Lloyd Owen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lloyd Owen | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Richard Lloyd Owen 14 April 1966 London, England, UK |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
| Spouse(s) | Juliette Mole |
Lloyd Owen (born 14 April 1966) is a British actor of Welsh descent. Trained at the National Youth Theatre and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, he is probably best known for his portrayal of Indiana Jones's father Professor Dr. Henry Jones, Sr. in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles between 1992 and 1993 and for playing Paul Bowman-MacDonald in the BBC Scotland television series Monarch of the Glen from 2002 to 2005. He played the role of solicitor William Heelis in the film Miss Potter (2006).
However, his first love has always been the theatre. His first break on stage was the role of Nick in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in 1996. Other highlights of his stage career include playing Dan in Closer in 1998 and George in The York Realist in 2002. His most recent role was as Peter in Paul (2005).
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[edit] Early years and education
Richard Lloyd Owen was born on 14 April 1966 at the Charing Cross Hospital[1] in London, England. He was brought up in the nation's capital, although both of his parents were Welsh – his father, actor Glyn Owen (1928–2004), was from Caernarfon, Gwynedd, in northwest Wales, while his mother, actress Patricia Mort, was from Morriston in Swansea, South Wales.[2] His sister is the actress Cathy Owen.
When he was at Highgate School,[3], because his father was an actor, his teachers thought that he should be able to act, too. However, at first he was not interested. "I was always made to read plays at school but I never wanted to. Then I was made to take part in a school play and I didn't want to do that either but I started to get approval for my acting. I was reasonably academic, good at sport, but somehow with the acting, people said 'that was fantastic'. So I thought 'maybe that's what I'll do then'. It went from there."[4] At Highgate he took the lead in a notable production of The Roses of Eyam by Don Taylor which was directed by Philip Swan and also starred Tamsin Greig and Aubrey Nunn of Faithless.[citation needed]
Growing up in a theatrical family, as a child Owen met many icons who were his father's friends, including John Conteh, Tommy Cooper, Ken Dodd, Ronnie Fraser, Richard Harris, Danny La Rue and Peter O'Toole. On one occasion, he met Albert Finney and told him he wanted to be an actor. Finney advised him: "Keep your head down and work hard."[4]
At 16, Owen went straight from school to the National Youth Theatre, and subsequently received some formal training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. While there he managed to get an acting job and an Equity card, but when he told the principal of RADA he needed a term off, the request was denied and he was expelled from the Academy after just a year. Fortunately, Owen landed a job with Cheek by Jowl and followed the theatre company on tour around the world performing Shakespeare plays.[4] Owen has said that he wished he had gone to university, and that he had been "in too much of a rush".[5]
[edit] Professional career
Owen's first big break was clinching the role of Professor Dr. Henry Jones, Sr., father of Indiana Jones, in eight episodes of the TV series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles in 1992 and 1993. Subsequently, he appeared in 25 episodes of the popular BBC Scotland series Monarch of the Glen as Paul Bowman-MacDonald between 2002 and 2005.[6] He also played Professor Jon Ford in the BBC Northern Ireland series The Innocence Project (2006–2007); however, due to poor reviews and falling viewership, the series was pulled from the schedules in the middle of the first season and no further seasons will be filmed.[7]
Owen's film career has included appearances in short films, and supporting roles in The Republic of Love (2003) (as Peter), which was based on a novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Carol Shields, and in Miss Potter (2006) (as a solicitor named William Heelis who married children's author Beatrix Potter).
However, Owen's first love has always been the theatre. Early in his professional career he was involved in the Cheek by Jowl productions of Philoctetes and the Shakespeare plays Macbeth, The Tempest and Twelfth Night. Owen's break on stage was playing Nick in Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962), directed by Howard Davies, at the Almeida Theatre in London in 1996. Owen studied the play during his A-levels, and it is his favourite play. Other highlights of his stage career include playing Dan in Closer by Patrick Marber in 1998 and George in The York Realist by Peter Gill in 2002.[1] Critics praised his performance in the latter play as "astonishing in its power, throttled fury and sadness"[8] and "superb, richly voiced",[9] and called him "a fast-rising star".[10]
Owen has said, "My screen work often funds my theatre career – that's the way I think of it. Theatre is where my heart and soul is, where I feel absolutely vocational. Creatively, theatre is the most democratic forum for an actor because you have near total control over your performance. It's also where the playwright can never be censored and, as such, that makes it a truly democratic forum for debate. And the communal experience, the chemistry that you get between actors and audience can be extraordinary. It can move you in a way that film can't. That's the power of theatre at its best." The role that he would most like to play is Macbeth; other roles on his wish-list include Iago in Othello, Brick in Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Lenny in Harold Pinter's The Homecoming, and Hamlet "as long as no one gives it to me because it's completely daunting".[1]
Owen is a baritone, and speaks fluent French.[11]
[edit] Personal life
Owen is married to actress and artist Juliette Mole,[2] and they have two children, Maxim and Mimi.[12] They currently reside in Battersea, Wandsworth, in southwest London.[2]
To relax, Owen plays sports such as football and tennis. He also runs frequently, finding it quite meditative.[5] Like many Welsh people, he enjoys watching rugby union matches.[2]
[edit] Selected work
| Medium | Year(s) of appearance |
Production | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theatre | The Passport – Young Vic, London | ||
| The Parquet Floor – Young Vic, London | |||
| Philoctetes – (Cheek by Jowl production) | (Chorus) | ||
| The Tempest – (Cheek by Jowl production) | Ferdinand | ||
| Macbeth – (Cheek by Jowl production) | Donalbain | ||
| 1986 | Twelfth Night – (Cheek by Jowl production) Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon | Sebastian | |
| 1989 | Hamlet – Haymarket Theatre, Leicester | Laertes | |
| Television | 1992–1993 (eight episodes) |
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992–1996) | Professor Dr. Henry Jones, Sr. |
| 1993 | All in the Game | Darren Matthews | |
| 1994 | The Cinder Path | Charlie MacFell | |
| Theatre | Henry VI, Part 3 – (Royal Shakespeare Company production) The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon | Edward IV | |
| 1995 | Our Boys – Donmar Warehouse, London | Joe | |
| Grab the Dog – The Studio, Royal National Theatre, London | |||
| 1996 | East Lynne – Greenwich Theatre, London | Captain Francis Levison | |
| Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?[13] – Almeida Theatre, London and Aldwych Theatre, London | Nick | ||
| Television | Young Indiana Jones: Travels with Father | Professor Dr. Henry Jones, Sr. | |
| 1998 | Get Real | Adam | |
| Theatre | Closer[14] – Lyric Theatre, London | Dan | |
| 1999 | Morphic Resonance – Donmar Warehouse, London | Wallace | |
| Film | Between Dreams (short film) | Stephen Tredre | |
| Television | The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Spring Break Adventure (video) | Professor Dr. Henry Jones, Sr. | |
| 2000 (series 2) |
Hearts and Bones | James | |
| Theatre | 2000 | The Way of the World[15] – Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester | Mirabell |
| Julius Caesar[16] – Young Vic, London | Brutus | ||
| 2001 | Edward II[17] – Crucible Theatre, Sheffield | Mortimer the Younger | |
| Television | Des del Balcó | Patrick | |
| 2002 (three episodes) |
Coupling (2000–2004) | James | |
| 2002–2005 (25 episodes) |
Monarch of the Glen (2000–2005) | Paul Bowman-MacDonald | |
| 2002 | Dead Gorgeous | Vic | |
| Film | The Seasons Alter | Oberon | |
| Theatre | The York Realist[10][18] – Royal Court Theatre, London | George | |
| 2003 | Iphigenia[19] – Crucible Theatre, Sheffield | Agamemnon | |
| Film | The Republic of Love | Peter | |
| 2004 | Get the Picture (short film) | Jake Wells | |
| Theatre | Clouds[20] – Cambridge Arts Theatre, Cambridge, and Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford | Owen Shorter | |
| 2005 | Paul[21] – Cottesloe Theatre, Royal National Theatre, London | Peter | |
| Film | 2006 | Miss Potter | William Heelis |
| Television | 2006–2007 | The Innocence Project | Professor Jon Ford |
| 2007 | Viva Laughlin | Ripley Holden | |
| 2008 | Taking The Flak |
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c Paddock, Terri. "20 questions with... Lloyd Owen", WhatsOnStage.com, 2003-02-03.
- ^ a b c d Driscoll, Rob. "Lloyd Owen: Everything but my dad", Western Mail (reproduced on icWales.co.uk), 2006-11-04.
- ^ As an alumnus of Highgate School, Owen is a member of the Old Cholmeleian Society and Old Cholmeleian Sports Club, both named after the school's founder Sir Roger Cholmeley: Lloyd Owen at the Old Cholmeleian Sports Club website. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
- ^ a b c Maloney, Alison. "From Laird to Lawyer", Sunday Post Magazine Online, October 2006.
- ^ a b Monarch of the Glen: Live chat: Lloyd Owen. bbc.co.uk (2003-11-15). Retrieved on 2007-06-25.
- ^ See Return of the Monarch: Lloyd Owen talks about the final series of Monarch of the Glen. GMTV (2005-09-15). Retrieved on 2007-06-27. According to Mrs. Elsie Orme, a former assistant stage manager interviewed for the Theatre Archive Project who is a friend of Owen and once his landlady, Owen did not particuarly like acting in Monarch of the Glen but did it because it brought in considerable income, which enabled him to take on projects that he really wanted to do for probably very little money: Shah, Anneka (interviewer) (2005-01-18). Interview with Elsie Orme – page 3. Theatre Archive Project, British Library. Retrieved on 2007-06-27.
- ^ A BBC spokeswoman said the remaining episodes will "definitely be shown", but that it was not yet known when: Dowell, Ben. "Innocence lost on BBC1 viewers: Prime-time drama of young lawyers righting wrongs has been pulled from the schedules", The Guardian, 2006-12-03.
- ^ Nicholas de Jongh in the Evening Standard (9 January 2002): see Lloyd Owen at Actors in Good Company. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
- ^ Stephen Brown in The Times Literary Supplement (25 January 2002): Lloyd Owen at Actors in Good Company. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
- ^ a b Billington, Michael. "The York Realist: Royal Court, London [theatre review]", The Guardian, 2002-01-09.
- ^ Lloyd Owen at the website of Hamilton Hodell, his agent. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
- ^ In October 2006, the Sunday Post Magazine Online reported that Maxim was aged 15 and Mimi eight: see Maloney, Alison. "From laird to lawyer", Sunday Post Magazine Online, October 2006.
- ^ Spencer, Charles. "Howls of pain from the marital bearpit [review of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]", The Daily Telegraph, 1996-09-28.
- ^ Archive page for Closer. Albemarle of London (?2006). Retrieved on 2007-06-27.
- ^ Hopkin, James. "Just enough tomfoolery: The Way of the World: The Royal Exchange, Manchester [review]", The Guardian, 2000-04-26.
- ^ Billington, Michael. "Poor start at the Young Vic [review of Julius Caesar]", The Guardian, 2000-09-22.
- ^ Billington, Michael. "Majestic decline of Joseph Fiennes: Edward II: Crucible Theatre, Sheffield [review]", The Guardian, 2001-03-15. Spencer, Charles. "Fiennes leaves Shakespeare in Hollywood [review of Edward II]", The Daily Telegraph, 2001-03-15.
- ^ Macaulay, Alastair. "Flawless acting on a Yorkshire farm [review of The York Realist]", Financial Times, 2002-01-10. Spencer, Charles. "Before the sixties began to swing [review of The York Realist]", The Daily Telegraph, 2002-01-10. "Say it with Vaseline: The York Realist: Royal Court, London SW1 [review]", The Guardian, 2002-01-13. Grayling, A.C. (2002-01-13). The York Realist by Peter Gill: Royal Court Theatre 4 January – 2 February 2002. Online Review London. Retrieved on 2007-06-27. Dalglish, Darren (2002-01-15). The York Realist. The London Theatre Guide Online. Retrieved on 2007-06-27. Reviews of Past Productions: The Royal Court presents The English Touring Theatre production of The York Realist written and directed by Peter Gill. Royal Court Theatre (2002). Retrieved on 2007-06-27.
- ^ Billington, Michael. "Iphigenia: Crucible, Sheffield [review]", The Guardian, 2003-02-12. Spencer, Charles. "How to rip the heart out of Euripides [review of Iphigenia]", The Daily Telegraph, 2003-02-13. Shuttleworth, Ian. "Unspeakable actions of wartime [review of Iphigenia]", Financial Times, 2003-02-19.
- ^ Spencer, Charles. "Lost in the tropical haze [review of Clouds]", The Daily Telegraph, 2004-11-18. Billington, Michael. "Clouds: Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford (theatre review)", The Guardian, 2004-11-24. van Emst, Christine. "Cirrus comedy", This is Local London, 2004-11-24.
- ^ Billington, Michael. "Paul: National, London", The Guardian, 2005-11-10. Nightingale, Benedict. "Theatre: Paul", The Times, 2005-11-10. Spencer, Charles. "A powerful and thrilling act of heresy [review of Paul]", The Daily Telegraph, 2005-11-10. Hemming, Sarah. "The apostle, the songstress and the superficial Scrooge [review of Paul]", Financial Times, 2005-11-11. Sierz, Aleks. "Paul", The Stage, 2005-11-11. Hemming, Sarah. "Paul", Financial Times, 2005-11-15.
[edit] References
- Driscoll, Rob. "Lloyd Owen: Everything but my dad", Western Mail (reproduced on icWales.co.uk), 2006-11-04.
- Lloyd Owen at Actors in Good Company, a fansite
- Lloyd Owen at the Film & TV Database of the British Film Institute
- Lloyd Owen at the Internet Movie Database
- Lloyd Owen at the website of Hamilton Hodell, his agent
- Maloney, Alison. "From laird to lawyer", Sunday Post Magazine Online, October 2006.
- Paddock, Terri. "20 questions with... Lloyd Owen", WhatsOnStage.com, 2003-02-03.
[edit] Further reading
- "Stars are naturals at shifting trees", London 24, 2004-12-20.
[edit] External links
- Official website of the BBC Northern Ireland TV series The Innocence Project
- Official website of the BBC Scotland TV series Monarch of the Glen
- Official website of the TV series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Owen, Lloyd |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Owen, Richard Lloyd |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | British actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 14 April 1966 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | London, England |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
