British actor accomplished in classical theatre, film and television series. Invited to join the National Theatre Company by Lawrence Olivier himself, Jacobi has established his place as one of the finest players on the English speaking stage. Though principally a stage actor, Jacobi has appeared in a number of successful television series and films. He was knighted in 1994.
Jacobi earned his acting prowess in England in the 1960s and dazzled international audiences later in his TV performance as the stuttering Roman emperor in I, Claudius (1976). He has twice been awarded a Laurence Olivier Award, first for his performance of the eponymous hero in Cyrano de Bergerac in 1983 and the second for his Malvolio in Twelfth Night in 2009. He also received a Tony Award for his performance in Much Ado About Nothing in 1984 and a Primetime Emmy Award in 1988 for The Tenth Man.
Jacobi’s starring roles on TV include the titular character in the medieval drama series Cadfael (1994–1998), Stanley Baldwin in The Gathering Storm (2002), Stuart Bixby in the ITV comedy Vicious (2013–2016) and Alan Buttershaw in Last Tango in Halifax (2012–present). Jacobi also portrayed a version of the Master in the long running science fiction series Doctor Who. He later reprised the role for several Doctor Who audio dramas for Big Finish Productions. In 2019, he played Edward VIII, the Duke of Windsor, in the third season of the critically acclaimed Netflix series The Crown.
Jacobi wanted to be an actor from a very young age. His parents, Alfred and Daisy Jacobi, had no personal knowledge of the stage but encouraged their son to pursue his dreams. His father left school at 14 to work in a department store where he eventually went into management. His mother, Daisy worked as a secretary all her life up until her death in 1980. Jacobi lacked self-confidence as a child and today, marvels at how his shyness and determination led to the British stage. At 19, he made his stage debut as Hamlet in an English National Youth Theater production. With his performance as the Dane, Jacobi was offered a full scholarship to Cambridge University to further his technical skills. In 1960, Jacobi made his professional stage debut as a member of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. He spent three years with the company before leaving to the National and Lawrence Olivier from 1963 to 1971.
Under the wing of the master, Jacobi was chewed out for being too humble at curtain calls. He needed to take applause with more pizzazz. Jacobi found artistic inspiration from the techniques of Richard Burton with his Welsh voice and strong stature. In 1965, he made his film debut in Othello starring Olivier and directed by Stuart Burge. On 6 November 1977, the I, Claudius series began on Masterpiece Theater on the American Public Broadcasting Service. In 1979, Jacobi conquered Broadway with his lead performance in Richard II. He came back to Broadway with Sinead Cusack in 1984 and electrified the audience in Cyrano de Bergerac and Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. In 1987, after a successful run in the West End, Jacobi performed Hugh Whitemore’s Breaking the Code. Even though the actor tends to be recognized for his classical theatre works, he has played film roles that have delighted movie critics such as in Little Dorrit (1988) and Kenneth Branagh’s Henry V in 1989.
Looking back on his successful career, Jacobi prefers to be back in the position of the young, promising actor than the recognized lion who must prove himself to an audience year after year.
Mild-mannered Jacobi goes to great lengths to avoid confrontations and scenes. Unlike the character he plays in Cyrano de Bergerac, Jacobi rarely rows with others and tries never to raise his voice. In awkward situations, he ignores the perpetrator or prefers to leave the room. Admitting to not being a strong character in person, Jacobi considers himself dull, wishy-washy, indecisive, keeping his emotions under the carpet and “switching off” as a kind of defence from the cold, harsh reality. On stage he feels “in command” of his world. In real life he is more at home in his imagination.
Made a Commander of the British Empire, round-faced Sir Derek Jacobi still owns a youthful, boyish impish appearance and his physique is slight in demeanour. When he was a teenager, he had an appalling case of acne which taught him the hard lessons of working in a field where beauty opens doors and leads to many rewards. Jacobi believes luck was and remains instrumental in his career: “It’s an example of luck that’s dogged my career; this is a profession with 85% unemployment, so to get to work is luck.”
In March 2006, four months after civil partnerships were introduced in the United Kingdom, Jacobi registered his civil partnership with theatre director Richard Clifford, his partner of 30 years. They live in West Hampstead, North West London.
Link to Wikipedia biography