Richard Dempsey
Richard Dempsey (born 16 May 1973 in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England) is an English actor.
Richard Dempsey | |
|---|---|
Richard Dempsey | |
| Born | 16 May 1973 |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, Singer |
| Years active | 1988–present |
Biography
Richard Dempsey is an English stage, film and television actor.
Dempsey's first role came at the age of 15, when he appeared as Peter Pevensie in the BBC's adaptation of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 1988.[1] The following year, he appeared in the adaptation of Prince Caspian.
His film appearances include My Policeman , 1917 , Genius and Royal Deceit.
His subsequent TV appearances have included Doc Martin, Dracula, Sherlock Holmes (The Last Vampyre), Crime Traveller, Island at War and Egypt.
He made his professional stage debut in the role of Jack in the Original London production of the award-winning musical Into the Woods with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim at The Phoenix Theatre. After training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama he starred as Nick Piazza in the Original Cast of West End hit musical Fame and played Ugly in the original UK production of Honk!. In 2005 he appeared in the critically acclaimed Chichester Production of Just So, playing the lead role of the Elephant's Child.
He has since performed in a large variety of roles in television, film and on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, Michael Grandage Company, Frantic Assembly and Propeller.
He appeared in the 2019 Royal Shakespeare Company production of Don Quixote stepping into the title role when David Threlfall was indisposed.
In the Michael Grandage West End production of A Midsummer Night's Dream he played Peter Quince opposite David Walliams as Bottom. This was followed by a year playing Mr Bucket in Sam Mendes West End production of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" at The Theatre Royal Dury Lane, also appearing as Willy Wonka.
He played The Compère in the North American Premiere of the WYP production of Baz Luhrmann's Strictly Ballroom at The Prince of Wales Theatre, Toronto.
In Rob Ashford's Chichester Festival Theatre production of "A Damsel in Distress" he played Reggie Byng. "Richard Dempsey adorable as Reggie" Financial Times, "Richard Dempsey"s silly ass is the essence of adorability" The Sunday Times.
In the 2015 London revival of TS Eliot's The Cocktail Party he played Edward Chamberlain directed by Abby Wright, "beautifully pitched" Financial Times
He also starred in Mark Ravenhill's Citizenship with Matt Smith, Andrew Garfield and Andrea Riseborough at the Royal National Theatre, and toured with the production to Hong Kong.
Dempsey appeared in the original cast of the stage adaptation of Eleanor Bergstein's Dirty Dancing at the Aldwych Theatre in London's West End playing Neil Kellerman.
Dempsey appeared in Edward Hall's all-male productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Merchant of Venice, playing Titania and Lorenzo, touring to New York's Brooklyn Academy of Music, Tokyo, Rome, Athens, Milan, Galway and throughout the UK. "The moonlit romantic scene in the last act between Jessica and her husband, Lorenzo, played with a light ease by Richard Dempsey, is an unexpected high point."-The New York Times .He played opposite Josefina Gabrielle as The Rt Hon Gerald Bolingbroke in the Sheffield Crucible's production of Me and My Girl.
Returning to Propeller he played Hermione in The Winter's Tale alongside Henry V at the Hampstead Theatre in London and toured the productions to Australia, New Zealand and China. "Richard Dempsey's Hermione, whose appeal against the accusation of adultery is handled with an exquisite balance of bewilderment, dignity and despair."- The Guardian
He played Toddy in the Southwark Playhouse production of Victor Victoria "Richard Dempsey as Toddy is so endearing you want to hug him" - The Telegraph
Richard Dempsey's voice can be heard on the Original UK Cast Recordings of Into the Woods, Fame, Honk!, Just So, Dirty Dancing, and the concert recording of A Spoonful of Stiles and Drewe.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Prince of Jutland | Sigurd | |
| 1998 | The Barber of Siberia | The stutterer | |
| 2000 | 24 Hours in London | Olly Walsh | |
| 2016 | Genius | Director | |
| 2019 | 1917 | Mackenzie Officer |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988–89 | The Chronicles of Narnia | Peter Pevensie | 8 episodes |
| 1991 | Tonight at 8.30 | Alf / Mr Burnham | 2 episodes |
| 1993 | The Good Guys | Dominic | Episode: "Old School Ties" |
| Anna Lee | Sam Tulloch | TV movie | |
| The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes | Jack Ferguson | Episode: "The Last Vampyre" | |
| Don't Leave Me This Way | Felix Neil | TV movie | |
| 1994 | The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries | Patrick | Episode: "Dead Water" |
| 1995 | Wycliffe | James Coryn | Episode: "Lost Contact" |
| 1997 | Student Prince | Sebastian | TV movie |
| Crime Traveller | Nicky Robson | 8 episodes | |
| 1999 | Scarlet Pimpernel | Comte de Claris de Florian | TV mini-series |
| Tilly Trotter | Harry Sopwith | TV mini-series, 2 episodes | |
| Aristocrats | Lord Beaufield | TV mini-series | |
| Wives and Daughters | Mr Bold | TV mini-series | |
| 2003–11 | Doctors | Gareth Appleton | 32 episodes |
| 2004 | Island at War | Eugene La Salle | |
| 2005 | Egypt | William Beechey | TV mini-series, Episode: "The Temple of the Sands" |
| Peter Warlock, Some Little Joy | Moeran | TV movie | |
| 2013 | Doc Martin | Colin Westmore | Episode: Departure |
| Downton Abbey | Footman | Season 4, Episode 8 | |
| Dracula | Dewhurst | Episode: "Of Monsters and Men" | |
| 2022 | Doctor Who | Nicholas II | Episode: "The Power of the Doctor" |
Theatre Credits
| Year | Title | Role | Theatre | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-91 | Into the Woods | Jack | Phoenix Theatre | West End | Musical |
| 1993 | Honk! | Ugly | Stephen Joseph Theatre | Scarborough | Musical |
| 1995-96 | Fame | Nick Piazza | Cambridge Theatre | West End | Musical |
| 1999 | Honk! | Ugly | Royal National Theatre | UK National Tour | Musical |
| 2004-05 | Dirty Dancing | Neil Kellerman | Aldwych Theatre | West End | Musical |
| 2005 | Just So | Elephant's Child | Chichester Festival Theatre | Chichester | Musical |
| 2006 | Me and My Girl | Hon Gerald | Sheffield Crucible | Sheffield | Musical |
| 2006-07 | Citizenship | De Clerk | Royal National Theatre | London | Play |
| 2009-10 | Strictly Ballroom | The Compère | Prince of Wales Theatre | Toronto | Musical |
| 2010-11 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Titania | — | UK & International Tour | Play |
| 2011-12 | The Merchant of Venice | Lorenzo | — | UK & International Tour | Play |
| 2012 | Victor/Victoria | Toddy | Southwark Playhouse | London | Play |
| 2012 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Peter Quince | Noel Coward Theatre | West End | Play |
| 2013-14 | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | Mr Bucket / Understudy Willy Wonka | Theatre Royal Drury Lane | West End | Musical |
| 2015 | The Cocktail Party | Edward Chamberlain | The Coronet | Off-West End | Play |
| 2015 | A Damsel in Distress | Reggie | Chichester Festival Theatre | Chichester | Play |
| 2018 | A Winter's Tale | Hermoine | Hampstead Theatre / Tour | London & Asia Tour | Play |
| 2019 | Don Quixote | Duke/Don Quixote | Royal Shakespeare Company | West End | Play |
| 2021-22 | A Christmas Carol | Bob Cratchit | Middle Temple | London | Musical |
| 2022 | Tammy Faye | Paul Crouch | Almeida Theatre | London | Musical |
References
- ^ Fordy, Tom (23 December 2021). "How the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe made the BBC take children seriously". The Daily Telegraph.
External links
- Richard Dempsey's Official Website
- Richard Dempsey at IMDb
- Dirty Dancing - Richard Dempsey's Video Diary