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Rupert Vansittart
Vansittart in July 2017
Born	Rupert Nicholas Vansittart (1958-02-10) 10 February 1958 (age 66) Cranleigh, England
Alma mater	Central School of Speech and Drama
Occupation	Actor
Spouse	Emma Kate Watson ​(m. 1987)​
Children	2

Rupert Nicholas Vansittart (born 10 February 1958) is an English character actor. He has appeared in a variety of roles in film, television, stage and radio, often playing comic characters. He is best known for his role as Lord Ashfordly in the ITV drama Heartbeat and for playing Lord Yohn Royce in the HBO series Game of Thrones (2014–2019).

Early life and education

Vansittart was raised in Cranleigh, Surrey, and is of partial Dutch ancestry. He trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

Career

Vansittart started his acting career in an episode of Bulman in 1985. In 1995, he starred in the serial Pride and Prejudice, as Mr Hurst, the brother-in-law of Charles and Caroline Bingley. He has also worked with Rowan Atkinson on a number of occasions, appearing as a guest star in two episodes of Mr. Bean in addition to The Thin Blue Line, and Johnny English Reborn.

In 1993, he appeared in Remains of the Day as Sir Geoffrey Wren, a character based on the 1930s British fascist Sir Oswald Mosley. In 1994, he appeared in the film Braveheart as Lord Bottoms. He worked in Four Weddings and a Funeral, as George the Boor at the Boatman in 1995.

In 2002, he appeared in the Midsomer Murders episode "Market for Murder". He also portrayed General Asquith in the Doctor Who episodes "Aliens of London" and "World War Three". In 2003, he appeared in the West End adaptation of Arsenic and Old Lace. In 2006, Vansittart portrayed Thomas J. Dodd in the BBC three-part drama documentary Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial. In 2007, he appeared in another episode of Midsomer Murders, "The Axeman Cometh". He also appeared in the 2008 BBC serial Spartacus as Consul Lentulus.

In 2009, he was asked to play Peter Morrison in Margaret. Two years later in the critically acclaimed The Iron Lady with Meryl Streep he played Cabinet minister John Biffen. He has also played political characters on stage: in 2014 he was one of the main actors in the cast of Great Britain at the National Theatre.

2009 also saw his third appearance in Midsomer Murders, in the episode "The Dogleg Murders". In 2010, he appeared in Doctors as Anthony Chippington, a friend of Charlie's. He played Harrison Ashton Lard, the "posh girl's father", in How Not to Live Your Life. He provided additional voice-over for World's Craziest Fools. He appeared in the final two seasons of Foyle's War as Sir Alec Myerson, the title character's boss at MI5. Vansittart also appeared in the BBC Three comedy Bad Education, playing Mr. Humpage. In 2014, Vansittart started playing Lord Yohn Royce in the HBO series Game of Thrones, making recurring appearances in season 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. In 2016, he appears in the BBC TV series Father Brown as Arthur Le Broc in episode 4.7 "The Missing Man". In January 2016, he played Peter Jennings in an episode of the BBC series Casualty.

Personal life

Vansittart has been married to Emma Kate, daughter of the actors Moray Watson and Pamela Marmont, since 1987. They have two children. When Emma Watson was cast for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Emma Kate Watson changed her name to Emma Vansittart, adopting her husband's surname as her new stage name, to avoid being confused with the young actress.

Theatre

• The Revengers' Comedies (1989)
• Taking Steps (1990)
• The Revengers' Comedies (1991)
• A Westwood Diary (1996)
• Arsenic and Old Lace (2003)
• This House (2013)
• Great Britain (2014)

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

1. ^ Ian Molyneaux (10 February 2022). "ITV Heartbeat: Rupert Vansittart's 35-year marriage and why Harry Potter meant his wife had to change her name". mylondon.news.
2. ^ "Rupert Vansittart Credits". tvguide.com. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
3. Rupert Vansittart – Rotten Tomatoes
4. Roya Nikkah (14 January 2012). "The Iron Lady: Thatcher's men deliver verdict on film". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
5. Anita Singh (25 June 2014). "Billie Piper to star as tabloid editor in National Theatre satire about press and prime minister". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
6. Richard Eden (22 April 2012). "Look Out! The original Emma Watson stages a comeback". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 May 2017.

External links

• Rupert Vansittart at IMDb

• 1958 births
• English male stage actors
• English male television actors
• English people of Dutch descent
• Living people
• People from Cranleigh
• Male actors from Surrey
• 20th-century English male actors
• 21st-century English male actors
• Vansittart family
• Actors from the Borough of Waverley