David James Bamber (born 19 September 1954) is an English actor. His credits include Privates on Parade (1983), Juliet Bravo (1983), Crown Court (1984), Call Me Mister (1986), The Buddha of Suburbia (1993), Pride and Prejudice (1995), Chalk (1997), Mile High (2004), Beethoven (2005), Rome (2005-2007), Valkyrie (2008), Psychoville (2009-2011), The Borgias (2011), The Hollow Crown (2012), What Remains (2013), Darkest Hour (2017), Borg vs McEnroe (2017), Peterloo (2018), A Very English Scandal (2018), Flesh and Blood (2020), and The Regime (2024). His most notable achievement was winning the 1995 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance as Guy in My Night with Reg.

Early years

Bamber was born 19 September 1954 in Walkden, Lancashire. His very first stage performance was aged 5 as a pig in Tom Tom the Piper's Son. He joined the Manchester Youth Theatre, playing Pandarus in Troilus and Cressida. Bamber studied acting at Bristol University from 1973 to 1976, graduating with a drama degree. He continued his training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art(RADA) graduating 1979, with an Acting (RADA Diploma).

Career

Bamber's first film role was in 1982 as Sergeant Charles Bishop in the World War II comedy Privates on Parade (1983). he made appearances in Juliet Bravo (1983), and Crown Court (1984), before securing a regular role as Fred Hurley in Call Me Mister (1986). He appeared in the BBC adaptations of Hanif Kureishi's The Buddha of Suburbia (1993), and Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, in which he portrayed the Bennets' clergyman cousin, Mr. Collins. He also played the part of a junior treasury minister and stamp collecting enthusiast, Julian Whitaker, in an episode of The New Statesman, in which Alan frames Whitaker and forces his resignation. In 1997 he starred as Eric Slatt in two series of Steven Moffat's Chalk, His best known international television role to date was his 2005–2007 role as Marcus Tullius Cicero in the HBO/BBC2 original television series, Rome. In Poirot, Series 3: Episode 7 "The Double Clue," he plays the effete middleman to a jewellery collector who is robbed. Bamber also played Adolf Hitler in Bryan Singer's film, Valkyrie. He played the part of Noel in the Sky Atlantic series Camping, and Admiral Ramsay in the 2017 film Darkest Hour. As a stage actor, Bamber won the 1995 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance as Guy in My Night with Reg, a role he reprised in a 1996 BBC television adaptation. His roles as a voice actor include Emperor Constantine in the Doctor Who audio drama, The Council of Nicaea and as Jeremy Longstaff in the 2008 radio series The Way We Live Right Now. In 2013, he starred as Mathematics teacher Joe Sellers, alongside David Threlfall and Russell Tovey in the murder mystery miniseries What Remains.

Personal life

Bamber is married to the actress Julia Swift, daughter of actors David Swift and Paula Jacobs. They have two sons, Theo (1991) and Ethan (1998). Ethan has played cricket for England U19s and Middlesex. The family lives in North London.

Filmography

Film

Television