Nicholas Pennell: Movies & Filmography

Nicholas Pennell (19 November 1938 – 22 February 1995) was an English actor renowned for his distinguished career on stage, film, and television, particularly his long association with the Stratford Festival in Canada. Born Nicholas Follett Croker Pennell in Brixham, Devon, England, he was educated at Allhallows College in Lyme Regis before receiving formal acting training at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). Following his training, he honed his craft in repertory theatre, gradually building a reputation as a versatile performer. In the 1960s, he became a familiar face on British television, appearing in popular series such as The Saint, The Flaxton Boys, and notably The Forsyte Saga (1967), in which he played Michael Mont. He also featured prominently in six episodes of Doctor Who in the serial Colony in Space, further cementing his visibility with television audiences of the era. His film work during this period included notable performances as Bedford in Isadora (1968), Spencer in Only When I Larf (1968), an RAF pilot in the epic war film Battle of Britain (1969), and Julien in Mr. Forbush and the Penguins (1971). In 1972, at the urging of acclaimed actor William Hutt, Pennell emigrated to Stratford, Ontario, where he joined the Stratford Festival company. His first season there saw him play Orlando in As You Like It opposite Carole Shelley as Rosalind, followed by the title role in Pericles in 1973, a production designed by Leslie Hurry and directed by Jean Gascon. The arrival of Robin Phillips as artistic director in 1975 marked a transformative period, as Phillips—already familiar with Pennell from their work on the 1969 television adaptation of David Copperfield—recruited him into his dynamic young company. Pennell flourished under Phillips's direction, delivering memorable performances in The Comedy of Errors, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Hamlet, and Ariel in The Tempest, often remarking that he worshipped Phillips as an actor. Over the course of 23 seasons at the festival, Pennell played a remarkable range of characters, including Stephano in The Tempest, Iago, Richard II, the Fool in Lear, Sassoon in Not About Heroes, and King John, establishing himself as one of the company's leading members. Shakespeare became his true vocation, and he was known for his generosity, frequently speaking to student groups and mentoring young actors. He can be seen on DVD in the role of Malvolio in the 1986 CBC Home Video production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, based on the 1985 Stratford Festival staging. Pennell died on 22 February 1995 at the age of 56 in Stratford, Ontario, after a battle with lymphatic cancer. A biography titled Actor Nicholas Pennell: Risking Enchantment, written by Mary Z. Maher, was published in 2005, though much about his private life remains shrouded in mystery, including the influence of his homosexuality on his art and the reasons behind his reclusive final years.