John Shrapnel
Apr 27, 1942 — Feb 14, 2020 (77 years)
Birmingham, England, UK
41 Movies
37 Series
A career spanning 57+ years and 78+ titles makes John Shrapnel one of the trade's long-distance runners. his Gaius in 'Gladiator' ranks among the most remembered of his filmography. Drama has been his most frequent territory.
77R.I.P.
41Movies
37Series
John Shrapnel
41 Movies
37 Series
A career spanning 57+ years and 78+ titles makes John Shrapnel one of the trade's long-distance runners. his Gaius in 'Gladiator' ranks among the most remembered of his filmography. Drama has been his most frequent territory.
77 R.I.P.
R.I.P.
41
Movies
37
Series
Movies
Troy
2004
Gladiator
2000
101 Dalmatians
1996
Notting Hill
1999
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
2007
Mirrors
2008
The Duchess
2008
The Awakening
2011
K-19: The Widowmaker
2002
Two Deaths
1996
Nicholas and Alexandra
1971
The Body
2001
Alien Autopsy
2006
How to Get Ahead in Advertising
1989
Personal Services
1987
Hennessy
1975
Shadow of the Sword
2005
Pope Joan
1972
Testimony
1988
Chemical Wedding
2008
National Theatre Live: Phèdre
2009
National Theatre Live: Macbeth
2013
Whistle
2002
Partition
1987
Hamlet
2015
Alone
2002
King Lear
1982
Claim
2002
Branagh Theatre Live: The Winter's Tale
2015
TV Shows
Between the Lines
1992
Bodyguards
1997
Apparitions
2008
Invasion: Earth
1998
Sorrell and Son
1984
Edward and Mrs Simpson
1978
The 10th Kingdom
2000
The Woman in White
1982
Vanity Fair
1987
Armchair Thriller
1978
Elizabeth R
1971
G.B.H.
1991
Private Schulz
1981
Blackeyes
1989
Waking the Dead
2001
For the Greater Good
1991
New Tricks
2004
Jonathan Creek
1997
Kavanagh Q.C.
1995
Midsomer Murders
1997
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries
2002
Justice
1971
Wycliffe
1994
Space: 1999
1975
Shakespeare: The Animated Tales
1992
Merlin
2008
Foyle's War
2002
BBC Play of the Month
1965
BBC2 Play of the Week
1977
The Chief
1990
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
Hamlet Within
Full Filmography
Branagh Theatre Live: The Winter's Tale
Camilo
2015
Film
Hamlet
Claudius/Ghost
2015
Film
National Theatre Live: Macbeth
Duncan/Seyton/Old Man
2013
Film
Run.
St. Peter
2013
Film
The Awakening
Reverend Hugh Purslow
2011
Film
National Theatre Live: Phèdre
Théramène
2009
Film
An Organization of Dreams
Father
2009
Film
Apparitions
Cardinal Bukovak
2008
TV
Merlin
The Sarrum
2012
TV
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
Is John Shrapnel still alive?
John Shrapnel passed away on February 14, 2020 at age 77.
What are the most famous roles of John Shrapnel?
John Shrapnel is best known for roles in Gladiator, Troy, Notting Hill.
How many movies has John Shrapnel been in?
Over a 51-year career (since 1969), John Shrapnel has appeared in 81 movies and 49 TV shows.
What was John Shrapnel's first movie?
The career of John Shrapnel began with The Ha-Ha (1969).
What is John Shrapnel's most recent movie or series?
John Shrapnel's most recent release is Hamlet Within, which premiered on May 21, 2022.
What TV shows has John Shrapnel appeared in?
On television, John Shrapnel has appeared in Merlin, I Am Not an Animal, Midsomer Murders, The 10th Kingdom.
John Shrapnel
1942-04-27 · Birmingham, England, UK
Shrapnel was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, the son of Mary Lillian Myfanwy (née Edwards) and journalist/author Norman Shrapnel.[1] As a stage actor, he was a member of Laurence Olivier's Royal National Theatre company and the Royal Shakespeare Company and most recently appeared as Sir Oliver Surface in The School for Scandal (directed by Deborah Warner) at the Barbican Centre in 2011. He has also appeared extensively in film and on television in roles in Elizabeth R, Z-Cars, Edward and Mrs. Simpson, 101 Dalmatians, Space: 1999, Inspector Morse, Coogan's Run, Notting Hill and Foyle's War. He presented an episode of the 1983 BBC television travel series Great Little Railways. He gave performances in three entries in the BBC Television Shakespeare plays and as Creon in the BBC's 1984 productions of the Three Theban plays of Sophocles. In America, he has starred in supporting roles as Senator Gaius in Gladiator, Nestor in Troy and Pompey in the second episode of Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire. He also played the Jail Warden in the 10th Kingdom, an epic fantasy miniseries. He has the rare achievement of appearing in two episodes of Midsomer Murders as two different characters, in Death in Chorus and Written in Blood. Shrapnel appeared in an episode of Jonathan Creek as Professor Lance Graumann in the episode The Omega Man. He appears in Chemical Wedding alongside Simon Callow, telling the tale of the resurrection of occultist Aleister Crowley. Shrapnel also has experience in the field of BBC radio drama through such characters as Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse and William Gibson's Neuromancer. He is the son-in-law of Deborah Kerr through his 1975 marriage to her younger daughter Francesca Ann Bartley. They have three sons, the actors Lex Shrapnel (b.1979), Tom Shrapnel (b.1981) and the writer Joe Shrapnel (b.1976). They live in Highbury, north London.