Martin Jarvis
Personal details
  • Born:
    • Birthday: 1941-08-04
    • Born Place: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, UK
  • Also Known As:

    مارتین جارویس

Martin Jarvis

Martin Jarvis OBE (born August 4, 1941) is a highly distinguished and versatile English actor with a prolific career spanning theatre, film, television, and, notably, radio and audiobooks. Described by the BBC as "one of Britain's most distinguished and versatile actors," he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) where he received the Vanbrugh Award and the silver medal, and he is an Associate of RADA. In 2000, he was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) for his services to drama.Jarvis has appeared in numerous stage productions in London and abroad, including "Honour" alongside Diana Rigg and Natascha McElhone, and "The Importance of Being Earnest" with Judi Dench. His Broadway performance as Jeeves in the musical "By Jeeves" earned him a Theatre World Award in 2001.His extensive filmography includes roles in "Taste the Blood of Dracula" (1970), "Buster" (1988), the box office hit "Titanic" (1997) where he played Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon, and more recently, "Brave the Dark" (2025). On television, he has been seen in "Doctor Who" (his debut in 1965), "The Forsyte Saga," "Rings On Their Fingers," "David Copperfield," "Stargate Atlantis," "Murder, She Wrote," "Father Brown," and "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey."However, Jarvis is arguably best known for his extensive radio work, particularly for BBC Radio 4, where his voice has become a staple. He is celebrated for his long-running series of readings of Richmal Crompton's "Just William" stories, as well as narrating numerous other audiobooks including works by P.G. Wodehouse, Charles Dickens, Neil Gaiman, and Felix Francis. He co-founded Jarvis & Ayres Productions with his wife, actress Rosalind Ayres, which produces dramas, readings, and audiobooks. He has also authored two books: his autobiography "Acting Strangely" and "Broadway, Jeeves - The Diary of a Theatrical Adventure." In 2023, Martin Jarvis received the BBC Audio Drama's Lifetime Achievement Award.

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