Robert Lindsay | |
---|---|
Born |
Robert Lindsay Stevenson 13 December 1949 Ilkeston, Derbyshire, England |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1973–present |
Spouse(s) |
Cheryl Hall (m. 1974; div. 1980) Rosemarie Ford (m. 2006) |
Children | 4 |
Robert Lindsay Stevenson (born 13 December 1949), known professionally as Robert Lindsay, is an English actor. He is known for his stage and television work, including appearances with the Royal Shakespeare Company and in musical theatre, and his roles as Wolfie Smith in Citizen Smith, Captain Pellew in Hornblower, and Ben Harper in My Family. He has won a BAFTA, a Tony Award, and three Olivier Awards for his work.
Lindsay was born in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, to Joyce (Dunmore) and Norman Stevenson. He was one of three children and his father was a World War II veteran, having been a minesweeper on one of the first ships to land on D-Day.
After leaving Gladstone Boys' School, Lindsay enrolled in the drama department of Clarendon College in Nottingham, intending to become a drama teacher. However, friends at Nottingham Playhouse encouraged him to apply to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), and in 1968, he was accepted there with the aid of a government grant. After graduation, he worked as a dialect coach for a repertory company in Essex, and then joined a regional theatre group.
Lindsay's early career included roles in British films such as That'll Be The Day (1973), Three for All (1975), and Adventures of a Taxi Driver (1976). He came to prominence as the cockney layabout Jakey Smith in the ITV comedy series Get Some In! (1975–1977) and was given the starring role as delusional revolutionary Wolfie Smith in the BBC sitcom Citizen Smith (1977–1980), which raised his profile.