History Creator / DouglasHodge

By the dawn of TheNineties he was appearing in serial dramas and {{Made For TV Movie}}s for Creator/{{ITV}}, Creator/ChannelFour, and Creator/TheBBC, most significantly as Dr. Tertius Lydgate in the 1994 BBC adaptation of ''Literature/{{Middlemarch}}''. He continues to do so to this day, along with guest appearances in various series. He was also a regular in two shows, ''Capital City'' (1989-90) and ''Red Cap'' (2001 pilot, 2003-04 series), and had a recurring role in ''Series/{{Outnumbered}}'' as the [[FakeAmerican American]] therapist Brick.

He has performed in BBC Radio adaptations of such novels as ''Literature/GreatExpectations'' (as adult Pip) and ''Literature/WomenInLove''. Between two AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho audios -- ''Urban Myths'' (bonus story on ''Exotron'') and ''The Son of the Dragon'' -- he voiced a total of five roles, including a lead character in each. By contrast, aside from a few lead roles in the late 1980s/early '90s, his feature film work has been limited to minor roles (i.e. ''Film/TheDescent Part 2'', ''Film/RobinHood2010'').

Going back to stage work, in 1993 he began a decade-plus association with Creator/HaroldPinter, appearing in productions of seven different Pinter plays over 1993-2000 and directing ''The Dumb Waiter and Other Pieces'' in 2004. Shortly after this period, his career began to turn an unexpected corner. While he had performed in a few musicals in TheEighties and been a musician/songwriter for years, performing low-profile gigs in pubs even as his acting career progressed, his singing talents were new to many observers when he played Nathan Detroit in a West End revival of ''Theatre/GuysAndDolls'' in 2005. (Pinter [[ComedyGhetto even picked on him a bit for doing a light musical comedy]].) That same year, he released his first album, ''Cowley Road Songs'', and would release another, ''Night Bus'', in 2009.

In 2008, Hodge's performance as Albin/Zaza in a revival of ''Theatre/LaCageAuxFolles'' won him the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical. The production was given a Broadway transfer in 2010 and Hodge went with it, making his New York debut and winning the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. Since that triumph, his stage career has blossomed further while retaining its variety, going from misanthropic solicitor Bill Maitland in John Osbourne's ''Inadmissable Evidence'' in 2011 to a return to Broadway as the title character in ''Theatre/CyranoDeBergerac'' in 2012 to originating the role of Willy Wonka in the 2013 West End musical ''Theatre/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory''.

In 2015 he's joining the cast of ''Series/PennyDreadful'' in the guest role of a Scotland Yard investigator '''and''' directing the Broadway debut of Creator/CliveOwen in a revival of Pinter's ''Old Times''.

* BeneathTheMask: He seems to be drawn to lead characters who turn out to be far more than they appear, often hiding vulnerability beneath LargeHam exteriors. [[Theatre/LaCageAuxFolles Albin]] struggles with the inner knowledge that he'll never truly be the diva he plays as Zaza, [[Theatre/CyranoDeBergerac Cyrano]] uses his ''panache'' to mask his inner despair that no woman could ever love him, and [[Theatre/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory Willy Wonka]] has a SugarAndIcePersonality.

* ManOfAThousandFaces: Just look at that above rundown of his career! He also approaches ManOfAThousandVoices territory in the audiobooks he recorded of ''Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' and ''Literature/CharlieAndTheGreatGlassElevator'', which he did partly to prepare for his stage role as Willy Wonka. (Indeed, before he got into formal acting, as a teen he was a stand-up comic who specialized in celebrity impersonations.)

Next up is a return to the small screen in 2015: He's been confirmed as joining the cast of ''Series/PennyDreadful'' in the guest role of a Scotland Yard investigator.

* GenreRoulette: Between his two albums there are gentle SingerSongwriter ballads, uptempo rockabilly numbers, a ProtestSong with a march tempo about TheWarOnTerror circa 2005, and on ''Cowley Road Songs'' a HiddenTrack that turns out to be [[spoiler: a comedy song about the fall of David Beckham]]. As a live performer on the cabaret scene, his setlists have included covers of Music/BobDylan, Music/JohnnyCash, and Music/Elbow -- and yes, a few showtunes.

Next up is a return to the small screen in 2015: He's been confirmed as joining the cast of ''Series/PennyDreadful'' as a Scotland Yard investigator.

!!Tropes associated with this actor:

* ClassicallyTrainedExtra: A real life example with regards to much of his film work and some of his TV guest work, such as ''Series/{{Spooks}}'' and ''Series/{{Skins}}''. Perhaps the most extreme example is his voicing the minor role of a ''sentinent stick of chewing gum'' in ''WesternAnimation/LegendsOfOzDorothysReturn''. With regards to his ''Spooks'' guest spot[[note]]He's the tabloid reporter in Series 4, Episode 5's "The Book"[[/note]], he explained to ''The Telegraph'' that [[MoneyDearBoy "It doubled my yearly income in six days. My agent said it's morally indefensible to turn that down."]]

* HiddenDepths: He seems to be drawn to lead characters who turn out to be far more than they appear, often hiding vulnerability beneath LargeHam exteriors. [[Theatre/LaCageAuxFolles Albin]] struggles with the inner knowledge that he'll never truly be the diva he plays as Zaza, [[Theatre/CyranoDeBergerac Cyrano]] uses his ''panache'' to mask his inner despair that no woman could ever love him, and [[Theatre/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory Willy Wonka]] has a SugarAndIcePersonality.

* HiddenDepths: Particuarly from ''Theatre/LaCageAuxFolles'' onward, he seems to be drawn to lead characters who turn out to be far more than they appear, often hiding vulnerability beneath LargeHam exteriors. [[Theatre/LaCageAuxFolles Albin]] struggles with the inner knowledge that he'll never truly be the diva he plays as Zaza, [[Theatre/CyranoDeBergerac Cyrano]] uses his ''panache'' to mask his inner despair that no woman could ever love him, and [[Theatre/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory Willy Wonka]] has a SugarAndIcePersonality.

* ClassicallyTrainedExtra: A real life example with regards to much of his film work and some of his TV guest work, such as ''Series/{{Spooks}}'' and ''Series/{{Skins}}''. Perhaps the most extreme example is his voicing the minor role of a ''sentinent piece of chewing gum'' in ''WesternAnimation/LegendsOfOzDorothysReturn''. With regards to his ''Spooks'' guest spot[[note]]He's the tabloid reporter in Series 4, Episode 5's "The Book"[[/note]], he explained to ''The Telegraph'' that [[MoneyDearBoy "It doubled my yearly income in six days. My agent said it's morally indefensible to turn that down."]]

He has performed in BBC Radio adaptations of such novels as ''Literature/GreatExpectations'' (as adult Pip) and ''Literature/WomenInLove''. Between the two AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho audios ''Urban Myths'' (bonus story on ''Exotron'') and ''The Son of the Dragon'' he voiced a total of five roles, including a lead character in each. By contrast, aside from a few lead roles in the late 1980s/early '90s, his feature film work has been limited to minor roles (i.e. ''Film/TheDescent Part 2'', ''Film/RobinHood2010'').

* ClassicallyTrainedExtra: A real life example with regards to much of his film work and some of his TV guest work, such as ''Series/{{Spooks}}'' and ''Series/{{Skins}}''. Perhaps the most extreme example is his voicing the minor role of a ''sentinent piece of chewing gum'' in ''WesternAnimation/LegendsOfOzDorothysReturn''.

* MoneyDearBoy: With regards to his ''Spooks'' guest spot in 2006[[note]]He's the tabloid reporter in Series 4, Episode 5's "The Book"[[/note]], he explained to ''The Telegraph'' that "It doubled my yearly income in six days. My agent said it's morally indefensible to turn that down."

He has performed in BBC Radio adaptations of such novels as ''Literature/GreatExpectations'' (as adult Pip) and ''Literature/WomenInLove'', as well as two AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho audios, ''Urban Myths'' (the one-episode followup to ''Exotron'') and ''The Son of the Dragon'', as two different characters who encounter the Fifth Doctor. Aside from a few lead roles in the late 1980s/early '90s, his feature film work has been limited to minor roles (i.e. ''Film/TheDescent Part 2'', ''Film/RobinHood2010'').

In 1993, he began a decade-plus association with Creator/HaroldPinter, appearing in productions of seven different Pinter plays over 1993-2000 and directing ''The Dumb Waiter and Other Pieces'' in 2004. Shortly after this period, however, his stage career began to turn an unexpected corner. While he had performed in a few musicals in TheEighties and been a musician/songwriter for years, performing low-profile gigs in pubs even as his acting career progressed, his singing talents were new to many observers when he played Nathan Detroit in a West End revival of ''Theatre/GuysAndDolls'' in 2005. (Pinter [[ComedyGhetto even picked on him a bit for doing a light musical comedy]].) That same year, he released his first album, ''Cowley Road Songs'', and would release another, ''Night Bus'', in 2009.

In 2008, Hodge's performance as Albin/Zaza in a revival of ''Theatre/LaCageAuxFolles'' won him the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical. The production was given a Broadway transfer in 2010 and Hodge went with it, making his New York debut and winning the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. Since that triumph, his stage career has only blossomed further while retaining its variety, going from misanthropic solicitor Bill Maitland in John Osbourne's ''Inadmissable Evidence'' in 2011 to a return to Broadway as the title character in ''Theatre/CyranoDeBergerac'' in 2012 to originating the role of Willy Wonka in the 2013 West End musical ''Theatre/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory''.

* ClassicallyTrainedExtra: A real life example with regards to much of his film work and some of his TV guest work, such as ''Series/{{Spooks}}'' and ''Series/{{Skins}}''.

By the dawn of TheNineties he was appearing in serial dramas and {{Made For TV Movie}}s for Creator/{{ITV}}, Creator/ChannelFour, and Creator/TheBBC, most significantly as Dr. Tertius Lydgate in the 1994 BBC adaptation of ''Literature/{{Middlemarch}}''. He continues to do so to this day, along with guest appearances in various series and a recurring role in ''Series/{{Outnumbered}}'' (as the [[FakeAmerican American]] therapist Brick). He was also a regular in two shows, ''Capital City'' (1989-90) and ''Red Cap'' (2001 pilot, 2003-04 series).

In 2008, Hodge's performance as Albin/Zaza in a revival of ''Theatre/LaCageAuxFolles'' won him the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical. The production was given a Broadway transfer in 2010 and Hodge went with it, making his New York debut and winning the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. Since that triumph, his stage career has only blossomed further while retaining its variety, going from misanthropic solicitor Bill Maitland in John Osbourne's ''Inadmissable Evidence'' in 2011 to a return to Broadway as the title character in ''Theatre/CyranoDeBergerac'' in 2012 to originating the role of Willy Wonka in the 2013 West End musical ''Theatre/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory''. Next up is a return to the small screen in 2015: He's been confirmed as joining the cast of ''Series/PennyDreadful'' as a Scotland Yard investigator.

In 2008, Hodge's performance as Albin/Zaza in a revival of ''Theatre/LaCageAuxFolles'' won him the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical. The production was given a Broadway transfer in 2010 and Hodge went with it, making his New York debut and winning the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. Since that triumph, his stage career has only blossomed further while retaining its variety, going from misanthropic solicitor Bill Maitland in John Osbourne's ''Inadmissable Evidence'' in 2011 to a return to Broadway as the title character in ''Theatre/CyranoDeBergerac'' in 2012 to originating the role of Willy Wonka in the 2013 West End musical ''Theatre/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory''.

* MoneyDearBoy: With regards to his ''Spooks'' guest spot in 2006, he explained to ''The Telegraph'' that "It doubled my yearly income in six days. My agent said it's morally indefensible to turn that down."

In 1993, he began a decade-plus association with Creator/HaroldPinter, appearing in productions of seven different Pinter plays over 1993-2000 and directing ''The Dumb Waiter and Other Pieces'' in 2004. Shortly after this period, however, his stage career began to turn an unexpected corner. While he had performed in a few musicals in TheEighties and been a songwriter for years, performing low-profile gigs in pubs even as his acting career progressed, his singing talents were new to many observers when he played Nathan Detroit in a West End revival of ''Theatre/GuysAndDolls'' in 2005. (Pinter [[ComedyGhetto even picked on him a bit for doing a light musical comedy]].) That same year, he released his first album, ''Cowley Road Songs'', and would release another, ''Night Bus'', in 2009.

Douglas Hodge (February 25, 1960-) is a British actor (and, on the side, SingerSongwriter) with an exceptionally diverse track record of roles.

A [=RADA=] dropout, his stage career began in TheEighties and by the end of the decade he had the roles of [[Theatre/TwelfthNight Sir Andrew Aguecheek]], Theatre/{{Hamlet}}, [[Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet Romeo]], Theatre/{{Coriolanus}}, and [[Theatre/KingLear Edmund]] under his belt. In the ensuing decades, he has also played Theatre/{{Pericles}}, [[Theatre/TheWintersTale Leontes]], and Theatre/TitusAndronicus for the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, and Shakespeare's Globe, respectively.

By the dawn of TheNineties he was appearing in serial dramas and {{Made For TV Movie}}s for Creator/{{ITV}}, Creator/ChannelFour, and Creator/TheBBC, most significantly as Dr. Tertius Lydgate in the 1994 BBC adaptation of ''Literature/{{Middlemarch}}''. He continues to do so to this day, along with guest appearances in various ongoing series and a recurring role in ''Series/{{Outnumbered}}'' (as the [[FakeAmerican American]] therapist Brick). He has also appeared in BBC Radio adaptations of such novels as ''Literature/GreatExpectations'' (as adult Pip) and ''Literature/WomenInLove'', as well as two AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho audios, ''Urban Myths'' (the one-episode followup to ''Exotron'') and ''The Son of the Dragon'', as two different characters who encounter the Fifth Doctor. He has also has made big-screen appearances over the years, but usually only in minor roles since the TurnOfTheMillennium (i.e. ''Film/TheDescent Part 2'', ''Film/RobinHood2010'').

In 1993, he began a decade-plus association with Creator/HaroldPinter, appearing in productions of seven different Pinter plays over 1993-2000 and directing ''The Dumb Waiter and Other Pieces'' in 2004.

With regards to his musical side, while he had performed in a few musicals in TheEighties and been a songwriter for years, his singing talents were new to many observers when he played Nathan Detroit in a West End revival of ''Theatre/GuysAndDolls'' in 2005. (Pinter [[ComedyGhetto even picked on him a bit for doing a light musical comedy]].) That same year, he released his first album, ''Cowley Road Songs'', and would release another, ''Night Bus'', in 2009.

* ClassicallyTrainedExtra: A real life example with regards to much of his film work and some of his TV guest work, such as ''Series/{{Spooks}}'' and ''Series/{{Skins}}''. With regards to his ''Spooks'' guest spot in 2006, he explained to ''The Telegraph'' that "[[MoneyDearBoy It doubled my yearly income in six days. My agent said it's morally indefensible to turn that down.]]"

By the dawn of TheNineties he was appearing in serial dramas and {{Made For TV Movie}}s for Creator/{{ITV}}, Creator/ChannelFour'', and Creator/TheBBC, most significantly as Dr. Tertius Lydgate in the 1994 BBC adaptation of ''Literature/{{Middlemarch}}''. He continues to do so to this day, along with guest appearances in various ongoing series and a recurring role in ''Series/{{Outnumbered}}'' (as the [[FakeAmerican American]] therapist Brick). He has also appeared in BBC Radio adaptations of such novels as ''Literature/GreatExpectations'' (as adult Pip) and ''Literature/WomenInLove'', as well as two AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho audios, ''Urban Myths'' (the one-episode followup to ''Exotron'') and ''The Son of the Dragon'', as two different characters who encounter the Fifth Doctor. He has also has made big-screen appearances over the years, but usually only in minor roles since the TurnOfTheMillennium (i.e. ''Film/TheDescent Part 2'', ''Film/RobinHood2010'').

By the dawn of TheNineties he was appearing in serial dramas and {{Made For TV Movie}}s for Creator/{{ITV}} and Creator/TheBBC, most significantly as Dr. Tertius Lydgate in the 1994 BBC adaptation of ''Literature/{{Middlemarch}}''. He continues to do so to this day, along with guest appearances in various ongoing series and a recurring role in ''Series/{{Outnumbered}}'' (as the [[FakeAmerican American]] therapist Brick). He has also appeared in BBC Radio adaptations of such novels as ''Literature/GreatExpectations'' (as adult Pip) and ''Literature/WomenInLove''...not to mention two AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho audios, ''Urban Myths'' (the one-episode followup to ''Exotron'') and ''The Son of the Dragon'', as two different characters who encounter the Fifth Doctor. By comparison, he has made few big-screen appearances over the years, and usually only in minor roles since the TurnOfTheMillennium (i.e. ''Film/TheDescent Part 2'', ''Film/RobinHood2010'').

Hodge long had a quasi-hidden talent as a SingerSongwriter -- while he had performed in a few musicals in TheEighties and been a songwriter for years, his singing talents were new to many observers when he played Nathan Detroit in a West End revival of ''Theatre/GuysAndDolls'' in 2005. (Pinter even picked on him a bit for doing a light musical comedy!) That same year, he released his first album, ''Cowley Road Songs'', and would release another, ''Night Bus'', in 2009.

* ClassicallyTrainedExtra: A real life example with regards to much of his film work (aside from a few films at the end of TheEighties) and some of his TV guest work (i.e. ''Series/{{Spooks}}'', ''Series/{{Skins}}'').

* ManOfAThousandFaces: Just look at that above rundown of his career! He also approaches ManOfAThousandVoices territory in the audiobooks he recorded of ''Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' and ''Literature/CharlieAndTheGreatGlassElevator'', which he did partly to prepare for his stage role as Willy Wonka. (Indeed, before he got into formal acting in TheEighties, he was a stand-up comic who specialized in celebrity impersonations.)

* ManOfAThousandFaces: Just look at that above rundown of his career! He also approaches ManOfAThousandVoices territory in the audiobooks he recorded of ''Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' and ''Literature/CharlieAndTheGreatGlassElevator'', which he did partly to prepare for his stage role as Willy Wonka.

* ManOfAThousandFaces: Just look at that above rundown of his career!

* CelebrityResemblance: He was cast as Princess Diana's butler Paul Burrell in the 2013 BioPic of the princess primarily because he was such a good physical match!

By the dawn of TheNineties he was appearing in serial dramas and {{Made For TV Movie}}s for Creator/ITV and Creator/TheBBC, most significantly as Dr. Tertius Lydgate in the 1994 BBC adaptation of ''Literature/{{Middlemarch}}''. He continues to do so to this day, along with guest appearances in various ongoing series and a recurring role in ''Series/Outnumbered'' (as the [[FakeAmerican American]] therapist Brick). He has also appeared in BBC Radio adaptations of such novels as ''Literature/GreatExpectations'' (as adult Pip) and ''Literature/WomenInLove''...not to mention two AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho audios, ''Urban Myths'' (the one-episode followup to ''Exotron'') and ''The Son of the Dragon'', as two different characters who encounter the Fifth Doctor. By comparison, he has made few big-screen appearances over the years, and usually only in minor roles since the TurnOfTheMillennium (i.e. ''Film/TheDescent Part 2'', ''Film/RobinHood2010'').

* HiddenDepths: Particuarly from ''Theatre/LaCageAuxFolles'' onward, he seems to be drawn to lead characters, who turn out to be far more than they appear, often hiding vulnerability beneath LargeHam exteriors. [[Theatre/LaCageAuxFolles Albin]] struggles with the inner knowledge that he'll never truly be the diva he plays as Zaza, [[Theatre/CyranoDeBergerac Cyrano]] uses his ''panache'' to mask his inner despair that no woman could ever love him, and [[Theatre/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory Willy Wonka]] has a SugarAndIcePersonality.

In 2008, Hodge's performance as Albin/Zaza in a revival of ''Theatre/LaCageAuxFolles'' won him the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical. The production was given a Broadway transfer in 2010 and Hodge went with it, making his New York debut and winning the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. Since that triumph, his stage career has only blossomed further while retaining its variety, going from misanthropic solicitor Bill Maitland in John Osbourne's ''Inadmissable Evidence'' in 2011 to a return to Broadway as the title character in ''Theatre/CyranoDeBergerac'' in 2012 to originating the role of Willy Wonka in the 2013 West End musical {{Spectacle}} ''Theatre/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory''.

By the dawn of TheNineties he was appearing in serial dramas and {{Made For TV Movie}}s for Creator/ITV and Creator/TheBBC, most significantly as Dr. Tertius Lydgate in the 1994 BBC adaptation of ''Literature/{{Middlemarch}}''. He continues to do so to this day, along with guest appearances in various ongoing series and a recurring role in ''Series/Outnumbered'' (as the [[FakeAmerican American]] therapist Brick). He has also appeared in BBC Radio adaptations of such novels as ''Literature/GreatExpectations'' (as adult Pip) and ''Literature/WomenInLove''...not to mention two AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho audios, ''Urban Myths'' (the one-episode followup to ''Exotron'') and ''The Son of the Dragon'', as two different characters who encounter the Fifth Doctor.

By the dawn of TheNineties he was appearing in serial dramas and {{Made For TV Movie}}s for Creator/ITV and Creator/TheBBC, most significantly as Dr. Tertius Lydgate in the 1994 BBC adaptation of ''Literature/{{Middlemarch}}''. He continues to do so to this day, along with guest appearances in various ongoing series and a recurring role in ''Series/Outnumbered'' (as the [[FakeAmerican American]] therapist Brick). He has also appeared in BBC Radio adaptations of such novels as ''Literature/GreatExpectations'' (as adult Pip) and ''Literature/WomenInLove''...not to mention two AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho audios, ''[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho095/Exotron Urban Myths]]'' and ''[[Recap/BigFinishDcotorWho099SonOfTheDragon The Son of the Dragon]]'', as two different characters who encounter the Fifth Doctor.