Biography for
Nathaniel Parker More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

18 May 1962, London, England, UK

Nickname

Nat

Height

6' 1" (1.85 m)

Mini Biography

Nathaniel Parker was born in England in 1962. The son of Sir Peter Parker and Dr. Jill Parker, he decided at the age of nine that acting would be his career of choice. His first public performances were with the National Youth Theatre, a breeding ground for many British actors. After attending The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA), Nathaniel became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). Before exiting the stage for the screen, Nathaniel portrayed "Bassanio" in The Merchant Of Venice, participating in both the London and Broadway productions. The production was directed by the critically acclaimed Sir Peter Hall and starred Dustin Hoffman.

His first feature film, War Requiem (1989), was directed by the highly acclaimed British maverick Derek Jarman, and starred Tilda Swinton and Lord Laurence Olivier. Nathaniel is perhaps best known for his participation in period dramas such as the part of "Laertes" in Franco Zeffirelli's Hamlet (1990/I), "Rochester" in Wide Sargasso Sea (1993) and "Cassio" in his brother Oliver Parker's version of Othello (1995), starring Laurence Fishburne. He also appeared in the Chris Farley comedy Beverly Hills Ninja (1997) and the Kevin Costner/Whitney Houston box office hit, The Bodyguard (1992). Parts in projects such as Into Thin Air: Death on Everest (1997) (TV) and David (1997) (TV) helped Nathaniel gain momentum in the world of television, but it was roles like "Rawdon Crawley" in "Vanity Fair" (1998) and "Gabriel Oak" in Far from the Madding Crowd (1998) (TV) that thrust him into the spotlight and solidified his career on the small screen. Currently Nathaniel portrays "Detective Thomas Lynley" in the BBC series The Inspector Lynley Mysteries. Now in its third season, the show has become an international success, earning rave reviews the world over. Returning to Hollywood in 2003, Nathaniel can be seen in cinemas soon portraying "Master Edward Gracey" in Walt Disney Pictures The Haunted Mansion (2003), starring Eddie Murphy.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Lillian June

Spouse

Anna Patrick

(1992 - present) 2 children

Trivia

Son of former British Rail chairman, Peter Parker.

Brother of actor/director Oliver Parker

Two daughters Angelica and Raphaella

Was directed by brother Oliver Parker in Othello (1995).

Has a horse named Jellybean.

He is very keen on riding and a passionate follower of the turf.

Television presenter Fiona Phillips named her first-born son Nathaniel after meeting him.

Played Taffy the dog in a radio play

Personal Quotes

About riding: "Happily, when I'm working, I often seem to get jobs that give me the opportunity to ride - in Vanity Fair, Hamlet and Far from the Madding Crowd, for example. It is rather nice to do something I like and get paid for it. I have a quarter of a race horse but I don't have my own hack. Though we were never a horsey type of family, I started riding when I was about 10 at a local stables. I used to do show jumping and gymkhanas but, now, I am not allowed to jump because of the insurance. I just ride for pleasure, though it is still my ambition to do silks and get on a race horse."

I have always thought women were the superior sex. Witnessing childbirth confirmed it for me.

I was 15 when I got my first games computer, a Sinclair console. The game was to do with landing planes. I was useless at it. I must have killed bucket loads of people!

On organ donation: "If I died today, with a perfect set of kidneys and a liver, well, dammit, people need them."

On playing Albert Speer on television: "I've always wanted to play a Nazi because I really believe that everyone - and I'm not just talking about actors here - has a Hitler inside them. Fortunately most of the cultivated world - and for that matter the uncultivated world - don't let the Hitler in them come out. But some do and if we don't expose it and look it in the face, we can never stop it."

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