John Shrapnel
Shrapnel was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, the son of Mary Lillian Myfanwy (née Edwards) and journalist/author Norman Shrapnel.[1] As a stage actor, he was a member of Laurence Olivier's Royal National Theatre company and the Royal Shakespeare Company and most recently appeared as Sir Oliver Surface in The School for Scandal (directed by Deborah Warner) at the Barbican Centre in 2011. He has also appeared extensively in film and on television in roles in Elizabeth R, Z-Cars, Edward and Mrs. Simpson, 101 Dalmatians, Space: 1999, Inspector Morse, Coogan's Run, Notting Hill and Foyle's War. He presented an episode of the 1983 BBC television travel series Great Little Railways. He gave performances in three entries in the BBC Television Shakespeare plays and as Creon in the BBC's 1984 productions of the Three Theban plays of Sophocles. In America, he has starred in supporting roles as Senator Gaius in Gladiator, Nestor in Troy and Pompey in the second episode of Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire. He also played the Jail Warden in the 10th Kingdom, an epic fantasy miniseries. He has the rare achievement of appearing in two episodes of Midsomer Murders as two different characters, in Death in Chorus and Written in Blood. Shrapnel appeared in an episode of Jonathan Creek as Professor Lance Graumann in the episode The Omega Man. He appears in Chemical Wedding alongside Simon Callow, telling the tale of the resurrection of occultist Aleister Crowley. Shrapnel also has experience in the field of BBC radio drama through such characters as Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse and William Gibson's Neuromancer. He is the son-in-law of Deborah Kerr through his 1975 marriage to her younger daughter Francesca Ann Bartley. They have three sons, the actors Lex Shrapnel (b.1979), Tom Shrapnel (b.1981) and the writer Joe Shrapnel (b.1976). They live in Highbury, north London.
In the year 180, the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius throws the Roman Empire into chaos....
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Troy
as NestorIn year 1250 B.C. during the late Bronze age, two emerging nations begin to clash. Paris, the...
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William Thacker is a London bookstore owner whose humdrum existence is thrown into romantic...
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101 Dalmatians
as SkinnerAn evil, high-fashion designer plots to steal Dalmatian puppies in order to make an extravagant...
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When Russia's first nuclear submarine malfunctions on its maiden voyage, the crew must race to...
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An ex-cop and his family are the target of an evil force that is using mirrors as a gateway into...
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Elizabeth: The Golden Age
as Lord HowardWhen Queen Elizabeth's reign is threatened by ruthless familial betrayal and Spain's invading...
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The Awakening
as Reverend Hugh PurslowIn post–War England, a writer and sometime-ghost hunter investigates a reported haunting at a...
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The Duchess
as General GreyA chronicle of the life of 18th century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was...
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Fatherland
as General GlobusFictional account of what might have happened if Hitler had won the war. It is now the 1960s and...
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The Body
as Moshe CohenAn ancient skeleton has been discovered in Jerusalem in a rich man's tomb. Colouration of the...
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Alien Autopsy
as Michael KuhnHumouristic reconstruction of the 1995 scandal when two British lads were accused of having...
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Tsar Nicholas II, the inept last monarch of Russia, insensitive to the needs of his people, is...
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How to Get Ahead in Advertising
as PsychiatristPressure from his boss and a skin-cream client produces a talking boil on a British adman's neck.
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Hamlet Within
as uncreditedA radical cinematic investigation into the myth of Hamlet, the avenging prince of Denmark,...
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King Charles III
as Archbishop of CanterburyPrince Charles' accession to the throne following the Queen's death. When he refuses to sign a...
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Alone
as HannahExperience the fear as you're sucked into the disturbed mind of Alex. Tormented by harrowing...
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Selling Hitler
as Gerd Schulte-HillenIn 1981, Gerd Heidemann, a war correspondent and reporter with the German magazine Stern, makes...
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Personal Services
as LionelThe story of the rise of a madame of a suburban brothel catering to older men, inspired by the...
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Chemical Wedding
as CrowleyA shy, stuttering professor brings satanist Aleister Crowley back to life.
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Branagh Theatre Live: The Winter's Tale
as CamiloA jealous king jeopardizes his family, friendships and succession.
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King Lear
as Earl of KentKing Lear, old and tired, divides his kingdom among his daughters, giving great importance to...
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Theban Plays: Antigone
as CreonIn a final battle for the control of Thebes, Oedipus's two sons kill each other. Creon issues an...
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Hornblower: The Frogs and the Lobsters
as General CharetteLieutenant Hornblower and his shipmates are sent to accompany a doomed royalist invasion of...
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Hennessy
as TipaldiFormer Irish Republican Army member Niall Hennessy lives in Belfast, Ireland, with his wife and...
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Whistle
as PaulWhistle depicts the dreary off-hours of an ultra-technological hit-man who becomes 'involved' in...
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Edward & Mrs. Simpson
as Maj. Alexander HardingeWhile still the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VIII meets the married American socialite,...
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National Theatre Live: Macbeth
as Duncan, King of Scotland/Seyton, attendant to Macbeth/Old ManPerforming from within the walls of a deconsecrated Manchester church, Kenneth Branagh takes the...
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Mary, Mother of Jesus
as SimonMary, Mother of Jesus is a 1999 made-for-television Biblical film that retells the story of...
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Shadow of the Sword
as ArchbishopCentral Europe, early 16th century: two childhood friends, Martin & Georg, find themselves...
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Seven Wonders of Ancient Egypt
as NarratorAt the dawn of history, the ancient Egyptians showed the world how to build the impossible... In...
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Two Deaths
as CincaA tale of power, passion and obsession set in a politically torn Eastern European country.
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Hamlet
as Claudius/GhostFrom its sell-out run at Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre comes a film version of this unique...
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King Arthur: His Life and Legends
as uncreditedThe legend of King Arthur spans centuries and has inspired countless novels and films. But who...
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The Tragedy of Flight 103: The Inside Story
as BKA Police ChiefExamination of the events that led to the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie,...
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Pope Joan
as Father JamesBased on the medieval legend of Pope Joan, who was made Pope for a brief period around 855 A.D....
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Flayed
as Robert'There's absolutely no escape. No chairs or tables to hold on to, no fags to light or drinks to...
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Theban Plays: Oedipus at Colonus
as CreonOedipus's wanderings come to an end when he finds his final resting place, as foretold by the...
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Britain's Nuclear Bomb - The Inside Story
as Narrator (Voice)In 1957, Britain exploded its first megaton hydrogen bomb - codenamed Operation Grapple X. It...
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Hindenburg: Titanic of the Skies
as Himself (Narrator)The film explores the background and build-up to this final flight to disaster. Using dramatic...
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Theban Plays: Oedipus the King
as CreonPlagues are ravaging Thebes, and the blind fortune-teller Tieresias tells Oedipus, the King,...
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Partition
as General FloodThe tumultuous events surrounding the sub-continent's partition in 1947 into India and Pakistan...
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Timon of Athens
as AlcibiadesTimon loves to give parties and objects to friends, but when he cannot pay his creditors, his...
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St. Stephen's: The Living Cathedral
as Narrator (English voice)St. Stephen’s Cathedral ranks amongst Austria‘s most famous cultural monuments. Yet, one would...
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Seven Wonders of Ancient Rome
as NarratorAble to inspire wonder and awe in all who gazed upon them, The Seven Wonders of Ancient Rome -...
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Seven Wonders of Ancient Greece
as NarratorGreece, a land of breathtaking beauty and light. A land where science, art and inspiration from...
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The Burston Rebellion
as Rev. Charles Tucker ElandDrama reconstructing the events of a strike by the schoolchildren of a Norfolk school in 1914,...
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An Organization of Dreams
as FatherA disillusioned writer follows the intertwining stories of several people, but are they his own...
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Claim
as Lex VandenbergA young ambitious claims assessor investigates a multi million dollar marine insurance fraud.
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National Theatre Live: Phèdre
as ThéramèneA new English adaptation of the classic French tragedy Phèdre by Jean Racine (1639-1699). It...
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Troilus & Cressida
as HectorThe bitter Trojan War drags on - the Greeks blame Achilles' apathy for low morale, while Troy's...
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The Strange Case of Delfina Potocka
as IwaszkiewiczIn 1945, the new Polish government asked for the heart of Chopin previously buried in Paris. A...
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Mountain Men: The Ghosts of K2
as NarratorThe dramatic stories of Fritz Wiessner’s 1939 K2 expedition and Charlie Houston’s return in...
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Gossip from the Forest
as Matthias ErzbergerThe events around the signing of The Armistice at the end of the First World War.
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Testimony
as Andre ZhdanovThe story of the great Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) and his life and career...
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Wachau - Valley of Golden Magic
as Narrator (English Version)Join Georg Riha and his team in this ORF-UNIVERSUM production and discover one of the most...
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Lion Queen
as Narrator (voice)Nakuru National Park in Kenya is rather like a reform centre for wayward youth. Take Scarface:...
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Supermassive Black Holes
as Narrator"Horizon" examines the recent discovery of supermassive black holes, which spawn galaxies even...
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Building Burma's Death Railway: Moving Half the Mountain
as NarratorMoving Half The Mountain documents the true stories of the survivors from one of the worst...
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Animals of the Ocean Desert
as NarratorFor two-thirds of the year, the Little Rann is a desert. Suddenly, in August, monsoon winds whip...
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Schönbrunn - Well of Beauty
as Narrator (English Version)Schönbrunn is a world of marvels and mystery, of public glamour and curious secrets. The wealth...
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Midsomer Murders
as Max JenningsThe peacefulness of the Midsomer community is shattered by violent crimes, suspects are placed...
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Midsomer Murders
as Leo ClarkeThe peacefulness of the Midsomer community is shattered by violent crimes, suspects are placed...
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Merlin
as The SarrumThe unlikely friendship between Merlin, a young man gifted with extraordinary magical powers,...
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Inspector Morse
as Dr. Julian StorrsInspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse...
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New Tricks
as DAC John FelshamNew Tricks is a British comedy-drama that follows the work of the fictional Unsolved Crime and...
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Space: 1999
as Jack TannerThe crew of Moonbase Alpha must struggle to survive when a massive explosion throws the Moon...
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Waking the Dead
as John ChristieA detective team apply new techniques to old crimes as they solve cold cases.
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The Inspector Lynley Mysteries
as Sergent Mike McCaffreyDS Barbara Havers is assigned to work with the upper-crust DI Thomas Lynley to solve murders.
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Natural World
as NarratorNatural World is a nature documentary television series broadcast annually on BBC Two and...
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Jonathan Creek
as Prof. Lance GraumannWorking from his home in a converted windmill, Jonathan Creek is a magician with a natural...
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Wycliffe
as Dr. Sam MalvernWycliffe is a British television series, based on W. J. Burley's novels about Detective...
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Justice
as Roger AndersonJustice is a British drama television series which originally aired on ITV in 39 hour-long...
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Kavanagh Q.C.
as Mr. Justice GriffinJames Kavanagh QC is one of the top flight barristers in Britain. Each episode has him handling...
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The 10th Kingdom
as Governor of PrisonVirginia and Tony, a father and daughter living in Manhattan, find themselves in a parallel...
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I Am Not an Animal
as NarratorI Am Not An Animal is an animated comedy series about the only six talking animals in the world,...
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Edward and Mrs Simpson
as Major Alexander HardingeWhile still the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VIII meets the married American socialite,...
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Between the Lines
as Deputy Assistant Commissioner DunningDetective Superintendent Tony Clark is an ambitious member of the Complaints Investigation...
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Between the Lines
as D.C.C. DunningDetective Superintendent Tony Clark is an ambitious member of the Complaints Investigation...
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Elizabeth R
as Earl of SussexThis historical mini-series documents the reign of Elizabeth I with each episode focusing on one...
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Shakespeare: The Animated Tales
as Claudius / The Ghost (voice)An animated adaptation of twelve of Shakespeare's best-known plays. The series was produced by...
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The Modern World: Ten Great Writers
as Thomas MannThis documentary series uses drama and commentary to shed light on the lives and works of Joseph...
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G.B.H.
as Dr JacobsGBH was a seven-part British television drama written by Alan Bleasdale shown in the summer of...
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Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire
as PompeyTurning points in ancient Roman history and some of the Empire's greatest stories are brought to...
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Apparitions
as Cardinal BukovakApparitions is a BBC drama about Father Jacob Myers, a priest of the Roman Catholic Church,...
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Invasion: Earth
as Air Marshal BentleyInvasion: Earth is a BBC science fiction mini-series. It was made in collaboration with the Sci...
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Armchair Thriller
as Vincent CraigArmchair Thriller is a British television programme, broadcast on ITV in two series in 1978 and...
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The Woman in White
as Sir Percival GlydeIn Victorian England, Laura and her half-sister Marian are entwined in a terrifying web of...
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Bodyguards
as Commander Alan MacIntyreBodyguards is a British television series that focuses on the cases of a specialized bodyguard...
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The Lions Rule
as Narrator (voice)‘The Lions Rule’ is the saga of three lion families linked together by a strange, charmed place...
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