Derek Jacobi

Date of Birth:
22 October 1938

Current Role

Sir Derek Jacobi will star in the upcoming American drama film Hereafter alongside Mat Damon.

Early Life

Jacobi was born in Leytonstone to a working-class family and his happy childhood was marred only by the outbreak of war. He was educated at Leyton County High School and at 18, was awarded a scholarship to study history at St John's College, Cambridge alongside fellow students at the university Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Trevor Nunn. After performing in a student production of Edward II, Jacobi was instantly offered a position at Birmingham Rep. Spotted by Sir Laurence Olivier, Jacobi was brought down to London to perform as Laertes in the National Theatre's inaugural production of Hamlet.

Career Highlights

Jacobi became a household name thanks to his outstanding performance in the BBC series I, Claudius (1976) for which he won a BAFTA. A stage and screen actor, Jacobi has also starred in TV programs such as Doctor Who (2007) and films including Endgame (2009)

Derek made his Broadway debut in the play The Suicide(1980) and recently starred as Malvolio in the highly-acclaimed version of Twelfth Night at the Wyndham's Theatre. .
]

Interesting Facts

• Sir Derek sent himself and his Shakespearean tradition up when he appeared in Frasier in 2001. Playing the hammy and pretentious actor Jackson Hedley
• Jacobi also provides narration for the hugely popular children's BBC programme, In The Night Garden

Awards

• In 1977 he won the Best Actor BAFTA for I, Claudius
• In 1984, Jacobi was given the Tony Award for Best Actor for Much Ado About Nothing
• In 1994, he was knighted for his services to drama
• In 1998, Jacobi won the Edinburgh International Film Festival for Best British Performance for Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon
• In 2001, he was presented with an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, for Frasier in the episode The Show Must Go Off
• In 2008 Jacobi was awarded with the Helen Hayes Tribute for Lifetime Achievement at the 24th Annual Helen Hayes Awards
• In 2009 Sir Derek won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for Malvolio in Twelfth Night
• Jacobi is the recipient of two knighthoods, one Danish (1989) and one British (1994)