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Birthday: February 29, 1928
Birthplace: North Kensington, London, England
Birth Name: Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland
Biography from 1991 Bogus Journey Press Kit
JOSS ACKLAND (De Nomolos) is an accomplished stage, film and television actor
who has had an extensive career in both England and the United States.
On film, he co-starred in "Lethal Weapon 2," "White
Mischief," "The Sicilian," "Saint Jack" and "The
Three Musketeers." He also had roles in Peter Greenway?s cult film
"A Zed and Two Noughts" as well as "Lady Jane," for director
Trevor Nunn. Ackland was recently featured in "The Object of Beauty"
and "Sheltering Desert," with Jason Connery.
On television, Ackland co-starred in Turner Entertainment?s "The
Secret Life of Ian Fleming," as well as in countless BBC television
productions, including "Shadowlands," "First & Last,"
"Barretts of Wimpole Street" and "Coriolanus."
Among Ackland?s theatre credits are starring roles in the British
productions of such musicals as "Evita" (where he originated the role
of Peron) and "A Little Night Music."
Ackland attended England?s Central School of Music and Drama at the age of
16 and a year later made his West End stage debut in "The Hasty
Heart." He then went on to Stratford and four years of repertory theatre in
both England and the U.S. Returning to England in the early sixties, he began
taking on major Shakespearean roles in such plays as "Henry V"
(playing Pistol) and "Twelfth Night" (as Toby Belch) before steadily
branching out into film and television.
Updated Biography
When an actor's career spans as many years and covers as many
different areas as Joss Ackland's has, one has to define him as a legend in his
field. Undoubtedly his most noted role was that of the bad guy in Lethal
Weapon 2, but he was also memorable in The Hunt for Red October and
as Brig. Hansing in a 1969 episode of the popular British series The Avengers.
Other films Joss Ackland has appeared in include Once Upon a
Crime, The Mighty Ducks, The Sheltering Sky, Nowhere to Run, Mad Dogs and
Englishmen, A Kid in King Arthur's Court, Surviving Picasso, My Giant, K-19: The
Widowmaker, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, Asylum and
Moscow Zero. Recently he appeared in the 2007 movie Flawless
and the indie film How About You?
Television appearances include roles in Destination Downing
Street, Sherlock Holmes, several episodes of The Troubleshooters, Tales
of the Unexpected and Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. In 2005
he appeared in a miniseries starring Patrick Swayze called Icon.
More recently he has appeared in the made-for-TV films Icon (starring
opposite Patrick Swayze), Above and Beyond (in which he played Winston
Churchill) and Hogfather (by sci-fi author Terry Pratchett).
But Ackland started his career on the stage, taking a break from
the stage to live in South Africa for a couple of years, then joining England's
famous Old Vic in 1957 upon his return. From 1962 to 1964 he was Associate
Director of the Mermaid Theatre. On stage he portrayed the roles of
Falstaff in Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, Captain Shotover in Heartbreak
House, Captain Hook in Peter Pan and Juan Peron in Evita.
On December 31st, 2000, Joss Ackland was honored for his 50
years of work on the stage and screen and made a Commander of the British Empire
(CBE).
He has recently appeared in the made-for-TV
movie Pinocchio, and will have roles in the upcoming films Prisoners of the Sun and
Katherine of Alexandria.
Last updated: 12/25/10
For a list of
Joss Ackland's acting credits,
please visit the Internet Movie Database
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