Christopher Ravenscroft
Christopher Ravenscroft was born in London and trained at The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He is best known for his portrayals of Inspector Burden in The Ruth Rendell Mysteries and Montjoy, the French herald in Kenneth Branagh’s Henry V (1989). Christopher joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1979 and has appeared in many acclaimed productions: Mobbs, Mr Lenville and Frank Cheeryble in Nicholas Nickleby; Antonio in The Merchant of Venice; Richmond in Richard III; Pain in Howard Barker’s Crimes in Hot Countries; Cassius in Julius Caesar; Montjoy in Henry V and Banquo in Macbeth.
Other credits include…
FILM: Tom & Thomas (2002); The Football Factory (2004).
TELEVISION: John Halifax, Gentleman (1974); Warship (1976); Crown Court (1977); Coronation Street (1978); Nicholas Nickleby (1982); The Hound of the Baskervilles (1982); Pericles (1984); Twelfth Night (1988); PD James: A Mind to Murder (1995); The Levels (1996); Holby City (2000); Midsomer Murders (2002); Brookside (2003); The Courtroom (2004); Mile High (2005); The Shell Seekers (2006); Doctors (2008).
THEATRE: Orsino in Twelfth Night; Max in Bent; John in Oleanna; St John Hewitt in Landslide; Archie in Jumpers; Sir Robert Morton in The Winslow Boy; Dr Harry Hyman in Broken Glass; Arthur Kipps in The Woman in Black; Frank in Educating Rita; Paul in The Maths Tutor; A E Housman in The Invention of Love; Prospero in The Tempest; Rev Winemiller in Summer and Smoke; Duke Frederick/Duke Senior in As You Like It; Dr Millard/Old Man in Taking Care of Baby; Professor Pawlett in People at Sea; Dr Rank in A Doll’s House; Daniel Touchette in The Portrait of a Lady; John in Alison’s House; Herbert Asquith in The Promise.
BBC RADIO: Standard Procedure (1979); Germinal (1982); Blue Moves (1986); Games (1991); Hamlet (1992); A Vital Flaw (1994); The Kite (1998); King Street Junior Revisited (2004).
ALSO: Audio books of the Wexford novels; a nine hour award winning reading of The Aeneid; recitals with the English Piano Trio and the Locrian Ensemble.
Contact details: c/o Michael Cronin, International Artistes, 4th Floor, Holborn Hall, 193-197 High Holborn, London WC1V 7BD.
Christopher Ravenscroft plays Inspector Burden: “Burden is somewhat pedantic and very logical - but he never solves the case - whereas Wexford does…”
Actor Profile Links
The Comedy of Errors: Christopher Ravenscroft is currently appearing in a new production of The Comedy of Errors at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in London.
The Monster in the Box: the new Wexford novel read by Christopher Ravenscroft. Audiobook released on 1 October 2009.
Cash in the Celebrity Attic: Angela Rippon visits George Baker who is hoping to raise £700 for his local youth club. Showing on BBC2 at 5:15pm, 5 May 2009.- Actor empties his attic for TV show: George Baker and Christopher Ravenscroft are to appear on Cash in the Celebrity Attic in a bid to raise money for West Lavington youth club.
- The Peter Hall Company: "It is a treat to work with Peter Hall who is a great theatre director of our age...''
- The Tempest: “This is a very rich, packed play that has so many themes…”
- “I’m a bit of a fusspot myself…”: Christopher admits he can be rather picky – but why do his family dread him playing Burden?
- Rendell’s Fair Cop: “Chris is a lot more open-minded and humorous than Mike Burden. But he has the same air of vulnerability. He also has something that Mike is only now just beginning to show — a most beautiful smile!”
- Nickleby, Henry V… A photo gallery.
- Video interview: Summer and Smoke: press night video interview.