Editing Simon Callow (section)

==Career==
===Acting===
Callow's immersion in the theatre began after he wrote a fan letter to [[Laurence Olivier|Sir Laurence Olivier]], the artistic director of the [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]], and received a response suggesting he join their box-office staff. While watching actors rehearse, he realised he wanted to act.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jonathanfryer.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/simon-callow-laid-bare/ |title=Simon Callow Laid Bare |date=24 March 2010 |first=Jonathan |last=Fryer |work=Jonathan Fryer |publisher=[[WordPress]]}}</ref>

Callow made his stage debut in 1973, appearing in ''[[A Satire of the Three Estates|The Three Estates]]'' at the [[Assembly Rooms (Edinburgh)|Assembly Rooms Theatre]], Edinburgh. In the early 1970s, he joined the Gay Sweatshop theatre company and performed in [[Martin Sherman (dramatist)|Martin Sherman]]'s critically acclaimed ''Passing By''.<ref>{{Cite news|work=[[The Times]]|date=20 June 1975|page=13|first=Michael|last=Church|title=Passing By}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Sexual healing: From The Boys in the Band to Brokeback Mountain, gay roles in cinema have come a long way from their tortured beginnings. |last=Callow |first=Simon |date=31 October 2008 |newspaper=The Observer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/oct/31/gay-roles}}</ref> In 1977, he took various parts in the [[Joint Stock Theatre Company]]'s production of ''[[Epsom Downs (play)|Epsom Downs]]'' and in 1979, he starred in [[Snoo Wilson]]'s ''The Soul of the White Ant'' at the [[Soho Theatre|Soho Poly]].<ref>''Snoo Wilson, Plays 1'', Methuen 1999</ref>

Callow appeared as [[Paul Verlaine|Verlaine]] in ''Total Eclipse'' (1982), Lord Foppington in ''[[The Relapse]]'' (1983) and the title role in ''[[Goethe's Faust|Faust]]'' (1988) at the [[Lyric Hammersmith]], where he also directed ''[[The Infernal Machine (play)|The Infernal Machine]]'' (with Dame [[Maggie Smith]]) in 1986.<ref name="lyricfaust">Biographical note for Simon Callow in programme book for Faust at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, London, 2 July 1988.</ref> In 1985, he played Molina in ''[[Kiss of the Spider Woman (play)|Kiss of the Spiderwoman]]'' at the [[Bush Theatre]], London.<ref name="lyricfaust"/> He played [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]] in the premiere of [[Peter Shaffer]]'s ''[[Amadeus (play)|Amadeus]]'' at the National Theatre (1979), also appearing in the 1983 BBC original cast radio production.<ref name="lyricfaust"/> He later wrote of having "discovered Mozart quite early: the operas, the symphonies, the concertos, the wind serenades were all very much part of my musical landscape when I was asked to play the part of the composer in Peter Shaffer's ''Amadeus''; possibly this was one of the reasons I got the job."<ref>My Mozart : Simon Callow. ''Opera'', January 2006, Vol. 57, No.1, pg. 35.</ref> He appeared at the National Theatre as Orlando in ''[[As You Like It]]'' (1979) and Fulganzio in ''[[Life of Galileo]]'' (1980).<ref name="lyricfaust"/>

Callow appeared with [[Saeed Jaffrey]] in the 1994 British television drama series ''[[Little Napoleons]]'', playing a scheming [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[councillor]] in [[Local government in England|local government]]. He voice-acted the sly and traitorous Wolfgang in ''[[Shoebox Zoo]]''. In 2004, he appeared on a [[Comic Relief]] episode of ''[[Little Britain (sketch show)|Little Britain]]'' for charity causes. In 2006, he wrote a piece for the BBC1 programme ''[[This Week (BBC One TV series)|This Week]]'' bemoaning the lack of characters in modern politics. He has starred as Count Fosco, the villain of [[Wilkie Collins]]'s novel ''[[The Woman in White (novel)|The Woman in White]]'', in film (1997) and on stage (2005, in the [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]] ''[[The Woman in White (musical)|musical]]'' in the West End).

Callow starred in the three-part original [[Gold (UK TV channel)|Gold]] comedy ''[[The Rebel (2016 TV series)|The Rebel]]'' in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/the_rebel/|title=The Rebel – Gold Sitcom – British Comedy Guide|first=British Comedy|last=Guide|website=British Comedy Guide}}</ref>

In 2022, he joined the cast of the UK revival of Cole Porter's ''[[Anything Goes]]'' replacing [[Gary Wilmot]] as Elisha Whitney. The production would complete a UK tour before finishing with a run at the [[Barbican Centre]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Anything Goes announces further casting for tour and London run|url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/anything-goes-announces-further-casting-tour_56142.html|access-date=15 April 2022}}</ref>
From 11 July to 3 August 2008, Callow appeared at the [[Stratford Festival of Canada|Stratford Shakespeare Festival]] in Canada in ''There Reigns Love'', a performance of the sonnets of [[William Shakespeare]].<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/plays/reigns.cfm
 |title       = Stratford Shakespeare Festival – There Reigns Love
 |publisher   = Stratford Festival
 |access-date  = 5 February 2008
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080125072109/http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/plays/reigns.cfm
 |archive-date = 25 January 2008
}}
</ref> The same year, he appeared at the [[Edinburgh Festival]], performing "Dr. Marigold" and "Mr. Chops" by [[Charles Dickens]], adapted and directed by [[Patrick Garland]]; repeating them from December 2009 to January 2010 at the [[Riverside Studios]] and on tour in 2011.

In February 2008, he played the psychiatrist in the [[Chichester Festival Theatre]]'s production of [[Peter Shaffer]]'s ''[[Equus (play)|Equus]]''.

Between March and August 2009, he played Pozzo in [[Sean Mathias]]'s production of ''[[Waiting for Godot]]'' by [[Samuel Beckett]] with [[Ian McKellen]] as Estragon, [[Patrick Stewart]] as Vladimir, and [[Ronald Pickup]] as Lucky. The production toured Britain before a run at the [[Theatre Royal, Haymarket]], in London

From June to November 2010, he appeared in a national tour of a new one-man play, ''Shakespeare: the Man from Stratford'', written by [[Jonathan Bate]], directed by Tom Cairns, and produced by the [[Ambassador Theatre Group]]. The play was renamed ''Being Shakespeare'' for its West End debut at the [[Trafalgar Studios]], where it opened on 15 June 2011. It was revived at the same theatre in March 2012, prior to a run in New York City and Chicago. In March 2014, it returned to the West End, this time at the [[Harold Pinter Theatre]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Being Shakespeare Official Website | url=http://www.beingshakespeare.com | access-date=27 May 2011}}</ref>

In October 2014, Callow appeared in a comedy sketch made for Channel 4's'' [[The Feeling Nuts Comedy Night]]'' to raise awareness of testicular cancer. The same year, he played the recurring role of the fictional Duke of Sandringham in the [[Starz (TV network)|Starz]] period TV series, ''[[Outlander (TV series)|Outlander]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scotsman.com/what-s-on/film/scots-based-outlander-tv-show-casts-simon-callow-1-3223695|title=Scots-based Outlander TV show casts Simon Callow|work=[[The Scotsman]]|date=7 December 2013|access-date=26 April 2015}}</ref>

In December 2022, Callow appeared as Dick in the Christmas special of BBC dark comedy ''[[Inside No. 9]]'', "[[Inside No. 9#Series 8 (2022–23)|The Bones of St Nicholas]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/inside-no-9-bones-st-nicholas-review-unexpected-ghost-macabre/|title=Inside No 9, review: there was an unexpected ghost at this macabre Christmas feast|website=The Telegraph|last=Rees|first=Jasper|date=22 December 2022|access-date=30 April 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001gdv9|title=Inside No. 9: The Bones of St Nicholas|publisher=BBC|access-date=30 April 2023}}</ref>

===Film===
He made his first film appearance in 1984 as [[Emanuel Schikaneder|Schikaneder]] in ''[[Amadeus (film)|Amadeus]]''. The following year, he appeared as the Reverend Mr Beebe in ''[[A Room with a View (1985 film)|A Room with a View]]''. His first television role was in the ''[[Carry On Laughing]]'' episode "Orgy and Bess" in 1975, but it was cut from the final print. He starred in several series of the [[Channel 4]] situation comedy ''[[Chance in a Million]]'', as Tom Chance, an eccentric individual to whom coincidences happened regularly. Roles like this and his part in ''[[Four Weddings and a Funeral]]'' brought him to a wider audience.<ref name="film">{{cite news |url= http://www.filmreference.com/film/69/Simon-Callow.html |title= Simon Callow Biography (1949-) Career to 2003|work=filmreference.com|access-date=13 June 2022}}</ref> Callow portrayed [[Pliny the Elder]] in CBBC's 2007 children's drama series, ''[[Roman Mysteries (TV series)|Roman Mysteries]]'' in the episode "The Secrets of Vesuvius". He played Armand Duquesne in Marvel's Hawkeye on Disney+.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/hawkeye-ending-explained-jack-duquesne-swordsman|title=Who killed [SPOILERS] in 'Hawkeye' Episode 1? Marvel's Swordsman, explained|first=Gabrielle|last=Bondi|website=Inverse|date=24 November 2021 }}</ref>

===Directing===
Callow also directed plays and wrote: his ''Being An Actor'' (1984) was a critique of 'director dominated' theatre, in addition to containing autobiographical sections relating to his early career as an actor. In 1992, he directed the play ''Shades'' by [[Sharman MacDonald]] and the musical ''[[My Fair Lady]]'', featuring costumes designed by [[Jasper Conran]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jasperconran.com/performing-arts/my-fair-lady/#nav=path_%252Fperforming-arts%252Fmy-fair-lady%252F%253Fstate%253D1 |title=My Fair Lady – Performing Arts |work=Jasper Conran |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130320034913/http://www.jasperconran.com/performing-arts/my-fair-lady/ |archive-date=20 March 2013 }}</ref> In 1995, he directed a stage version of the classic French film ''[[Children of Paradise|Les Enfants du Paradis]]'' for the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]]. As part of the Covent Garden Festival, in May 1996 Callow directed [[Cantabile (group)|Cantabile]] in three musical pieces (''Commuting'' - premiere, ''The Waiter's Revenge'', and ''Ricercare No. 4'' - premiere) composed by his friend [[Stephen Oliver (composer)|Stephen Oliver]]. ''Ricercare No. 4'' had been commissioned from Oliver by Callow on the death of his partner.<ref>Jeal, Erica. Stephen Oliver Trilogy Cantabile at the Covent Garden Festival. May 30. ''Opera'', August 1996, p.978-979.</ref>

Among opera productions directed by Callow are a ''[[Così fan tutte]]'' in Lucerne, ''[[Die Fledermaus]]'' for [[Scottish Opera]] in 1988,<ref>Monelle, Raymond. Review of Die Fledermaus at the [[Theatre Royal, Glasgow]]. ''[[Opera (British magazine)|Opera]]'', December 1988, Vol.39 No.12, p1491-92.</ref> ''[[Il tritico]]'' for the Broomhill Trust, Kent in August 1995,<ref>Allison, John. II trittico and The Reluctant Highwayman, The Broomhill Trust. ''Opera'', October 1995, Vol.46 No.10, p1233-35.</ref> Menotti's ''[[The Consul]]'' at [[Holland Park Opera]], London in 1999 and ''[[Le roi malgré lui]]'' by Chabrier at [[Grange Park Opera]] in 2003.<ref>Maddocks, Fiona. "''Le roi malgré lui'': Grange Park Opera". ''[[Opera (British magazine)|Opera]]'', September 2003, pp. 1130-31. For this production the dialogue was prepared by Callow from the original Ancelot play.</ref> He also directed ''[[Carmen Jones]]'' at the Old Vic, London in 1991, with [[Wilhelmenia Fernandez]] in the title role.<ref>[[Rodney Milnes|Milnes, Rodney]]. Review of Carmen Jones at the Old Vic. ''Opera'', June 1991, Vol.42, No.6, p727-728.</ref>

One of Callow's best-known books is ''Love Is Where It Falls'', an analysis of his 11-year relationship with [[Peggy Ramsay]] (1908–91), a prominent British theatrical agent from the 1960s to the 1980s. He has also written extensively about [[Charles Dickens]], whom he has played several times: in a one-man show, ''The Mystery of Charles Dickens'' by [[Peter Ackroyd]]; in the films ''[[Hans Christian Andersen: My Life as a Fairytale]]'', and ''[[Christmas Carol: The Movie]];'' and on television several times including ''An Audience with Charles Dickens'' (BBC, 1996) and in "[[The Unquiet Dead]]", a 2005 episode of the [[BBC]] [[science fiction on television|science-fiction]] series ''[[Doctor Who]]''. He returned to ''Doctor Who'' for the [[The Wedding of River Song|2011 season finale]], again taking the role of Dickens.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/nby4k/doctor-who-the-wedding-of-river-song |title=Doctor Who: Series 6 – 13. The Wedding of River Song |work=[[Radio Times]] }}</ref>

In December 2004, he hosted the [[London Gay Men's Chorus]] Christmas Show, ''Make the Yuletide Gay'' at the [[Barbican Arts Centre|Barbican Centre]] in London. He is currently one of the patrons of the Michael Chekhov Studio London.
In July 2006, the [[London Oratory School]] Schola announced Callow as one of their new patrons. In November 2007, he threatened to resign the post over controversy surrounding the [[Terrence Higgins Trust]] (an AIDS charity of which Callow is also a patron). Other patrons of the Catholic choir are [[Princess Michael of Kent]] and the Scottish composer [[James MacMillan (composer)|James MacMillan]]. He reprised his role as Wolfgang in ''Shoebox Zoo'' and voice-acted the wild and action-seeking Hunter, as well.{{when|date=September 2020}}

===Author===
Callow has written biographies of [[Oscar Wilde]], [[Charles Laughton]], [[Orson Welles]], and [[Richard Wagner]]. He has also written an anthology of Shakespeare passages, ''Shakespeare on Love'', and contributed to Cambridge's ''Actors on Shakespeare'' series.

A devotee of [[classical music]], he has contributed articles to ''[[Gramophone (magazine)|Gramophone]]'' and ''[[The New York Review of Books]]''.

===Narration===
Callow was the reader of ''[[The Twits]]'' and ''[[The Witches (book)|The Witches]]'' in the Puffin [[Roald Dahl]] Audio Books Collection ({{ISBN|978-0-140-92255-4}}), and has done audio versions of several abridged [[P.G. Wodehouse]] books that feature, among others, the fictional character [[Jeeves]]. They include ''Very Good, Jeeves'' and ''Aunts Aren't Gentlemen''. Callow is the reader of the audio book edition of William E. Wallace's ''Michelangelo, God's Architect'', published by [[Princeton University Press]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.audible.com/pd/Michelangelo-Gods-Architect-Audiobook/0691199302|title=Michelangelo, God's Architect|language=en}}</ref> Callow narrated the [[audiobook]] of [[Robert Fagles]]' 2006 translation of [[Virgil]]'s ''[[The Aeneid]]''. In November 2009, "Mini Stories", a recording by the Caput Ensemble of [[Haflidi Hallgrimsson]]'s settings of the surreal poetry of [[Daniil Kharms]], featuring Callow as the narrator, was released by [[Hyperion Records]].<ref>.{{cite web|url=https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_SIGCD181 | access-date=18 September 2018| title=Hallgrímsson: Mini Stories}}</ref>

Callow played Stroganoff in the 1987 Saturday Night Theatre production of ''A Bullet in the Ballet'' dramatised by Pat Hooker on [[BBC Radio 4]].<ref>[https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/87d9c782dcab4432a7b9f75493c9fd96 Saturday-Night Theatre: A Bullet in the Ballet, Sat 3rd Jan 1987, 19:00 on BBC Radio 4 FM (from Radio Times issue 3293, 3rd January 1987)] accessed 1 September 2023.</ref>