Hugh Fraser (actor)
Hugh Fraser (born 23 October 1945) is an English actor, theatre director and author. He is best known for his portrayal of Captain Hastings in the television series "Agatha Christie's Poirot" opposite David Suchet as Hercule Poirot, and his role as the Duke of Wellington (replacing David Troughton) in the "Sharpe" television series. Fraser was born in Westminster, yet grew up in the Midlands. He studied acting at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Fraser's first big break came after portraying Anthony Eden in the  1978 television series "Edward & Mrs. Simpson", with Edward Fox, after which he was frequently cast as upper class or aristocratic characters, such as Mr Talmann in Peter Greenaway's "The Draughtsman's Contract". Early life. Born in Westminster in 1945, but brought up in the Midlands, Hugh Fraser studied acting at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. As a member of folk band Telltale, Hugh co-wrote and performed the theme music for "Rainbow", the ITV children's television series. Work. Acting. Fraser's first big break came after portraying  Anthony Eden in the 1978 television series "Edward & Mrs. Simpson", with Edward Fox, after which he was frequently cast as upper class or aristocratic characters, such as Mr Talmann in Peter Greenaway's "The Draughtsman's Contract". He has regularly appeared on film and in television and is best known for his portrayal of Captain Hastings in "Agatha Christie's Poirot" opposite David Suchet, and as Duke of Wellington (replacing David Troughton) in "Sharpe" opposite Sean Bean. In the 1980s, he appeared in the BBC thriller "Edge of Darkness". Fraser can be frequently heard narrating the audiobooks of Christie's  works, which are currently published by HarperCollins publishers. In recent years, he has been an associate tutor, director and member of the audition panel at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, specialising in Shakespeare. Fraser has also directed several plays, most notably a production of David Mamet's adaptation of Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya", which was staged at Wilton's Music Hall in London in January 2007, with Rachael Stirling as Yelena. His film credits include "Curse of the Pink Panther", "101 Dalmatians" and "Patriot Games" along with his "Sharpe" co-star Sean Bean. He has also worked in theatre , playing Claudio in "Much Ado About Nothing" with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1979. He has guest starred in the "Doctor Who" audio dramas "Circular Time" (2007) and "Cradle of the Snake" (2010), and in 2003, alongside Martin Shaw in "Death in Holy Orders". During his appearance on Pointless Celebrities (30 Jan 2021), flute-player Hugh explained that he composed the theme melody for kids’ programme "Rainbow" along with other songs for the show and theme tunes for other (unmentioned) TV series. Writing. Fraser has also become an author; he is the author of a series of crime fiction thrillers  featuring contract killer Rina Walker. His first novel, "Harm", was published in 2015, followed by "Threat" in 2016. The third in the Rina Walker series, "Malice", came out in October 2017. Personal life. He is married to the actress Belinda Lang and has one daughter, Lily.