# Roger Allam

Roger William Allam (born 26 October 1953) is a British actor who has performed on stage, in film, on television and radio.
He played Inspector Javert in the original London production of the stage musical Les Misérables, First Officer Douglas Richardson in the award-winning radio series Cabin Pressure, and DCI Fred Thursday in the TV series Endeavour. He is also known for his roles as Illyrio Mopatis in the HBO series Game of Thrones, Royalton in Speed Racer, Lewis Prothero in the 2005 adaptation of V for Vendetta and as Peter Mannion MP in The Thick Of It.
He has been nominated six times for a Laurence Olivier Award, and has won three times.

## Life and career

Allam was born in Bow, London, England. He was educated at Christ's Hospital and Manchester University. His father was rector of St Mary Woolnoth.
He played Mercutio for the Royal Shakespeare Company, in 1983.
From 1985 to 1986, he played Inspector Javert in the original London production of the stage musical Les Misérables.
He has also appeared in many radio dramas for the BBC. In 2001, he starred in BBC Radio 4's adaptation of Les Misérables, as Valjean. In 2000 he played Adolf Hitler at the Royal National Theatre in David Edgar's Albert Speer. He won an Olivier Award as Best Actor 2001, for his role as Captain Terri Denis in a revival of Privates on Parade, opening in December 2001 at the Donmar Warehouse, Covent Garden. In November 2002 at the Comedy Theatre he co-starred with Gillian Anderson in Michael Weller's romantic comedy What the Night Is For.
In 2003, he appeared as former West German federal chancellor Willy Brandt in Michael Frayn's play Democracy which opened at the Cottesloe Theatre, in the Royal National Theatre. He stayed with the show for its transfer to the West End. In December 2004 and January 2005, Allam appeared as the villainous Abanazar in a pantomime of Aladdin at the Old Vic theatre, co-starring Ian McKellen, Maureen Lipman and Sam Kelly. He reprised this role at the Old Vic, once again with Ian McKellen and Frances Barber in 2006–07. In August 2005, Allam appeared in Blackbird by David Harrower alongside Jodhi May at the Edinburgh Festival in a production by German star director Peter Stein. The play transferred to the Albery Theatre in London in February 2006. Blackbird subsequently won a best new play award.
In 2006 he appeared in Stephen Frears's film The Queen, starring Oscar-winner Dame Helen Mirren, as the Queen's private secretary. In February 2007, he performed in the 1960s farce Boeing-Boeing at the Comedy Theatre in the West End, co-starring Mark Rylance, Frances de la Tour and Tamzin Outhwaite. In 2007, he appeared for the first time as Peter Mannion MP in the special episodes of the BBC comedy The Thick of It. He reprised the role in the third series (2009), and returned in the final series (2012) as part of the expanded regular cast.
In 2008, Allam played the role of Max Reinhardt, the Salzburg Festival impresario in Michael Frayn's play Afterlife, the production staged by Michael Blakemore on the National Theatre's Lyttelton stage. In 2009, Allam played Albin/Zaza in La Cage aux Folles at the Playhouse in London. Allam played Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2 at Shakespeare's Globe, in the 2010 season. He won the Olivier Award for Best Actor. In October 2010, Allam was reunited with his former cast mates from Les Misérables in the 25th anniversary concert for a performance of "One Day More".
In January 2012, he starred in the first series of Endeavour, the prequel to the long-running Inspector Morse, playing the gruff but kind-hearted Detective Inspector Fred Thursday, young Endeavour Morse's mentor in 1960s Oxford. By 2018 Allam had portrayed his central character in five additional well-received series, which are also aired in America as part of the PBS Masterpiece Mystery! series. In March 2019, the show's sixth season had concluded on ITV, was scheduled for broadcast in the summer in the United States, and had been recommissioned for a seventh season to be set in 1970.
In April 2012 he also starred as Serebrayakov in the play Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov at the Chichester Festival Theatre. In 2013 he played the role of Prospero in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest at Shakespeare's Globe theatre in London alongside Colin Morgan as Ariel. Allam presented Michael Frayn at the 2013 Olivier Awards with a Special Lifetime Award which was aired by ITV1. Allam has also reteamed with Stephen Frears in Tamara Drewe, the film version of Posy Simmond's popular comic strip. He plays the crime novelist Nicholas Hardiment, who is bewitched by London journalist Tamara Drewe, played by Gemma Arterton. In the closing chapter of his Timebends autobiography (1987) Arthur Miller writes of Allam: "To play Adrian....in the 1986 Royal Shakespeare Company production of The Archbishop's Ceiling, Roger Allam gave up the leading role as Javert in the monster hit Les Misérables because he had done it over sixty times and thought my play more challenging for him at that moment of his career. Nor did he consider his decision a particularly courageous one. This is part of what a theatre culture means and it is something few New York actors would have the sense of security even to dream of doing."
Allam narrated the Channel 4 series The Auction House.
In October and November 2016 Allam appeared as Brigadier Adrian Stone in the BBC series The Missing.
Since January 2020, Allam has co-starred with Joanna Lumley in the BBC Radio 4 comedy drama series Conversations from a Long Marriage. As of February 2023, the show is in its fourth series.
In March 2022, Allam debuted in the lead role of Antoine Verlaque in Murder in Provence, a BritBox cosy crime drama based on the Verlaque & Bonnet detective novels by ML Longworth, alongside Nancy Carroll as his romantic partner Marine Bonnet.
Allam voices the demon Azazel in the 2022 Netflix adaptation of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman.

## Personal life

Allam is married to actress Rebecca Saire, with whom he has two sons, William, an actor, and Thomas. Rebecca and William appeared together as mother and son in the Endeavour episode Raga (series 7, episode 2, broadcast February 2020).
Allam identifies as politically left, and has publicly castigated Donald Trump.

## Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Theatre |
| 1976 | Vinegar Tom | Doctor/Man/Bellringer/Packer | Humberside Theatre, Hull |
| 1979 | Mary Barnes | Lecturer/Angie's brother | Royal Court Theatre |
| 1981 | Twin Rivals | Subtleman/Richmore | |
| 1981 | Two Gentlemen of Verona | Outlaw | |
| 1981 | Titus Andronicus | Demetrius | |
| 1981, 1983 | All's Well That Ends Well | Morgan | Royal Shakespeare Theatre (1981) Martin Beck Theatre (1983) |
| 1982 | Our Friends in the North | Conrad | |
| 1982 | Poppy | Lin | |
| 1983 | The Charge of the Light Brigade (RSC Festival) | Terence Gawain Hackett | |
| 1983 | Typhoid Mary (RSC Festival) | Dr Soper | |
| 1984 | Romeo and Juliet | Mercutio | Royal Shakespeare Theatre |
| 1984 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Theseus/Oberon | |
| 1984 | Richard III | Clarence | Royal Shakespeare Theatre |
| 1984 | Today | Victor Ellison | |
| 1984 | The Party | Ford | |
| 1985 | The Dream Play | The Officer | |
| 1985–1986 | Les Misérables | Javert | Barbican Theatre (1985) Palace Theatre (1986) |
| 1986 | The Archbishop's Ceiling | Adrian | |
| 1986 | Heresies | Pimm | |
| 1987 | Measure for Measure | The Duke Vincentio | |
| 1987 | Twelfth Night | Sir Toby Belch | |
| 1987 | Julius Caesar | Brutus | |
| 1989 | The Fairy Queen | Oberon | Aix-en-Provence Festival |
| 1990 | The Seagull | Trigorin | |
| 1990 | Much Ado About Nothing | Benedick | |
| 1991 | Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | Jekyll | |
| 1992 | Madras House | Philip Madras | Lyric Hammersmith |
| 1992 | Una Pooka | Angelo | Tricycle Theatre |
| 1993 | City of Angels | Stone | Prince of Wales Theatre |
| 1994 | Arcadia | Bernard Nightingale | Theatre Royal Haymarket |
| 1995 | The Importance of Being Earnest | Jack Worthing | Old Vic Theatre |
| 1995 | The Way of the World | Mirabell | National Theatre |
| 1997–1998 | ART | Serge(1997) Marc(1998) | Wyndham's Theatre |
| 1996 | Macbeth | Macbeth | |
| 1996 | The Learned Ladies | Trissotin | |
| 1999 | Summerfolk | Bassov | National Theatre |
| 1999 | Money | Henry Graves | National Theatre |
| 1999 | Troilus and Cressida | Ulysses | National Theatre |
| 2000 | The Cherry Orchard | Lopakhin | National Theatre |
| 2000 | Albert Speer | Adolf Hitler | National Theatre |
| 2001 | Privates on Parade | Terri Dennis | Donmar Warehouse |
| 2002 | What The Night Is For | Adam Penzius | Comedy Theatre |
| 2003 | The Woman in White | Performer | Sydmonton Festival |
| 2003 | Democracy | Willy Brandt | National Theatre |
| 2004, 2005 | Aladdin | Abbanazar | The Old Vic |
| 2006 | Blackbird | Ray | Albery Theatre |
| 2006 | Pravda | Lambert Le Roux | Chichester Festival Theatre, Birmingham Repertory Theatre |
| 2007 | Boeing, Boeing | Bernard | Comedy Theatre |
| 2007 | The Giant | Leonardo da Vinci | Hampstead Theatre |
| 2008 | Afterlife | Max Reinhardt | National Theatre |
| 2009 | La Cage Aux Folles | Albin/Zaza | Playhouse Theatre |
| 2009 | God of Carnage (UK Tour) | Michel Vallon | |
| 2010 | Henry IV Parts 1 & 2 | Falstaff | Shakespeare's Globe |
| 2013 | The Tempest | Prospero | Shakespeare's Globe |
| 2014 | Seminar | Leonard | Hampstead Theatre |
| 2015 | The Moderate Soprano | John Christie | Hampstead Theatre |
| 2017 | Limehouse | Roy Jenkins | Donmar Warehouse |
| 2019 | Rutherford and Son | John Rutherford, Sr | Royal National Theatre |
| 2020 | A Number | Salter | Bridge Theatre |
| 2020 | Uncle Vanya | Serebryakov | Harold Pinter Theatre, London |
| 2023 | Frank and Percy | Frank | The Theatre Royal, Windsor |
| 2025 | Churchill in Moscow | Churchill | Orange Tree Theatre |

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1989 | Wilt | Dave | |
| 2002 | Stranded | Thomas Blunt | |
| 2005 | A Cock and Bull Story | Adrian | |
| 2006 | V for Vendetta | Lewis Prothero | |
| 2006 | The Wind That Shakes the Barley | Sir John Hamilton | |
| 2006 | The Queen | Robin Janvrin | |
| 2008 | Speed Racer | E.P. Arnold Royalton | |
| 2008 | Inkheart | Narrator | Voice |
| 2010 | Tamara Drewe | Nicholas Hardiment | |
| 2011 | Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides | Henry Pelham | |
| 2011 | The Iron Lady | Gordon Reece | |
| 2012 | The Woman in Black | Mr. Bentley | |
| 2012 | The Angels' Share | Thaddeus | |
| 2013 | The Book Thief | Narrator/Death | Voice |
| 2015 | Mr. Holmes | Dr. Barrie | |
| 2015 | A Royal Night Out | Stan | |
| 2015 | The Lady in the Van | Rufus | |
| 2016 | The Truth Commissioner | Henry Stanfield | |
| 2017 | The Hippopotamus | Ted Wallace | |
| 2023 | Tetris | Robert Maxwell | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1989 | Ending Up | Dr. Mainwaring | TV film |
| 1989 | The Fairy Queen | Oberon | TV film |
| 1990 | The Investigation: Inside a Terrorist Bombing | Charles Tremayne | TV film |
| 1992 | Shakespeare: The Animated Tales | Duke Orsino/Narrator | Voice TV mini-series Episodes: "The Winter's Tale" & "Twelfth Night" |
| 1994 | Screen Two | Stephen Summerchild | TV series Episode: "A Landing on the Sun" |
| 1997 | Inspector Morse | Denis Cornford | TV series Episode: "Death Is Now My Neighbour" |
| 1997 | The Bill | Ralph Marchbank | TV series Episode: "Hitting the Nerve" |
| 1998 | Heartbeat | Graham Hayes | TV series Episode: "Echoes of the Past" |
| 1998 | Midsomer Murders | Alan Hollingsworth | TV series Episode: "Faithful unto Death" |
| 1998–2000 | The Creatives | Charlie Baxter | TV series |
| 1999 | RKO 281 | Walt Disney | TV film |
| 2002 | Foyle's War | Alastair Graeme | TV series Episode: "Eagle Day" |
| 2002 | Waking the Dead | Benjamin Gold | TV series Episode: "Thin Air" |
| 2003 | The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone | Christopher | TV film |
| 2005 | The Inspector Lynley Mysteries | Simon Featherstonehaugh | TV series Episode: "The Seed of Cunning" |
| 2005–present | Muffin the Mule | Narrator | Audiobooks only |
| 2006 | Spooks | Paul Millington | TV series |
| 2007–2012 | The Thick of It | Peter Mannion | TV series |
| 2008 | The Curse of Steptoe | Tom Sloane | TV film |
| 2009 | The Old Guys | Ned | TV series Episode: "The Therapist" |
| 2009 | Margaret | John Wakeham | TV film |
| 2009 | Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire | General Arcadius | TV series |
| 2009 | Ashes to Ashes | DSI Mackintosh | TV series |
| 2011 | Game of Thrones | Magister Illyrio Mopatis | TV series; Episodes: "Winter is Coming" & "The Wolf and the Lion" |
| 2011 | The Jury (TV serial) | John Mallory, QC | TV serial; Series 2 |
| 2012 | Parade's End | General Campion | TV series |
| 2012–2023 | Endeavour | DI Fred Thursday | TV series |
| 2013 | The Politician's Husband | Marcus Brock | TV series |
| 2013-2016 | Sarah & Duck | Narrator | TV series |
| 2014 | Bad Education | Maurice Hewston | TV series |
| 2016 | The Missing | Adrian Stone | TV series |
| 2016 | Ethel & Ernest | Middle Aged Doctor | Voice TV film |
| 2020 | The Station: Trouble on the Tracks | Narrator | Documentary |
| 2020 | Uncle Vanya | Serebryakov | A TV film initially released in cinemas of the play performed at the Harold Pinter Theatre, London to an empty theatre due to Covid restrictions. |
| 2022 | Murder in Provence | Investigating Judge Antoine Verlaque | TV series |
| 2022 | The Sandman | Azazel | TV series |

## Radio

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1992 | Les Liaisons Dangereuses | Valmont | BBC Radio 4 adaptation |
| 1992 | The King's General | Sir Richard Grenvile. | BBC Radio 4 adaptation |
| 1997 | The Man in the Elephant Mask | Joseph Merrick. | BBC Radio 4 two-parter |
| 2008 | The Ring and the Book | Guido Franceschini | BBC Radio 4 adaptation |
| 2008 | Will Smith's Midlife Crisis Management | Will's godfather, Peter | BBC Radio 4 series |
| 2008–2014 | Cabin Pressure | First Officer Douglas Richardson. | Four series on BBC Radio 4, and two specials |
| 2010 | Mark Lawson – What do you know? | DCI Parsons | BBC Radio 4 drama |
| 2010–present | How Does That Make You Feel? | Richard Fallon MP | Ten series, BBC Radio 4 comedy |
| 2011 | The Magnificent Andrea | Barry | BBC Radio 4 comedy drama |
| 2012 | Blithe Spirit | Charles | BBC Radio 4 comedy |
| 2014 | Edmund Gosse – Father and Son | Philip Henry Gosse | BBC Radio 4 drama |
| 2014–2015 | War and Peace | General Mikhail Kutuzov | BBC Radio 4 adaptation, episode aired on New Years Day 2015 |
| 2018–present | Conversations from a Long Marriage | Roger | BBC Radio 4 comedy |

## Audiobooks

Allam has narrated several audiobooks, including Solar by Ian McEwan and An Introduction to Buddhism by the Dalai Lama.