Vernon Dobtcheff born 14 August 1934 is a British actor, born in France. Although best known for his roles on television and film, he has acted numerously in stage productions.
Contents
1 Biography
2 Filmography
3 References
4 External links
Biography
Dobtcheff was born in Nîmes, France, to a family of Russian descent.
He attended Ascham Preparatory School in Eastbourne, Sussex, England, in the 1940s, where he won the Acting Cup. One of his many television roles was as the Chief Scientist in the Doctor Who series The War Games in 1969, in which he became the first actor ever to mention the Time Lords by name. He also appeared in the Blake’s 7 episode “Shadow” as the Chairman of the Terra Nostra in 1979. The most famous movies in which he has appeared are The Day of the Jackal (1973), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), and Before Sunset (2004).
In his 2006 memoir Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins, British actor Rupert Everett describes an encounter with Dobtcheff on the boat train to Paris, and reveals his extraordinary reputation as the “patron saint” of the acting profession, stating that Dobtcheff “was legendary not so much for his acting as for his magical ability to catch every first night in the country”. Widely travelled and prone to pop up in the most unlikely of locales, if unable to attend an opening night, Dobtcheff will still endeavour to send the cast a card wishing the production good luck.
Dobtcheff appeared in the Doctor Who audio drama The Children of Seth in which he plays the role of Shamur.
Filmography
Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines (1965) as French Team Member (uncredited)
Darling (1965) as Art Critic (uncredited)
Return from the Ashes (1965) as Man breaking up nightclub fight (uncredited)
The Idol (1966) as Man at Party
The Taming of the Shrew (1967) as Pedant
A Dandy in Aspic (1968) as Stein
Baby Love (1969) as Man in Cinema
The Assassination Bureau (1969) as Baron Muntzof
Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) as Mendoza
Darling Lili (1970) as Otto Kraus
The Beast in the Cellar (1970) as Sir Bernard Newsmith
Them (1970) as Brisbane
Les mariés de l’an II (1971) as Le pasteur
The Horsemen (1971) as Zam Hajji
Fiddler on the Roof (1971) as Russian Official
Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) as Dr. Lazovert
Mary, Queen of Scots (1971) as Duc François de Guise
The Canterbury Tales (1972) as The Manager
Up the Front (1972) as Muller
Far from Dallas (1972)
The Day of the Jackal (1973) as The Interrogator
Story of a Love Story (1973)
Revolt of the City (1973)
Soft Beds, Hard Battles (1974) as Padre
Fall of Eagles (1974) as Count Stookau
The Marseille Contract (1974) as Lazar
Murder on the Orient Express (1974) as Concierge
Scent of a Woman (1974) as Don Carlo (uncredited)
Galileo (1975) as First Secretary
Playing with Fire (1975) as Un messager
India Song (1975) as George Crown
Le Chat et la souris (1975) as le complice de Germain
Il Messia (1975) as Samuele
Operation Daybreak (1975) as Pyotr
Le Sauvage (1975) as Coleman
Michel Strogoff (1975) (TV miniseries) as Harry Blount
Dickens of London (1976) as Legal gentleman
Joseph Andrews (1977) as Fop Two
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) as Max Kalba
March or Die (1977) as Mean corporal
La petite fille en velours bleu (1978) as Lamberti
CIA contro KGB (1978) as Le réceptionniste
L’Amour en question (1978) as Peter, le consul anglais à Nice
Nijinsky (1980) as Sergei Grigoriev
Masada (1981) as Roman Chief Priest
San-Antonio ne pense qu’à ça (1981) as Un tueur russe
Condorman (1981) as Russian Agent
L’Amour nu (1981) as John, le patron de Claire
La nuit de Varennes (1982) as Le juge saisie
Enigma (1982)
Nutcracker (1982) as Markovitch
Marco Polo (1982) as Pietro D’Abano
Wagner (1983) as Giacomo Meyerbeer
Ronde de nuit (1984) as James – le majordome
The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak (1984)
My Friend Washington (1984)
A.D. (1985) as Titus Flavius Sabinus
Morenga (1985) as Lohmann
Mata Hari (1985) as Prosecutor
Caravaggio (1986) as Art Lover
Je hais les acteurs (1986) as Fritz Kesselberger
The Name of the Rose (1986) as Hugh of Newcastle
Maschenka (1987) as Yasha
Natalia (1988) as Alfred Grabner
Catacombs (1988) as Brother Timothy
Pascali’s Island (1988) as Pariente
Madame Sousatzka (1988) as Music Critic
Testimony (1988) as Gargolovsky
Splendor (1989) as Don Arno
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) as Butler
Berlin-Jerusalem (1989) as Editor
The Hostage of Europe (1989) as Hudson Lowe
The Plot to Kill Hitler (1990) as Erich Fellgiebel
The Krays (1990) as Teacher
Flight from Paradise (1990) as Merrill
The Garden (1990)
A Season of Giants (1990) as Jacopo Galli
Vincent and Me (1990) as Dr. Winkler
Hamlet (1990) as Reynaldo
Near Mrs. (1990) as Ivan, Paris KGB Chief
Let Him Have It (1991) as Clerk of Court
Prisoner of Honor (1991) as Rennes Prosecutor
L’ambassade en folie (1992) as Ivan
Les Enfants du naufrageur (1992)
Toutes peines confondues (1992) as Thurston
Venice/Venice (1992) as Alexander
Obiettivo indiscreto (1992)
M. Butterfly (1993) as Agent Etancelin
The Hour of the Pig (1993) as Apothecary
Agatha Christie’s Poirot – Hercule Poirot’s Christmas (1994) as Simeon Lee
Jefferson in Paris (1995) as King’s Translator
England, My England (1995) as Dr. Spratt
Surviving Picasso (1996) as Diaghilev
Jude (1996) as Curator
The Ogre (1996) as Lawyer
La montagne muette (1997) as L’ingénieur
Anna Karenina (1997) as Pestov
The Odyssey (1997) as Aegyptus
As Time Goes By (1997) as Dr Stoker
Déjà vu (1997) as Konstantine
Father Ted Are You Right There Father Ted? (1998) as Old Nazi
Merlin (1998) as 1st Physician
Jinnah (1998) as Lord Willingdon
Hilary and Jackie (1998) as Professor Bentley
Spanish Fly (1998) as Carl’s Friend
Vigo (1998) as Papa Lozinska
St. Ives (1998) as Bonnefoy
Dreaming of Joseph Lees (1999) as Italian Doctor
The Strange Case of Delphina Potocka or The Mystery of Chopin (1999) as Art Gallery lecturer
Le prof (2000) as Patte Folle
Falling Through (2000) as Father
The Body (2001) as Monsignor
Revelation (2001) as Curé at Rennes-le-Chateau
Festival in Cannes (2001) as Millie’s Escort
The Order (2001) as Oscar Cafmeyer, Rudy’s father
The Red Siren (2002) as Vitali
Merci Docteur Rey (2002) as François
The Wonderland Experience (2002) as Vincent
Brocéliande (2003) as Professeur Brennos
Before Sunset (2004) as Bookstore Manager
Evilenko (2004) as Bagdasarov
Pontormo (2004) as Riccio
Iznogoud (2005) as Kitussé
Empire of the Wolves (2005) as Kudseyi
An American Haunting (2005) as Elder #1
Othello: A South African Tale (2005) as Brabantio
Courts mais GAY: Tome 12 (2006) (segment “Le moment venu”)
Priceless (2006) as Jacques
Asterix at the Olympic Games (2008) as Un druide (uncredited)
Le Plaisir de chanter (2008) as Le lecteur du bar
Godforsaken (2010) as The Surgeon
Undisputed III: Redemption (2010) as Rezo
La Clinique de l’amour (2012) as Johnattan Stork
Zarafa (2012) as Le vieux sage (voice)
La Vie d’une autre (2012) as Dimitri Speranski
The Great Beauty (2013) as Arturo
Seven Lucky Gods (2014) as Lawrence
Horsehead (2014) as George
The Invisible Boy (2014) as Artiglio