Tim Frances: my Stats & Skills plus Casting Directory listings

• Height
5’8”/1m73
• Weight
150lbs/68kg
• Fair hair
• Brown eyes
• Build
slim/athletic

Member of British Equity - based in London UK

Intro

• Stage sword-fighting
• Excellent ear for accents
• Natural accent English RP
• Flawed but authentic-
sounding French

MUSIC
• PIANO & KEYBOARDS to a high standard
• Genuine Bass singing voice, bottom C to F
• Double Bass & Piano Accordion
• Pianist and Arranger with jazz-blues & contemporary ensembles
Man Made Souls, The Bloomberg Four, and Does It Matter?
• Cabaret Accompanist

CASTING DIRECTORIES

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The

Spotlight

Spotlight UK Actors Directory
2011-12 Page 1272

click on the logo above for
my Résumé on the
International Movie Database

2012: kicks off with the great Howard Brenton for a third outing - this time with Anne Boleyn on tour for Shakespeare's Globe, directed by John Dove. I play fugitive Bible-translator, William Tyndale.
2011: So sad to say illness forced me to withdraw from rehearsals for Peachum in John Gay's fabulous The Beggar's Opera at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, and from working with Lucy Bailey. Very happily following this up with Kent in Tim Pigott-Smith's King Lear at West Yorks Playhouse for Ian Brown.

2010 sees a farewell to Bumble (incarcerated in his own workhouse) and Sikes (hanged and suffering hellfire) and a hello to another slightly psychologically disturbed creature: Adolf Hitler (growing the moustache as I type) in Tom McNab's new play 1936 at the Arcola Theatre. And joining with Howard Brenton again, this time on his new version of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists at Chichester Festival, for Christopher Morahan - old fashioned political theatre provoking huge passion, cheers and hatred alike - marvellous: very proud of this one. And finally, a long-held dream come true - Captain Hook.

2009 proved a fascinatingly populated year - with an ineffectual effete, with one of the WW2 RAF Few, a rigid Colonel protecting London from man-eating plants, a Hogarthian German quack, a sybaritic arse with a taste for cakes and ale, and a mid-life crisis having affairs with inappropriate women while complaining about the marmalade: Woyzeck (RADA), Land Girls and The Day of the Triffids (BBC), along with He's Much To Blame, Twelfth Night and Relatively Speaking back at the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds. And 2009 ends with the rather wonderfully schizoid doubling of Mr Bumble and Bill Sikes in Oliver Twist for Bolton Octagon. Plus ... the lost movie from 2001 at last sees the light of day after much sinister adventure - That Deadwood Feeling is out on DVD.

2008 was a lovely, creative and inspiring year, with seven months at the National Theatre and another two at the most exquisite Georgian gem, the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds. First came the premier of Howard Brenton's Never So Good charting the much misunderstood and misrepresented life of Harold Macmillan, and the opportunity to work with Howard Davies, Jeremy Irons and a remarkable and wonderful company of people.
And then, another lovely company, this time presenting the unjustly forgotten work of Georgian star, Elizabeth Inchbald (a favourite of Jane Austen, her near contemporary) in Wives As They Were and Maids As They Are. Misbehaving women in libertine London at the end of the 18th Century - and the men who cannot and will not understand them - played out in the exquisite, now restored, Theatre Royal which dates from 1818. ("A superb performance comes from Tim Frances as Sir William around who the play revolves. Urbane, high-principled, occasionally touchingly tender, he runs the gamut" The Stage)

2007 ends in Edinburgh at the Royal Lyceum, giving my Wizard in The Wizard of Oz, complete with shaved head - marvellous. Kicked off the year in Stoke-on-Trent at the Most Welcoming Theatre in Britain (it's official), The New Vic, in Richard Cameron's The Glee Club - a beautiful play in a great house; directed by Theresa Heskins. Joyous and laughter-filled. A very special summer (2006) spent at an extraordinary theatre, Alan Ayckbourn's Stephen Joseph in Scarborough: two new 2-handed plays, Purvis & The Prodigal Son, for Tamara Harvey. True passionate collaborative theatre.

A spell of history lessons - A Man For All Seasons triumphant in the West End with Martin Shaw, directed by Michael Rudman for Bill Kenwright; playing Thomas Cranmer ("spectacular production" The Guardian; "Tim Frances' cold Cranmer" Sunday Telegraph). With Paul Shelley, Clive Carter & Sophie Shaw. A lovely 7 months in terrific company ... ... And always a dream to play the darling of the French Revolution, Danton - which came true courtesy Simon Schama's new series for the BBC, The Power of Art, directed by Clare Beavan. David's The Death of Marat tells the story behind this iconic image of martyrdom and revolutionary spin. Glorious original thundering speeches rousing the people. Unrecognisable make-up and another great wig.

Moving swiftly on to a massively lovely return to Salisbury Playhouse to play Bernard in William (Shadowlands, Gladiator) Nicholson's elegantly sad Map of the Heart, directed by Fiona Laird. Judith Scott's Ruth & Tim Frances as brother Bernard ... are careful and detailed performances. They make a shared history ... ReviewsGate.com Christmas 2004 at the Warehouse Theatre Croydon for Femme Fatale - a musical pastiche of 40s B-movies and film noir - a must see for RosieJenkins' beautiful eyes alone! Tim Frances is superb as the fast-talking, ruthless Irwin and equally good as the henchman Manfred... The Stage. There is staunch support from Tim Frances as a succession of menacing heavies... Michael Billington in The Guardian.

And earlier, the blackly satirical Proving Mr Jennings by James Walker, with Daniel Hill and directed by old sparring partner Guy Retallack. (Theatreworld Magazine, September 2004: Tim Frances gives a virtuoso performance as the infuriatingly calm and patronising Colonel Loveday. Avoiding the temptation to over-labour laughs, he delivers the most absurd lines with a deadpan seriousness and conviction which accentuate the humour … A marvellously entertaining evening that still provokes thought and debate about serious issues.) A wonderful, committed bunch of people, a terrific piece and as happy a job as you could wish for.

Have also been filming again with Nick Copus for the BBC - a futuristic thriller, What If Drugs Were Legal. Just done an episode of My Dad's the Prime Minister for the BBC - great to be working with producer Matthew Francis again.
Recorded my first Radio for a while: She Fell Among Thieves for BBC, a wonderful old-fashioned Buchan-esque British thriller where I am one of two very classy gentlemen who save innocent young ladies and Empire alike from the evil clutches Honor Blackman. Damn fine larks.

And not long finished shooting the last episode of the new series of Bad Girls, playing a laconic and grumpy copper, Sgt Leadwell. Most recently, it was a real joy to be the new boss in The Inspector Lynley Mysteries for the BBC - Asst Commissioner Hillier, resurrected from Elizabeth George's books and possibly the first charming & personable cop-show boss in the history of television. A lovely job, re-united with Sharon Small (The Nun, Greenwich Studio Theatre), and meeting Nat Parker for the first time since the National Youth Theatre in 1980. A delight being directed by the late and much missed Sebastian Graham-Jones - a tremendous man and superb company over a glass. Prior to that, I got to play Tony Benn and Tony Blair in the 17th Century, in the part of John Lilburne in the BBC's Cromwell, with the irrepressible Jim Carter as Cromwell.

Since 2000 I have been represented by Michael Cronin at The Narrow Road Company, during which time I have done a goodly number of televsion jobs, including Andrew Davies' adaptation of Othello for LWT - featuring a stand-out performance by Christopher Eccleston as Jago/Iago, and directed by Geoffrey Sax - of Tipping the Velvet fame.

Another highlight in this time was a month spent on East Enders for the BBC, as the cunning manipulator of the jury on Little Mo's attempted murder trial. (There are still some out there who haven't forgiven me!) Lovely company and crew - how sweet to see Mo and Trevor curled up together on the green room sofa like the best of friends. Directed by lovely Dearbhla Walsh ("Shameless" ... the series, not the woman).

as Puck in Lexx

Way the most bonkers period was spent in Canada filming on the off-the-wall sci-fi series Lexx. I have long ago given up the thought of ever playing Heathcliff or Romeo, but the idea of Puck never even crossed my mind, yet here I was, giving my majorly pastiched fairy (in every non-pc sense of the word) in the weirdest show on TV. Naturally it was enormous fun, very liberating of my feminine side, and completely confirming my heterosexuality ... probably.

Alongside these was a nice little bunch of good old TV soaps - I am alas no longer part of that most exclusive actors' club: those who have never done The Bill. I also got to pick up a dose in Doctors, and bury a regular in Holby City.

with Brian Downey
as Stanley Tweedle

This time also saw the beginning of what I hope very much will be an ongoing working relationship with director Nick Copus, with two short films for the BBC. Crashing a WW2 Wellington bomber, and playing a seriously screwed-up wife-beater in a black fright wig - courtesy wonderful costume designer Naomi Elliott.

Still looking out for the cinema release of feature film Deadwood, for director--writer-producer brothers Mark & Simon Ubsdell. Seems something might be afoot at long last - watch this space. Dexter Fletcher: you are possibly the funniest man in the history of the world. Enormous fun.
Visit the Deadwood web site here

Prior to these, I had a wonderful fifteen months with Stephen Daldry's now legendary An Inspector Calls, on tour and luxuriously in London's West End (I still have proprietary feelings about the Garrick Theatre), playing Gerald Croft. A tremendous part, with some wonderful actors - including the delightful Bryan Murray, dear friend Sophie Arnold (in white, opposite) and fabulous powerhouse Marjorie Yates (2nd from left opposite): Marj - please play my mother in my dream of Coriolanus one day!)

An Inspector Calls Company, Garrick Theatre 2000

Great joy in ongoing work with directors and great friends like Rupert Goold (Habeas Corpus at Salisbury and Romeo & Juliet at Greenwich), the blessed Margarete & Julian Forsyth (The Nun, Greenwich Studio Theatre) and Han Duijvendak (five shows at Lancaster Duke's Playhouse and Century Theatre as was - a magical month touring India).

A stint at the Royal National Theatre, beating loonies without mercy in Marat-Sade and, as his understudy, jealously watching the indestructible and joyous Corin Redgrave walk away from all trouble. God, how I wanted that part!

And I do have to go back a bit to being a green and callow youth joining Antony Quayle's Compass Theatre for his King Lear. I remember watching this giant of British theatre night after night in wonder.