Jack Shepherd
Encyclopedia
Jack Shepherd is an English
actor
, playwright
, theatre director, saxophone
player and jazz
pianist
, who made his film debut in 1969 with All Neat in Black Stockings and The Virgin Soldiers. He is perhaps best known for his television roles, most notably the title role in detective drama Wycliffe. His daughter Catherine Shepherd
is also an actress.
, Leeds and then studied fine art at Kings College, Newcastle. During his time in Newcastle, he was an amateur actor with the People's Theatre
. After gaining a BA
he went on to study acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama
, and then as a student founder of the Drama Centre London.
from 1965 to 1969, making his first appearance on the London stage as an Officer of Dragoons in Serjeant Musgrave's Dance
. In July 1967 he played Arnold Middleton in David Storey
's The Restoration of Arnold Middleton, which transferred to the Criterion Theatre
, a performance for which he received the Plays and Players London Critics' Award as most promising actor of the year.
During the 1970s, he appeared in many television dramas, including an occasional appearance in the series Budgie
. Shepherd took the title role in Trevor Griffiths
's Thames TV series Bill Brand (1976) as a radical Labour
MP
. In the same year he also played a television director struggling to keep patient on a doomed location shoot in Ready When You Are, Mr McGill
, both performances gaining 1976 RTS Awards. He appeared as Renfield in Count Dracula
(1977), with Louis Jourdan in the title role.
Shepherd also spent the decade running a drama studio in Kentish Town
, north London with fellow actor Richard Wilson, and during that time became interested in playwriting. He devised several plays for the theatre including The Sleep of Reason, Real Time, Clapperclaw and Half Moon.
In 1972 he was a co-founder member, with Ian McKellen
and Edward Petherbridge
, of the democratically run Actors' Company, playing Vasques in 'Tis Pity She's a Whore
, Inspector of Police in Ruling the Roost (Edinburgh Festival
and tour) and Okano in The Three Arrows at the Arts, Cambridge in October 1972. In December 1972 he played Ben in Let's Murder Vivaldi at The King's Head Theatre
, and in January 1973 took the title role in Dracula
at the Bush Theatre
, also collaborating in the writing.
From 1977 to 1985 he was a member of Bill Bryden
's Cottesloe Theatre Company at the National Theatre
, playing Teach in American Buffalo
, Judas in The Passion
, Boamer in Lark Rise, Thomas Clarkeson in The World Turned Upside Down
, Smitty in The Long Voyage Home
, The Correspondent in Dispatches and Hickey in The Iceman Cometh
. Shepherd was the first actor to take the stage role of Richard Roma in Glengarry Glen Ross
at the Cottesloe in 1983, for which he received a Society of West End Theatre award (later known as the Laurence Olivier Awards
) as Actor of the Year in a New Play
His first written work for the stage was In Lambeth, an imaginary conversation about revolution between the poet and artist William Blake
, his wife Catherine and Thomas Paine
, author of The Rights of Man. He first directed it at the Partisan Theatre in July 1989 before its transfer to the Donmar Warehouse
, winning the 1989 Time Out Awards for Best Directing and Best Writing.
Shepherd's work in television increased during the 1980s and 1990s, culminating in his acclaimed role as the eponymous Detective Superintendent Charles Wycliffe
in the HTV
television series Wycliffe
from 1993 to 1998. As a theatre director he has staged several productions at the Shakespeare's Globe
, including his lively 'Prologue Production' of The Two Gentlemen of Verona
starring Mark Rylance
as Proteus, which opened the Globe to the theatregoing public in August 1996, a year before the formal opening Gala. In 1998 at the Globe he played a sad Antonio
in Richard Olivier's production of The Merchant of Venice
.
Shepherd's epic drama about the Chartist movement, Holding Fire!
was commissioned by the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre as part of its Renaissance and Revolution season, and was first staged there by Mark Rosenblatt in August, 2007.
He played the part of Melchior, one of the Magi, in the four part TV drama The Nativity, broadcast on BBC1 in December 2010.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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...
, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, theatre director, saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
player and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, who made his film debut in 1969 with All Neat in Black Stockings and The Virgin Soldiers. He is perhaps best known for his television roles, most notably the title role in detective drama Wycliffe. His daughter Catherine Shepherd
Catherine Shepherd
Catherine Margaret Shepherd is an English actress and writer, with a career spanning radio, theatre, film and television.She was educated in South London at the James Allen's Girls' School...
is also an actress.
Early life
Shepherd attended Roundhay SchoolRoundhay School
Roundhay School is a specialist Technology College and Language College in Roundhay, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.-Admissions:...
, Leeds and then studied fine art at Kings College, Newcastle. During his time in Newcastle, he was an amateur actor with the People's Theatre
The People's Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne
The People's Theatre is a theatre in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.The People's Theatre originated from the Newcastle branch of the former British Socialist Party, who started to stage dramatic productions in 1911 in order to raise money to fund their political activities. One of the theatre's key...
. After gaining a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
he went on to study acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama
Central School of Speech and Drama
The Central School of Speech and Drama was founded in London in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students...
, and then as a student founder of the Drama Centre London.
Career
He worked at the Royal Court TheatreRoyal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
from 1965 to 1969, making his first appearance on the London stage as an Officer of Dragoons in Serjeant Musgrave's Dance
Serjeant Musgrave's Dance
Serjeant Musgrave's Dance, An Un-historical Parable is a play by English playwright John Arden, written in 1959 and premiered at the Royal Court Theatre on October 22 of that year. In Arden's introductory note to the text, he describes it as "a realistic, but not a naturalistic" play...
. In July 1967 he played Arnold Middleton in David Storey
David Storey
David Rhames Storey is an English playwright, screenwriter, award-winning novelist and a former professional rugby league player....
's The Restoration of Arnold Middleton, which transferred to the Criterion Theatre
Criterion Theatre
The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has an official capacity of 588.-Building the theatre:...
, a performance for which he received the Plays and Players London Critics' Award as most promising actor of the year.
During the 1970s, he appeared in many television dramas, including an occasional appearance in the series Budgie
Budgie (TV series)
Budgie was a popular British television series starring former popstar Adam Faith which was produced by ITV company London Weekend Television and broadcast on the ITV network between 1971 and 1972....
. Shepherd took the title role in Trevor Griffiths
Trevor Griffiths
Trevor Griffiths is an English dramatist.Raised as a Roman Catholic, he attended Saint Bede's College, before being accepted into Manchester University in 1952 to read English...
's Thames TV series Bill Brand (1976) as a radical Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
. In the same year he also played a television director struggling to keep patient on a doomed location shoot in Ready When You Are, Mr McGill
Ready When You Are, Mr McGill
Ready When You Are, Mr McGill is a feature length TV drama, written by Jack Rosenthal. ITV produced two versions, in 1976 and 2003. The 1976 version was the first in a series of six single television plays called "Red Letter Days" each of which showed the events in a single, special day in...
, both performances gaining 1976 RTS Awards. He appeared as Renfield in Count Dracula
Count Dracula (1977)
Count Dracula is a British television adaptation of the famous novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. It first aired in December 1977. It is among the more faithful of the many adaptations of the original book...
(1977), with Louis Jourdan in the title role.
Shepherd also spent the decade running a drama studio in Kentish Town
Kentish Town
Kentish Town is an area of north west London, England in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The most widely accepted explanation of the name of Kentish Town is that it derived from 'Ken-ditch' meaning the 'bed of a waterway'...
, north London with fellow actor Richard Wilson, and during that time became interested in playwriting. He devised several plays for the theatre including The Sleep of Reason, Real Time, Clapperclaw and Half Moon.
In 1972 he was a co-founder member, with Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen
Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE is an English actor. He has received a Tony Award, two Academy Award nominations, and five Emmy Award nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction...
and Edward Petherbridge
Edward Petherbridge
Edward Petherbridge is a British actor. Among his many roles, he portrayed Lord Peter Wimsey in several screen adaptations of Dorothy L...
, of the democratically run Actors' Company, playing Vasques in 'Tis Pity She's a Whore
'Tis Pity She's a Whore
'Tis Pity She's a Whore is a tragedy written by John Ford. It was likely first performed between 1629 and 1633, by Queen Henrietta's Men at the Cockpit Theatre. The play was first published in 1633, in a quarto printed by Nicholas Okes for the bookseller Richard Collins...
, Inspector of Police in Ruling the Roost (Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
and tour) and Okano in The Three Arrows at the Arts, Cambridge in October 1972. In December 1972 he played Ben in Let's Murder Vivaldi at The King's Head Theatre
The King's Head Theatre
The King's Head Theatre, founded in 1970 by Dan Crawford, is an Off-West End venue in London. It was the first pub theatre in the UK. Adam Spreadbury-Maher became Artistic Director in March 2010 .-Background:...
, and in January 1973 took the title role in Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
at the Bush Theatre
Bush Theatre
The Bush Theatre is based in Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 above The Bush public house by Brian McDermott, and has since become one of the most celebrated new writing theatres in the world. An intimate venue renowned for its close-up...
, also collaborating in the writing.
From 1977 to 1985 he was a member of Bill Bryden
Bill Bryden
William Campbell Rough Bryden CBE is a British stage- and film director and screenwriter.-Biography:...
's Cottesloe Theatre Company at the National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
, playing Teach in American Buffalo
American Buffalo (play)
American Buffalo is a 1975 play by American playwright David Mamet which had its premiere in a showcase production at the Goodman Theatre, Chicago. After two more showcase productions, it opened on Broadway on February 16, 1977...
, Judas in The Passion
Passion (musical)
Passion is a musical adapted from Ettore Scola's film Passione d'Amore . The book is by James Lapine, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Central subjects include obsession, beauty, power, manipulation, passion, illness, and love...
, Boamer in Lark Rise, Thomas Clarkeson in The World Turned Upside Down
The World Turned Upside Down
The World Turned Upside Down is an English ballad. It was first published on a broadside in 1643 as a protest against the policies of Parliament relating to the celebration of Christmas. Parliament believed the holiday should be a solemn occasion, and outlawed traditional English Christmas...
, Smitty in The Long Voyage Home
The Long Voyage Home
The Long Voyage Home is an American drama film and directed by John Ford. It features John Wayne, Thomas Mitchell, Ian Hunter, Barry Fitzgerald, Wilfrid Lawson, John Qualen, Mildred Natwick, Ward Bond, among others....
, The Correspondent in Dispatches and Hickey in The Iceman Cometh
The Iceman Cometh
The Iceman Cometh is a play written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill in 1939. First published in 1940 the play premiered on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on 9 October 1946, directed by Eddie Dowling where it ran for 136 performances to close on 15 March 1947.-Characters:* Night Hawk-...
. Shepherd was the first actor to take the stage role of Richard Roma in Glengarry Glen Ross
Glengarry Glen Ross
Glengarry Glen Ross is a 1984 play written by David Mamet. The play shows parts of two days in the lives of four desperate Chicago real estate agents who are prepared to engage in any number of unethical, illegal acts—from lies and flattery to bribery, threats, intimidation and burglary—to sell...
at the Cottesloe in 1983, for which he received a Society of West End Theatre award (later known as the Laurence Olivier Awards
Laurence Olivier Awards
The Laurence Olivier Award is presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre. Named after the renowned British actor Laurence Olivier, they are given for West End shows and other productions staged in London...
) as Actor of the Year in a New Play
His first written work for the stage was In Lambeth, an imaginary conversation about revolution between the poet and artist William Blake
William Blake
William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
, his wife Catherine and Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine
Thomas "Tom" Paine was an English author, pamphleteer, radical, inventor, intellectual, revolutionary, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States...
, author of The Rights of Man. He first directed it at the Partisan Theatre in July 1989 before its transfer to the Donmar Warehouse
Donmar Warehouse
Donmar Warehouse is a small not-for-profit theatre in the Covent Garden area of London, with a capacity of 251.-About:Under the artistic leadership of Michael Grandage, the theatre has presented some of London’s most memorable award-winning theatrical experiences, as well as garnered critical...
, winning the 1989 Time Out Awards for Best Directing and Best Writing.
Shepherd's work in television increased during the 1980s and 1990s, culminating in his acclaimed role as the eponymous Detective Superintendent Charles Wycliffe
Charles Wycliffe
Detective Superintendent Charles Wycliffe is a fictional detective, created by author W. J. Burley. He is featured in twenty-two novels. ....
in the HTV
HTV
HTV, now legally known as ITV Wales & West, is the ITV contractor for Wales and the West of England, which operated from studios in Cardiff and Bristol. The company provided commercial television for the dual-region 'Wales and West' franchise, which it won from TWW in 1968...
television series Wycliffe
Wycliffe (TV series)
Wycliffe is a British TV series, based on W. J. Burley's novels about Detective Superintendent Charles Wycliffe . It was produced by HTV and broadcast on the ITV Network, following a pilot episode on 7 August 1993, between 24 July 1994 and 5 July 1998. The series was filmed in Cornwall, with a...
from 1993 to 1998. As a theatre director he has staged several productions at the Shakespeare's Globe
Shakespeare's Globe
Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse in the London Borough of Southwark, located on the south bank of the River Thames, but destroyed by fire in 1613, rebuilt 1614 then demolished in 1644. The modern reconstruction is an academic best guess, based...
, including his lively 'Prologue Production' of The Two Gentlemen of Verona
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
The Two Gentlemen of Verona is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1590 or 1591. It is considered by some to be Shakespeare's first play, and is often seen as his first tentative steps in laying out some of the themes and tropes with which he would later deal in more...
starring Mark Rylance
Mark Rylance
Mark Rylance is an English actor, theatre director and playwright.As an actor, Rylance found success on stage and screen. For his work in theatre he has won Olivier and Tony Awards among others, and a BAFTA TV Award...
as Proteus, which opened the Globe to the theatregoing public in August 1996, a year before the formal opening Gala. In 1998 at the Globe he played a sad Antonio
Antonio (Merchant of Venice)
Antonio is the title character in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. He is a middle-aged bachelor and merchant by trade who has his financial interests tied up in overseas shipments when the play begins. He is kind, generous, honest and confident, and is loved and revered by all the Christians...
in Richard Olivier's production of The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...
.
Shepherd's epic drama about the Chartist movement, Holding Fire!
Holding Fire!
Holding Fire! is a play by the English playwright and actor Jack Shepherd. Making its debut at the Shakespeare's Globe theatre in London in July 2007, the play tracks the rise and fall of the Chartist movement in Britain during the first half of the 19th century...
was commissioned by the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre as part of its Renaissance and Revolution season, and was first staged there by Mark Rosenblatt in August, 2007.
He played the part of Melchior, one of the Magi, in the four part TV drama The Nativity, broadcast on BBC1 in December 2010.
Plays
Plays include:- The Incredible Journey of Sir Francis Younghusband (Royal Court Upstairs)
- The Sleep of Reason (Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh) 1973
- Clapperclaw (BBC Two) 1981
- Real Time (directed and devised with the Joint Stock company) 1982
- Revelations (Bridge Lane, London) 1983
- In Lambeth (Partisan Theatre and Donmar Warehouse) 1989
- Comic Cuts (Derby Playhouse, Salisbury Theatre and Lyric Studio, Hammersmith) 1995
- Chasing the Moment (BAC1 London) 1995, (revived Arcola, Dalston) 2007
- Half Moon (Southwark Playhouse) 1998
- Through a Cloud (Birmingham Rep and Drum, Plymouth) 2004), revived Arcola) 2005
- Man Falling Down: A Mask Play (devised and co-written with Oliver CottonOliver CottonOliver Cotton is an English actor, known for his work on stage, TV and film.After training at the Drama Centre London, he has worked extensively at the Royal National Theatre playing in many productions including The Royal Hunt of the Sun, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Much Ado About...
, Shakespeare’s Globe) 2005 - Holding Fire!Holding Fire!Holding Fire! is a play by the English playwright and actor Jack Shepherd. Making its debut at the Shakespeare's Globe theatre in London in July 2007, the play tracks the rise and fall of the Chartist movement in Britain during the first half of the 19th century...
(Shakespeare’s Globe) 2007 - "Six Characters in Search of an AuthorSix Characters in Search of an AuthorSix Characters in Search of an Author is a play by the Italian writer Luigi Pirandello.The play is a satirical tragicomedy. It was first performed in 1921 at the Teatro Valle in Rome, to a very mixed reception, with shouts from the audience of "Manicomio!" .Subsequently the play enjoyed a much...
" (Bristol Old Vic) 2009
Filmography
- All Neat In Black Stockings (1969)
- The Virgin SoldiersThe Virgin SoldiersThe Virgin Soldiers is a 1966 comic novel by Leslie Thomas, inspired by his own experiences of National Service in the British Army.The novel was turned into a film The Virgin Soldiers in 1969, directed by John Dexter, with a screenplay by the British screenwriter John Hopkins. It starred Hywel...
(1969) - The Bed Sitting Room (1969)
- Something to HideSomething to HideSomething to Hide , is a 1972 British thriller film, written and directed by Alastair Reid, based on a 1963 novel by Nicholas Monsarrat. The film stars Peter Finch, Shelley Winters, Colin Blakely, Linda Hayden and Graham Crowden...
(1972) - Ready When You Are Mr MacGill (TV) (1976)
- Count DraculaCount Dracula (1977)Count Dracula is a British television adaptation of the famous novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. It first aired in December 1977. It is among the more faithful of the many adaptations of the original book...
(TV) (1977) - Escape from SobiborEscape from SobiborEscape from Sobibor is a 1987 British made-for-TV film which aired on CBS. It deals with the extermination camp at Sobibor, the site of the most successful uprising by Jewish prisoners of German extermination camps...
(1987) - Ball Trap on the Cote SauvageBall Trap on the Cote SauvageBall Trap on the Cote Sauvage is a 1989 British television comedy drama , written by celebrated screenwriter Andrew Davies, and set in France on Brittany's Côte Sauvage. The one-off drama starred Jack Shepherd, Zoë Wanamaker, Michael Kitchen, Miranda Richardson and Erika Hoffman-External links:*...
(1989) - The Big Man (1990)
- Shoot to KillShoot to Kill (1990 TV drama)Shoot to Kill is a four-hour drama documentary reconstruction of the events that led to the 1984–86 Stalker Inquiry into the shooting of six terrorist suspects in Northern Ireland in 1982 by a specialist unit of the Royal Ulster Constabulary , allegedly without warning ; the organised fabrication...
(TV) (1990) - Twenty-OneTwenty-One (film)Twenty-One is a British-American drama film directed by Don Boyd and co-scripted by him with Zoë Heller. Patsy Kensit stars as the 21-year-old protagonist. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in February 1991...
(1991) - The Object of Beauty (1991)
- Blue Ice (1992)
- Wycliffe (TV) (1993)
- No Escape (1994)
- Over Here (TV) (1994)
- The Scarlet Tunic (1998)
- Wonderland (1999)
- Charlotte Gray (2001)
- The Martins (2001)
- BoudicaBoudica (film)Boudica is a British film released in 2003. Starring Alex Kingston, Steven Waddington and Emily Blunt, the film is a biopic of the queen of the Iceni tribe, Boudica.- Production :...
(2003) - A Cock and Bull StoryA Cock and Bull StoryA Cock and Bull Story is a 2006 British comedy film directed by Michael Winterbottom...
(Tristram Shandy) (2005) - Lipstick (2005)
- The Golden Compass (2007)
- God on TrialGod on TrialGod on Trial is a 2008 BBC/WGBH Boston television play written by Frank Cottrell Boyce, starring Antony Sher, Rupert Graves and Jack Shepherd. The play takes place in Auschwitz during World War II. The Jewish prisoners put God on trial in absentia for abandoning the Jewish people...
(TV) (2008) - The Nativity (TV) (2010)
Further reading
- Impossible Plays: Adventures With the Cottesloe Company by Keith Dewhurst and Jack Shepherd, Methuen Drama (2006) ISBN 0-413-77585-2