Derek Jacobi Biography
Derek Jacobi born seeing that Derek George Jacobi is among the most popular English actor. He was created on 22nd October 1938, making his age group 76. Rumor: He was rumored to play Hannibal Lecter in ‘Silence of the Lambs’. Besides performing in movies he’s also a well famous stage director. He previously a very successful profession as the stage director and provides appeared in lots of stage productions like Hamlet, Uncle Vania, Oedipus The King. His name can be Sir Derek George Jacobi. He been employed by in a number of stage productions including Hamlet, Uncle Yanya, and Oedipus the King which helped him earned effective stage career. His various other stage works consist of Octavius Richard III, Edward II, Caesar and Thomas Becket. Besides his profession in stage he in addition has worked in several movies and Television shows. We estimated annual income around $352,941
Known for movies
Gladiator (2000)
as Gracchus
The King's Speech (2010)
as Archbishop Cosmo Lang
Underworld: Evolution (2006)
as Corvinus
The Secret of NIMH (1982)
as Nicodemus
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Derek Jacobi |
| Date Of Birth | October 22, 1938 |
| Height | 1.78 m |
| Profession | Voice Actor, Film director, Theatre Director |
| Education | St John's College, Cambridge, University of Cambridge |
| Parents | Daisy Gertrude Jacobi, Alfred George Jacobi |
| Partner | Richard Clifford, Richard Clifford |
| Awards | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, Tony Award for Best Lead Actor in a Play, Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble, Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie, British Academy Television Award for Best Actor, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, Satellite Award for Best Ensemble – Motion Picture, The Helen Hayes Tribute, sponsored by Jaylee Mead, Laurence Olivier Award for Actor of the Year in a Revival, John and Wendy Trewin Award for Best Shakespearean Performance, Shakespeare Prize, Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actor, Visiting Production, Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play, Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Actor |
| Nominations | BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play, Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or Motion Picture Made for Television, Satellite Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama, WhatsOnStage Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Play |
| Movies | Cinderella, Gladiator, The King's Speech, Underworld: Evolution, Hamlet, Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon, Dead Again, Gosford Park, Henry V, The Secret of NIMH, Nanny McPhee, My Week with Marilyn, Ironclad, The Golden Compass, The Odessa File, Up at the Villa, Adam Resurrected, Two Men Went to War, The Day of the Jackal, Grace of Monaco, Pinochet in Suburbia, Endgame, The Gathering Storm, The Wyvern Mystery, Effie Gray, Molokai: The Story of Father Damien, A Bunch of Amateurs, Morris: A Life with Bells On, Little Dorrit, Shakespeare Tragedies: Hamlet, The Human Factor, The Diaries of Vaslav Nijinsky, Othello, StringCaesar, Bye Bye Blackbird, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hippie Hippie Shake, Mist: The Tale of a Sheepdog Puppy, Guantanamero, The Old Curiosity Shop, The Tenth Man, The Riddle, Revengers Tragedy, Three Sisters, Joe Maddison's War, The History of Love, Anonymous, Murder on the Orient Express, The Body, Philby, Burgess and Maclean, Airlock, or How to Say Goodbye in Space |
| TV Shows | Vicious, The Borgias, In the Night Garden..., Cadfael, The Civil War, I, Claudius, The Pallisers, The Strauss Family, Titanic: Blood and Steel, Scream of the Shalka, Great Performances, Last Tango in Halifax |
Interesting Facts
| # | Fact |
|---|---|
| 1 | He was awarded the 1989 Drama-Logue Award for Performance for the play, "Byron-Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know," in the American Premiere in the Centre Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre production at the James A. Doolittle Theatre (University of California) in Los Angeles, California . |
| 2 | He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1985 Queen's Birthday Honours List and became a Knight Bachelor in the 1994 Queen's New Year Honours List for his services to drama. |
| 3 | He has two roles in common with his Breaking the Code (1996) co-star Richard Johnson: (1) Johnson played King Claudius of Denmark in _"ITV Saturday Night Theatre" (1969) {Hamlet (#3.30)_ while Jacobi played him in Hamlet (1996) and (2) Johnson played the Roman Emperor Claudius in Churchill's People: The Lost Island (1975) while Jacobi played him in I, Claudius (1976). |
| 4 | He has appeared in six films with his domestic partner Richard Clifford: Little Dorrit (1987), Henry V (1989), The Fool (1990), A Bunch of Amateurs (2008), My Week with Marilyn (2011) and Jail Caesar (2012). |
| 5 | Although he played Hanna Schygulla's son in Dead Again (1991), he is five years her senior in real life. |
| 6 | Although he played Claire Bloom's son in Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (1980), he is only seven years her junior in real life. Furthermore, he played Patrick Stewart's nephew and stepson in the same production but is almost two years his senior. |
| 7 | He has two roles in common with Charles Laughton: (1) Laughton played the Roman Emperor Claudius in I, Claudius (1937) while Jacobi played him in I, Claudius (1976) and (2) Laughton played Gracchus in Spartacus (1960) while Jacobi played him in Gladiator (2000). |
| 8 | He has appeared in four films directed by Kenneth Branagh: Henry V (1989), Dead Again (1991), Hamlet (1996) and Cinderella (2015). |
| 9 | As of 2014, has appeared in three films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Gladiator (2000), Gosford Park (2001) and The King's Speech (2010). Of those, The King's Speech (2010) and Gladiator (2000) are winners in the category. |
| 10 | He was considered for the roles of Dr. Armstrong and Dr. Bukovsky in Lifeforce (1985). Patrick Stewart and Michael Gothard were eventually cast. |
| 11 | He claims to have been close to being cast as Hannibal Lector in The Silence of the Lambs (1991). The same is true of Daniel Day-Lewis. |
| 12 | Derek is a fan of Doctor Who (1963) and wanted to be cast in the series since the beginning. He has also wanted to be cast in Coronation Street (1960). |
| 13 | An only child. |
| 14 | He played the Roman Emperor Claudius between the ages of 18 (in 9 AD) and 63 (in 54 AD) in I, Claudius (1976). |
| 15 | Has appeared in several films as a character with a stutter: the title character in I, Claudius (1976), Frankie in Dead Again (1991), Alan Turing in Breaking the Code (1996). He also appears in The King's Speech (2010), though not as the character who stutters. |
| 16 | Nominated for the 1988 Tony Award (New York City) for Actor in a Drama for "Breaking the Code". |
| 17 | After Roger Delgado, Peter Pratt, Geoffrey Beevers, Anthony Ainley, Gordon Tipple and Eric Roberts, he is the seventh actor to play the Master, the Doctor's greatest enemy. He played the role in Doctor Who: Utopia (2007). He was succeeded in the role by John Simm and Michelle Gomez. |
| 18 | Played "Hamlet" opposite Timothy West and, later, John Turner as "Claudius" in the Prospect Theatre Company productions. He would later direct Kenneth Branagh in the title role, before appearing as "Claudius" in the film production directed by Branagh. |
| 19 | He has portrayed two different versions of the "Doctor Who" character the Master: an android copy of the first incarnation of the Master in the BBCi webcast Doctor Who: Scream of the Shalka (2003) and the fifth incarnation of the Master in the Doctor Who (2005) episode "Utopia". |
| 20 | Along with Mark Gatiss, he is one of only two actors to play both the "Doctor Who" character the Doctor and his greatest enemy, the Master. He played the former (as well as a failed television writer named Martin Bannister) in the Big Finish "Doctor Who Unbound" audio drama Deadline. He played the latter in both the BBCi webcast Doctor Who: Scream of the Shalka (2003) and the Doctor Who (2005) episode "Utopia". |
| 21 | Once was invited to play Hamlet at Kronborg Castle, better known as Elsinore Castle, the setting of the play itself. |
| 22 | Was one of three actors considered for the role of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs (1991). |
| 23 | In 1963, when Jacobi auditioned for Britain's just-forming National Theatre, Olivier hired him as an understudy and spear-carrier. Luckily for Jacobi, the actor he was understudying. Jeremy Brett got the call to Hollywood, and Jacobi inherited all his parts. |
| 24 | Patron of the British American Drama Academy, London. |
| 25 | After 27 years together, registered his civil partnership with long-term partner Richard Clifford in March 2006, four months after civil unions became legal in England and Wales. |
| 26 | On the shortlist of actors considered for the main guest lead of Captain Rorvik (played by Clifford Rose) in the episode "Warriors' Gate" of Doctor Who (1963). |
| 27 | Is a native of Leytonstone, in London's East End, which has also produced film maker Alfred Hitchcock, TV journalists & presenters Jonathan Ross and Paul Ross, TV cook Fanny Cradock, Bangra-DnB composer/producer Talvin Singh, Iron-Maiden bassist/songwriter Steve Harris, former England cricket captain Graham Gooch, and England soccer captain David Beckham. |
| 28 | Won Broadway's 1985 Tony Award as Best Actor (Play) for William Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing." He was also Tony-nominated in the same category in 1988 for "Breaking the Code." |
| 29 | Replaced Donald Sutherland as Franklyn Madson in Dead Again (1991). |
| 30 | Has a Victorian home in London, England. |
| 31 | An Associate Member of RADA. |
| 32 | He was awarded the 1983 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor for his performance in Much Ado About Nothing. |
| 33 | He was awarded the 1983 London Critics Circle Theatre Award (Drama Theatre Award) for Best Actor for his performances in Cyrano de Bergerac and Much Ado About Nothing. |
| 34 | He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1984 (1983 season) for Best Actor in a Revival for "Cyrano de Bergerac". |
| 35 | Charlton Heston and Ronnie Barker had been considered for the role of Claudius in I, Claudius (1976) before he landed the role. |
| 36 | 1985: Commander of the Order of the British Empire (United Kingdom). 1989: Knight 1st class of the Order of the Dannebrog (Denmark). 1994: Knight Bachelor, for services to Drama (United Kingdom). |
| 37 | He and Laurence Olivier are the only actors to have received both a Danish and a British Knighthood. |
| 38 | Was on the short list of actors considered for the role of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) |
| 39 | He won a Tony in 1985 for "Much Ado About Nothing." |
| 40 | Was the mentor and acting instructor of Kenneth Branagh. |
Quotes
| # | Quote |
|---|---|
| 1 | I've been acting for 33 years. I've proved I can do it. So any performance now has got to be deeper and better than that, nothing to do with ego, bravura, look-at-me acting. That is an invitation to the audience to assess your ability, and it gets in the way. The object is to get past that and lose yourself in your belief in the person you are trying to create. To find something absolutely real. But I constantly hope to go further than I manage to do. DJ, 1992 interview |
| 2 | Acting is painting, not photography, but painting is just as 'real' as photography. As an actor conscious that you are in a theatre, you still have to make it look as spontaneous as if you did not know that you are being watched by 1,000 pairs of eyes. |
| 3 | It's as though you have crossed Niagara on a tightrope 250 times and, on the 251st crossing---vertigo. You are convinced you can't move across the stage without falling over. You go rigid from the knees down. You suddenly wonder, why am I doing this? I knew I'd got to get through a whole season, three spanking parts, and that if I ran away, I would never act on stage again. It was that knowledge that shocked me out of my illness. But I had a very bad time in the first weeks. - DJ, regarding his two-year spell of stage fright and subsequent return in 1982 to the Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 4 | I've now been there, done that, and got the T-shirt. We just went to the registry office, signed a bit of paper and it was all over. We didn't have a bit party, but we had twenty-five friends to lunch. It was very quiet though, all over in a morning. - On his civil partnership ceremony |
Pictures
Won Awards
Won awards
Nominated Awards
Nominated awards
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie | Award shared with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | BAFTA TV Award | BAFTA Awards | Best Leading Actor | Last Tango in Halifax (2012) | |
| 2013 | Satellite Award | Satellite Awards | Best Actor in a Series, Drama | Last Tango in Halifax (2012) | |
| 2012 | Golden Nymph | Monte-Carlo TV Festival | Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Titanic: Blood and Steel (2012) | |
| 2010 | PFCS Award | Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards | Best Ensemble Acting | The King's Speech (2010) | Colin Firth Geoffrey Rush Helena Bonham Carter Timothy Spall Jennifer Ehle Guy Pearce Michael Gambon |
| 2002 | PFCS Award | Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards | Best Acting Ensemble | Gosford Park (2001) | Eileen Atkins Bob Balaban Alan Bates Charles Dance Stephen Fry Michael Gambon Richard E. Grant Tom Hollander Kelly Macdonald Helen Mirren Jeremy Northam Clive Owen Ryan Phillippe Kristin Scott Thomas Maggie Smith Geraldine Somerville Sophie Thompson Emily Watson James Wilby |
| 2001 | Actor | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture | Gladiator (2000) | Russell Crowe Richard Harris Djimon Hounsou Connie Nielsen Joaquin Phoenix Oliver Reed |
| 1999 | Golden Satellite Award | Satellite Awards | Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama | Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon (1998) | |
| 1998 | BAFTA TV Award | BAFTA Awards | Best Actor | Breaking the Code (1996) | |
| 1992 | BAFTA Film Award | BAFTA Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Dead Again (1991) | |
| 1989 | Golden Globe | Golden Globes, USA | Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | The Tenth Man (1988) | |
| 1982 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special | Inside the Third Reich (1982) | |
| 1978 | BAFTA TV Award | BAFTA Awards | Best Actor | Philby, Burgess and Maclean (1977) |
2nd Place Awards
2nd place awards
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie | Award shared with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | ACCA | Awards Circuit Community Awards | Best Cast Ensemble | Gosford Park (2001) | Eileen Atkins Bob Balaban Alan Bates Charles Dance Stephen Fry Michael Gambon Richard E. Grant Tom Hollander Kelly Macdonald Helen Mirren Jeremy Northam Clive Owen Ryan Phillippe Kristin Scott Thomas Maggie Smith Geraldine Somerville Sophie Thompson Emily Watson James Wilby |
Filmography
Actor
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Witness Against Hitler | 1996 | TV Movie | General |
| Achilles | 1995 | Short | Narrator (voice) |
| ABC Weekend Specials | 1994 | TV Series | Archibald Craven |
| The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends | 1994 | TV Series | Mr. Jeremy Fisher |
| Circle of Deceit | 1993 | TV Movie | Randal |
| Screenplay | 1993 | TV Series | George Salisbury |
| Aladdin | 1992/I | Video | The Magician (voice) |
| Dead Again | 1991 | Franklyn Madson | |
| The Storyteller: Greek Myths | 1991 | TV Mini-Series | Daedalus |
| The Fool | 1990 | Mr. Frederick / Sir John | |
| The Civil War | 1990 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Various |
| Henry V | 1989 | Chorus | |
| The Tenth Man | 1988 | TV Movie | The Imposter |
| David Macaulay: Pyramid | 1988 | TV Movie | Hordedef (voice) |
| Little Dorrit | 1987 | Arthur Clennam | |
| The Secret Garden | 1987 | TV Movie | Archibald Craven |
| Mr Pye | 1986 | TV Mini-Series | Mr. Pye |
| Cyrano de Bergerac | 1985 | TV Movie | Cyrano de Bergerac |
| Enigma | 1982 | Kurt Limmer, East German | |
| The Secret of NIMH | 1982 | Nicodemus (voice) | |
| Tales of the Unexpected | 1980-1982 | TV Series | The Stranger / Drioli |
| Inside the Third Reich | 1982 | TV Movie | Adolf Hitler |
| The Hunchback of Notre Dame | 1982 | TV Movie | Dom Claude Frollo |
| Charlotte | 1981 | Daberlohn | |
| Der Mann, der sich in Luft auflöste | 1980 | Martin Beck | |
| Hamlet, Prince of Denmark | 1980 | TV Movie | Hamlet |
| The Human Factor | 1979 | Arthur Davis | |
| Minder | 1979 | TV Series | Freddie Fenton |
| Richard II | 1978 | TV Movie | Richard II |
| Tycoon | 1978 | TV Series | Timothy West |
| The Medusa Touch | 1978 | Publisher | |
| Philby, Burgess and Maclean | 1977 | TV Movie | Guy Burgess |
| I, Claudius | 1976 | TV Mini-Series | Claudius |
| Affairs of the Heart | 1975 | TV Series | Bertram Braddle |
| Markheim | 1974 | TV Movie | Markheim |
| Blueblood | 1974 | Gregory | |
| The Odessa File | 1974 | Klaus Wenzer | |
| The Pallisers | 1974 | TV Mini-Series | Lord Fawn |
| The Day of the Jackal | 1973 | Caron | |
| The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes | 1973 | TV Series | William Drew |
| The Strauss Family | 1972 | TV Mini-Series | Josef Lanner |
| Budgie | 1972 | TV Series | Herbert Fletcher |
| Man of Straw | 1972 | TV Mini-Series | Diederich Hessling |
| Three Sisters | 1970 | Andrei | |
| Interlude | 1968 | Paul | |
| ITV Playhouse | 1968 | TV Series | Gerry |
| Much Ado About Nothing | 1967 | TV Movie | Don John |
| Othello | 1965 | Cassio | |
| Armchair Theatre | 1962 | TV Series | Eric |
| BBC Sunday-Night Play | 1961 | TV Mini-Series | Charles Marlow |
| Murder on the Orient Express | 2017 | pre-production | Edward Masterman |
| Stratton | 2016 | completed | Ross |
| Hippie Hippie Shake | 2010 | completed | Judge |
| The History of Love | 2016 | Léo Gursky | |
| Branagh Theatre Live: Romeo and Juliet | 2016 | Mercutio | |
| Vicious | 2013-2016 | TV Series | Stuart Bixby |
| The Amazing World of Gumball | 2016 | TV Series | The Moon |
| Last Tango in Halifax | 2012-2016 | TV Series | Alan |
| Cinderella | 2015/I | King | |
| Effie Gray | 2014 | Travers Twiss | |
| Grace of Monaco | 2014 | Count Fernando D'Aillieres (as Sir Derek Jacobi) | |
| This Is Jinsy | 2014 | TV Series | Robunce Barnatty |
| National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage | 2013 | TV Movie | Claudius / Spooner |
| The Man Who Tried to Steal an Island | 2013 | Short | Narrator (voice) |
| Cloud Cuckoo Land | 2012 | Victor | |
| Jail Caesar | 2012 | Sulla | |
| Titanic: Blood and Steel | 2012 | TV Series | Lord Pirrie |
| The Halloween Kid | 2011 | Short | Narrator (voice) |
| My Week with Marilyn | 2011 | Sir Owen Morshead | |
| Anonymous | 2011/I | Prologue | |
| The Borgias | 2011 | TV Series | Cardinal Orsini |
| There Be Dragons | 2011 | Honorio Soto | |
| Ironclad | 2011 | Baron Reginald de Cornhill | |
| National Theatre Live: King Lear | 2011 | King Lear | |
| Joe Maddison's War | 2010 | TV Movie | Mr Simpson |
| Hereafter | 2010 | Derek Jacobi | |
| The King's Speech | 2010 | Archbishop Cosmo Lang | |
| Margot | 2009 | TV Movie | Fred Ashton |
| Masterpiece Contemporary | 2009 | TV Series | |
| Mist: Sheepdog Tales | 2007-2009 | TV Series | Narrator / Lord Henry |
| Masterpiece Classic | 2009 | TV Series | Grandfather Trent |
| Diamonds | 2009 | TV Movie | Piers Denmont |
| Endgame | 2009/I | Rudolph Agnew | |
| Morris: A Life with Bells On | 2009 | Quentin Neely | |
| One of Those Days | 2008 | Short | Howard |
| A Bunch of Amateurs | 2008 | Nigel Dewberry | |
| Sidney Turtlebaum | 2008 | Short | Sidney Turtlebaum |
| Adam Resurrected | 2008 | Dr. Nathan Gross | |
| Ghostly Business | 2007 | Short | Ghost Under Sheet (unconfirmed) |
| The Old Curiosity Shop | 2007 | TV Movie | Grandfather |
| The Golden Compass | 2007 | Magisterial Emissary | |
| Angelina Ballerina: The Silver Locket | 2007 | Video | Mr. Operatski (voice) |
| The Riddle | 2007 | The Tramp Charles Dickens | |
| Airlock, or How to Say Goodbye in Space | 2007 | Short | President |
| Doctor Who | 2007 | TV Series | Professor Yana |
| Anastezsi | 2007 | Balzer | |
| Guantanamero | 2007 | Guido / Commander | |
| Mist: The Tale of a Sheepdog Puppy | 2006 | TV Movie | Narrator |
| Pinochet's Last Stand | 2006 | TV Movie | Senator Pinochet |
| Underworld: Evolution | 2006 | Corvinus (as Sir Derek Jacobi) | |
| Nanny McPhee | 2005 | Mr. Wheen | |
| Project Huxley | 2005 | Short | Huxley (voice) |
| Bye Bye Blackbird | 2005 | Lord Dempsey | |
| Agatha Christie's Marple | 2004 | TV Series | Colonel Protheroe |
| Strings | 2004 | Nezo (English version, voice) | |
| The Long Firm | 2004 | TV Mini-Series | Lord Edward Thursby |
| Mr. Ambassador | 2003 | TV Movie | Hugo Vickers |
| Doctor Who: Scream of the Shalka | 2003 | TV Mini-Series | The Master |
| Henry VIII | 2003 | TV Movie | Narrator (voice, uncredited) |
| Angelina Ballerina | 2003 | TV Series | Mr. Operatski |
| The Dinosaur Hunters | 2002 | TV Movie | Narrator |
| Inquisition | 2002 | TV Movie | Cardinal Grand Inquisitor |
| Angelina Ballerina: The Show Must Go On | 2002 | TV Movie | Mr. Operatski (voice) |
| Two Men Went to War | 2002 | Maj. Merton | |
| Night's Noontime | 2002 | Short | Richard Dadd |
| Revengers Tragedy | 2002 | The Duke | |
| The Gathering Storm | 2002 | TV Movie | Stanley Baldwin |
| The Jury | 2002 | TV Mini-Series | George Cording QC |
| Gosford Park: Deleted Scenes | 2002 | Video short | Probert |
| Gosford Park | 2001 | Probert | |
| Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) | 2001 | TV Series | Colonel Anger |
| Revelation | 2001 | Librarian | |
| Nijinsky: The Diaries of Vaslav Nijinsky | 2001 | Nijinsky (voice, as Sir Derek Jacobi) | |
| The Children's Midsummer Night's Dream | 2001 | Theseus (voice) | |
| Frasier | 2001 | TV Series | Jackson Hedley |
| The Body | 2001 | Father Lavelle | |
| On Wings of Fire | 2001 | Narrator | |
| Wilfred | 2000 | Short | |
| Jason and the Argonauts | 2000 | TV Mini-Series | Phineas |
| Gladiator | 2000 | Gracchus | |
| Up at the Villa | 2000 | Lucky Leadbetter | |
| The Wyvern Mystery | 2000 | TV Movie | Squire Fairfield |
| The Chimes | 1999 | Video short | Narrator (voice) |
| Molokai | 1999 | Father Leonor Fouesnel | |
| Flora Britannica | 1999 | TV Series | Narrator |
| Animated Epics: Beowulf | 1998 | TV Short | Narrator (voice) |
| Mystery!: Cadfael | 1994-1998 | TV Series | Brother Cadfael |
| Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon | 1998 | Francis Bacon | |
| Basil | 1998 | Father Frederick | |
| Great Performances | 1997 | TV Series | Master of Ceremonies |
| Hamlet | 1996 | Claudius | |
| Breaking the Code | 1996 | TV Movie | Alan Turing |
Producer
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two Down | 2015 | executive producer |
Thanks
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Night's Noontime | 2002 | Short many thanks |
Self
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Requiem for the World | 2016 | Documentary post-production | |
| Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age | 2016 | Documentary post-production | Himself |
| Nothing Is Truer than Truth | 2017 | Documentary | |
| The Eurovision Song Contest | 2016 | TV Special | Stuart Bixby |
| An Electric Samurai in London | 2016 | Documentary | Narrator (voice) |
| Secret Knowledge | 2015 | TV Series documentary | Himself - Host |
| Shakespeare in Practice: Muse of Fire | 2015 | Documentary | Himself |
| Who Do You Think You Are? | 2015 | TV Series documentary | Himself / Various Characters |
| Arena | 1977-2013 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| Muse of Fire | 2013 | Documentary | Himself |
| Arqiva British Academy Television Awards | 2013 | TV Special | Himself |
| Dangerous Edge: A Life of Graham Greene | 2013 | Documentary | Narrator |
| The Gardening Club | 2012 | Documentary short voice | |
| Celebrity Eggheads | 2012 | TV Series | Himself - Participant |
| Living the Life | 2012 | TV Series | Himself |
| British Legends of Stage and Screen | 2012 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| Shakespeare Uncovered | 2012 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Himself / Richard II |
| Last Will & Testament | 2012 | Documentary | Himself |
| Through the Weeping Glass: On the Consolations of Life Everlasting (Limbos & Afterbreezes in the Mütter Museum) | 2011 | Documentary short | Narrator (voice) |
| The National Parks: America's Best Idea | 2009 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Reader |
| Doctor Who Greatest Moments | 2009 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Himself |
| Charles Dickens's England | 2009 | Documentary | Himself - Presenter |
| In the Night Garden... | 2007-2009 | TV Series | Himself - Narrator |
| The Story of the Costume Drama | 2008 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| Decoding Cadfael | 2008 | TV Movie documentary | Himself (as Sir Derek Jacobi) |
| The Golden Compass: Costumes | 2008 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| The Golden Compass: Meet the Cast | 2008 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| Doctor Who Confidential | 2007 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| The Best of Masterpiece Theatre | 2007 | TV Special documentary | Himself - Host |
| Imagine | 2006 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| Drama Connections | 2005 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson | 2004 | Documentary | Other Voices (voice) |
| Peter Ackroyd's London | 2004 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Tacitus |
| Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There | 2003 | Documentary | Himself |
| Kingdom of David: The Saga of the Israelites | 2003 | TV Movie documentary voice | |
| Manor House | 2002 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Narrator |
| Nova | 2002 | TV Series documentary | Sir Ernest Shackleton |
| I Claudius: A Television Epic | 2002 | Video documentary | Himself |
| The Making of Gosford Park | 2002 | TV Short documentary | Himself |
| Great Escape: The Untold Story | 2001 | TV Movie documentary | Himself - Narrator |
| Larry and Vivien: The Oliviers in Love | 2001 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| David Macaulay: Mill Times | 2001 | Documentary | Priam Huntington (voice) |
| Jazz | 2001 | TV Mini-Series documentary | |
| Chasing the Sun | 2001 | TV Series documentary | |
| The Authenticity of Gosford Park | 2001 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings | 2000 | TV Special | Various Characters |
| Margaret Sanger | 1999 | TV Movie documentary voice | |
| Homeground | 1997 | TV Series documentary | Narrator |
| To Be on Camera: A History with Hamlet | 1997 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| The West | 1996 | TV Series documentary | |
| Looking for Richard | 1996 | Documentary | Himself (Interview) |
| Baseball | 1994 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Various |
| David Macaulay: Roman City | 1994 | TV Movie documentary | Marcus Fabricius (voice) |
| Animating Shakespeare | 1992 | TV Movie documentary | Narrator (voice) |
| The Velvet Claw | 1992 | TV Series documentary | Himself - Presenter |
| Backstage at Masterpiece Theatre | 1991 | TV Special | Himself |
| Discovering Hamlet | 1990 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| Henry V: A Little Touch of Harry - The Making of Henry V | 1989 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| The Congress | 1988 | TV Movie documentary voice | |
| Caught in the Act | 1988 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| The 42nd Annual Tony Awards | 1988 | TV Special | Himself - Nominee: Best Leading Actor in a Play |
| Jessye Norman's Christmas Symphony | 1987 | TV Special documentary | Reader |
| Micro Live | 1987 | TV Series documentary | Alan Turing |
| David Macaulay: Cathedral | 1986 | TV Movie documentary | Pierre (voice) |
| The Statue of Liberty | 1985 | Documentary | Himself (voice) |
| The 39th Annual Tony Awards | 1985 | TV Special | Himself - Winner: Best Actor in a Play |
| Call My Bluff | 1978-1981 | TV Series | Himself |
| Gallery | 1978 | TV Series | Himself - Interviewee |
| This Is Your Life | 1978 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
Archive Footage
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC | 2015 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Himself |
| The One Show | 2014 | TV Series | Scrooge |
| Effie Gray: Interview with Emma Thompson | 2014 | Video documentary short | Travers Twiss (uncredited) |
| Capture Anthologies: The Dimensions of Self | 2011 | President (segment "Airlock or how to say goodbye in space") | |
| Doctor Who Confidential | 2010 | TV Series documentary | Professor Yana |
| Victoria Wood: Seen on TV | 2009 | TV Movie documentary | Bernard (uncredited) |
| Doctor Who: Season 26B | 2009 | TV Series | The Master |
| The Ties That Bind Us | 2008 | Video documentary short | The Master |
| La imagen de tu vida | 2006 | TV Series | Claudius |
| Tvist | 2005 | TV Series | Claudius |
| Victoria Wood: A BAFTA Tribute | 2005 | TV Movie | Undetermined role (uncredited) |
| Ultimate Fights from the Movies | 2002 | Video documentary | Gracchus (Gladiator) |
| The Greatest | 2001 | TV Series documentary | Claudius |
| Omnibus | 1998 | TV Series documentary |