James Faulkner (actor)
James Sebastian Faulkner is an English actor. He is best known for playing Pope Sixtus IV in the television series Da Vinci's Demons, Randyll Tarly in the television series Game of Thrones, and Saint Paul in the film Paul, Apostle of Christ.
Early life
Having trained as a chorister from the age of seven at the Royal School of Church Music at Addington Palace, he was a permanent member of the choir and often called upon as a soloist. He also took part in every house play, school play, choral society concert and ran the Puppet Club alongside its founder, the journalist Roger Wilkes.On leaving school he worked as Prep schoolmaster, rugby coach, waiter, barman and professional Santa Claus before auditioning for the waiting list of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in 1967. After three years of exhaustive training he won the lead role in the final graduation production of Kiss Me Kate. The following day, several theatrical agencies wrote to him and he signed at ICM and joined Prospect Theatre for Much Ado About Nothing, the main event at the 1970 Edinburgh Festival. A season at Chichester Festival Theatre followed with such luminaries as Sir John Gielgud and Dame Edith Evans and he then transferred to the Piccadilly Theatre in the West End with Jean Anouilh's Dear Antoine, meeting the author on the opening night.
Career
Faulkner made his big screen debut as Josef Strauss in The Great Waltz in 1972. He played the arrogant Lieutenant Millington in Anderson's Conduct Unbecoming of 1975 starring with Michael York, Richard Attenborough and Trevor Howard.He appeared in other films such as Whispering Death and Minder on the Orient Express in which he played gangster Ted Moore. Other film appearances saw him play Lt. Teignmouth Melvill in Zulu Dawn that he co-produced, and as Uncle Geoffrey in both Bridget Jones films.
He played Herod Agrippa in the BBC's 1976 television adaptation of I, Claudius and portrayed Aldous Huxley in 1981's Priest of Love.
In 1988 he portrayed one of the biggest enemies of Sherlock Holmes, Stapleton, in Granada Television's production of The Hound of the Baskervilles, opposite Jeremy Brett.
In 1991, he played Alex Mair, the manager of the Larksoken nuclear power plant, in an Anglia production of the P. D. James novel featuring her character Inspector Adam Dalgliesh, Devices and Desires. He has also portrayed Agent Smith in the film Hitman. He was also the principal antagonist Baron Mullins in the short-lived Anglo-American television show, Covington Cross.
He voiced Severus Snape in the video game version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. He also co-starred as Lord Duncan Kenworth in the action comedy .
In 2008 Faulkner played Cardinal Rhades in the German thriller :de:Der Bibelcode|Der Bibelcode.
Faulkner was cast as Pope Sixtus IV in BBC Worldwide's historical fantasy drama series Da Vinci's Demons in 2013.
He was also cast to play Lord Sinderby in the highly acclaimed Edwardian costume drama Downton Abbey produced by ITV in 2014.
In 2015, Faulkner played the lead antagonist, T.O.M, of philosophical puzzle game The Turing Test.
In 2016 he joined the cast of the HBO series Game of Thrones in Season 6 as Randyll Tarly, the father of Samwell Tarly.
In 2018, Faulkner played Paul in the biblical drama film, Paul, Apostle of Christ.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1972 | The Great Waltz | Josef Strauss | |
| 1974 | The Abdication | Magnus de la Gardie | |
| 1975 | Conduct Unbecoming | 2nd Lt. Edward Millington | |
| 1976 | Whispering Death | Terrick | |
| 1979 | Zulu Dawn | Teignmouth Melvill | |
| 1980 | Flashpoint Africa | Ramon Funes | |
| 1981 | Priest of Love | Aldous Huxley | |
| 1983 | Eureka | Roger | |
| 1989 | The Shadow Trader | ||
| 1992 | Carry On Columbus | Torquemada | |
| 1992 | Lovejoy 'Friends in High Places' | Alfredo Pereira | |
| 1996 | Crimetime | Crowley | |
| 2001 | Burning Down the House | Hal Lander | |
| 2001 | Bridget Jones's Diary | Uncle Geoffrey | |
| 2003 | I Capture the Castle | Aubrey Fox-Cotton | |
| 2004 | ' | Uncle Geoffrey | |
| 2004 | ' | Lord Duncan Kenworth | |
| 2005 | Colour Me Kubrick | Oliver | |
| 2006 | The Conclave | Cardinal Guillaume D'Estouteville | |
| 2006 | The Good Shepherd | Lord Cooper | |
| 2007 | Hitman | Smith Jamison | |
| 2008 | The Bank Job | Guy Singer | |
| 2011 | ' | Swiss Bank Manager | |
| 2016 | Bridget Jones's Baby | Uncle Geoffrey | |
| 2016 | ' | Cassius | |
| 2017 | Final Portrait | Pierre Matisse | |
| 2017 | Atomic Blonde | Chief C | |
| 2018 | Paul, Apostle of Christ | Saint Paul |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1976 | I, Claudius | Herod Agrippa | TV serial, 6 episodes |
| 1978 | Hazel | Gordon Gregory | 6 episodes |
| 1985 | The Bill | Sidney Sharman | Episode: Burning the Books |
| 1986 | First Among Equals | Simon Kerslake | TV serial |
| 1989 | Frederick Forsyth Presents | Markus Vogel | Just Another Secret |
| 1998 | Taggart | Colonel Robert Falkirk | Episode: Dead Reckoning |
| 2010 | Ben Hur | Marcellus | TV mini-series, 2 episodes |
| 2013–15 | Da Vinci's Demons | Pope Sixtus IV | 24 episodes |
| 2014 | Downton Abbey | Lord Sinderby | 4 episodes |
| 2016–2017 | Game of Thrones | Randyll Tarly | 5 episodes |
| 2016 | Life on Earth: A New Prehistory | Narrator | 3 episodes |
| 2018 | Death in Paradise | Frank O'Toole | Episode: Written in Murder |
| 2018 | Watership Down | Frith | Episode: The Journey |