TV.com

Ian Richardson

FavoritedFavorite

9.1

Avg Rating: Superb

10 votes

Your Rating: 10

"Perfect"
Your Rating: 9.5

"Superb"
Your Rating: 9

"Superb"
Your Rating: 8.5

"Great"
Your Rating: 8

"Great"
Your Rating: 7.5

"Good"
Your Rating: 7

"Good"
Your Rating: 6.5

"Fair"
Your Rating: 6

"Fair"
Your Rating: 5.5

"Mediocre"
Your Rating: 5

"Mediocre"
Your Rating: 4.5

"Poor"
Your Rating: 4

"Poor"
Your Rating: 3.5

"Bad"
Your Rating: 3

"Bad"
Your Rating: 2.5

"Terrible"
Your Rating: 2

"Terrible"
Your Rating: 1.5

"Abysmal"
Your Rating: 1

"Abysmal"

Rate Now!

Biography

Ian Richardson was born to John and Margaret in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1934. Ian's father, John worked for McVitie and Price, a biscuit company,…more

Born

4/7/1934, Edinburgh, Scotland

Died

2/9/2007

Birth Name

Ian William Richardson

Gender

Male

Credits

Star (9)

Role
- Strange
  Canon Black
  - S 1: Ep 6 Asmoth
    7/5/03
  - S 1: Ep 5 Dubik
    6/28/03
  - S 1: Ep 4 Incubus
    6/21/03
  - S 1: Ep 3 Costa Burra
    6/14/03
  - S 1: Ep 2 Kaa-Jinn
    6/7/03
  - + 2 More Credits
- Murder Rooms
  Dr Joseph Bell
  - S 1: Ep 4 The White Knight Stratagem
    10/2/01
  - S 1: Ep 3 The Kingdom of Bones
    9/25/01
  - S 1: Ep 2 The Photographer's Chair
    9/18/01
  - S 1: Ep 1 The Patient's Eyes
    9/4/01
- The Magician's House
  Stephen Tyler
  - S 2: Ep 6 206
    12/17/00
  - S 2: Ep 5 205
    12/10/00
  - S 2: Ep 4 204
    12/3/00
  - S 2: Ep 3 203
    11/26/00
  - S 2: Ep 2 202
    11/19/00
  - + 7 More Credits
- Gormenghast
  Sepulchrave, Earl of Groan
  - S 1: Ep 4 Episode 4
    2/7/00
  - S 1: Ep 3 Episode 3
    1/31/00
  - S 1: Ep 2 Episode 2
    1/24/00
  - S 1: Ep 1 Episode 1
    1/17/00
- Murder Rooms
  Joseph Bell
  - S 1: Ep 0 The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes, Part 2
    1/5/00
  - S 1: Ep 0 The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes, Part 1
    1/4/00
- To Play the King
  Francis Urquhart
  - S 1: Ep 4 Part Four
    12/12/93
  - S 1: Ep 3 Part Three
    12/5/93
  - S 1: Ep 2 Part Two
    11/28/93
  - S 1: Ep 1 Part One
    11/21/93
- House of Cards
  Francis Urquhart
  - S 1: Ep 4 Part 4
    12/9/90
  - S 1: Ep 3 Part 3
    12/2/90
  - S 1: Ep 2 Part 2
    11/25/90
  - S 1: Ep 1 Part 1
- Number 10
  James Ramsay MacDonald
  - S 1: Ep 3 A Woman of Style
    2/27/83
  - S 1: Ep 2 Underdog
    2/20/83
- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
  Bill Haydon
  - S 1: Ep 7 Flushing Out the Mole
    10/22/79
  - S 1: Ep 6 Smiley Sets a Trap
    10/15/79
  - S 1: Ep 5 Tinker Tailor
    10/8/79
  - S 1: Ep 4 How It All Fits Together
    10/1/79
  - S 1: Ep 3 Smiley Tracks the Mole
    9/24/79
  - + 2 More Credits
Recurring Role (3)

Role
- Bleak House
  Chancellor
  - S 1: Ep 15 Episode 15
    12/16/05
  - S 1: Ep 9 Episode 9
    11/25/05
  - S 1: Ep 5 Episode 5
    11/10/05
  - S 1: Ep 3 Episode 3
    11/3/05
  - S 1: Ep 2 Episode 2
    10/28/05
  - + 1 More Credits
- Brass
  Marshall Snelgrove QC
- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
  Bill Haydon
Guest Star (14)

Role
- The Andrew Marr Show
  Himself
  - S 1: Ep 21 12th February, 2006
    2/12/06
- Masterpiece Theatre
  Chancellor
  - S 35: Ep 6 Bleak House (1)
    1/22/06
- Mystery!
  Conway Jefferson
  - S 25: Ep 9 Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: The Body in the Library (1)
    6/5/05
- Agatha Christie's Marple
  Conway Jefferson
  - S 1: Ep 1 The Body In The Library
    12/12/04
- Legends
  Himself
  - S 2: Ep 4 Alec Guinness
    8/14/01
- Mystery!
  Dr. Joseph Bell
  - S 20: Ep 31 Murder Rooms: The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes Part 1
    1/11/01
- Highlander
  Max Leiner
  - S 6: Ep 3 Sins of the Father
    10/18/97
- Hallmark Hall Of Fame
  Mr. MacKellar
  - S 33: Ep 2 The Master of Ballantrae
    1/31/84
- Play for Today
  Guest Star
  - S 12: Ep 11 A Cotswold Death
    1/12/82
  - S 9: Ep 6 Sorry
    11/21/78
- Play of the Month
  Robespierre
  - S 13: Ep 6 Danton's Death
    4/23/78
- The Mike Douglas Show
  Himself
  - S 14: Ep 196 Week of June 14, 1976
    6/14/76
- Camera Three
  Himself
  - S 19: Ep 17 Richard II
    1/13/74
- The Revenue Men
  Constable
  - S 1: Ep 10 A Man Takes a Drink
    5/30/67
- The Merv Griffin Show
  Himself
  - S 3: Ep 153 April 7, 1966
    4/7/66

Trivia and Quotes

See All

Trivia
ADD TRIVIA
- Ian is said to have based Francis Urquhart on Shakespeare's Richard III, a part he had played for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
  Edit Share Hide
- Ian appeared in the U.S. in an advertisement for Dijon Mustard.
  Edit Share Hide
- Ian won a Broadcasting Press Guild Award for his role of Francis Urquhart in House of Cards. It was for Best Acting Performance.
  Edit Share Hide
Quotes
ADD QUOTES
- (on his career and life). Ian Richardson: I've had a superb career and I was very lucky to do all those big Shakespearean roles in my twenties. What really matters to me now is not my CBE nor my acting awards but my family and my beautiful estate in Devon.
  Edit Share Hide
- (on his wife Maroussia). Ian Richardson: She has been singularly responsible not only for my career decisions but practically for the person I am over these forty-three years we have been together, because I was very rough and raw material when we first met.
  Edit Share Hide
- (on comparing Theatre and TV work). Ian Richardson: The theatre has been my first and only love and it was purely by chance that I drifted into TV and film. I wasn't complaining because the financial returns were much higher than they ever could be in the theatre.
  Edit Share Hide