard, 20th Earl of Suffolk, a World War II bomb disposal expert. In 1976, he appeared in the Thames Television serial Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill playing Lord Randolph Churchill to Lee Remick's Jennie. Almost a decade later, Pickup had the starring role as composer Giuseppe Verdi in the acclaimed The Life of Verdi, written and directed by Renato Castellani.

Pickup appeared opposite Penelope Keith in Moving and as Friedrich Nietzsche in Wagner in 1983; existing in several versions, Wagner has also been released as a film. The following year, Pickup portrayed Jan Tyranowski in the TV movie Pope John Paul II and Albert Einstein in the TV mini series Einstein. He went on to play Prince Yakimov, a hapless, down-at-heel Russo-British aristocrat, opposite Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh in the BBC serial Fortunes of War (1987), based on a novel cycle by Olivia Manning. He was the voice of Aslan in the BBC television serial adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia (1988–1990), derived from the books by C. S. Lewis. Pickup starred in the short lived sit-com Not with a Bang, broadcast in 1990, and appeared opposite Michael Caine in Jekyll & Hyde the same year. In 1992 he appeared alongside Dervla Kirwan in the television adaptation of Melvyn Bragg's book A Time To Dance, considered by some to be one of his best performances.

Pickup's other roles included parts in Hornblower, The Bill, Silent Witness, In 2016, he played the role of Geoffrey Fisher, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in four episodes of the Netflix series The Crown. His London debut was in November 1964 as Octavius in Julius Caesar, for director Lindsay Anderson at the Royal Court Theatre. He worked with Laurence Olivier at the Royal National Theatre, most notably as Baron Tusenbach in Three Sisters (1967) and Long Day's Journey into Night. His first appearance with the company was a minor part in Michael Elliott's production of Miss Julie (1965 Chichester Festival; 1966 Old Vic). This was followed by a role which brought him to popular attention: again at the Old Vic he was Rosalind in Clifford Williams's all-male production of As You Like It, portraying "serious emotion" in an otherwise "comic" production in 1967. He was nominated for a 1998 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for his performance in Amy's View.

Between March and August 2009, Pickup starred as Lucky in Sean Mathias's production of Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett opposite Sir Ian McKellen (born 1939) (Estragon), Patrick Stewart (born 1940) (Vladimir), and Simon Callow (born 1949) (Pozzo). The tour opened in Malvern, Worcestershire, before travelling to Milton Keynes, Brighton, Bath, Norwich, Edinburgh, and Newcastle; its run at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, was extended due to popular demand.

His last stage appearance was as Mazzini Dunn in Heartbreak House at the Chichester Festival in 2012.

Film Pickup appeared as a forger in The Day of the Jackal in 1973. He reprised the role in the sequel, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, released in 2015. In the 2017 film Darkest Hour, Pickup portrayed Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (replacing John Hurt) as he cedes power to Winston Churchill in the early months of World War II. and the motion picture Schadenfreude (2016).

Pickup died on 24 February 2021 following a long illness, aged 80.

Filmography

Three Sisters (1970) – Baron Nikolaj Tusenbach The Day of the Jackal (1973) – The Forger Mahler (1974) – Nick The Thirty Nine Steps (1978) – Bayliss Crystal Spirit: Orwell on Jura (TV movie 1983) - George Orwell Never Say Never Again (1983) – Elliott Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis (1997) – Percy Stone Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) – King Sharaman The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012) – Norman Cousins Doc Martin (Season 6, episode 4. 2013) – John Moysey The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015) – Norman Cousins Downton Abbey (Season 6, Episode 3. 2015) – Sir Michael Reresby The Crown (2016) – the Archbishop of Canterbury The Time of Their Lives (2017) – Frank The Rebel (Season 2, Episode 3) (2017) – Dr. Cranmore Darkest Hour (2017) – Neville Chamberlain The Happy Prince (2018) – Judge Stealing Silver (Short) (2018) – Udo The Coming of the Martians (2018) – The Curate Flicker and go out (Short) (2019) – Mr. Addington Summer of Rockets (TV mini-series) (2019) – Walter Still Got It (Short) (2019) – Jim End of Term (2021) – Damian Self (Posthumous release; Final film role)