Oct 10, 1946

Redditch, Worcestershire

Charles Dance is an English actor.

Dance was set for a career in graphic design from the Plymouth College of Art before turning to acting. He made his screen debut in 1974, but his big break came ten years later when he played the major role of Guy Perron in The Jewel in the Crown, an adaptation of Paul Scott's novels that also made stars of Geraldine James and Art Malik.
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He has appeared in numerous films, including Plenty (1985) with Meryl Streep, The Golden Child (1986) with Ed... ... (read more...) die Murphy, Hidden City (1987), Pascali's Island (1988), Alien 3 (1992), Last Action Hero (1993), China Moon (1994), Michael Collins (1996), Hilary and Jackie (1998), Gosford Park (2001), Dark Blue World (2001) and Dolls (2006).

He has also starred in several British television dramas such as Murder Rooms, Rebecca, The Phantom of the Opera, Fingersmith and Bleak House (for which he received an Emmy nomination), and many Royal Shakespeare Company productions, notably in the title role in Coriolanus.
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He was name-checked in the British comedy series Absolutely Fabulous, as being slated to play the title character in "The Life of Jesus Christ 2", which was filming in Morocco at the same time as the main characters of the series were there for a photo shoot.

His debut film as a screenwriter and director was Ladies in Lavender (2004), which starred Dame Judi Dench and Dame Maggie Smith

Dance was created an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) on 17 June 2006.