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Jim Piddock

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Jim Piddock
Piddock exiting the premiere of the film Mascots at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival
Born
James Anthony Piddock

(1956-04-08) 8 April 1956 (age 68)
Rochester, Kent, England
OccupationActor
Years active1985–present

James Anthony Piddock (born 8 April 1956) is an English actor, writer, and producer who began his career on the stage in the United Kingdom, before emigrating to the United States in 1981.

Personal life

Piddock was born in Rochester, Kent, the son of Celia Mary (née O'Callaghan) and Charles Frederick Piddock.[1] After completing his tertiary studies at Worth School, a Roman Catholic Benedictine boarding school in the south of England, Piddock attended London University, gaining an Honours degree in English literature.[citation needed]

Despite being a resident of California since 1985, he founded a Supporters Trust for the South London football team he had supported since childhood, Crystal Palace, which helped lead the club out of administration and avoid liquidation in 2000. The unique model for this Trust has since been incorporated by supporters of football clubs across the United Kingdom. Piddock is often seen attending Crystal Palace games when he is in England.

He has a daughter, Alexandra, from his former marriage with writer Margaret Oberman. Piddock is currently engaged to actress Ann Cusack, who he has been with since 2011.

Career

Piddock began his acting career on the stage in the UK, before emigrating to the US in his early twenties. He made his US theatrical debut in a one-man show, The Boy's Own Story, in 1982. A large number of film and television credits followed, most notably Lethal Weapon 2, Independence Day, The Prestige, Austin Powers in Goldmember, The Five-Year Engagement, Think Like a Man Too, and several Christopher Guest films, including Best in Show and A Mighty Wind.[2][3]

Stage career

Piddock made his theatrical debut in the US in The Boy's Own Story, a one-man show about a football (soccer) goalkeeper, at the Julian Theatre in San Francisco. The show won Piddock the Bay Area Critics' Best Actor Award. The show was then produced Off-Broadway. That same year (1982), he was cast in Noël Coward's Present Laughter, and other Broadway and Off-Broadway shows followed, including the original US production of Noises Off, The Knack at the Roundabout Theatre, Make and Break, and Design For Living.[2][3] He won a Drama Desk award for his performance in Noises Off.

"I spent the first few years of my career pretty much doing nothing but stage work. I started in rep companies in England then did a one-man show in the US which led very quickly to doing several Broadway shows. I got very lucky early on. They were fun shows to do. I was in the first ever production of Noises Off in America and my first ever job in New York was being directed by and appearing with George C. Scott", Piddock said.[4] In the mid-1980s, Piddock moved to Los Angeles where he garnered work in film and television.

In November 2007, he cemented his growing reputation as one of the UK's most notable comedy actor exports at the Ricardo Montalbán Theatre in Hollywood, starring on stage in a production of What About Dick? alongside an all British expat cast, including Billy Connolly, Tim Curry, Eric Idle, Eddie Izzard, Jane Leeves, Emily Mortimer and Tracey Ullman.[5] When the play officially premiered in 2012, with the addition of Russell Brand, he was again in the cast.[6] He also appeared in 2009 at the Montalban Theatre and on Broadway in An Evening Without Monty Python.[2][3]

Piddock attending a Test match between England and Australia at Lord's cricket ground in August, 2019.

Film and television career

Following a successful stint as a stage performer, Piddock started successfully carving out a career for himself as a TV actor, now spanning four decades. "I'd always wanted to end up working in film and TV. I guess I could have stayed in New York and probably had a long and fruitful career in the theatre but in the mid-1980s I felt like it was time to change gears and I'd certainly not been short-changed in terms of getting to perform live", Piddock said of his transition into television.[7]

He has also appeared in several TV films and mini-series, including From The Earth to the Moon, A Mom for Christmas, She Creature on HBO, and The Women of Windsor.[2][3] He also created, wrote and produced the BBC series Too Much Sun.[2][3]

He appeared in the Christopher Guest comedies Best in Show (as the Dog Show commentator with Fred Willard), A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration, and Mascots, the last of which he co-wrote.[2][3]

Voice work

As a voice actor, Piddock provided the voice of Major Zero in the English version of the video game Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater as well as Agent One in Return to Castle Wolfenstein for Xbox and PlayStation 2. In film he provided the voice of Bolero the Bull in the film Garfield 2 and of Kenneth Loring, the fictional artistic director of Forever Young Films, in the commentary of the directors' cut of the Coen brothers' Blood Simple. He also voiced the part of King Mufasa's hornbill majordomo, Zazu in the Disney games Timon & Pumbaa's Jungle Games and The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure, Batman's butler, Alfred Pennyworth, in the DC Comics animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood, and voiced Chic for the animated science fiction film Dead Space: Downfall, based on the video game Dead Space.[8][9]

Later work

Piddock appeared in 2012's The Five-Year Engagement, which starred Jason Segel and Emily Blunt, playing Blunt's father, The Cold Light of Day starring Henry Cavill, Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver, and The Dictator with Sacha Baron Cohen.[2][3]

In August, 2012 it was announced[10] that Piddock would be co-writing, acting, and producing a new TV comedy series with Christopher Guest for HBO and the BBC titled Family Tree.[2][3] The show subsequently aired in 2013.

On 13 October 2016, Mascots, which he also co-wrote with Guest, stars in, and produced, premiered on Netflix. Since then he has appeared in several television shows, including Modern Family, Designated Survivor, Get Shorty, Training Day, Blunt Talk, and The Royals.

Writing and producing

Piddock sold his first screenplay in 1990 for a mid-six figure sum. Since then, his produced work has been diverse, ranging from Fox's $120 million grossing family film Tooth Fairy in 2010, starring Dwayne Johnson, Ashley Judd, Julie Andrews, Billy Crystal, and Stephen Merchant; New Line's action-comedy The Man, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Eugene Levy; and the Cold War romantic thriller A Different Loyalty, starring Sharon Stone and Rupert Everett. His other produced film writing credits include the thrillers Traces of Red (Samuel Goldwyn Company) and One Good Turn (First Look Pictures).

In November 2019, it was announced that his screenplay Frankel would begin shooting in 2020 with Jeremy Irons playing the lead role of Sir Henry Cecil.[11]

In the television world, Piddock created, wrote, and produced the BBC sitcom Too Much Sun, starring Mark Addy, Alex Jennings, and Lee Majors. In addition to writing, producing, and starring in the HBO/BBC series Family Tree, he has also written one-hour episodic dramas for U.S. television and several half-hour comedy pilots.

In 2019, Piddock optioned all the David Raker books, written by Tim Weaver, to develop as a UK/US returnable crime series and also teamed up with producer Mark Gordon to produce a series based on his one-hour pilot about a London gangster living in America, titled Faces.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1989 Lethal Weapon 2 Consulate Envoy
1992 Traces of Red Mr. Martyn Also writer
1996 Independence Day Reginald
1996 Multiplicity Maitre d'
1997 Burn Hollywood Burn Attendant #1
2000 Best in Show Trevor Beckwith
2002 Austin Powers in Goldmember Headmaster
2003 A Mighty Wind Leonard Crabbe
2004 See This Movie Martin Hughes
2004 A Different Loyalty George Quennell Also writer and co-producer
2005 Love for Rent Frank Bauman
2005 Death to the Supermodels Self-help Ryan (voice) Video
2006 Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties Bolero (voice)
2006 For Your Consideration Simon Whitset
2006 The Prestige Prosecutor
2007 Epic Movie Magneto
2007 Who's Your Caddy? Harrington
2007 The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising Old George
2008 Meet the Spartans Loyalist / Simon Cowell Look-a-Like
2008 Dead Space: Downfall Chic (voice) Video
2009 Falling Up Phillip Dowling
2009 Endless Bummer Mr. Newell
2010 You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger Peter Wicklow
2010 Get Him to the Greek Limousine Driver in London
2010 Batman: Under the Red Hood Alfred Pennyworth (voice) Video
2012 The Cold Light of Day Meckler
2012 The Five-Year Engagement George Barnes
2012 The Dictator Unknown Uncredited
2014 Think Like a Man Too Declan
2015 1915 Jeffrey
2015 Kill Your Friends Derek Sommers
2016 Mascots Owen Golly, Sr. Also writer and executive producer

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1985 Wildside Bank Robber Episode: "The Crimea of the Century"
1985 The Twilight Zone Brian Episode: "Take My Life... Please!/Devil's Alphabet/The Library"
1986 Fame The Record Producer Episode: "Fame and Fortune"
1987 The Tracey Ullman Show Derrick 2 episodes
1988 Max Headroom Mr. Kelly Episode: "Neurostim"
1988 CBS Summer Playhouse Hank Episode: "Old Money"
1989 Tour of Duty Maj. Shadlow Episode: "Lonely at the Top"
1990 A Mom for Christmas Wilkins Television film
1990–1991 Coach Alan / Attendant 2 episodes
1993 Murder, She Wrote Malcolm Brooker Episode: "Murder in White"
1994–1996 Mad About You Logic Professor / Hal Conway 7 episodes
1997 Extreme Ghostbusters (voice) Episode: "The Sphinx"
1997–1998 Team Knight Rider Max Amendas 2 episodes
1998 From the Earth to the Moon John Hodge Episode: "Can We Do This?"
1998 The New Batman Adventures Martin (voice) Episode: "Cult of the Cat"[8]
1999 Tracey Takes On... Vicar Episode: "Hair"
2000 The Geena Davis Show Mr. Levenstein Episode: "Piece of Cake"
2000 Angel The Valet Episode: "The Trial"
2001 Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot (voice) 2 episodes
2001 Yes, Dear Vet Episode: "Worst in Show"
2001 Friends Dennis Phillips Episode: "The One After I Do"
2001 She Creature Captain Dunn Television film
2001 Citizen Baines Larry Episode: "The Appraisal"
2002 Maybe It's Me Judge Parks Episode: "The Quahog Festival Episode"
2002 The Drew Carey Show Lord Mercer 4 episodes
2002 ER Dr. Earl Whitehead Episode: "Chaos Theory"
2003 Crossing Jordan Norman Gibson Episode: "Family Ties"
2004 The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch Troy Nixon Television film
2005 Lost Francis Heatherton Episode: "Homecoming"
2006 That '70s Show TV Announcer (voice) Episode: "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"; uncredited
2006 Monk Jake Colbert Episode: "Mr. Monk Can't See a Thing"
2007 Without a Trace Dr. McNeil Episode: "Claus and Effect"
2008 The Middleman Arthur Mendelson Episode: "The Cursed Tuba Contingency"
2009 Dollhouse Biz Episode: "Stage Fright"
2009–2011 Batman: The Brave and the Bold Doctor Sivana, Dr. Watson, Calendar Man,
Shazam, Thaddeus Sivana Jr. (voice)		 4 episodes[8]
2010 Chuck Curator of Classical Art Episode: "Chuck Versus the Mask"
2010 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien King Urien, Color Commentator, Chair Umpire (voice) Episode: "Duped"
2010 Party Down Leland Corke Episode: "Not on Your Wife Opening Night"
2010 Law & Order: LA Jay Bickson Episode: "Hollywood"
2010 Castle Lord Henry Episode: "Punked"
2011 Up All Night Matthew Taylor Episode: "New Car"
2011 Two and a Half Men Edward Episode: "One False Move, Zimbabwe!"
2012 Touch Dr. Knox Episode: "Zone of Exclusion"
2012 Childrens Hospital Cyrus Mittleman Episode: "British Hospital"
2013 Family Tree Mr. Pfister 5 episodes; also writer and executive producer
2013 NTSF:SD:SUV:: Hobson Chipps Episode: "Hawaii Die-0"
2013 Work It Carl Episode: "My So-Called Mid-Life Crisis"
2014 Turbo Fast Sir Reginald, Rich Man #2 (voice) Episode: "A Tale of Two Turbos/The Escargot Affair"[8]
2014 Franklin & Bash Dean Casseday Episode: "Spirits in the Material World"
2014 Mom Kenneth Episode: "Forged Resumes and the Recommended Dosage"
2015 Man Seeking Woman Unknown Episode: "Stain"
2015 Marry Me Chuck Episode: "Date Me"
2015 Instant Mom Dr. Ian Houser Episode: "Ghost Busted"
2015 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Lord Simultaneous, Sir John, Overmind, Warbot (voice) 2 episodes[8]
2015 The Grinder Barrister Cromwell Episode: "Buckingham Malice"
2015 The Royals Truman 2 episodes
2016 Blunt Talk Unknown Episode: "Your Therapist and His Pussy Are Here"
2017 Elementary Tom Saunders (voice) Episode: "Fidelity"; uncredited
2017 Training Day Abel Cribbs Episode: "Sunset"
2017 The Tom and Jerry Show Alistair (voice) Episode: "Downton Tabby/Growing Pains/Toodle Boom"
2017 Get Shorty Julian Pynter Episode: "A Man of Letters"
2017 Designated Survivor Dr. Rune Episode: "Line of Fire"
2018 Modern Family Malcolm Fennerman Episode: "The Escape"
2019 A Confession Judge Griffith Williams Episode #1.6

Video games

Year Title Voice role Notes
2001 The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure Zazu
2002 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Bilbo Baggins, Elrond [8]
2004 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Major Zero English Dub[8]
2006 Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops English Dub[8]
2010 The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest Elrond, Bilbo Baggins [8]
2011 The Lord of the Rings: War in the North [8]
2012 Lego The Lord of the Rings
2013 Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure Alfred Pennyworth [8]

References

  1. ^ Jim Piddock Biography (1956-)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Jim Piddock Biography". Film Reference.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Jim Piddock". Hollywood.com.
  4. ^ Willoughby, Shane. "Major Zero Speaks!". The Gaming Liberty. Archived from the original on 19 January 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  5. ^ "Eric Idle Workshops 'What About Dick?' with Izzard, Curry". Broadway World. 12 October 2007.
  6. ^ Michael Gioia (26 April 2012). "What About Dick?, With Russell Brand, Eddie Izzard, Jane Leeves, Tracey Ullman, Offered 26–29 April in L.A." Playbill.
  7. ^ Willloughby, Shane. "Major Zero Speaks!". The Gaming Liberty.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Behind The Voice Actors - Jim Piddock". Behind the Voice Actors.
  9. ^ Shane Willoughby (15 January 2011). "Major Zero Speaks! An Intervie with Jim Piddock". The Gaming Liberty. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014.
  10. ^ Morris, Clint. "Christopher Guest, Jim Piddock & Chris O'Dowd plant Family Tree". Moviehole. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  11. ^ Kay, Jeremy. "Jeremy Irons to star as racehorse trainer Sir Henry Cecil in 'Frankel' for WaZabi Films (exclusive)". Screen. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
General
Interviews
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