Edward Fox

Born in the London neighborhood of Chelsea, on April 13, 1937, Edward Charles Morice Fox is the eldest in a family with two brothers more dedicated to the cinema, the also illustrious actor James Fox , and the producer Robert Fox. His maternal grandfather, Frederick Lonsdale , had succeeded as a playwright, and in addition to the fact that some of his works have been adapted to the screen, he wrote scripts for titles such as May the Devil Pay! , with Ronald Colman . Despite belonging to a wealthy family, he suffered hardships in his childhood because of World War II. “My first memory was of American and Canadian troops at my mother’s house in Sussex. They were preparing for Dunkirk ”, he recalled in an interview.

Educated at the strict Harrow School, in his hometown, he later went through the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), in Blooomsbury (London). “I feel lucky to have been in this business for so long. When I think of my RADA colleagues, only an old man named Bill Gaunt remains an actor, ”he commented in 2017. He was already on stage in 1958, when he was especially passionate about William Shakespeare . “Playing Hamlet changes you as an actor.” Four years later he made his debut as an uncredited extra in Tony Richardson ‘s The Loneliness of the Long-distance Runner , one of the key pieces of Free Cinema. Shortly after, Edward Fox gave life to a policeman in English robbery, already soldiers in Oh, what a beautiful war! , by Richard Attenborough , and The Battle of Britain , by Guy Hamilton . He won the BAFTA for Best Secondary for Joseph Losey ‘s The Messenger , which would recruit him again for Blackmailing a Wife , a version of Henrik Ibsen ‘s famous “A Doll’s House” , which also starred Jane Fonda .

Giving life to the protagonist of Jackal launched him to fame , with which Fred Zinnemann adapted the famous novel by Frederick Forsyth , in turn based on a real attack –very unknown until the book and film appeared– against General De Gaulle . From that moment on, Edward Fox began to be in great demand for international productions. He returned to wearing military uniforms, in The Duelists , by Ridley Scott , Eric, Queen’s Officer , by Paul Verhoeven , Navarone Force 10 , by the aforementioned Guy Hamilton , Mutiny on Board , by Roger Donaldson, The Return of the River Kwai (infamous sequel to The Bridge on the River Kwai ) , by Andrew V. McLaglen , and A Bridge Too Far , for which he won his second and final BAFTA, and which again had Attenborough as director. He was still so happy with him that he would call him a third time, to play a general (of course) in Gandhi .

Divorced from actress Tracy Reed ( Red Telephone, We Fly to Moscow ), with whom he had a daughter, he married another interpreter, Joanna David ( You Will Meet the Man of Your Dreams ), who gave birth to two more offspring. These last two, Emilia Fox and Freddie Fox are also dedicated to acting. On the scene, Edward Fox is considered one of the greats, due to his regular appearances in London’s West End venues. He was appointed an Officer of the British Empire in 2003 “for his services to the theatre”.

Although in the 80s, actor Robert Brown played M in the official James Bond films , Edward Fox stole the character in Never Say Never , the apocryphal installment that recovered Sean Connery . In his last years in the cinema he has been King Arthur, in The Adventures of Prince Valiant , the ill- fated adaptation (the second) of the emblematic Hal Foster comic , and he has participated in two adaptations of works by Oscar Wilde , The Importance of Being Earnest (2002) and An Ideal Husband (2018). He retired after playing a British intelligence agent in the comedyJohnny English: Back in Action (2018). “I have had long periods where I have been without work for months. But it is normal in the profession. Some actors seem to work all the time, but I don’t think you can become good like that. In any case, when you dedicate yourself to something, it must be worthwhile, and it must be an occupation to which you can contribute something. I hope I have done it, ”he declared during his last active years.