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Derek Jacobi

Derek Jacobi Biography

Actor

Derek Jacobi is a renowned British actor, born on October 22, 1938. He is known for his exceptional performances in theater, film, and television, particularly for his roles in Shakespearean plays.

Derek Jacobi is a renowned British actor, born on October 22, 1938. He is known for his exceptional performances in theater, film, and television, particularly for his roles in Shakespearean plays.

Related Quotes

“He was living in an age much more dangerous, more painful, much more on the edge than our own particular age.”

Age Dangerous Particular Edges Painful

Author:Derek Jacobi

“I shall miss all the people in it and the great fun we had doing it. I enjoyed playing the character very much. It was a very, very special character and a very special series. And the camaraderie of it all. I loved it.”

People Character Fun Special Missing Series Enjoyed Camaraderie

Author:Derek Jacobi

“I thought it was getting better and better, because the production values were increasing each time we did it.”

Values Productions Get Better

Author:Derek Jacobi

“I'd gone into that restaurant and sat down and the waitress had taken my order and everybody else had seen me with this what must have looked like this creature, this animal, sitting on the top of my head!”

Order Animal Gone Taken Creatures Sitting Down And Sat Restaurants Waitress

Author:Derek Jacobi

“It was doing very well; it was doing particularly well outside of England. It was a very big seller for Carlton Television. But it was getting more and more expensive to do.”

Wells Bigs Television England Expensive Sellers

Author:Derek Jacobi

“It was never physically dangerous except when I nearly fell off a horse, but it was physically arduous - especially when you were working late at night.”

Night Dangerous Late Horse Working Late

Author:Derek Jacobi

“Knowing that we were doing good work and the stories were good. They were original and charming. They weren't particularly violent or sexy or any of that. They were just unique and that had a good feel to it.”

Feels Stories Knowing Unique Originals Sexy Violent Good Work Charming Doing Good

Author:Derek Jacobi

“My first course came and I put down my book, and I just happened to put up my hand to scratch my head and discovered that my toupee had been blown by the wind and was folded over backwards on the top of my head!”

Firsts Book Hands Courses Happened Wind Backwards Scratches

Author:Derek Jacobi

“They were totally supportive, always saw everything I did. One of the thrills of my life was when they went to the theater to see something that I wasn't in. It opened doors for them that otherwise would have been totally closed.”

Has Beens Saws Doors Theater Supportive Opened Doors

Author:Derek Jacobi

“What was so good about it was that the set that they originally built stayed there, and weathered over the five years. It got five summers and five winters of weather. It became more and more authentic as we worked in it, and they added bits to it.”

Years Bits Five Summer Built Winter Weather Five Years Weathered

Author:Derek Jacobi

“We started filming in 1993 which was only four years after the fall of communism. The difference in Budapest over the last five years has been remarkable.”

Years Has Beens Lasts Fall Differences Five Four Communism Five Years Remarkable Four Years Last Five Years Budapest

Author:Derek Jacobi

“Real-life people are often the hardest to play, people that you recreate who have actually lived, because you have to live up to people's knowledge of those characters.”

People Real Play Character Real Life Hardest Being Real

Author:Derek Jacobi

“There's never been any game plan or thread through my career. It's just happened that I've ricocheted from one interesting character to another.”

Character Games Interesting Careers Plans Happened Thread Gamer Interesting Characters Game Plan

Author:Derek Jacobi

“Ultimately it's a leap of faith and a leap of imagination to put yourself back in time into those conditions and situations and see how you would react.”

Imagination Situation Conditions Leap Leap Of Faith Back In Time

Author:Derek Jacobi

“It's too hard a life for me. I could only do it - check out in that sense - if I checked out somewhere that was luxurious and within hailing distance of civilization.”

Ifs Hard Civilization Distance Checks Long Distance Hard Life Luxurious

Author:Derek Jacobi

“Sir Larry could be very strict and a disciplinarian, too. He had many faces; he wore many hats. But, ultimately, he loved the theater and he loved actors.”

Faces Actors Theater Hats Strict Larry Many Faces

Author:Derek Jacobi

“Actors, I don't think, ever really grow up. I'm hoping that that rejuvenating process applies to me, too. It has so far. I've been very lucky.”

Thinking Actors Grows Process Growing Up Lucky

Author:Derek Jacobi

“I had to think long and hard about what it would imply, what it would mean. Would it mean any alterations of one's lifestyle? Or, more than that, the way that people regarded you? The way they reacted to you if you had a Sir in front of your name?”

People Ifs Thinking Way Mean Long Hard Names Fronts Lifestyle Alterations

Author:Derek Jacobi

“I think actors always retain one foot in the cradle. We're switched on to our youth, to our childhood. We have to be because we're in the business of transferring emotions to other people.”

People Thinking Actors Business Emotion Feet Childhood Youth Our Children Cradle

Author:Derek Jacobi

“I never lose that terror of 'this is my last job, I'll never work again.' You can never relax and rely on whatever reputation you've built.”

Jobs Lasts Loses Built Terror Reputation Rely Relax

Author:Derek Jacobi

“Every person who is offered a knighthood has the opportunity to say yes or no. You get a letter from the Prime Minister saying you've been recommended for a knighthood and there are two little boxes, one says yes, one says no.”

Littles Persons Two Opportunity Letters Boxes Ministers Prime Prime Minister Yes Or No Knighthood

Author:Derek Jacobi

“I am an actor and I live in the world of pretend in my working capacity. I live in the world of my imagination.”

World Actors Imagination Capacity My Imagination

Author:Derek Jacobi

“I think my parents were happy that I'd gone to university and gotten a degree in history so they thought, 'Well if acting doesn't work for him, he can always become a history teacher or something.' Fortunately, the acting worked out.”

Ifs Thinking Wells Parent Acting Gone Teacher Degrees University History Teacher

Author:Derek Jacobi

“I think that each character has fascinated and interested me enough to want to play him.”

Thinking Want Enough Play Character Fascinated

Author:Derek Jacobi

“I would like to be as fit as I've always been. I've been blessed with good health, I've been blessed with stamina. Particularly for those great classical roles, you need an Olympian stamina. I, fortunately, have that.”

Needs Roles Fit Blessed Good Health Stamina Olympian

Author:Derek Jacobi

“I'm always conscious of the fact that I am part of a profession that is 80% permanently unemployed. So, to be working in any sense is to be privileged.”

Facts Conscious Profession Privileged Unemployed

Author:Derek Jacobi

“I've been a professional actor now for 38 years. A long time. And it's wonderful to earn your living doing something that you love. To think people actually give you money for it!”

People Thinking Giving Years Long Actors Wonderful Long Time

Author:Derek Jacobi

“You have to get through the Hamlet hoop as a young actor. Your classical qualifications are based on the quality of your Hamlet. And then, as an older actor, you have to get through the Lear hoop. And I'm approaching the Lear hoop.”

Young Actors Quality Qualifications Lear Young Actors

Author:Derek Jacobi

“Reputation is fine but you have to keep justifying it. In a sense, it makes it harder because people's expectations of you are higher. So, you have to fulfill those expectations. Or, try to exceed those expectations. But, it becomes more difficult as time goes on.”

People Trying Difficult Fine Goes On Higher Expectations Harder Reputation Exceed Time Goes On

Author:Derek Jacobi

“It's often difficult to slough off all that we've acquired, all the comforts and safety nets modern life provides for us, and realize that in those days, people were living very much on the edge - life was incredibly hard!”

People Hard Difficult Realizing Modern Comfort Safety Edges Modern Life Safety Net Slough

Author:Derek Jacobi

About the Author

Born: October 22, 1938
Known for: Actor
Quotes: 30

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People Actors Thinking Character Hard Ifs Years Built Dangerous Difficult

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People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

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