Sir Derek Jacobi Biography

Sir Derek Jacobi

Sir Derek Jacobi's myriad stage roles have included Cyrano de Bergerac, Uncle Vanya, Adolf Hitler, Oedipus Rex, and a slew of Shakespearean heroes and antiheroes. He played the title character in the award-winning I, Claudius (1977), one of several miniseries in which he has starred, and launched his Broadway career in 1980 with The Suicide. His film credits include collaborations with Laurence Olivier and Kenneth Branagh, and voiceovers for two documentary series by Ken Burns. His most recent appearance on film was Gladiator (2000) with Russell Crowe. Jacobi was knighted in 1994. Beginning in 1995 he won the affection of PBS audiences as Ellis Peters's inquisitive monk in the eponymously titled Cadfael series.