James Fox

James Fox, OBE (born 19 May 1939) is an English actor.

Biography

Early life

James Fox was born in London to theatrical agent Robin Fox and actress Angela Worthington. He is the brother of actor Edward Fox and film producer Robert Fox. He is also a paternal half-brother of Daniel Chatto and a brother-in-law of Lady Sarah Chatto.^{[citation needed]} The actress Emilia Fox is his niece and the actor Laurence Fox is his son. His grandfather was playwright Frederick Lonsdale. Like his brother, Fox served with the Coldstream Guards. Like several members of the Fox family, including his brothers and his son, James was educated at Harrow School.

Acting career

James Fox first appeared on film in the The Miniver Story in 1950. His other early film appearances were made under the name William Fox. During the 1960s he gained popularity and appeared to be heading for stardom. His roles in films such as The Servant (1963), Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965), King Rat (1965), The Chase (1965), Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), Isadora (1968) and Performance (1970) (alongside Mick Jagger), as well as his relationship with actress Sarah Miles, had made him a media personality.

Spiritual life and break from acting

After finishing work on Performance, and following his father's death, Fox suspended his acting career. The strain of filming, his father's death and smoking the hallucinogen DMT led to a nervous breakdown.^[1] On his break from acting, Fox has commented that "[p]eople think Performance blew my mind... my mind was blown long before that."^[1]

He has also said that: "Performance gave me doubts about my way of life. Before that I had been completely involved in the more bawdy side of the film business. But after that everything changed.'^[1]

He became an evangelical Christian, working with The Navigators and devoting himself to the ministry.^[2] During this time, the only film in which Fox appeared was No Longer Alone (1978), the story of a suicidal woman saved by Christianity.

Return to acting

After an absence of almost ten years from mainstream cinema, Fox gradually returned to the screen, appearing in A Passage to India (1984) and playing Anthony Blunt in the acclaimed BBC play by Alan Bennett, A Question of Attribution (1992). He also portrayed the character of Colonel Ferguson in Farewell to the King. More recently, he has appeared in the 2001 adaption of The Lost World as Prof. Leo Summerlee, Agatha Christie's Poirot - Death on the Nile (2004) as Colonel Race and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) playing Mr. Salt, Veruca Salt's father. He appeared in the Doctor Who audio drama Shada, and in 2007, he guest-starred in the British television crime series Waking the Dead. He also appeared opposite his son, Laurence Fox in "Allegory of Love", an episode in the third season of Lewis.

Personal life

In the 1960s, Fox had a relationship with actress Sarah Miles.^[1] James Fox has five children with his wife Mary Elizabeth Piper, whom he married in 1973.^[1] He is the father of Laurence Fox, as well as three other sons and one daughter, Lydia Fox. Both Laurence and Lydia were married to fellow actors in 2007, making James the father-in-law of both Richard Ayoade and Billie Piper. He is also the grandfather of Winston James Fox, by Laurence Fox and Billie Piper.

Selected film and television appearances

• The Miniver Story (1950) - as Toby Miniver
• The Magnet (1950) - Johnny Brent
• One Wild Oat (1951) - Porter
• The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) - as Gunthorpe
• The Servant (1963) - as Tony
• King Rat (1965) - as Peter Marlowe
• Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965) - as Richard Mays
• The Chase - as Jason 'Jake' Rogers
• Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) - as Jimmy
• Duffy (1968) - as Stephane Calvert
• Performance (1970) - as Chas
• Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984) - as Lord Charles Esker
• A Passage to India (1984) - as Richard Fielding
• Absolute Beginners (1986) - as Henley of Mayfair, Dressmaker to the Queen
• The Whistle Blower - as Lord
• The Mighty Quinn (1989) - as Thomas Elgin
• The Russia House (1990) - as Ned
• Patriot Games (1992) - as Lord William Holmes
• A Question of Attribution (1992) (TV) - as Sir Anthony Blunt
• The Remains of the Day (1993) - as Lord Darlington
• Heart of Darkness (1994) - as Gosse
• The Choir (1995) - as the Dean, Hugh Cavendish
• Gulliver's Travels (1996) - as Dr. Bates
• Anna Karenina (1997) - as Karenin
• Jinnah (film) (1998) - as Mountbatten
• Mickey Blue Eyes (1999) - as Philip Cromwell
• Up at the Villa (2000) - as Sir Edgar Swift
• Sexy Beast (2000) - as Harry
• The Golden Bowl (2000) - as Colonel Bob Assingham
• The Lost World (2001) - as Prof. Leo Summerlee
• Cambridge Spies (2003) - as Lord Halifax
• The Prince and Me (2004) - as King Haraald
• Agatha Christie's Poirot - Death on the Nile (2004) - as Colonel Race
• Marple: The Body in the Library (2004) - as Colonel Arthur Bantry
• Colditz (2005) - as Lt. Colonel Jimmy Fordham
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) - as Mr. Salt
• Absolute Power - The Nation's Favourite (2005) - as Gerald Thurnham
• Mister Lonely (2007) - as The Pope
• Margaret (2009) - Charles Powell
• Sherlock Holmes (2009) - Sir Thomas

References

External links

• James Fox at the Internet Movie Database
• Screenonline: James Fox
• Biography on Lycos Movies
• Biography at British Cinema Greats