Julian Ovenden

Last updated

Julian Ovenden
Julian Ovenden April 2016.png
Ovenden in 2016
Born
Julian Mark Ovenden

(1976-11-29) 29 November 1976 (age 47)
Alma mater New College, Oxford
Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art
Occupations
  • Actor
  • singer
Years active1999–present
Spouse
(m. 2010)
Children2

Julian Mark Ovenden (born 29 November 1976) is an English actor and singer. He has starred on Broadway and West End stages, in television series in both the United Kingdom and United States, in films, and performed internationally as a concert and recording artist.

Contents

Early life and education

Ovenden was born on 29 November 1976 in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. [1] [2] He is one of three children [2] of the Reverend Canon John Ovenden, a former chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II. [3] He sang in the St Paul's Cathedral Choir, London as a child. He later won a music scholarship to Eton College. [3] He subsequently read music at New College, Oxford on a choral scholarship.

Whilst he has received training as an opera singer, [4] he has professionally used his music training in musical theatre. He continued academic studies in drama at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. [2]

Career

His theatre work includes the multi award-winning Merrily We Roll Along [5] and Grand Hotel [6] for Michael Grandage at the Donmar Warehouse; Annie Get Your Gun for Richard Jones at The Young Vic; [7] Michel Legrand's Marguerite at the Haymarket for Jonathan Kent; [8] King Lear for Yukio Ninagawa at the RSC; [9] Butley at the Booth Theatre on Broadway opposite Nathan Lane; [10] Death Takes a Holiday for The Roundabout Theatre Company in New York; [11] A Woman of No Importance for Adrian Noble at the Haymarket; [12] Finding Neverland for The Weinstein Company; [13] the Parisian premiere of Sunday in the Park with George ; [14] Show Boat at the Lincoln Center in New York; [15] My Night with Reg at the Donmar Warehouse; [16] Ivo van Hove's All About Eve at the Noël Coward Theatre opposite Gillian Anderson; [17] and South Pacific at the Chichester Festival Theatre. [18]

Ovenden has also sung musical theatre songs in several concerts at the Proms, in particular concerts of Stephen Sondheim [19] and of Rodgers and Hammerstein. [20] In 2015, he played Captain Georg von Trapp in the ITV live musical adaptation, The Sound of Music Live . [21]

Ovenden first appeared on British TV in a recurring role over five seasons of Foyle's War opposite Michael Kitchen. He also appeared in two seasons of Downton Abbey . Other British TV work includes The Forsyte Saga , Any Human Heart , and The Royal . On US TV, Ovenden was a recurring cast member in Person of Interest (Jeremy Lambert) for three years. He has also appeared in seasons of Cashmere Mafia , Related and SMASH . Recently he has portrayed Robert F. Kennedy in The Crown and is starring as William de Nogaret in Knightfall .

Ovenden's film work includes Colonia opposite Emma Watson and Daniel Bruhl, The Confessions with Daniel Auteuil, Toni Servillo and Connie Nielsen and British indie war film, Allies (Captain Gabriel Jackson).

As a solo singer Ovenden has appeared with many of the world's leading orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, [22] the New York Pops, [23] The Northern Sinfonia, [24] the Liverpool Philharmonic, [25] the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, [26] the London Philharmonic Orchestra, [27] the John Wilson Orchestra, [28] the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra [29] and the BBC Concert Orchestra. [30] He has also appeared at The Proms at London's Royal Albert Hall, where he is a regular performer. [31] Ovenden made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2014 [32] and followed it up with another concert in 2015. [33]

Ovenden recorded a debut album for Decca Records in 2013 titled If You Stay [34] and has since made a Rodgers and Hammerstein record with John Wilson for Warner Classics [35] and a Downton Abbey Christmas record for Warner Music that went double platinum. [36] In late 2015, he signed a multiple record deal with East West Records and his new album was released in February 2016. [37]

Personal life

Ovenden lives with his wife, opera singer Kate Royal, and their son and daughter. [3]

Discography

Albums

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRole
2010 1st Night Tom Chambers
2014 Allies Captain Gabriel Jackson
2015 Colonia Roman Breuer
The Sound of Music Live Captain von Trapp
2016 The Confessions Matthew Price
2018 Made in Italy Gordon
Head Full of Honey Serge
Surviving Christmas with the Relatives Dan
2022 The People We Hate at the Wedding Alcott
The Lost Girls Clayton

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2002Come TogetherMattTelevision film
2002–2003 The Forsyte Saga Val Dartie6 episodes
2002–2008 Foyle's War Andrew Foyle6 episodes
2003–2004 The Royal Dr David CheritonMain role (series 1–3)
2004 A Christmas Carol Fred AndersonTelevision film
2005 Agatha Christie's Poirot Michael ShaneEpisode: "After the Funeral"
2005–2006 Related Jason Greenstein13 episodes
2006 Charmed NovakEpisode: "12 Angry Zen"
2008 Cashmere Mafia Eric BurdenMain role
2010 Any Human Heart Ernest Hemingway Miniseries; 3 episodes
2011 Midsomer Murders Ben VivianiEpisode: "Dark Secrets"
2013 Smash Simon4 episodes
2013–2014 Downton Abbey Charles Blake9 episodes
2014 The Assets Gary GrimesMiniseries; 5 episodes
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey Michael Faraday (voice)Episode: "The Electric Boy"
2014–2016 Person of Interest Jeremy Lambert 7 episodes
2015Tim Rice: A Life In SongFeatured Solo Singer
2016 Death in Paradise Dan HagenEpisode: "The Complex Murder"
Major Crimes Peter OgdenEpisode: "Tourist Trap"
2017 The Crown Bobby Kennedy Episode: "Dear Mrs. Kennedy"
2017–2019 Knightfall William de Nogaret Main role
2020 Bridgerton Henry Granville5 episodes
Adult Material Tom Pain
Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance Himself
2024 Trigger Point Commander John Francis6 episodes

Theatre

YearTitleRoleTheatreLocation
2000-2001 Merrily We Roll Along Franklin Shepard Donmar Warehouse Off-West End
2001 King Lear Fool Royal Shakespeare Company London
2003 A Woman of No Importance Francis Theatre Royal Haymarket West End
2004 Grand Hotel Baron Felix von Gaigern Donmar Warehouse Off-West End
2006 Butley Joseph Keyston Booth Theatre Broadway
2008 Marguerite Georges Theatre Royal Haymarket West End
2009 Annie Get Your Gun Frank Butler Young Vic
2010 Oklahoma! Curly MclainUK National Tour
2011 Death Takes A Holiday Death Roundabout Theatre Company New York City
2012 Finding Neverland J. M. Barrie Leicester Curve Theatre Leicester
2013 Sunday in the Park with George George Theatre de Chatelet Paris
2015 My Night With Reg John Donmar Warehouse Off-West End
2016 Show Boat Gaylord Ravenal Lincoln Center New York City
2018 All About Eve Bill Sampson Noël Coward Theatre West End
2021 South Pacific Emile de Becque Chichester Festival Theatre Chichester
2022-2023 Sadler's Wells Theatre / Various London / UK National Tour
2023 Annie Get Your Gun Frank Butler London Palladium West End

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef.
2016 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Downton Abbey Won [42]
2021 Bridgerton Nominated [43]

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