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Charles Edwards (actor)

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For other people named Charles Edwards, see Charles Edwards (disambiguation).

Charles Edwards
Edwards in 2022
Born
Charles Peter Keep Edwards

(1969-10-01) 1 October 1969 (age 55)
Haslemere, Surrey, England, UK
EducationWinchester College
Alma materGuildhall School of Music and Drama
OccupationActor
Years active1993–present
Known forThe Rings of Power
The Crown
Downton Abbey
Holy Flying Circus
The Halcyon
Henry IX

Charles Peter Keep Edwards (born 1 October 1969) is an English actor with a career in theatre, TV, and film, most notable for playing Michael Gregson in Downton Abbey (2012–2013), Dr Alexander McDonald in The Terror (2018), Sir Martin Charteris in The Crown (2019–2020), and Lord Celebrimbor in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022–2024).

Early life

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Edwards was born 1 October 1969,[1][2] in the town of Haslemere in Surrey, England,[3] and grew up in Grayshott, Hampshire.[4]

He is the youngest of four sons[4] of Sally Anne Lake Coghlan and Ronald Derek Keep Edwards.[2]

Education

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From an early age, Edwards attended Amesbury School in Hindhead, Surrey.[4] Edwards was further educated at Winchester College,[3] Hampshire, from 1983 to 1987, where he boarded in Moberly's house.[2] His father, Ronald Edwards, also attended the College from 1948—1953 as did his older brother, Simon, who attended from 1974—1978. Both father and sons boarded at the same House.[2]

Edwards went on to pursue acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama,[5] from which he graduated in 1992.[6]

Career

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Theatre

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Edwards debut in acting was on stage as a gingerbread man in a play of Hansel and Gretel.[1] Edwards' first professional theatre engagement was in Blithe Spirit at age 24.[6] Since then he has appeared in many shows such as The Duchess of Malfi, Hay Fever, Private Lives and The Apple Cart.[7]

Edwards received acclaim for his Broadway debut performance as Richard Hannay in the 2005 play of The 39 Steps,[6] in the first London production in 2006,[8] and in the first US productions in 2007 (Boston)[9] and 2008 (New York City).[10] He is the only actor from the London production to transfer to the US productions. Edwards concluded his run in the play on 6 July 2008.[11][12]

He has made appearances in a number of Shakespeare plays, including Peter Hall's production of Twelfth Night at the Royal National Theatre (Cottesloe auditorium) as Sir Andrew Aguecheek; as Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare's Globe;[13] The Merchant of Venice; and A Midsummer Night's Dream, playing Oberon to Judi Dench's Titania. For his performance in Much Ado About Nothing, Edwards was shortlisted for Best Actor at the 2011 Evening Standard Theatre Awards.[14] He also received a WhatsOnStage Award nomination, in 2012, for his performance in Twelfth Night.[15]

In 2012, Edwards played the lead role of George VI in the original stage play of The King's Speech on a nationwide tour and also the West End,[3] gaining positive feedback from critics across the board. Drama critic Michael Billington wrote of his performance, "Edwards, who has been edging towards stardom for several seasons, has now unequivocally arrived."[16] Later in 2012, he took on the role of Conservative Whip Jack Weatherill in James Graham's This House at the National Theatre. Towards the end of the year, he was shortlisted again for Best Actor at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards for his performance in both plays.[17]

In 2013, Edwards starred as Charles Marsden in a Simon Godwin adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's Pulitzer prize winning play Strange Interlude at the National's Lyttleton Theatre.[1] In 2014, Edwards co-starred in Michael Blakemore's adaptation of Coward's Blithe Spirit, opposite Dame Angela Lansbury. He played Richard II in Simon Godwin's production at Shakespeare's Globe, and Henry Trebell in Harley Granville Barker's play Waste at the National Theatre, both in 2015.[5]

In March 2017, he starred as Henry Higgins in the Brisbane and Melbourne seasons of Lerner and Loewe's My Fair Lady, presented by Opera Australia and John Frost and directed by Dame Julie Andrews.[18]

Edwards worked with playwright James Graham again in 2021, playing Gore Vidal in Best of Enemies at the Young Vic. He received a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor the following year.[19][20]

TV and film

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In 2002, he played David, also known as King Edward VIII, in the feature-length TV drama Bertie and Elizabeth for ITV.[5]

In 2011, he played Michael Palin in Holy Flying Circus, a dramatisation of the controversy surrounding Monty Python's Life of Brian.[21] In October 2012, Edwards appeared in the third season of the television series Downton Abbey as Michael Gregson.[5] Edwards appeared in the 2013 film, Diana, charting the final few years of Diana, Princess of Wales, where he played Diana's private secretary Patrick Jephson.[5] He made an appearance in BBC series Sherlock, as David Welsborough, on the first episode of the fourth series which aired 1 January 2017 titled 'The Six Thatchers'. Also in 2017, he took on the lead role of the fictional King Henry IX in the TV series Henry IX for Sky channel GOLD.[5]

Edwards' other film and television credits include Batman Begins, An Ideal Husband, Monarch of the Glen, The Halcyon, Mansfield Park, Murder Rooms: The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes, The Shell Seekers, Colditz and Midsomer Murders.[5]

In 2019 and 2020, he appeared in the third and fourth seasons of the widely acclaimed Netflix series The Crown as Martin Charteris, Queen Elizabeth II's private secretary, taking over the role from Harry Hadden-Paton, who played a younger Charteris in the first two seasons.[5] In 2021, Edwards worked on a New Zealand TV mini series Under The Vines, filmed in Central Otago wine region of the South Island and released on 19 January 2022.[22]

In 2022, Edwards played the key role of Celebrimbor, the elven smith responsible for forging the Rings of Power in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.[23] Edwards was named an honorable mention for TVLine's "Performer of the Week" for the week of September 23, 2024, for his performance.[24]

Filmography

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Year Title Role
1999 Mansfield Park Yates
2000 Relative Values Phillip Bateman-Tobias
2001 Murder Rooms Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
2002 Bertie and Elizabeth David
Monarch of the Glen David Fraser
2005 Colditz Ellways, MI9 Officer
Batman Begins Wayne Enterprises Executive
2007 The All Together Marcus Craigie-Halkett
2008 Midsomer Murders Edward “Ned” Fitzroy
2011 Holy Flying Circus Michael Palin
2012–2013 Downton Abbey Michael Gregson
2013 National Theatre Live: This House Jack Weatherill
Philomena David
Diana Patrick Jephson
2015 Arthur & George Alfred Wood
2017 Sherlock David Welsborough
The Halcyon Lucian D'Abberville
Henry IX King Henry IX
2018 The Terror Dr. Alexander McDonald
2019–2020 The Crown Sir Martin Charteris
2020 The Witches Mr. Jenkins
The Duke Joseph Simpson
2021 The Girlfriend Experience Elliott Stanton
2021–2024 Under the Vines Louis Oakley
2022–2024 The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Lord Celebrimbor

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Work Result Ref
2011 2011 Evening Standard Theatre Awards Best Actor Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare's Globe) Nominated [14]
2012 2012 Evening Standard Theatre Awards Best Actor The King's Speech (Shakespeare's Globe) and This House (Royal National Theatre, Cottesloe) Nominated [17]
2012 WhatsOnStage Awards Best Supporting Actor in a Play Twelfth Night (Royal National Theatre, Cottesloe) Nominated [15]
2014 Clarence Derwent Awards Best Supporting Male (UK) Strange Interlude (Royal National Theatre, Lyttelton) Won [25]
2018 Green Room Awards Best Male Actor in a Leading Role (Musical Theatre) My Fair Lady (Opera Australia) Won [26]
2020 27th Screen Actors Guild Awards SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (shared) The Crown Won [25]
2021 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards Won [25]
2022 2022 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actor Best of Enemies (Young Vic) Nominated [20]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Interviews: Charles Edwards". londontheatre.co.uk. 1 September 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d Winchester College: A Register. Edited by P.S.W.K. McClure and R.P. Stevens, on behalf of the Wardens and Fellows of Winchester College. 7th edition, 2014. Published by Winchester College, Hampshire.
  3. ^ a b c "Haslemere actor follows in Colin Firth's footsteps". getsurrey.co.uk. 18 January 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Charles Edwards". ciaranbrown.com. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h "Charles Edwards". nationaltheatre.org.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Joe Tropia (17 January 2008). "Charles Edwards (Fresh Face Interview)". Broadway.com. Archived from the original on 18 January 2008. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
  7. ^ "Charles Edwards". royalcourttheatre.com. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  8. ^ Dominic Cavendish (18 August 2006). "Irreverent romp down the nostalgia track". Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 7 April 2008.
  9. ^ Louise Kennedy (21 September 2007). "Hitch a ride". Boston Globe. Retrieved 7 April 2008.
  10. ^ Ben Brantley (16 January 2008). "Spies, Blonde and a Guy Go North by Northwest". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 April 2008.
  11. ^ Robert Simonson (4 June 2008). "Charles in Charge". Playbill. Archived from the original on 8 June 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  12. ^ Kenneth Jones (4 June 2008). "Sam Robards Is the Next Pursued Man of Broadway's 39 Steps". Playbill. Archived from the original on 7 June 2008. Retrieved 14 June 2008.
  13. ^ Billington, Michael (28 May 2011). "Much Ado About Nothing – review". The Guardian. London.
  14. ^ a b "Evening Standard Theatre Awards – Nominees 2011". westendtheatre.com. 28 October 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  15. ^ a b "Full List: 2012 Whatsonstage.com Award winners | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  16. ^ Billington, Michael (10 February 2012). "The King's Speech on stage – review". The Guardian. London.
  17. ^ a b "Evening Standard Theatre Awards – Nominees 2012". standard.co.uk. 25 November 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  18. ^ "Downton Abbey star Charles Edwards joins My Fair Lady cast, 2017". aussietheatre.com.au. 3 October 2016.
  19. ^ "Nominations for Olivier Awards 2022". Variety. 8 March 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  20. ^ a b "2022 Olivier Awards: Full list of winners". londontheatre.co.uk. 18 July 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  21. ^ "BBC to dramatise Life Of Brian controversy in new film". BBC News. 21 June 2011.
  22. ^ "Under the Vines: season 1: release date, cast, interview, plot, trailer and all about the comedy drama set on a New Zealand vineyard". whattowatch.com. 9 January 2022.
  23. ^ "Who Created the Rings of Power? The History of Celebrimbor, Explained". collider.com. 31 August 2022.
  24. ^ Mason, Charlie (28 September 2024). "Performer of the Week: Nicholas Alexander Chavez". TVLine. Archived from the original on 28 September 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  25. ^ a b c "Charles Edwards Awards". IMDB (Index source only). Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  26. ^ "35th Annual Green Room Awards Winners Announced>". 9 April 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
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