Clive Swift
Clive Swift | |
|---|---|
| Born | Clive Walter Swift |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1965–present |
| Spouse | Margaret Drabble (1960–75) |
Clive Walter Swift (born 9 February 1936) is a British actor who is best known for his starring role as Richard Bucket in the British sitcom Keeping Up Appearances.
Swift was born in Liverpool, England, the son of Lily Rebecca (née Greenman) and Abram Sampson Swift.[1] He was educated at Clifton College and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where he read English literature. He was previously a teacher at LAMDA and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Swift has appeared in many TV series and movies. In the 1970s, he appeared as 'Doctor Black' in two of the BBC's M.R. James adaptations: The Stalls of Barchester and A Warning to the Curious. He is most noted for his performance in Keeping Up Appearances, starring as Richard Bucket, the long-suffering husband of Hyacinth. He also starred in the BBC adaptation of The Barchester Chronicles and appeared in the Doctor Who story Revelation of the Daleks. On 25 December 2007, he appeared in a Doctor Who Christmas special as Mr Copper. He also played Sir Ector, the adopted father of King Arthur in John Boorman's 1981 film Excalibur
Swift was formerly married to novelist Margaret Drabble (1960-1975). He is the father of one daughter, Rebecca, who runs The Literary Consultancy in London's Free Word Centre and two sons, Adam, an academic, and Joe Swift, a TV gardener. His brother, David Swift, is also a well-known actor.
As well as acting, he is a songwriter. Many of his songs are included in his show, Richard Bucket Overflows: An Audience with Clive Swift, which toured the UK in 2007 and Clive Swift Entertains, performing his own music and lyrics, which toured the UK in 2009.
Film
- Death Line (1972)
- Frenzy (1972)
- The National Health (1973)
- Excalibur (1981)
- A Passage to India (1984)
Television
- The Old Guys as Roy
- Born and Bred as Reverend Brewer
- Peak Practice as Norman Shorthose
- Aristocrats (TV mini-series) as King George II
- Keeping Up Appearances as Richard Bucket
- Doctor Who
- Revelation of the Daleks as Jobel
- Voyage of the Damned as Mr Copper
- Waugh on Crime as Inspector Waugh
- Beasts - "The Dummy" as Bunny
- First Among Equals as Alec Pimkin
- Inspector Morse - The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn as Doctor Bartlett
- The Liver Birds - as Jim Royle
- Stalls of Barchester
- A Warning to the Curious
- South Riding
- The Pickwick Papers (1985 television series)
Radio
- Oblomov as the Doctor
- The Right Time
- From Fact to Fiction - The Orchard as The Narrator
- Measure for Measure as Escalus
Stage
- Cymbeline (1962) as Cloten
Television roles
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | The Nesbitts Are Coming | Ernie Nesbitt |
| 1985 | The Pickwick Papers | Tracy Tupman |
| 1985/2007 | Doctor Who | Jobel/Mr. Copper |
| 1990 to 1995 | Keeping Up Appearances | Richard Bucket |
| 2009 to Present | The Old Guys | Roy Bowden |
References
External links
- Clive Swift at IMDb