Roger Llewellyn

Roger Llewellyn Biography

Roger was offered a scholarship to The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he won The Forbes Robertson Shakespeare Prize.
He has worked in most of the major Regional Theatres : Bristol, Leeds, Birmingham, Sheffield, Scarborough, Manchester, & many more.
Some favourite roles are : Billy Liar, & Oswald Alving (Harrogate); Tesman, Jack Absolute, & Claudio in Much Ado (Sheffield); the Peter O’Toole role in The Ruling Class ( Manchester); Brutus, & Sherlock Holmes, ( Stoke); John Rosmer (Newbury); Robert Chiltern in An Ideal Husband Belfast); Orsino, & the lead in the Ayckbourn premiere : Making Tracks (Scarborough);2 bardic Bishops: Canterbury, & Carlisle, in Henry V & Richard II (Bristol Old Vic); most of the bard’s kings in The Hollow Crown (Leeds); and Mr Jingle in Pickwick (Exeter).

He was with The Royal Shakespeare Company for 2 seasons, (Stratford, The Barbican & The Almeida); playing Lodovico in Othello; Fabre D’Eglantine in Pam Gems’ The Danton Affair; and a leading role in Donald Sumpter’s improvised :The King & The Corpse.

In The West End, Roger has appeared in two musicals :Archbishop of Canterbury in Tim Rice’s Blondel at The Old Vic & The Aldwych; and Inspector Lestrade in Leslie Bricusse’ Sherlock Holmes The Musical at The Cambridge. He has also been in 4 productions at
The Lyric Hammersmith, & The Orange Tree, Richmond.

Television work began with King James II in Lorna Doone; and has continued with figures of authority ever since. For The Greater Good ( director : Danny Boyle) saw his first Prison Governor; and led to his being cast in Louis Malle’s final film, Damage, as Palmer, Juliette’s Binoche’s boss at Sothebys. He played another Prison Governor in Inspector Morse. In Crown Court he was a Police Sergeant; but was promoted to Chief Constable in Telltale.

He has played prison chaplains in Flesh & Blood with Thora Hird, and in All For Love with Maggie Smith; and a more serious cleric : Canon Collins, in the controversial drama, Bomber Harris with John Thaw. He was a senior executive of the RNLI in several episodes of Lifeboat ; Bank Managers in Berlekey Square & Airline; a museum curator ( in the one episode of El Cid filmed in the UK… instead of Spain); and Headmasters in Kavanagh QC , The Bill , and several eps. of Family Affairs. And many more, too numerous to mention.
He was cast in a ‘Major’ role, as a British Prime Minister, in The Apocalypse Watch, an American mini-series, shown here on Sky TV. His ‘Holmes’ in The Hound of The Baskervilles, in Stoke, was seen & reviewed by
David Stuart Davies, a renowned writer & Conan Doyle expert. Out of this meeting came the idea for a solo show : “Sherlock Holmes … the last act!” Jay Productions was set up to market it; and 11 years of international touring have followed. Following an association with ‘makin projects’ the production was joined by a second play :
“Sherlock Holmes – the Death & Life”, in 2008. Both plays continue to tour extensively.