Tim Bentinck, 12th Earl of Portland
Encyclopedia
Timothy Charles Robert Noel Bentinck, 12th Earl of Portland, 8th Count Bentinck und Waldeck Limpurg (born 1 June 1953) is an English
peer
and member of the House of Bentinck. He is usually known as Tim Bentinck and is an actor
, most widely known for his long-running role as David Archer in the BBC Radio 4
series The Archers
.
, Bentinck was born on a sheep station
in Tasmania
. He was brought home to England
when he was two and grew up in the Hertfordshire
town of Berkhamsted
. He attended a local prep school
and Harrow School
, then attended the University of East Anglia
(UEA), where he spent most of his time at its drama society before receiving a BA
degree in the History of Art. After graduation, he then trained for an acting career at the Bristol Old Vic
Theatre School.
series The Archers
and Tom Lacey in the BBC drama series "By the Sword Divided" (1983-85). He is also a voice-over
artist, having provided the voice of James Bond
for the video-game "The World Is Not Enough
." Bentinck has many theatre, television and film credits. He played a pirate in The Pirates of Penzance
on film and stage, understudying, and eventually taking over from Tim Curry
, the role of the Pirate King in the London production.
He is also an inventor with several patents to his name, as well as a programmer/web site designer, musician, and writer.
died, and Tim's father Henry
, sixth cousin of Victor, succeeded to the earldom of Portland
. In 1997, Tim Bentinck succeeded his father. Although he took his seat in the unreformed upper house, Tim did not speak there before losing the right to do so as a result of the House of Lords Act 1999
, and apart from a lecture tour of the United States on English Eccentrics
, he has not used this title.
On 29 December 1732, the Hon. William Bentinck, Baron of the Duchy of Guelders (second surviving son of Hans Willem Bentinck
) was made a Count of the Holy Roman Empire (Graf
Bentinck ) by Imperial Letters Patent
. This title continues to be held by Tim Bentinck and his heirs.
Bentinck is descended from King William IV and his mistress Dorothea Jordan.
The Thick of It
,
Doctors,
Broken News
,
Shadow Play
,
The Armando Iannucci Shows
,
A Prince Among Men
,
Grange Hill
,
Made in Heaven
,
Square Deal
, and
By the Sword Divided
.
Bentinck married the milliner Judith Emerson in 1979, and they have two sons.
|-
of the Holy Roman Empire
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...
peer
Peerage of England
The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. In that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were replaced by one Peerage of Great Britain....
and member of the House of Bentinck. He is usually known as Tim Bentinck and is an 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...
, most widely known for his long-running role as David Archer 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...
series 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"...
.
Background and education
The son of the non-conformist intellectual Henry BentinckHenry Bentinck, 11th Earl of Portland
Henry Noel Bentinck, 11th Earl of Portland, 7th Count Bentinck und Waldeck Limpurg was a non-conformist intellectual, concerned about the environment....
, Bentinck was born on a sheep station
Sheep station
A sheep station is a large property in Australia or New Zealand whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or south-west of the country. In New Zealand the Merinos are usually in the high country of the South...
in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. He was brought home to England
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...
when he was two and grew up in the Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
town of Berkhamsted
Berkhamsted
-Climate:Berkhamsted experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Castle:...
. He attended a local prep school
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
and Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
, then attended the University of East Anglia
University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia is a public research university based in Norwich, United Kingdom. It was established in 1963, and is a founder-member of the 1994 Group of research-intensive universities.-History:...
(UEA), where he spent most of his time at its drama society before receiving 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...
degree in the History of Art. After graduation, he then trained for an acting career at the Bristol Old Vic
Bristol Old Vic
The Bristol Old Vic is a theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, King Street, in Bristol, England. The theatre complex includes the 1766 Theatre Royal, which claims to be the oldest continually-operating theatre in England, along with a 1970s studio theatre , offices and backstage facilities...
Theatre School.
Career
Bentinck has been an actor since 1982 and is best known for the roles of David Archer in the BBC Radio 4BBC 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...
series 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"...
and Tom Lacey in the BBC drama series "By the Sword Divided" (1983-85). He is also a voice-over
Voice-over
Voice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...
artist, having provided the voice of James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
for the video-game "The World Is Not Enough
The World Is Not Enough (video game)
The World Is Not Enough is a 2000 first-person shooter video game based on the James Bond film of the same name. The game was published by Electronic Arts and released for the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation console systems in 2000. The Nintendo 64 version was developed by Eurocom and the PlayStation...
." Bentinck has many theatre, television and film credits. He played a pirate in The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
on film and stage, understudying, and eventually taking over from Tim Curry
Tim Curry
Timothy James "Tim" Curry is a British actor, singer, composer and voice actor, known for his work in a diverse range of theatre, film and television productions. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California....
, the role of the Pirate King in the London production.
He is also an inventor with several patents to his name, as well as a programmer/web site designer, musician, and writer.
Titles
In 1990, Victor Cavendish-Bentinck, 9th Duke of PortlandVictor Cavendish-Bentinck, 9th Duke of Portland
Victor Frederick William Cavendish-Bentinck, 9th Duke of Portland , the younger brother of Ferdinand William Cavendish-Bentinck, 8th Duke of Portland, was a British diplomat and held the post of Ambassador to Poland...
died, and Tim's father Henry
Henry Bentinck, 11th Earl of Portland
Henry Noel Bentinck, 11th Earl of Portland, 7th Count Bentinck und Waldeck Limpurg was a non-conformist intellectual, concerned about the environment....
, sixth cousin of Victor, succeeded to the earldom of Portland
Earl of Portland
Earl of Portland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England, first in 1633 and again in 1689.-First creation :The title of Earl of Portland was first created for the politician Richard Weston, 1st Baron Weston, in 1633...
. In 1997, Tim Bentinck succeeded his father. Although he took his seat in the unreformed upper house, Tim did not speak there before losing the right to do so as a result of the House of Lords Act 1999
House of Lords Act 1999
The House of Lords Act 1999 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. The Act reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. For centuries, the House of Lords had included several hundred members who inherited their seats;...
, and apart from a lecture tour of the United States on English Eccentrics
English Eccentrics and Eccentricities
English Eccentrics and Eccentricities was written by John Timbs and published first in two volumes by Richard Bentley in New Burlington Street, London, in 1866...
, he has not used this title.
On 29 December 1732, the Hon. William Bentinck, Baron of the Duchy of Guelders (second surviving son of Hans Willem Bentinck
William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland
Hans William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland, Baron Bentinck of Diepenheim and Schoonheten, KG, PC was a Dutch and English nobleman who became in an early stage the favourite of William, Prince of Orange, Stadtholder in the Netherlands, and future King of England. He was steady, sensible, modest...
) was made a Count of the Holy Roman Empire (Graf
Graf
Graf is a historical German noble title equal in rank to a count or a British earl...
Bentinck ) by Imperial Letters Patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
. This title continues to be held by Tim Bentinck and his heirs.
Bentinck is descended from King William IV and his mistress Dorothea Jordan.
Television
Bentinck's roles on television include episodes ofThe Thick of It
The Thick of It
The Thick of It is a British comedy television series that satirises the inner workings of modern British government. It was first broadcast on BBC Four in 2005, and has so far completed fourteen half-hour episodes and two special hour-long episodes to coincide with Christmas and Gordon Brown's...
,
Doctors,
Broken News
Broken News
Broken News is a comedy programme shown on BBC Two in autumn 2005 and in Australia on SBS-TV from the 17 July 2006. The show poked fun at the world of 24-hour rolling news channels. The title of the show is a play on the phrase "Breaking News". It had six thirty-minute episodes...
,
Shadow Play
Shadow Play
-Television:*Shadow Play , a PBS documentary about the rise and fall of the Suharto regime in Indonesia*"Shadow Play" , an episode of the original television series The Twilight Zone...
,
The Armando Iannucci Shows
The Armando Iannucci Shows
The Armando Iannucci Shows is a series of eight programmes directed by Armando Iannucci and written by Iannucci with Andy Riley and Kevin Cecil. It was shown on UK's Channel 4 from September to October 2001...
,
A Prince Among Men
A Prince Among Men
A Prince Among Men is a somewhat unsuccessful British sitcom that ran on BBC1 from 1997 to 1998 lasting 12 episodes. It starred Chris Barrie as Gary Prince, a former international football star turned entrepreneur. The theme music was by Jamie Marshall....
,
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...
,
Made in Heaven
Made in Heaven
Made in Heaven is the fifteenth studio album by British rock group Queen and the final one to feature lead singer Freddie Mercury and bassist John Deacon, released on 6 November 1995...
,
Square Deal
Square Deal
The Square Deal was President Theodore Roosevelt's domestic program formed upon three basic ideas: conservation of natural resources, control of corporations, and consumer protection...
, and
By the Sword Divided
By the Sword Divided
By the Sword Divided is a British television series produced by the BBC between 1983 and 1985.The series was a historical drama set during the mid 17th century, dealing with the impact of the English Civil War on the fictional Lacey family, made up of both Royalist and Parliamentarian supporters.It...
.
Family
Bentinck married the milliner Judith Emerson in 1979, and they have two sons.
External links
- Bentinck's website
- Biography at BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC 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...
|-
of the Holy Roman Empire