There are few actors in England who have been twice awarded the Laurence Olivier Prize for two different roles, like the English actor Derek Jacoby. In addition to this award, he has received BAFTA TV Award, Tony and Emmy awards. However, the main reward is the love of the audience, who applauded him in the theater, saw him in films and on television.
Biography
Derek Jacoby was born in London in 1938. His father was a tobacco dealer, and his mother was a secretary in the family company. Back in the 19th century, the ancestors of his father came from Germany to England, so he has German blood.
Derek's childhood was overshadowed by a terrible war, but the child then did not understand what kind of threat was hanging over the world - he simply did not have enough experience for this. He just went to school and enjoyed studying in the drama club. Even then it became clear what roles Jacobi would get: already in the sixth grade, he played Hamlet.
He was also lucky with higher education - he graduated from Cambridge, where he also took part in theatrical productions: he played mainly the main roles. While still a student, he was accepted into the troupe of the Birmingham Theater. However, he did not go to the actors, but became a history teacher at one of the colleges.
When he once appeared on the stage of the theater, his play was appreciated by the famous Laurence Olivier himself, and soon the young actor was invited to London. It was then that the National English Theater was being created - we can say that Jacoby was at its very origins. In this theater he played his first major role - Laertes in Hamlet. Then there were more roles - the actor gave this theater about ten years.
Film career
In 1972, Derek learned what it was like to shoot a movie - he tried himself in the role of a film actor. Before that, he starred in short films, in television projects, but it was a little different. Very soon, the talented actor also achieved success in the cinema - after playing the main role in the TV series "I, Claudius" (1976).
Simultaneously with filming in films, he managed to tour: with the Prospekt theater he traveled to many cities in Japan, Africa, Sweden, China and Australia. In the eighties, he began playing on Broadway, but personal circumstances forced him to return to England.
The laurel-crowned actor was, of course, admitted to the Royal Shakespeare Campaign. Here he played mainly a classical repertoire, and for each role he received some prestigious award. Well, talent always speaks for itself.
In the nineties, Derek was a very popular actor: he starred in television series, played in the theater. And also during these years he became the artistic director of the theatrical festival "Chichester".
The beginning of the new century brought him a new job: shooting in documentaries, where he created images of historical figures, full-length films, which were a huge success with the audience. And in 2010, he received audiences and critics acclaim for his performance as King Lear at the Crucible Theater.
The best films in the actor's portfolio are considered "Hamlet" (1996), "Basil" (1998), "Henry V" (1989), "Another World" (2005), "Gladiator" (2000).
Personal life
Jacoby is openly gay. As soon as same-sex marriage was allowed in England, he married Richard Clifford. - it was in March 2006. Derek and Richard now live in London.
