James Laurenson
Encyclopedia
James Laurenson is a New Zealand
actor
, who has performed many classical roles on stage and television.
Laurenson was born in Marton, New Zealand
. He relocated to the UK in the 1960s and made his film debut in 1969 with a small part in Women in Love
, although he also had an uncredited part (as an Oxford rower, playing alongside Graham Chapman
) in The Magic Christian
.
He has appeared in numerous British Shakespearean
productions, notably Richard II
, as Rosencrantz in Hamlet
, and on radio in the marathon series, Vivat Rex. He also appeared as Piers Gaveston
in the 1970 production of Christopher Marlowe
's Edward II
, opposite Ian McKellen
who later recalled that kissing Laurenson "was a bonus throughout the run". Other costume roles included a French courtier in Elizabeth R
and the Earl of Lincoln in Shadow of the Tower (1972). In the same year, he took on a more modern role starring as Det. Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte in the Australian TV drama series Boney
, playing a half-Aboriginal
detective, and this would be his most high-profile part, although the casting of a non-Aboriginal in the role was attacked by some Australian critics. In 1974 he took the lead role in the TV film The Prison, based on the novel by Georges Simenon
, the first instalment in the Thames Television
/Euston Films
spin-off of Armchair Theatre
, entitled Armchair Cinema.
An accomplished singer, Laurenson took the lead role of Julian Marsh in Gower Champion's musical 42nd Street at Drury Lane Theatre, London, and appeared at Greenwich Theatre in Falling Over England with Charlotte Cornwell.
In later years, Laurenson has had supporting roles in numerous popular TV series such as Prime Suspect, Sharpe
, A Touch of Frost
, Cagney and Lacey, Heartbeat, Silent Witness
, Taggart
and State of Play.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
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...
, who has performed many classical roles on stage and television.
Laurenson was born in Marton, New Zealand
Marton, New Zealand
Marton is the hub of the Rangitikei district of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. It is situated 35 kilometres southeast of Wanganui and 40 kilometres northwest of Palmerston North. The population was 4752 .-History:...
. He relocated to the UK in the 1960s and made his film debut in 1969 with a small part in Women in Love
Women in Love (film)
Women in Love is a 1969 British film directed by Ken Russell. It stars Alan Bates , Oliver Reed, Glenda Jackson and Jennie Linden. The film was adapted by Larry Kramer from the novel of the same name by D. H. Lawrence....
, although he also had an uncredited part (as an Oxford rower, playing alongside Graham Chapman
Graham Chapman
Graham Arthur Chapman was a British comedian, physician, writer, actor, and one of the six members of the Monty Python comedy troupe.-Early life and education:...
) in The Magic Christian
The Magic Christian (film)
The Magic Christian is a 1969 British comedy film directed by Joseph McGrath and starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr, with noteworthy appearances by John Cleese, Raquel Welch, Christopher Lee, Richard Attenborough and Roman Polanski. It was loosely adapted from the 1959 comic novel of the same...
.
He has appeared in numerous British Shakespearean
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
productions, notably Richard II
Richard II (play)
King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
, as Rosencrantz in Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
, and on radio in the marathon series, Vivat Rex. He also appeared as Piers Gaveston
Piers Gaveston
Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall was an English nobleman of Gascon origin, and the favourite of King Edward II of England. At a young age he made a good impression on King Edward I of England, and was assigned to the household of the King's son, Edward of Carnarvon...
in the 1970 production of Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. As the foremost Elizabethan tragedian, next to William Shakespeare, he is known for his blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his mysterious death.A warrant was issued for Marlowe's arrest on 18 May...
's Edward II
Edward II (play)
Edward II is a Renaissance or Early Modern period play written by Christopher Marlowe. It is one of the earliest English history plays. The full title of the first publication is The Troublesome Reign and Lamentable Death of Edward the Second, King of England, with the Tragical Fall of Proud...
, opposite 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...
who later recalled that kissing Laurenson "was a bonus throughout the run". Other costume roles included a French courtier in Elizabeth R
Elizabeth R
Elizabeth R is a BBC television drama serial of six 85-minute plays starring Glenda Jackson in the title role. It was first broadcast on BBC2 from February to March 1971, through the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Australia and broadcast in America on PBS's Masterpiece Theatre.- Episodes...
and the Earl of Lincoln in Shadow of the Tower (1972). In the same year, he took on a more modern role starring as Det. Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte in the Australian TV drama series Boney
Boney (TV series)
Boney is an Australian television series produced by Fauna Productions during 1971 and 1972, featuring James Laurenson in the title role of Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte...
, playing a half-Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
detective, and this would be his most high-profile part, although the casting of a non-Aboriginal in the role was attacked by some Australian critics. In 1974 he took the lead role in the TV film The Prison, based on the novel by Georges Simenon
Georges Simenon
Georges Joseph Christian Simenon was a Belgian writer. A prolific author who published nearly 200 novels and numerous short works, Simenon is best known for the creation of the fictional detective Maigret.-Early life and education:...
, the first instalment in the Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
/Euston Films
Euston Films
Euston Films was a British film and television production company. It was a subsidiary company of Thames Television, and operated from the 1970s to the 1990s, producing various series for Thames, which were screened nationally on the ITV network...
spin-off of Armchair Theatre
Armchair Theatre
Armchair Theatre is a British television drama anthology series, which ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by Associated British Corporation, and later by Thames Television after 1968....
, entitled Armchair Cinema.
An accomplished singer, Laurenson took the lead role of Julian Marsh in Gower Champion's musical 42nd Street at Drury Lane Theatre, London, and appeared at Greenwich Theatre in Falling Over England with Charlotte Cornwell.
In later years, Laurenson has had supporting roles in numerous popular TV series such as Prime Suspect, Sharpe
Sharpe (TV series)
Sharpe is a British series of television dramas starring Sean Bean about Richard Sharpe, a fictional British soldier in the Napoleonic Wars. Sharpe is the hero of a number of novels by Bernard Cornwell; most, though not all, of the episodes are based on the books...
, A Touch of Frost
A Touch of Frost (TV series)
A Touch of Frost is a television detective series produced by Yorkshire Television for ITV from 1992 until 2010, initially based on the Frost novels by R. D. Wingfield....
, Cagney and Lacey, Heartbeat, Silent Witness
Silent Witness
Silent Witness is a BBC crime thriller series focusing on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in February 1996, the series is still airing to the present day, with a fifteenth series expected to air in January 2012. The series was...
, Taggart
Taggart
Taggart is a Scottish detective television programme, created by Glenn Chandler, who has written many of the episodes, and made by STV Productions for the ITV network...
and State of Play.