Editing Derek Jacobi

{{short description|English actor (born 1938)}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| caption            = Jacobi in 2022
| honorific_prefix   = Sir
| name               = Derek Jacobi
| honorific_suffix   = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE}}
| image              = Sir Derek Jacobi.jpg
| imagesize          =
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1938|10|22}}
| birth_place        = [[Leytonstone]], [[Essex]]<!-- Do not change to London, Leytonstone was in Essex in 1938-->, England
| alma_mater         = [[St John's College, Cambridge]]
| death_date         =
| death_place        =
| occupation         = Actor
| years_active       = 1959–present
| works              = [[Derek Jacobi on screen and stage|Full list]]
| partner            = Richard Clifford (1979–present)
| awards             = [[List of awards and nominations received by Derek Jacobi|Full list]]
| module             = {{Listen| embed=yes |filename = Sir Derek Jacobi voice.ogg |title = Derek Jacobi's voice |type = speech |description = recorded 2012, as part of an [[:File:Sir Derek Jacobi on the Old Vic Theatre.ogg|audio description of the Old Vic Theatre]] for [[VocalEyes]] }}
}}
'''Sir Derek George Jacobi''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|dʒ|æ|k|ə|b|i}}; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor. He is known for his work at the [[Royal National Theatre]] and for his film and television roles. He has received numerous accolades including a [[BAFTA Award]], two [[Olivier Awards]], two [[Primetime Emmy Awards]], two [[Screen Actors Guild Awards]], and a [[Tony Award]]. He was given a [[Knight Bachelor|knighthood]] for his services to theatre by Queen [[Elizabeth II]] in 1994.<ref>Sarah Stanton, Martin Banham, ''The Cambridge Paperback Guide to Theatre'' (1996), p. 181</ref>

Jacobi started his professional acting career with [[Laurence Olivier]] as one of the founding members of the National Theatre.<ref name="Grdn2022"/> He has appeared in numerous [[Shakespearean]] stage productions including ''[[Hamlet]]'', ''[[Much Ado About Nothing]]'', ''[[Macbeth]]'', ''[[Twelfth Night]]'', ''[[The Tempest]]'', ''[[King Lear]]'', and ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]''.<ref name="Grdn2022">{{cite news |last1=Gilbey |first1=Ryan |title='I've got a feeling I won't be on stage again': Derek Jacobi on age, ego, Igglepiggle and unrequited love: Interview |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/oct/17/derek-jacobi-on-age-ego-igglepiggle-and-unrequited-love |access-date=20 October 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=17 October 2022}}</ref><ref name="Wheatley">{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/first-knight-of-nerves-for-derek-jacobi-and-a-bunch-of-amateurs-htnltn9rhvx |work=[[The Times]] |location=London |title=First knight of nerves for Derek Jacobi and A Bunch of Amateurs |first=Jane |last=Wheatley |date=18 December 2008 |access-date=1 May 2010}}</ref><ref name="ibdb.com">{{cite web| url=http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=46744| title=Derek Jacobi Credits, Broadway| publisher=[[Internet Broadway Database]]| access-date=8 July 2015}}</ref> Jacobi received the [[Laurence Olivier Award]], for the [[Cyrano de Bergerac|title role]] in ''[[Cyrano de Bergerac (play)|Cyrano de Bergerac]]'' in 1983 and Malvolio in ''[[Twelfth Night]]'' in 2009. He also won the [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play]] for his role as Benedick in ''[[Much Ado About Nothing]]'' in 1985.

On television, he portrayed [[Claudius]] in the [[BBC]] series ''[[I, Claudius (TV series)|I, Claudius]]'' (1976), for which he won the [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts|British Academy Television Award for Best Actor]]. He received two [[Primetime Emmy Awards]] for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie|Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie]] for ''[[The Tenth Man (1988 film)|The Tenth Man]]'' (1988), and [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series]] for ''[[Frasier]]'' (2001). He also took roles in [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] drama series ''[[Cadfael (TV series)|Cadfael]]'' (1994–1998), the [[HBO]] film ''[[The Gathering Storm (2002 film)|The Gathering Storm]]'' (2002), the [[sitcom]] ''[[Vicious (TV series)|Vicious]]'' (2013-2016), in [[BBC]]'s ''[[Last Tango in Halifax]]'' (2012–2020), and the [[Netflix]] series ''[[The Crown (TV series)|The Crown]]'' in 2019.<ref name="Farndale-Telegraph">{{Cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/9359513/Derek-Jacobi-I-dont-mind-people-having-faith.-But-it-aint-for-me.html |title=Derek Jacobi: 'I don't mind people having faith. But it ain't for me' |website=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |last=Farndale |first=Nigel |author-link=Nigel Farndale |date=2 July 2012 |access-date=24 August 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/reviews/the-crown-season-3-review-olivia-colman-bonham-carter-1203390989|title=TV Review: The Crown Season 3 Starring Olivia Colman|first=Caroline|last=Framke|date=4 November 2019}}</ref>

Jacobi has acted in numerous films including ''[[Othello (1965 British film)|Othello]]'' (1965), ''[[The Day of the Jackal (film)|The Day of the Jackal]]'' (1973), ''[[Henry V (1989 film)|Henry V]]'' (1989), ''[[Dead Again]]'' (1991), ''[[Hamlet (1996 film)|Hamlet]]'' (1996), ''[[Nanny McPhee]]'' (2005), ''[[The Riddle (film)|The Riddle]]'' (2007), ''[[My Week with Marilyn]]'' (2011), ''[[Anonymous (2011 film)|Anonymous]]'' (2011), ''[[Cinderella (2015 American film)|Cinderella]]'' (2015), and ''[[Murder on the Orient Express (2017 film)|Murder on the Orient Express]]'' (2017). Jacobi portrayed Senator Gracchus in [[Ridley Scott|Ridley Scott's]] ''[[Gladiator (2000 film)|Gladiator]]'' (2000) and ''[[Gladiator II]]'' (2024). Jacobi has also earned two [[Screen Actors Guild Awards]] along with the [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture|ensemble cast]] for [[Robert Altman]]'s ''[[Gosford Park]]'' (2001), and [[Tom Hooper]]'s ''[[The King's Speech]]'' (2010).

== Early life and education ==
Derek George Jacobi was born on 22 October 1938 in [[Leytonstone]], Essex<!-- Do not change to London, Leytonstone was in Essex in 1938-->, England, the only child of Daisy Gertrude (née Masters; 1910–1980), a secretary who worked in a [[drapery]] store in Leyton High Road, and Alfred George Jacobi (1910–1993), who ran a sweet shop<ref name="Grdn2022"/> and was a [[tobacconist]] in [[Chingford]].<ref>{{cite web| title=Derek Jacobi Biography (1938–)| url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/93/Derek-Jacobi.html| work=filmreference| year=2008| access-date=4 April 2008}}</ref> His patrilineal great-grandfather had emigrated from Germany to England during the 19th century. He also has a distant [[Huguenot]] ancestor.<ref>{{cite news| title=Trace your French émigré ancestors like Sir Derek Jacobi| url=http://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/trace-your-french-%C3%A9migr%C3%A9-ancestors-sir-derek-jacobi| work=[[Who Do You Think You Are Magazine]]| date=27 August 2015| access-date=7 November 2017| archive-date=7 November 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107233724/http://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/trace-your-french-%C3%A9migr%C3%A9-ancestors-sir-derek-jacobi| url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| first=Jasper| last=Rees| title=Crown him with many crowns| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2002/07/16/btjaco14.xml&sSheet=/arts/2002/07/20/ixstagetop.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071102174711/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2002/07/16/btjaco14.xml&sSheet=/arts/2002/07/20/ixstagetop.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=2 November 2007| work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]| location=London| date=15 July 2002| access-date=4 April 2008}}</ref> His family was working-class,<ref>{{cite news| first=Sally| last=Vincent| title=I already knew I was a tetchy beast| url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,,1875816,00.htm| work=[[The Guardian]]| location=London| date=19 September 2006| access-date=4 April 2008 }}</ref> and Jacobi describes his childhood as happy. In his teens he went to Leyton County High School for Boys, now known as the [[Leyton Sixth Form College]], and became an integral part of the drama club, The Players of [[Leyton]].

While in the [[sixth form]], he starred in a production of ''[[Hamlet]],'' which was taken to the [[Edinburgh Festival Fringe]] and very well regarded.<ref name="Grdn2022"/><ref name="Wheatley" /> At 18 he won a scholarship to the [[University of Cambridge]], where he read history at [[St John's College, Cambridge|St John's College]] and earned his degree. Younger members of the university at the time included [[Ian McKellen]]<ref name="Grdn2022"/> (who had a crush on him—"a passion that was undeclared and unrequited", as McKellen relates it)<ref name="advocate-2001">{{cite news| last=Steele| first=Bruce C.| title=The Knight's Crusade: playing the wizard Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings may make Sir Ian McKellen the world's best-known gay man. And he's armed and ready to carry the fight for equality along with him| url=https://www.questia.com/magazine/1G1-83451265/the-knight-s-crusade-playing-the-wizard-gandalf-in| work=[[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)|The Advocate]]| date=11 December 2001| pages=36–38, 40–45}}</ref> and [[Trevor Nunn]]. During his studies at Cambridge, Jacobi played many parts including ''[[Hamlet]]'', which was taken on a tour to Switzerland, where he met [[Richard Burton]]. As a result of his performance of ''[[Edward II (play)|Edward II]]'' at Cambridge, Jacobi was invited to become a member of the [[Birmingham Repertory Theatre]] immediately upon his graduation in 1960.

==Career==
=== 1959–1979: Stage debut and breakthrough ===
[[File:Laurence Olivier (borders removed).jpg|thumb|left|170px|[[Laurence Olivier]] discovered Derek Jacobi, inviting him to join the [[Royal National Theatre]].]]
Jacobi's talent was recognised by [[Laurence Olivier]], who invited the young actor back to London to become one of the founding members of the new [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]], even though at the time Jacobi was relatively unknown.<ref name="Grdn2022"/> He played [[Laertes (Hamlet)|Laertes]] in the [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre's]] inaugural production of ''[[Hamlet]]'' opposite [[Peter O'Toole]] in 1963.<ref name="Grdn2022"/> Olivier cast him as [[Michael Cassio|Cassio]] in the successful National Theatre stage production of ''[[Othello]]'', a role that Jacobi repeated in the [[Othello (1965 British film)|1965 film version]]. He played Andrei in the NT production and film of ''[[Three Sisters (1970 film)|Three Sisters]]'' (1970), both featuring Olivier. On 27 July 1965, Jacobi played Brindsley Miller in the first production of [[Peter Shaffer]]'s ''[[Black Comedy (play)|Black Comedy]]''. It was presented by the National Theatre at Chichester and subsequently in London.

After eight years at the National Theatre, Jacobi left in 1971 to pursue different roles. In 1972, he starred in the [[BBC]] serial ''[[Man of Straw&nbsp;(TV series)|Man of Straw]]'', an adaptation of [[Heinrich Mann]]'s book ''[[Der Untertan]]'', directed by [[Herbert Wise]]. Jacobi appeared in a somewhat comical role, as Lord Fawn, in eight episodes of the 26-episode mini-series ''[[The Pallisers]]'' for [[BBC Two]] in 1974. Most of his theatrical work in the 1970s was with the touring classical [[Prospect Theatre Company]], with which he undertook many roles, including ''[[Ivanov (play)|Ivanov]]'', ''[[Pericles, Prince of Tyre]]'' and ''[[A Month in the Country (play)|A Month in the Country]]'' opposite [[Dorothy Tutin]] (1976).

Jacobi was increasingly busy with stage and screen acting, but his big breakthrough came in 1976 when he played the title role in the BBC's series ''[[I, Claudius (TV series)|I, Claudius]]''. He cemented his reputation with his performance as the stammering, twitching [[Emperor Claudius]], winning much praise.<ref name="Grdn2022"/> In 1979, thanks to his international popularity, he took ''[[Hamlet]]'' on a theatrical world tour through England, [[Egypt]], Greece, Sweden, Australia, Japan and China, playing [[Prince Hamlet]]. He was invited to perform the role at [[Kronborg Castle]], Denmark, known as Elsinore Castle, the setting of the play. In 1978, he appeared in the [[BBC Television Shakespeare]] production of ''[[Richard II (play)|Richard II]]'', with Sir [[John Gielgud]] and Dame [[Wendy Hiller]].

=== 1980–1999: Established career ===
[[File:Frank Barrie & Derek Jacobi.jpg|thumb|right|Jacobi with [[Frank Barrie]] performing ''[[The Merchant of Venice]]'' in 1971]]
In 1980, Jacobi took the leading role in the BBC's ''[[Hamlet]]'', made his Broadway debut in ''[[The Suicide (play)|The Suicide]]'' (a run shortened by Jacobi's return home to England due to the death of his mother), and joined the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] (RSC). From 1982 to 1985, he played four demanding roles simultaneously: Benedick in Shakespeare's ''[[Much Ado About Nothing]]'', for which he won a Tony for its Broadway run (1984–1985); Prospero in ''[[The Tempest]]''; ''[[Peer Gynt]]''; and ''[[Cyrano de Bergerac (play)|Cyrano de Bergerac]]'' which he brought to the US and played in repertory with ''[[Much Ado About Nothing]]'' on Broadway and in Washington DC (1984–1985). In 1986, he made his West End debut in ''[[Breaking the Code]]'' by [[Hugh Whitemore]], starring in the role of [[Alan Turing]], which was written with Jacobi specifically in mind. The play was taken to Broadway. In 1988, Jacobi alternated in West End the title roles of Shakespeare's ''[[Richard II (play)|Richard II]]'' and ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]'' in repertoire.

He appeared in the television dramas ''[[Inside the Third Reich (film)|Inside the Third Reich]]'' (1982), where he played [[Hitler]]; ''[[Mr Pye]]'' (1985); ''[[Little Dorrit (1987 film)|Little Dorrit]]'' (1987), based on [[Charles Dickens]]'s novel; and ''[[The Tenth Man (1988 film)|The Tenth Man]]'' (1988) with [[Anthony Hopkins]] and [[Kristin Scott Thomas]]. In 1982, he voiced Nicodemus in the animated film, ''[[The Secret of NIMH]]''. In 1990, he starred as [[Daedalus]] in episode 4 of ''[[Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Greek Myths]]''. Jacobi continued to play Shakespeare roles, notably in [[Kenneth Branagh]]'s 1989 film of ''[[Henry V (1989 film)|Henry V]]'' (as [[Greek chorus|the Chorus]]), and made his directing debut as Branagh's director for the 1988 [[Renaissance Theatre Company]]'s touring production of ''[[Hamlet]]'', which also played at [[Elsinore]] and as part of a Renaissance repertory season at the [[Phoenix Theatre, London|Phoenix Theatre]] in London. The 1990s saw Jacobi keeping on with repertoire stage work in ''Kean'' at [[The Old Vic]], ''[[Becket]]'' in the West End (the [[Haymarket Theatre]]) and ''[[Macbeth]]'' at the RSC in both London and [[Stratford-upon-Avon|Stratford]]. In 1993 Jacobi voiced Mr Jeremy Fisher in ''[[The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends]]''.

He was appointed the joint [[artistic director]] of the [[Chichester Festival Theatre]], with the West End impresario Duncan Weldon in 1995 for a three-year tenure. As an actor at Chichester he also starred in four plays, including his first ''[[Uncle Vanya]]'' in 1996 (he played it again in 2000, bringing the [[Chekhov]] play to Broadway for a limited run). Jacobi's work during the 1990s included the 13-episode series TV adaptation of the novels by [[Ellis Peters]], ''[[Cadfael (TV series)|Cadfael]]'' (1994–1998) and a televised version of ''Breaking the Code'' (1996). Film appearances of the era included performances in [[Kenneth Branagh]]'s ''[[Dead Again]]'' (1991), Branagh's full-text rendition of ''[[Hamlet (1996 film)|Hamlet]]'' (1996) as [[King Claudius]], [[John Maybury]]'s ''[[Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon|Love is the Devil]]'' (1998), a portrait of painter [[Francis Bacon (artist)|Francis Bacon]], as Senator Gracchus in ''[[Gladiator (2000 film)|Gladiator]]'' (2000) with [[Russell Crowe]], and as "The Duke" opposite [[Christopher Eccleston]] and [[Eddie Izzard]] in a post-[[apocalypse|apocalyptic]] version of [[Thomas Middleton]]'s ''[[The Revenger's Tragedy]]'' (2002).

===2000–present===
[[File:Derek Jacobi 2013.jpg|thumb|left|170px|Jacobi in 2013]]
Jacobi has narrated audio book versions of the ''[[Iliad]]'', ''[[The Voyage of the Dawn Treader]]'' by [[C. S. Lewis]], ''[[Farmer Giles of Ham]]'' by [[J. R. R. Tolkien]], and two abridged versions of ''[[I, Claudius]]'' by [[Robert Graves]]. In 2001, he provided the voice of "Duke Theseus" in ''The Children's Midsummer Night's Dream'' film. At the [[53rd Primetime Emmy Awards]], Jacobi won an [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series]]<ref>{{cite news| first=Duncan| last=Campbell| title=TV stars dress down for the Emmy awards| url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2001/nov/06/broadcasting.internationalnews| work=[[The Guardian]]| date=6 November 2001| access-date=11 January 2019}}</ref> by mocking his Shakespearean background in the television sitcom ''[[Frasier]]'' episode "[[Frasier (season 8)|The Show Must Go Off]]", in which he played the hammy, loud, untalented Jackson Hedley, a television star with a misguided belief that he deserves a revival of his stage career. In 2002, Jacobi toured Australia in ''[[The Hollow Crown (TV series)|The Hollow Crown]]'' with Sir [[Donald Sinden]], [[Ian Richardson]] and Dame [[Diana Rigg]]. Jacobi also played the role of Senator Gracchus in [[Gladiator (2000 film)|''Gladiator'']] and starred in the 2002 miniseries ''[[The Jury (TV serial)|The Jury]]''. He is also the narrator for the BBC children's series ''[[In the Night Garden...]]''.

In 2003, Jacobi was involved with ''[[Scream of the Shalka]]'', a [[webcast]] based on the science fiction series ''[[Doctor Who]]''. He played the voice of the Doctor's nemesis [[The Master (Doctor Who)|the Master]] alongside [[Richard E. Grant]] as [[The Doctor (Doctor Who)|the Doctor]]. In the same year, he also appeared in ''[[Deadline (audio drama)|Deadline]]'', an audio drama also based on ''Doctor Who''. Therein he played Martin Bannister, an ageing writer who makes up stories about "the Doctor", a character who travels in time and space, the premise being that the series had never made it on to television. Jacobi later followed this up with an appearance in the ''Doctor Who'' episode "[[Utopia (Doctor Who)|Utopia]]" (June 2007); he appears as the kindly Professor Yana, who by the end of the episode is revealed to be [[The Master (Doctor Who)|the Master]]. Jacobi admitted to ''[[Doctor Who Confidential]]'' he had always wanted to be on the show: "One of my ambitions since the '60s has been to take part in a ''Doctor Who''. The other one is ''[[Coronation Street]]''. So I've cracked ''Doctor Who'' now. I'm still waiting for ''Corrie''."<ref>{{cite episode| series-link=Doctor Who Confidential#Series 3 .282007.29| series=Doctor Who| network=BBC| season=3| number=40| title='Ello, 'Ello, 'Ello}}</ref>

In 2004, Jacobi starred in [[Friedrich Schiller]]'s ''[[Don Carlos (play)|Don Carlos]]'' at the [[Crucible Theatre]] in [[Sheffield]], in an acclaimed production, which transferred to the [[Gielgud Theatre]] in London in January 2005. The London production of ''Don Carlos'' gathered rave reviews. Also in 2004, he starred as Lord Teddy Thursby in the first of the four-part BBC series ''[[The Long Firm]]'', based on [[Jake Arnott]]'s novel of the same name. In ''[[Nanny McPhee]]'' (2005), he played the role of the colourful Mr. Wheen, an undertaker. He played the role of [[Alexander Corvinus]] in the 2006 action-horror film ''[[Underworld: Evolution]]''.

In March 2006, [[BBC Two]] broadcast ''[[Pinochet in Suburbia]]'', a [[docudrama]] about former Chilean dictator [[Augusto Pinochet]] and the attempts to [[extradite]] him from Great Britain; Jacobi played the leading role. In September 2007, it was released in the U.S., retitled ''Pinochet's Last Stand''. In 2006, he appeared in the children's movie ''Mist'', the tale of a sheepdog puppy, he also narrated this movie. In July–August 2006, he played the eponymous role in ''[[A Voyage Round My Father]]'' at the [[Donmar Warehouse]], a production which then transferred to the West End.
[[Image:Derek Jacobi-autograph.jpg|thumb|Jacobi signing autographs after his performance in ''[[Twelfth Night]]'', London, 2009]]
In February 2007, ''[[The Riddle (film)|The Riddle]]'', directed by [[Brendan Foley (filmmaker)|Brendan Foley]] and starring Jacobi, [[Vinnie Jones]], and [[Vanessa Redgrave]], was screened at Berlin EFM. Jacobi plays twin roles: first a present-day London tramp and then the ghost of [[Charles Dickens]]. In March 2007, the BBC's children's programme ''[[In the Night Garden...]]'' started its run of one hundred episodes, with Jacobi as the narrator. He played Nell's grandfather in ITV's Christmas 2007 adaptation of ''[[The Old Curiosity Shop]]'', and returned to the stage to play Malvolio in Shakespeare's ''[[Twelfth Night]]'' (2009) for the Donmar Warehouse at [[Wyndham's Theatre]] in London.<ref>{{cite journal| last=Billings| first=Joshua| url=http://www.oxonianreview.org/wp/star-crossed| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912064012/http://www.oxonianreview.org/wp/star-crossed/| url-status=usurped| archive-date=12 September 2009| title=Star-Crossed| journal=[[Oxonian Review]]| issue=3| date=9 February 2009| volume=8}}</ref> The role won him the [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor]].<ref>{{cite news| date=9 March 2009| url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/gallery/2009/mar/09/olivier-awards-theatre| title=Olivier awards 2009: the winners| publisher=WhatsonStage.com| access-date=8 July 2015}}</ref> He appears in five 2009 films: ''[[Morris: A Life with Bells On]]'', ''[[Hippie Hippie Shake]]'', ''[[Endgame (2009 film)|Endgame]]'', ''[[Adam Resurrected]]'' and ''[[Charles Dickens's England]]''. In 2010, he returned to ''I, Claudius'', as Augustus in a [[I, Claudius (radio adaptation)|radio adaptation]]. In 2011, he was part of a medieval epic, ''[[Ironclad (film)|Ironclad]]'', which also starred James Purefoy and Paul Giamatti, as the ineffectual Reginald de Cornhill, castellan of Rochester castle.

Jacobi starred in [[Michael Grandage]]'s production of ''[[King Lear]]'' (London, 2010), giving what ''[[The New Yorker]]'' called "one of the finest performances of his distinguished career".<ref>{{cite magazine| last=Lahr| first=John| author-link=John Lahr|title=Crazy Love| magazine=The New Yorker| date=3 January 2011| pages=74–75| url=https://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/theatre/2011/01/03/110103crth_theatre_lahr| access-date=8 May 2011}}</ref><ref name="Grdn2022"/> In May 2011, he reprised this role at the [[Brooklyn Academy of Music]].<ref>{{cite news| first=Ben| last=Brantley| date=5 May 2011| url=http://theater.nytimes.com/2011/05/07/theater/reviews/king-lear-with-derek-jacobi-at-bam-review.html?| title=Fantasies Aside, Life's Tough At the Top| work=[[The New York Times]]| access-date=7 May 2011}}</ref>

In 2012, he appeared in ''[[Titanic: Blood and Steel]]'' and in November 2012, he starred in the BBC series ''[[Last Tango in Halifax]]''. In 2013, he starred in the second series of ''Last Tango'', and in 2014, the third series. In 2013, Jacobi starred alongside [[Ian McKellen]] in the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] sitcom ''[[Vicious (TV series)|Vicious]]'' as Stuart Bixby, the partner to Freddie Thornhill, played by McKellen. On 23 August 2013, the show was renewed for a six-episode second series which began airing in June 2015.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a509391/vicious-renewed-for-second-series-by-itv-job-lot-moving-to-itv2.html| title='Vicious' renewed for second series by ITV, 'Job Lot' moving to ITV2| work=[[Digital Spy]]|date=23 August 2013| access-date=7 September 2013}}</ref> The show ended in December 2016, with a Christmas special.

Since 2017, Jacobi has again portrayed The Master in several box set series for [[Big Finish Productions]], collectively entitled [[The War Master (audio drama series)|The War Master]]. In 2018, he played the Bishop of Digne in the BBC miniseries ''[[Les Misérables&nbsp;(British TV series)|Les Misérables]]''.<ref>{{Citation|title=Les Misérables (TV Mini Series 2018–2019) - IMDb|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5900600/fullcredits|access-date=11 January 2022}}</ref> In 2018, Jacobi received the World United Creator – Platinum Demiurge Award for his tremendous contribution to uniting and promoting world literature based on his efforts to introduce William Shakespeare into modern cinema. In 2019, he reprised the role of the emperor Claudius in ''[[Horrible Histories: The Movie – Rotten Romans]]''.<ref>{{Citation|last=Brigstocke|first=Dominic|title=Horrible Histories: The Movie - Rotten Romans|date=26 July 2019|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7715070/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_17|type=Comedy, Family, History|publisher=Altitude Film Entertainment, BBC Films, Citrus Films|access-date=11 January 2022}}</ref> In 2022, Jacobi appeared in ''[[Allelujah (film)|Allelujah]]'', a [[film adaptation]] of [[Alan Bennett]]'s [[Allelujah!|play of the same name]] directed by [[Richard Eyre]], which also starred [[Jennifer Saunders]], [[Bally Gill]], [[Russell Tovey]], [[David Bradley (English actor)|David Bradley]], and [[Judi Dench]].<ref name="Grdn2022"/>

==Personal life==
Jacobi is an [[agnostic]].<ref name="Farndale-Telegraph"/>

=== Sexuality ===
In March 2006, four months after [[Civil partnerships in the United Kingdom|civil partnerships were introduced in the United Kingdom]], Jacobi registered his partnership with Richard Clifford,<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.queerty.com/derek-jacobis-mom-thought-gay-phase-tell-richard-clifford-partner-43-years-20210222|title=Derek Jacobi's Mom Thought Gay Was a Phase - Tell That to Richard Clifford, His Partner of 43 Years |publisher=Queerty |date=22 February 2021|access-date=22 June 2024}}</ref> a theatre director, with whom he has been in a relationship since the late 1970s.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/07/03/sir-derek-jacobi-equal-marriage-debate-a-squabble-over-nothing/| title=Sir Derek Jacobi: Equal marriage debate a 'squabble over nothing'| work=[[Pink News]]| date=3 July 2012| access-date=8 July 2015}}</ref><ref name="Grdn2022"/> They live in [[West Hampstead]], northwest London.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://camdennewjournal.com/article/frenchs-derek-jacobi|title=Sir Derek Jacobi urges landlords to help save famous French's Theatre Bookshop|date=23 February 2017|work=Camden New Journal}}</ref>

Along with his ''Vicious'' co-star [[Ian McKellen]], he was a Grand Marshal of the 46th [[New York City Gay Pride March]] in 2015.<ref>{{cite news| title=Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi in a Gay Pride March Debut| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/27/theater/ian-mckellen-and-derek-jacobi-virgins-of-the-gay-pride-march.html?hpw&rref=television&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region&region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well| date=26 June 2015| last=Itzkoff| first=Dave| work=The New York Times| access-date=8 July 2015}}</ref><ref name="Grdn2022"/>

=== Interests ===
[[Image:00 poslednik derek pijarowski 20181126.jpg|thumb|Roman Poslednik, Derek Jacobi, and [[Jaroslaw Pijarowski]] with Jacobi's World United Creator Award for his contribution to uniting and promoting world literature, based on his efforts to introduce William Shakespeare into modern cinema. London, 2018.]]
Jacobi has been publicly involved in the [[Shakespeare authorship question]]. He supports the [[Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship]], according to which [[Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford]] wrote the works of Shakespeare.<ref>{{cite news| last=Thorpe| first=Vanessa| url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/sep/09/theatrenews.theatre| title=Who Was Shakespeare? That Is (Still) the Question: Campaign Revives Controversy of Bard's Identity| work=[[The Observer]]| date=9 September 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| last=Horwitz| first=Jane| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/08/AR2010060804593.html| title=Backstage: What the Stars Had to Get Over to Get their 'Goat' on at Rep Stage| newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]| date=9 June 2010}}</ref> Jacobi <!--is a patron of the [[De Vere Society]],<ref name="deveresociety">{{cite web|url=http://www.deveresociety.co.uk/index.html|publisher=deveresociety.co.uk|title=The De Vere Society - Dedicated to the proposition that the works of Shakespeare were written by Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford|access-date=16 October 2016}}</ref> and--> has given an address to the Shakespeare Authorship Research Centre promoting de Vere as the Shakespeare author<ref>{{cite web| last=Jacobi| first=Derek| url=http://www.authorshipstudies.org/articles/jacobi.cfm| title=Address to the Shakespeare Authorship Research Centre at Concordia University| publisher=[[Concordia University (Oregon)]]| access-date=8 July 2015| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710044428/http://www.authorshipstudies.org/articles/jacobi.cfm| archive-date=10 July 2015| df=dmy-all}}</ref> and wrote forewords to two books on the subject in 2004 and 2005.<ref>{{cite book| editor-last=Malim| editor-first=Richard| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ua09pcd0Fo0C&q=foreword| title=Great Oxford: Essays on the Life and Work of Edward De Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, 1550–1604| publisher=Parapress Limited| year=2004| chapter=Foreword| page=3| isbn=978-1898594796}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| author-link=Mark Anderson (writer)| last=Anderson| first=Mark| title="Shakespeare" by Another Name: The Life of Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, the Man Who Was Shakespeare| publisher=Gotham Books| date=3 August 2006| pages=xxiii–xxiv| isbn=978-1592401031| url-access=registration| url=https://archive.org/details/shakespearebyano00ande}}</ref>

In 2007, Jacobi and fellow Shakespearean actor and director [[Mark Rylance]] initiated a "[[Declaration of Reasonable Doubt]]" on the authorship of Shakespeare's work, to encourage new research into the question. In 2011, Jacobi accepted a role in the film ''[[Anonymous (2011 film)|Anonymous]]'', about the Oxfordian theory, starring [[Rhys Ifans]] and [[Vanessa Redgrave]]. In the film Jacobi narrates the Prologue and Epilogue, set in modern-day New York, while the film proper is set in Elizabethan England. Jacobi said that making the film was "a very risky thing to do", stating "the orthodox Stratfordians are going to be apoplectic with rage".<ref>{{harvnb|Horwitz|2010}}.</ref>

== Acting credits and accolades ==
{{main|Derek Jacobi on screen and stage|List of awards and nominations received by Derek Jacobi}}

Jacobi has received various awards including two [[Olivier Awards]], a [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play|Tony]], a [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|BAFTA]], two [[Primetime Emmy Awards]] and two [[Screen Actors Guild Awards]].
* 1985: Commander of the [[Order of the British Empire]] (United Kingdom)<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=50154|supp=y|page=8|date=15 June 1985}}</ref>
* 1989: Knight 1st class of the [[Order of the Dannebrog]] ([[Denmark]])<ref name=britannica>{{cite encyclopedia| title =Jacobi, Sir Derek| encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica's Guide to Shakespeare| publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]]| year=2008| url=https://www.britannica.com/shakespeare/article-9343265| access-date=4 April 2008}}</ref>
* 1994: [[Knight Bachelor]], for services to Drama (United Kingdom)<ref>{{London Gazette| issue=53527 |page=2 | date=30 December 1993 }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of Oxfordian theory supporters]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{IMDb name|1394}}
* {{Screenonline name|55875}}
* {{Playbill person}}
* [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U21693/Sir_Derek_Jacobi?&p=bdayAYdTs80ggz1mQ&d=U21693 "Jacobi, Sir Derek (George)"], ''Who's Who 2008'', A & C Black, 2008; online edition, Oxford University Press, December 2007. Retrieved 22 October 2008.

{{Navboxes
|title = [[List of awards and nominations received by Derek Jacobi|Awards for Derek Jacobi]]
|list =
{{British Academy Television Award for Best Actor 1960–1979}}
{{Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Actor}}
{{Distinguished Performance Award}}
{{EmmyAward MiniseriesSupportingActor 1976-2000}}
{{EmmyAward ComedyGuestActor 2001-2025}}
{{Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor}}
{{Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor}}
{{OlivierAward PlayActor 2001–2025}}
{{OlivierAward SpecialAward}}
{{TonyAward PlayLeadActor 1976-2000}}
{{Trewin Award for Best Shakespearean Performance}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobi, Derek}}
[[Category:1938 births]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century English male actors]]
[[Category:Actors awarded knighthoods]]
[[Category:Actors from the London Borough of Waltham Forest]]
[[Category:Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]]
[[Category:Audiobook narrators]]
[[Category:Best Actor BAFTA Award (television) winners]]
[[Category:British people of French descent]]
[[Category:British people of German descent]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Critics' Circle Theatre Award winners]]
[[Category:English autobiographers]]
[[Category:English gay actors]]
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[[Category:English male Shakespearean actors]]
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[[Category:English people of French descent]]
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[[Category:Knights First Class of the Order of the Dannebrog]]
[[Category:Laurence Olivier Award winners]]
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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Male actors from Essex]]
[[Category:National Youth Theatre members]]
[[Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners]]
[[Category:Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners]]
[[Category:People from Leytonstone]]
[[Category:Royal Shakespeare Company members]]
[[Category:Tony Award winners]]