Editing Tom Courtenay (section)

==Career==
=== 1960–1977 ===
[[File:Tom Courtenay 4 Allan Warren.jpg|thumb|left|190px|Courtenay in 1973]]
Courtenay made his stage debut in 1960 with the [[Old Vic]] theatre company at the Lyceum, Edinburgh, before taking over from [[Albert Finney]] in the title role of ''[[Billy Liar]]'' at the [[Cambridge Theatre]] in 1961. In 1963, he played that same title role in the film version, directed by [[John Schlesinger]].<ref name="three">{{cite magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|magazine=Filmink|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-british-moguls-nat-cohen-part-three-1962-68/|date=21 January 2025|access-date=21 January 2025|title=Forgotten British Moguls: Nat Cohen – Part Three (1962-68)}}</ref> He said of Albert Finney, "We both have the same problem, overcoming the flat harsh speech of [[Northern England|the North]]."<ref>''Films in Review'', February 1984.</ref>

Courtenay's film debut was in 1962 with ''[[Private Potter]]'', directed by Finnish-born director [[Caspar Wrede]], who had first spotted Courtenay while he was still at RADA. This was followed by ''[[The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (film)|The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner]]'', directed by [[Tony Richardson]], and ''[[Billy Liar (film)|Billy Liar]]'', two highly acclaimed films and performances which helped usher in the [[British New Wave]] of the early-to-mid-1960s. For these performances Courtenay was awarded the 1962 [[BAFTA Award]] for most promising newcomer and the 1963 [[BAFTA Award]] for best actor respectively. He also was the first to record the song ''[[Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter]]'', doing so for the TV play ''The Lads''. The song was released by [[Decca Records|Decca]] on a 45 rpm record.

For his role as the dedicated revolutionary leader Pasha Antipov in ''[[Doctor Zhivago (film)|Doctor Zhivago]]'' (1965), he was nominated for an [[Academy Award]] for [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]], but was bested by [[Martin Balsam]]. Among his other well-known films is ''[[King & Country]]'', directed by [[Joseph Losey]], where he played opposite [[Dirk Bogarde]]; the all-star war film, ''[[Operation Crossbow (film)|Operation Crossbow]]'', directed by [[Michael Anderson (director)|Michael Anderson]] (starring [[George Peppard]] and [[Sophia Loren]]); ''[[King Rat (film)|King Rat]]'', directed by [[Bryan Forbes]] and costarring [[James Fox]] and [[George Segal]]; and ''[[The Night of the Generals]]'', directed by [[Anatole Litvak]] with [[Peter O'Toole]] and [[Omar Sharif]]. He provided physical slapstick comedy in the ultimately chilling anti-nuke black comedy ''[[The Day the Fish Came Out]]'' in 1967. In 1969 and 1971, he was in two spy-comedies, ''[[Otley]]'' (in the title role) along with ''[[To Catch a Spy|Catch Me A Spy]]'' (1970) starring [[Kirk Douglas]]; and previously, in 1968, he co-starred in a serious film of that genre, ''[[A Dandy in Aspic]]'' (1968), opposite [[Laurence Harvey]]. Courtenay's working relationship with Wrede returned to film when he played the title role in the latter's 1970 production of ''[[One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (film)|One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich]]''.

Despite being catapulted to fame by the aforementioned films, Courtenay has said that he has not particularly enjoyed film acting;<ref name=cavendish>{{cite news| title=A master in the round| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4725420/A-master-in-the-round.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4725420/A-master-in-the-round.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live| first=Dominic| last=Cavendish| newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]| date=3 September 2001| access-date=10 October 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> from the mid-1960s he concentrated more on stage work, although in a later Telegraph interview on 4/20/2005, he admitted "I slightly overdid the anti-film thing". In 1968, Courtenay began a long association with [[Manchester]] when he played in ''[[The Playboy of the Western World]]'' for the Century Theatre at [[Manchester University]] directed by [[Michael Elliott (director)|Michael Elliott]]. In 1969, Courtenay played Hamlet ([[John Nettles]] playing Laertes) for 69 Theatre Company at University Theatre in Manchester, this being the precursor of the [[Royal Exchange Theatre]], which was founded in 1976 where he was to give many performances, firstly under the direction of Casper Wrede.<ref name=braham>{{cite book| last=Murray| first=Braham| title=The Worst It Can be is A Disaster| publisher=Bloomsbury Methuen Drama| date=7 September 2007| isbn=978-0713684902}}{{page needed|date=October 2017}}</ref> His first roles for the Royal Exchange were as Faulkland in [[Richard Brinsley Sheridan]]'s [[The Rivals]] and the hero of [[Heinrich von Kleist]]'s ''The Prince of Homburg''. Since then he has played a variety of roles, including in 1999 the leading role in the theatre's production of ''[[King Lear]]'', and in 2001 ''[[Uncle Vanya]]''.

=== 1980–1999 ===
[[File:Albert Finney 1966.jpg|thumb|right|170px|Courtenay acted alongside [[Albert Finney]] in ''[[The Dresser (1983 film)|The Dresser]]'' (1983)]]
Courtenay originated the role of Norman in [[Ronald Harwood]]'s ''[[The Dresser]]'' which was first produced in the [[West End (theatre)|West End]] in 1980. The production started at [[Royal Exchange, Manchester]] before transferring to the [[Sondheim Theatre|Queen's Theatre]]. Courtenay acted opposite Freddie Jones as Sir. The production earned the [[Laurence Olivier Award]] for Best Play. He then reprised his role on [[Broadway (theatre)|Broadway]] at the [[Brooks Atkinson Theatre]] in 1981, acting opposite [[Paul Rogers (actor)|Paul Rogers]]. Courtenay received nominations for the [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play]] and the [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play]] for his performance. He then was cast as Norman in the film adaptation of ''[[The Dresser (1983 film)|The Dresser]]'' (1983), acting opposite [[Albert Finney]] as Sir with performances from [[Eileen Atkins]], [[Edward Fox (actor)|Edward Fox]], and [[Michael Gough]]. Famed critic from the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'', [[Roger Ebert]] praised Courtenay for his performance writing, "He is perfect for playing proud, resentful, self-doubting outsiders."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-dresser-1983|title= The Dresser|website= Rogerebert.com|accessdate= July 31, 2023}}</ref> Both Courtenay and Finney received nominations for [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] in the 1983 [[Academy Awards]] for their roles, losing to [[Robert Duvall]] in ''[[Tender Mercies]]''.

He played the father of [[Derek Bentley]] ([[Christopher Eccleston]]) in the 1991 film ''[[Let Him Have It]]''. And for an actor known to be cast in good or great films, he surprisingly co-starred in what's been considered one of the worst movies ever, the infamous ''[[Leonard Part 6]]'' starring [[Bill Cosby]]. Courtenay's television and radio appearances have been relatively few, but have included ''[[She Stoops to Conquer]]'' in 1971 on [[BBC]] and several [[Alan Ayckbourn|Ayckbourn]] plays. He appeared in ''[[I Heard the Owl Call My Name]]'' on US television in 1973. In 1994, he starred as [[Quilp]] opposite [[Peter Ustinov]] in a [[Disney Channel]] 'made for television' version of ''[[The Old Curiosity Shop]]''. Rather unexpectedly, he had a cameo role as the anthropologist [[Bronisław Malinowski]] in the [[George Lucas]] 1995 US TV film ''[[The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles|Young Indiana Jones and the Treasure of the Peacock's Eye]]''. In 1998 he teamed with [[Albert Finney]] again for the acclaimed BBC drama ''[[A Rather English Marriage]]''. He played the role of God, opposite Sebastian Graham-Jones, in Ben Steiner's radio play "A Brief Interruption", broadcast on [[BBC Radio 4]] in 2004. In the same year, he played the role of Stanley Laurel in [[Neil Brand]]'s radio play 'Stan', broadcast on Radio 4. Also for Radio 4, he played the title role in Nick Leather's ''The Domino Man of Lancashire'' and ''Maurice'' in Richard Lumsden's ''Man in the Moon'', both broadcast in 2007. Courtenay also appeared in the 2008 Christmas special of the BBC show [[The Royle Family]], playing the role of Dave's father, David Sr, alongside Helen Fraser as Dave’s mother, who had played his girlfriend in Billy Liar.

=== 2001–present ===
[[File:Tom Courtenay 2013.jpg|thumb|upright|left|150px|Courtenay in Paris at a premiere of ''[[Quartet (2012 film)|Quartet]]'' in 2013]]

In 2002, based on an idea by Michael Godley, Courtenay compiled a one-man show ''Pretending To Be Me'' based on the letters and writings of poet [[Philip Larkin]], which first played at the [[West Yorkshire Playhouse]] in [[Leeds]]. It later transferred to the [[Comedy Theatre]] in the [[West End theatre|West End]] in London.<ref>{{cite news| title=Tom Courtenay: Put yourself in Larkin's shoes| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/tom-courtenay-put-yourself-in-larkins-shoes-134296.html| date=2 December 2002| work=[[The Independent]]| access-date=10 October 2017| quote=He is credited in the programme with its authorship, which makes him cross. "I didn't write it – it ought to say 'devised' or 'compiled by'." A few years ago, the actor Michael Godley sent him a show of his own devising, hoping that he would appear in it; while Courtenay liked the idea, he thought that version too close to a poetry reading.}}</ref> In 2007, Courtenay appeared in two films: ''[[Flood (2007 film)|Flood]]'', a disaster epic in which London is overwhelmed by floods, and ''[[The Golden Compass (film)|The Golden Compass]]'', an adaptation of [[Philip Pullman]]'s novel, playing the part of Farder Coram. In 2008, he appeared in the BBC adaptation of ''[[Little Dorrit]]'' by [[Charles Dickens]], playing William Dorrit, and the Christmas edition of ''[[The Royle Family]]'', playing David (Senior). In March 2011, he joined the cast of ''[[Gambit (2012 film)|Gambit]]'', a film starring fellow RADA alumnus [[Alan Rickman]] that began filming in May. The film was released in Great Britain in November 2012.

In 2012, he co-starred in romantic drama ''[[Quartet (2012 film)|Quartet]]'' alongside [[Maggie Smith]], directed by [[Dustin Hoffman]]. It premiered at the [[Toronto International Film Festival]] to positive reviews. In 2015, he co-starred with [[Charlotte Rampling]] in the highly-praised Andrew Haigh film, ''[[45 Years]]''. Courtenay won international awards including the [[Berlin International Film Festival]]'s [[Silver Bear]] and [[Venice International Film Festival]]'s [[Volpi Cup for Best Actor]]. for his role as Geoff Mercer, and the film was critically-acclaimed and very well-received internationally as well as in the U.S. In 2018, he appeared in ''[[The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (film)|The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society]]'' starring [[Lily James]] and ''[[King of Thieves (2018 film)|King of Thieves]]'' alongside [[Michael Caine]] and [[Michael Gambon]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-guernsey-literary-and-potato-peel-pie-society-2018|title= The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society|website= Rogerebert.com|accessdate= July 31, 2023}}</ref>

In 2019, he was a panellist on ''[[Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule]]'', Season 3 episode 1. For his introduction, after the other 3 guests had been announced Harry expressed surprise that the fourth seat (Courtenay's) was empty. Harry said he knew the guest had set off some time ago, which was followed by a cut to the 1962 film ''[[The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (film)|The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner]]'' in which Courtenay's character was running. Courtenay then entered the studio, apparently out of breath and in the same running kit he'd been wearing in the film.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}} Also in 2019 he voiced the character of Prince Philip in ''[[The Queen's Corgi]]'', his first voice role, and also appeared in ''[[The Aeronauts (film)|The Aeronauts]]'' starring [[Felicity Jones]] and [[Eddie Redmayne]].<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/sep/10/the-aeronauts-review-charming-balloon-adventure-way-up-where-the-air-is-clear|title= The Aeronauts review – charming balloon adventure way up where the air is clear|website= The Guardian|date= 10 September 2019|accessdate= July 31, 2023|last1= Bradshaw|first1= Peter}}</ref>