James Fleet
Encyclopedia
James Edward Fleet is an English actor. He is most famous for his roles as the bumbling and well-meaning Tom in the 1994 British
romantic comedy film
Four Weddings and a Funeral
, and the dim-witted Hugo Horton in the BBC
situation comedy
television series The Vicar of Dibley
.
to a Scottish mother
Christine and an English
father Jim. He lived in Bilston
until he was ten, but when his father died, he moved to Aberdeenshire
with his mother. He studied engineering
at university in Aberdeen, where he joined the university dramatic society. Afterwards, he studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
in Glasgow
. He lives in Sibford Gower
, Oxfordshire
with his wife, Jane, and their one son, Hamish. He is a keen biker.
, appearing in several plays in the early 1980s. He has since appeared in touring productions of, among others, Habeas Corpus
and In the Club, as well as in Festen and Mary Stuart and others in the West End
.
He also played Alderman Fitzwarren in Dick Whittington in 2002.
In 2009 he portrayed Sir Andrew Augecheek in the RSC Production of Twelfth Night. And in 2011 he is in Richard Bean
's The Heretic directed by Jeremy Herrin
at the Royal Court Theatre
in London
. In November 2011 he will be in The Ladykillers as Major Courtney at the Gielgud Theatre
.
, a BBC Radio 4
comedy set in pre-revolutionary America. He also appeared in the radio legal sitcom Chambers, which later moved onto television. As of 2005, he has starred as Duncan Stonebridge MP in the topical radio sitcom The Party Line
. He also appeared as the Captain on the BBC Radio 7 series The Spaceship
. He also plays the part of Sir John Woodstock in the Radio Four sitcom, The Castle
.
; he appeared in all 24 episodes, broadcast between 1994 and 2007. In 2007 he was a guest star in one episode of the sitcom Legit
. He appeared as Frederick Dorrit in the BBC
's 2008 production of Little Dorrit
.
When Fleet appeared on the quiz show School's Out
, it was revealed that one of his teachers at Banff
Academy had written in his school report that "[James] is the stupidest boy I have ever had to teach, out of all the stupid boys I have ever had to teach", and that he was the only student in his sixth form
not to have been made a prefect
. Despite his apparent lack of scholastic ability, he still won the show. Recently in 2009, Fleet appeared in a cameo role in the third series of Skins
.
Earlier in his career, Fleet was seen in a 1983 episode of Grange Hill
as a teacher at the eponymous school's upmarket rival Rodney Bennett.
Fleet appeared in Coronation Street
in 2010. He played a character called Robbie Sloan, a recently released convict
, helping escaped prisoner Tony Gordon
plot revenge. Sloan was eventually shot by Gordon during a siege at the factory.
In February 2011, Fleet appeared as George (senior), the father of werewolf
George Sands, in Being Human
.
, John Dashwood in 1995's Sense and Sensibility and that of Lytton Strachey
in the 2003 film Al Sur de Granada
(South from Granada).
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy films are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is "a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily"...
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Four Weddings and a Funeral is a 1994 British comedy film directed by Mike Newell. It was the first of several films by screenwriter Richard Curtis to feature Hugh Grant...
, and the dim-witted Hugo Horton in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
television series The Vicar of Dibley
The Vicar of Dibley
The Vicar of Dibley is a British sitcom created by Richard Curtis and written for its lead actress, Dawn French, by Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer, with contributions from Kit Hesketh-Harvey. It aired from 1994 to 2007...
.
Personal life
Fleet was born in BilstonBilston
Bilston is a town in the English county of West Midlands, situated in the southeastern corner of the City of Wolverhampton. Three wards of Wolverhampton City Council cover the town: Bilston East and Bilston North, which almost entirely comprise parts of the historic Borough of Bilston, and...
to a Scottish mother
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Christine and an English
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...
father Jim. He lived in Bilston
Bilston
Bilston is a town in the English county of West Midlands, situated in the southeastern corner of the City of Wolverhampton. Three wards of Wolverhampton City Council cover the town: Bilston East and Bilston North, which almost entirely comprise parts of the historic Borough of Bilston, and...
until he was ten, but when his father died, he moved to Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
with his mother. He studied engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
at university in Aberdeen, where he joined the university dramatic society. Afterwards, he studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is a conservatoire of music, drama, and dance in the centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Educational Association, it is the busiest performing arts venue in Scotland...
in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. He lives in Sibford Gower
Sibford Gower
Sibford Gower is a village and civil parish about west of Banbury in Oxfordshire, sited on one side of the Sib valley.The Church of England parish church of the Holy Trinity was built in 1840...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
with his wife, Jane, and their one son, Hamish. He is a keen biker.
Stage
Fleet began his career in the RSCRoyal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
, appearing in several plays in the early 1980s. He has since appeared in touring productions of, among others, Habeas Corpus
Habeas Corpus (play)
Habeas Corpus is a comedy stage play by the English author Alan Bennett. It was first performed at the Lyric Theatre in London on 10 May 1973, with Alec Guinness and Margaret Courtenay in the lead roles....
and In the Club, as well as in Festen and Mary Stuart and others in the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
.
He also played Alderman Fitzwarren in Dick Whittington in 2002.
In 2009 he portrayed Sir Andrew Augecheek in the RSC Production of Twelfth Night. And in 2011 he is in Richard Bean
Richard Bean
Richard Bean, born in East Hull in 1956, is an English playwright.-Early years:Bean studied Social Psychology at Loughborough University of Science and Technology and graduated with a 2-1 BSc Hons, and went on to become an occupational psychologist, having previously worked in a bread plant for a...
's The Heretic directed by Jeremy Herrin
Jeremy Herrin
Jeremy Herrin is an English theatre director and currently the Deputy Artistic Director of the Royal Court Theatre in London. He trained as a theatre director at both the Royal Court and the National Theatre...
at the Royal Court Theatre
Royal 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...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In November 2011 he will be in The Ladykillers as Major Courtney at the Gielgud Theatre
Gielgud Theatre
The Gielgud Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, London, at the corner of Rupert Street. The house currently has 889 seats on three levels.-History:...
.
Radio
Between 2000 and 2006, Fleet played the painfully upright and decent Captain Brimshaw in Revolting PeopleRevolting People
Revolting People is a BBC Radio 4 situation comedy set in colonial Baltimore, Maryland, just before the American Revolutionary War. The series is written by the Briton Andy Hamilton and the American Jay Tarses, with Tarses playing a sour shopkeeper named Samuel Oliphant and Hamilton playing a...
, a 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...
comedy set in pre-revolutionary America. He also appeared in the radio legal sitcom Chambers, which later moved onto television. As of 2005, he has starred as Duncan Stonebridge MP in the topical radio sitcom The Party Line
The Party Line (radio)
The Party Line is a British radio sitcom, co-written by Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis, and produced by Adam Bromley. It was originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 2005 and 2008. The show stars James Fleet as Duncan Stonebridge, a Member of Parliament for the imaginary constituency of...
. He also appeared as the Captain on the BBC Radio 7 series The Spaceship
The Spaceship
The Spaceship is a science fiction comedy set in the year 2104 and onwards that premiered on BBC Radio 7 over the course of five days during the last week of June 2005...
. He also plays the part of Sir John Woodstock in the Radio Four sitcom, The Castle
The Castle
The Castle is a novel by Franz Kafka. In it a protagonist, known only as K., struggles to gain access to the mysterious authorities of a castle who govern the village for unknown reasons...
.
Television
Probably his most famous role is that of Hugo in The Vicar of DibleyThe Vicar of Dibley
The Vicar of Dibley is a British sitcom created by Richard Curtis and written for its lead actress, Dawn French, by Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer, with contributions from Kit Hesketh-Harvey. It aired from 1994 to 2007...
; he appeared in all 24 episodes, broadcast between 1994 and 2007. In 2007 he was a guest star in one episode of the sitcom Legit
Legit (TV series)
Legit was a Scottish sitcom produced by The Comedy Unit, written by Robert Florence and Iain Connell and broadcast on BBC One Scotland. The pilot episode aired on 16 September 2006 to much critical acclaim and positive reviews. The first series started on the September 7, 2007 with the pilot...
. He appeared as Frederick Dorrit in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's 2008 production of Little Dorrit
Little Dorrit (TV serial)
Little Dorrit is a 2008 British television serial directed by Adam Smith, Dearbhla Walsh, and Diarmuid Lawrence. The teleplay by Andrew Davies is based on the serial novel of the same title by Charles Dickens, originally published between 1855 and 1857....
.
When Fleet appeared on the quiz show School's Out
School's Out (TV series)
School's Out was a BBC television series hosted by Danny Wallace. Based on the premise of school subjects, celebrity contestants are asked questions they would have been asked at school.-Rounds:...
, it was revealed that one of his teachers at Banff
Banff, Aberdeenshire
Banff is a town in the Banff and Buchan area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Banff is situated on Banff Bay and faces the town of Macduff across the estuary of the River Deveron...
Academy had written in his school report that "[James] is the stupidest boy I have ever had to teach, out of all the stupid boys I have ever had to teach", and that he was the only student in his sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
not to have been made a prefect
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
. Despite his apparent lack of scholastic ability, he still won the show. Recently in 2009, Fleet appeared in a cameo role in the third series of Skins
Skins (TV series)
Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death...
.
Earlier in his career, Fleet was seen in a 1983 episode of Grange Hill
Grange Hill
Grange Hill is a British television drama series originally made by the BBC. The show began in 1978 on BBC1 and was one of the longest running programmes on British television...
as a teacher at the eponymous school's upmarket rival Rodney Bennett.
Fleet appeared in Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
in 2010. He played a character called Robbie Sloan, a recently released convict
Convict
A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
, helping escaped prisoner Tony Gordon
Tony Gordon
Anthony "Tony" Gordon was a fictional character in the itv soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by actor Gray O'Brien. The character first appeared on screen on 16 September 2007 and making his final appearance on 9 June 2010 after deciding to sacrifice himself in the Underworld fire. He is a...
plot revenge. Sloan was eventually shot by Gordon during a siege at the factory.
In February 2011, Fleet appeared as George (senior), the father of werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
George Sands, in Being Human
Being Human
- Plot :The film portrays the experience of a single human soul, portrayed by Williams, through various incarnations. Williams is the only common actor throughout the stories that span man's history on Earth....
.
Film
Fleet has starred in numerous films. He played the role of Lefevre in the 2004 film adaptation of Phantom of the OperaThe Phantom of the Opera (2004 film)
The Phantom of the Opera is a 2004 film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical of the same name, which in turn was based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux....
, John Dashwood in 1995's Sense and Sensibility and that of Lytton Strachey
Lytton Strachey
Giles Lytton Strachey was a British writer and critic. He is best known for establishing a new form of biography in which psychological insight and sympathy are combined with irreverence and wit...
in the 2003 film Al Sur de Granada
Al sur de Granada
Al sur de Granada is a 2003 film written and directed by Fernando Colomo, based on the book by Gerald Brenan...
(South from Granada).
Select Filmography
- Still Crazy Like a FoxStill Crazy Like a FoxStill Crazy Like a Fox was a 1987 American television movie starring Jack Warden and John Rubinstein as a father and son team of private detectives who become mixed up in a high-level murder case whilst on vacation in England. It is most noted for the appearance of Monty Python Graham Chapman in a...
(19871987 in film-Events:*January 31 - The Cure for Insomnia premieres at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois, to officially become the world's longest film according to Guinness World Records....
) (TVTelevision movieA television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
) - Four Weddings and a FuneralFour Weddings and a FuneralFour Weddings and a Funeral is a 1994 British comedy film directed by Mike Newell. It was the first of several films by screenwriter Richard Curtis to feature Hugh Grant...
(19941994 in film1994 was a significant year in film.The top grosser worldwide was The Lion King, which to date stands as the highest-grossing traditionally-animated film of all time...
) - The Vicar of DibleyThe Vicar of DibleyThe Vicar of Dibley is a British sitcom created by Richard Curtis and written for its lead actress, Dawn French, by Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer, with contributions from Kit Hesketh-Harvey. It aired from 1994 to 2007...
(1994–2007) (TV series - as Hugo Horton) - El efecto mariposa (film) (1995, directed by Fernando ColomoFernando ColomoFernando Colomo , is a Spanish film producer, screenwriter and film director. He has acted in small roles in his films and others.- Filmography :*1973 Mañana llega el presidente *1974 En un país imaginario...
) - Sense and Sensibility (19951995 in film-Top grossing films:-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.* March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation....
) - ChambersChambersChambers may refer to:Places*In Canada:**Chambers Township, Ontario*In the United States:**Chambers County, Alabama**Chambers, Arizona, an unincorporated community in Apache County**Chambers, Nebraska**Chambers Township, Holt County, Nebraska...
(1996) (Radio) - A Dance to the Music of TimeA Dance to the Music of TimeA Dance to the Music of Time is a twelve-volume cycle of novels by Anthony Powell, inspired by the painting of the same name by Nicolas Poussin. One of the longest works of fiction in literature, it was published between 1951 and 1975 to critical acclaim...
(19971997 in film-Events:* The original Star Wars trilogy's Special Editions are released.* Production begins on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.* Titanic becomes the first film to gross US$1,000,000,000 at the box office making it the highest grossing film in history until Avatar broke the record in 2010.*...
) (miniseriesMiniseriesA miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
- as Hugh Moreland) - ChambersChambers (series)Chambers was a BBC radio and television sitcom. It was written by barrister Clive Coleman and starred John Bird and Sarah Lancashire in both versions. The radio version was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in three series between 1996 and 1999, and the television version was broadcast on BBC One...
(2000) (TV) - Kevin & Perry Go LargeKevin & Perry Go LargeKevin & Perry Go Large is a 2000 British comedy film based upon the Harry Enfield sketch Kevin the Teenager. The film was directed by Ed Bye and was written by Dave Cummings and Harry Enfield. Enfield, Kathy Burke and Louisa Rix all return to their roles after previously appearing in Harry...
(20002000 in filmThe year 2000 in film involved some significant events.The top grosser worldwide was Mission: Impossible II. Domestically in North America, Gladiator won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor ....
) - Young ArthurYoung ArthurYoung Arthur was a 2002 NBC tv drama on the childhood of King Arthur, directed by Mikael Salomon and written by Remi Aubuchon and Graham Yost. Filming occurred in Prague.-Cast:*Julian Morris - Arthur*James Fleet - Merlin...
(20022002 in filmThe year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of...
) - Two Men Went to WarTwo Men Went to WarTwo Men Went to War is a 2002 British film based on a true World War II story, from Raymond Foxall's book Amateur Commandos which describes the adventures of two army dentists who sneak off on their own personal invasion of France...
(20022002 in filmThe year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of...
) - "BlackballBlackballBlackball, black-ball or black ball may refer to:-Society and culture:* Blackballing, ostracizing someone socially, e.g. prevention of finding local or field-specific employment, blacklisting from a club or other organization, etc-Geography:...
" (2003 in film ¦ 2003) - The Phantom of the OperaThe Phantom of the Opera (2004 film)The Phantom of the Opera is a 2004 film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical of the same name, which in turn was based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux....
(20042004 in filmThe year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
) - The SpaceshipThe SpaceshipThe Spaceship is a science fiction comedy set in the year 2104 and onwards that premiered on BBC Radio 7 over the course of five days during the last week of June 2005...
(2005–2008) (Radio) - A Cock and Bull StoryA Cock and Bull StoryA Cock and Bull Story is a 2006 British comedy film directed by Michael Winterbottom...
(20062006 in film- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
) - Lady Godiva: Back in the SaddleLady Godiva: Back in the SaddleLady Godiva: Back in the Saddle is a 2007 British comedy film directed by Baz Taylor and starring James Fleet, Caroline Harker and Phil Cornwell...
(2007) - Harley StreetHarley Street (TV series)Harley Street is a British television medical drama shown on ITV in 2008.The series was made by Carnival Films and was set in Harley Street, London...
(2008) - Hotel BabylonHotel BabylonHotel Babylon was a BBC television drama series based on the book of the same name by Imogen Edwards-Jones, that aired from 19 January 2006 to 14 August 2009, produced by independent production company Carnival Films for BBC One...
(2009) - Coronation StreetCoronation StreetCoronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
- as Robbie Sloane (2010)