Eric Porter

Person

Eric Porter

Acting April 8, 1928

Shepard's Bush, London, UK

A highly respected Shakespearean for five decades until his death of colon cancer in 1995, classical actor Eric Porter's claim to international fame would, ironically, be outside…

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Known for

Popular titles

The Day of the Jackal

The Day of the Jackal

7.5 1973 Movie
Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes

8.2 1984 TV Show
Play for Today

Play for Today

6.6 1970 TV Show
BBC Play of the Month

BBC Play of the Month

5.2 1965 TV Show
Little Lord Fauntleroy

Little Lord Fauntleroy

7.3 1980 Movie
Theatre 625

Theatre 625

7.2 1964 TV Show
The Fall of the Roman Empire

The Fall of the Roman Empire

6.5 1964 Movie
Playhouse

Playhouse

7.0 1974 TV Show
The Heroes of Telemark

The Heroes of Telemark

6.9 1965 Movie
Performance

Performance

6.3 1991 TV Show
Nicholas and Alexandra

Nicholas and Alexandra

6.9 1971 Movie
Hands of the Ripper

Hands of the Ripper

6.2 1971 Movie

Biography

A closer look

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A highly respected Shakespearean for five decades until his death of colon cancer in 1995, classical actor Eric Porter's claim to international fame would, ironically, be outside of that realm, with one superb portrayal in one superb miniseries, The Forsyte Saga(1967), in which he won the BAFTA award. The son of Richard John Porter and Phoebe Elizabeth Spall, Porter first attended Wimbledon Technical College before stepping onto the stage as a walk-on in a production of William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" in February 1945 at the Arts Theatre in Cambridge. He continued in repertory until joining the National Service with the RAF during the war years. Early post-war credits would include touring with Sir Donald Wolfit and Sir Barry Jackson in their prestigious companies. Favorite roles in his repertoire would eventually include "Macbeth", "King Lear" and "Uncle Vanya". He won London's Evening Standard Award for "Rosmersholm" in 1959. Joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1960, he became a prime, esteemed resident for decades. Porter made his film debut in mid-career with The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) at age 36, but it was the BBC that made him an international favorite as the ever-proper but intensely emotional and unhinged "Soames Forsyte". Taboos were broken on that series with a violent rape scene that had people talking for months. Along with the newly acquired fame came leads in lesser films such as The Lost Continent(1968) and Hands of the Ripper (1971), adding class to both those atmospheric horrors. On the plus side, Porter engaged himself frequently in quality TV miniseries fare includingAnna Karenina (1977), The Jewel in the Crown (1984) and Oliver Twist (1985) (as Fagin), while transferring many classics to TV as well, with "Cyrano de Bergerac", "Man and Superman" and "Macbeth" being but a few.

Filmography

Movies and shows, newest first

  1. 2007
    Morecambe & Wise: Christmas Specials

    Movie

  2. 2003
    The Heroes of Telemark: Location report from Norway

    Movie

  3. 2001
    The Best of Morecambe and Wise

    Movie Self (archive footage)

  4. 1994
    Message for Posterity

    Movie James Player

  5. 1994
    The World of Hammer

    TV show Self (archive footage)

  6. 1991
    Performance

    TV show James Player

  7. 1986
    The Return of Sherlock Holmes

    TV show Professor Moriarty

  8. 1985
    Oliver Twist

    TV show Fagin

  9. 1985
    Oliver Twist

    Movie Fagin

  10. 1984
    Sherlock Holmes

    TV show Professor Moriarty

  11. 1984
    The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

    TV show Professor Moriarty

  12. 1984
    The Jewel in the Crown

    TV show Dimitri Bronowsky

  13. 1982
    A Shilling Life

    Movie Petersham

  14. 1981
    Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years

    TV show Neville Chamberlain

  15. 1981
    The Crucible

    Movie Deputy Governor Danforth

  16. 1981
    The Sin Bin

    Movie Stanley Wilkinson

More credits
  1. 1980
    Little Lord Fauntleroy

    Movie Mr. Havisham

  2. 1980
    Hamlet

    Movie Polonius

  3. 1980
    Why Didn't They Ask Evans?

    Movie Dr. Nicholson

  4. 1979
    Churchill and the Generals

    Movie Gen. Sir Alan Brooke

  5. 1978
    The Thirty Nine Steps

    Movie Chief Superintendent Lomas

  6. 1977
    Anna Karenina

    TV show Karenin

  7. 1977
    The Winslow Boy

    Movie Arthur Winslow

  8. 1977
    The Shetland Experience

    Movie Narrator (voice)

  9. 1976
    Hitler’s Germany - A World at War Special Presentation

    Movie Narrator

  10. 1975
    Hennessy

    Movie Tobin

  11. 1975
    The Final Solution

    TV show Self - Narrator

  12. 1975
    The Statue and the Rose

    Movie Parnell

  13. 1975
    Private Affairs

    TV show Charles Stewart Parnell

  14. 1975
    The Two Deaths of Adolf Hitler

    Movie Narrator

  15. 1975
    The Final Solution

    Movie Narrator

  16. 1974
    Callan

    Movie Hunter

  17. 1974
    From War to Peace

    Movie Narrator

  18. 1974
    Warrior - World at War Special Presentation

    Movie Narrator

  19. 1974
    Playhouse

    TV show Petersham

  20. 1973
    The Day of the Jackal

    Movie Colonel Rodin

  21. 1973
    Hitler: The Last Ten Days

    Movie Generalfeldmarschall Robert Ritter von Greim

  22. 1973
    The Belstone Fox

    Movie Asher Smith

  23. 1972
    Antony and Cleopatra

    Movie Enobarbus

  24. 1971
    Nicholas and Alexandra

    Movie Stolypin