Charles Kay (born Charles Piff; 31 August 1930) is an English actor.
Biography
Kay was born in Coventry, West Midlands, the son of Frances (née Petty) and Charles Beckingham Piff.
Kay studied medicine, then decided to train for the stage. He went to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and after graduation, joined the English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre. He created the roles of Jimmy in Arnold Wesker's Roots (1959) and Charles V in John Osborne's Luther (1961). He was also in Wesker's The Kitchen, The Changeling (1961), and Twelfth Night (1962).
He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1963 and appeared in Stratford and at the Aldwych, London. He remained until 1966, during which time he played a wide variety of roles, including Octavius Caesar in Julius Caesar, Clarence in The Wars of the Roses, Launcelot Gobbo in The Merchant of Venice, Antipholus of Ephesus in The Comedy of Errors, Osric in the David Warner Hamlet, Dobchinsky in The Government Inspector and Moloch in Robert Bolt's The Thwarting of Baron Bolligrew. He then joined the National Theatre where he played Celia in the all-male production of As You Like It (1967) and appeared in Peter Nichols's The National Health (1969).
In film, his highest profile role was in the Academy Award winning film Amadeus as Count Orsini-Rosenberg. He also appeared in Kenneth Branagh's Henry V, and the 2002 version of The Importance of Being Earnest.
His numerous appearances on television include Fall of Eagles where he played Tsar Nicholas II, I, Claudius, By the Sword Divided, Fortunes of War, Rumpole of the Bailey, The Citadel, Edge of Darkness, The Darling Buds of May, Jonathan Creek, Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, Holby City and Midsomer Murders. One of his best-remembered television roles is that of Alcock in the BBC's 1980 adaptation of To Serve Them All My Days.
In 2002, he guest starred in the Doctor Who audio drama Excelis Rising.
References
^ http://www.filmreference.com/film/86/Charles-Kay.html
External links
Charles-Kay.com The Charles Kay Archives
Charles Kay at the Internet Movie Database
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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Kay"
Categories: 1930 births | English film actors | English stage actors | English television actors | Living people | People from Coventry | Royal National Theatre Company members | Royal Shakespeare Company members
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