Sir Thomas Daniel "Tom" Courtenay (/ˈkɔrtni/; born 25 February 1937) is an English actor who came to prominence in the early 1960s with a succession of films, including The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962), Billy Liar (1963) and Doctor Zhivago (1965). Since the mid-1960s he has been known primarily for his work in the theatre, although he received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in the film adaptation of The Dresser (1983), which he had performed on the West End and on Broadway. Courtenay received a knighthood in February 2001 for forty years' service to cinema and theatre.
[on his co-star Albert Finney in 1983] I used to be very in awe of him and was never comfortable in his presence. Of all people, he really gave me the willies because I didn't really know him.
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[on rejecting playing "Jesus of Nazareth"] If you were going to play one of the most powerful creatures who ever lived, you'd better have a well-written part. Also, I wondered if I ever did meet Jesus, whether He'd ask, 'Well, what was that supposed to be?'
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[on "Doctor Zhivago"] We were all sitting in a horrible hotel in Spain waiting for snow. In six months, I did only three weeks work... Indeed it was good money, but I felt I should be learning my raft, doing long speeches, and learning how to go loud and soft, and quick and slow, and how to keep the audience awake.
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[in a 1983 interview] I'm not sure that being a movie star appeals to many English actors. The main thing is to have something inspiring to do.
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There just doesn't seem to be a market for something with aspiration anymore.
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I don't want to peak too early. The worry is that you never know until it's all over whether you peaked at all - and then you're finished and it's too late.
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I never did anything about my stardom, it never meant anything to me.
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[speaking in 1961] "Take all this thing now about working-class actors and writers: it's simply a release of certain talents from that class."
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When I go out on stage I like to be aware that there are a lot of women there. They are generally the loudest laughers.
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The film business is absurd. Stars don't last very long. It's much more interesting to be a proper actor.
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Fact
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Courtney was offered but rejected the title role in "Jesus of Nazareth" because he disliked the screenplay.
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Courtney's agent landed him the Max von Sydow role in "Hawaii" for $90,000 but the actor declined it.
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Queen Elizabeth noticed Courtney's shyness when she met him at a Buckingham reception during the run of "Doctor Zhivago." The Monarch reportedly remarked, "Look at him, and to think he's just lead a revolution!".
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London, England [January 2010]
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Appearing in "The Home Place" by Brian Friel at the Comedy Theatre, London [May 2005]
Was nominated for two Tony Awards as Best Actor (Play): in 1977 for "Otherwise Engaged," and in 1982 for "The Dresser," a part recreated in his Oscar-nominated performance in the film of the same name, The Dresser (1983).
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Graduated from RADA.
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An Associate Member of RADA.
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He was awarded the 1994 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor for his performance in Moscow Stations.
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He was awarded the 1994 London Critics Circle Theatre Award (Drama Theatre) for Best Actor for his performance in Moscow Stations.
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He was awarded Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the 2001 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to drama.
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Subject of the song "Tom Courtenay" by Yo La Tengo.
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