John Shrapnel
Acting
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.
TV Shows(45)
The Lions Rule
Narrator (voice)
2017
Apparitions
Cardinal Bukovak
2008
Merlin
The Sarrum
2008
Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire
Pompey
2006
I Am Not an Animal
Narrator (voice)
2004
New Tricks
DAC John Felsham
2004
Foyle's War
Raymond Brooks
2002
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries
Sergent Mike McCaffrey
2002
Waking the Dead
John Christie
2001
The 10th Kingdom
Governor of Prison
2000
Invasion: Earth
Air Marshal Bentley
1998
Predators Killing for a Living
1997
Jonathan Creek
Prof. Lance Graumann
1997
Bodyguards
Commander Alan MacIntyre
1997
Midsomer Murders
Max Jennings
1997
True Tilda
Reverand Glasson
1997
Kavanagh Q.C.
Mr. Justice Griffin
1995
Wycliffe
Dr. Sam Malvern
1994
Shakespeare: The Animated Tales
Claudius / The Ghost (voice)
1992
Between the Lines
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dunning
1992
Selling Hitler
Gerd Schülte-Hillen
1991
G.B.H.
Dr Jacobs
1991
For the Greater Good
Norman May-Boys MP
1991
Centrepoint
Claud Wareing
1990
The Chief
Dan Cheyney
1990
Blackeyes
Detective Blake
1989
About Face
1989
The Modern World: Ten Great Writers
Thomas Mann
1988
Vanity Fair
Lord Steyne
1987
Screen Two
Rev. Charles Tucker Eland
1985
Mr. Palfrey of Westminster
Adrian Vyner
1984
Natural World
Narrator
1983
The Woman in White
Sir Percival Glyde
1982
Private Schulz
German Newsreel Commentator (voice, uncredited)
1981
Edward and Mrs Simpson
Major Alexander Hardinge
1978
Armchair Thriller
Vincent Craig
1978
BBC2 Play of the Week
McKendrick
1977
Plays for Britain
Voice of Leonard Brazil
1976
Space: 1999
Jack Tanner
1975
Good Girl
Christopher Wimple
1974
Justice
Roger Anderson
1971
Elizabeth R
Earl of Sussex
1971
Omnibus
Zborowski
1967
ITV Playhouse
Schoner
1967
BBC Play of the Month
Duke of Cornwall
1965
Movies(80)
Hamlet Within
2022
King Charles III
Archbishop of Canterbury
2017
Britain's Nuclear Bomb - The Inside Story
Narrator (Voice)
2017
The Return of the Flying Scotsman
Narrator - (Voice)
2016
Branagh Theatre Live: The Winter's Tale
Camilo
2015
Hamlet
Claudius/Ghost
2015
OXI, an Act of Resistance
Creon
2014
Building Burma's Death Railway: Moving Half the Mountain
Narrator
2014
National Theatre Live: Macbeth
Duncan/Seyton/Old Man
2013
Run.
St. Peter
2013
The Awakening
Reverend Hugh Purslow
2011
National Theatre Live: Phèdre
Théramène
2009
An Organization of Dreams
Father
2009
The Duchess
General Grey
2008
Mirrors
Lorenzo Sapelli
2008
Chemical Wedding
Crowley
2008
Hindenburg: Titanic of the Skies
Himself (Narrator)
2007
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Lord Howard
2007
Once Upon a Time on the Westway
Billy Palmer
2007
Alien Autopsy
Michael Kuhn
2006
Wachau - Valley of Golden Magic
Narrator (English Version)
2005
Shadow of the Sword
Archbishop
2005
Seven Wonders of Ancient Greece
Narrator
2004
Troy
Nestor
2004
Seven Wonders of Ancient Egypt
Narrator
2004
Seven Wonders of Ancient Rome
Narrator
2004
The Race for Everest
Narrator
2003
Wild Women of Viramba
Narrator
2003
Schönbrunn - Well of Beauty
Narrator (English Version)
2002
Whistle
Paul
2002
K-19: The Widowmaker
Admiral Bratyeev
2002
Claim
Lex Vandenberg
2002
Alone
Hannah
2002
The Gentleman Thief
Monty Sinclair
2001
Animals of the Ocean Desert
Narrator
2001
Mountain Men: The Ghosts of K2
Narrator
2001
The Body
Moshe Cohen
2001
Supermassive Black Holes
Narrator
2000
Gladiator
Gaius
2000
Mary, Mother of Jesus
Simon
1999
Notting Hill
PR Chief
1999
Hornblower: The Frogs and the Lobsters
General Charette
1999
The Strange Case of Delfina Potocka
Iwaszkiewicz
1999
Lion Queen
Narrator (voice)
1998
St. Stephen's: The Living Cathedral
Narrator (English voice)
1997
101 Dalmatians
Skinner
1996
Two Deaths
Cinca
1996
King Arthur: His Life and Legends
1995
England, My England
Samuel Pepys
1995
Fatherland
General Globus
1994
Selling Hitler
Gerd Schulte-Hillen
1993
Hamlet
Claudius
1992
SS-3: The Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich
Narrator
1992
The Tragedy of Flight 103: The Inside Story
BKA Police Chief
1990
How to Get Ahead in Advertising
Psychiatrist
1989
Testimony
Andre Zhdanov
1988
Partition
General Flood
1987
Personal Services
Lionel
1987
Theban Plays: Antigone
Creon
1986
Theban Plays: Oedipus at Colonus
Creon
1986
Theban Plays: Oedipus the King
Creon
1986
The Burston Rebellion
Rev. Charles Tucker Eland
1985
Poppyland
George Sims
1985
King Lear
Earl of Kent
1982
Troilus & Cressida
Hector
1981
Timon of Athens
Alcibiades
1981
The Tom Machine
1980
The Victim
Vincent Craig
1980
Gossip from the Forest
Matthias Erzberger
1979
Edward & Mrs. Simpson
Maj. Alexander Hardinge
1978
Flayed
Robert
1978
The Three Hostages
Gaudian
1977
Professional Foul
McKendrick
1977
Hitting Town
Leonard Brazil (voice)
1976
Hennessy
Tipaldi
1975
King Lear
Duke of Cornwall
1975
Pope Joan
Father James
1972
Nicholas and Alexandra
Petya
1971
It's Called the Sugar Plum
Wally Zuckerman
1969
The Ha-Ha
Jamie
1969