David Parfitt
Encyclopedia
David Parfitt is a film producer
and actor
. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture
in 1998 for Shakespeare in Love
.
He was awarded a Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of Sunderland
in 1999, and retains strong links with his home city and is a supporter of Sunderland AFC. He vociferously endorses the city of Sunderland wherever he goes. He played Peter Harrison in the sitcoms ...And Mother Makes Three
and its sequel ...And Mother Makes Five
.
He played the original Tim Beecham, an old friend of Nigel Pargetter in the BBC Radio 4
serial The Archers
. Tim was a 'Hooray Henry' and was known for persistently failing his law exams.
Parfitt began his stage career with Sunderland Empire Theatre Society in 1969 but he gave up acting in the late-1980's to concentrate on production, and has been working as an independent film producer for the past 20 years and is, at present, living in Brixton
with his wife Liz Parfitt and his three children Bill, Thomas and Max Parfitt. He is Chairman of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts
(BAFTA) and has produced (or associate produced) many British films including Henry V
, Peter's Friends
, Swan Song, Much Ado About Nothing, The Madness of King George
, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Twelfth Night, The Wings of the Dove, Shakespeare in Love
, Gangs of New York
(Production Consultant), I Capture the Castle
, Chasing Liberty
and A Bunch of Amateurs
.
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...
in 1998 for Shakespeare in Love
Shakespeare in Love
Shakespeare in Love is a 1998 British-American comedy film directed by John Madden and written by Marc Norman and playwright Tom Stoppard....
.
He was awarded a Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of Sunderland
University of Sunderland
The University of Sunderland is located in Sunderland, north east England. The university has more than 17,500 students, including 7,000-plus international students from some 70 countries....
in 1999, and retains strong links with his home city and is a supporter of Sunderland AFC. He vociferously endorses the city of Sunderland wherever he goes. He played Peter Harrison in the sitcoms ...And Mother Makes Three
...And Mother Makes Three
...And Mother Makes Three is a British sitcom shown on ITV from 1971 to 1973. Starring Wendy Craig, it was written by Peter Buchanan, Peter Robinson and Richard Waring...
and its sequel ...And Mother Makes Five
...And Mother Makes Five
...And Mother Makes Five is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1974 to 1976. Starring Wendy Craig, it is the sequel of ...And Mother Makes Three and aired for four series. ...And Mother Makes Five was written by Richard Waring, Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer. Wendy Craig also wrote some...
.
He played the original Tim Beecham, an old friend of Nigel Pargetter in the BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
serial The Archers
The Archers
The Archers is a long-running British soap opera broadcast on the BBC's main spoken-word channel, Radio 4. It was originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk", but is now described on its Radio 4 web site as "contemporary drama in a rural setting"...
. Tim was a 'Hooray Henry' and was known for persistently failing his law exams.
Parfitt began his stage career with Sunderland Empire Theatre Society in 1969 but he gave up acting in the late-1980's to concentrate on production, and has been working as an independent film producer for the past 20 years and is, at present, living in Brixton
Brixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
with his wife Liz Parfitt and his three children Bill, Thomas and Max Parfitt. He is Chairman of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
(BAFTA) and has produced (or associate produced) many British films including Henry V
Henry V (1989 film)
Henry V is a 1989 film directed by Kenneth Branagh, based on William Shakespeare's play The Life of Henry the Fifth about the famous English king. Branagh stars in the title role, and wrote the screenplay. The film was highly acclaimed on its release....
, Peter's Friends
Peter's Friends
Peter's Friends is a 1992 British comedy-drama film written by Rita Rudner and her husband Martin Bergman, and directed and produced by Kenneth Branagh....
, Swan Song, Much Ado About Nothing, The Madness of King George
The Madness of King George
The Madness of King George is a 1994 film directed by Nicholas Hytner and adapted by Alan Bennett from his own play, The Madness of George III. It tells the true story of George III's deteriorating mental health, and his equally declining relationship with his son, the Prince of Wales, particularly...
, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Twelfth Night, The Wings of the Dove, Shakespeare in Love
Shakespeare in Love
Shakespeare in Love is a 1998 British-American comedy film directed by John Madden and written by Marc Norman and playwright Tom Stoppard....
, Gangs of New York
Gangs of New York
Gangs of New York is a 2002 historical film set in the mid-19th century in the Five Points district of New York City. It was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan. The film was inspired by Herbert Asbury's 1928 nonfiction book, The Gangs of New...
(Production Consultant), I Capture the Castle
I Capture the Castle (film)
I Capture The Castle is a 2003 film directed by Tim Fywell. It is based on the 1948 novel of the same title by Dodie Smith and was adapted to screenplay by Heidi Thomas...
, Chasing Liberty
Chasing Liberty
Chasing Liberty is a 2004 American romantic comedy film directed by Andy Cadiff, and starring Mandy Moore and Matthew Goode.-Plot:Anna Foster is the daughter of President James Foster and First Lady Michelle Foster . After Secret Service agents ruin a first date, Anna demands some freedom...
and A Bunch of Amateurs
A Bunch of Amateurs
A Bunch of Amateurs is a 2008 British comedy film directed by Andy Cadiff and starring Burt Reynolds, Derek Jacobi, Alistair Petrie and Samantha Bond...
.