British Actors You Should Know: Anton Lesser

Anton Lesser is a perfect example of the type of artist our British Actors You Should Know series was intended to highlight. He is an actor with an impressive resume who is comfortable performing in all mediums. Yet many viewers may draw a blank when his name comes up. Midlands-born Lesser began his higher education at the University of Liverpool, where he studied architecture. So when did the acting bug bite, young Anton? Believe it or not, he decided to change careers by simply watching a film.

“When I was overseas doing voluntary service in Nigeria between my terms at university, I saw this British Council film about the Royal Shakespeare Company. It starred this actor, Ian Richardson, as Prospero (from “The Tempest”), and that triggered the whole thing. That lit the torch. I had no inclination at all before that moment,"

After university, Lesser attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Listening to his creative heart was the right choice; upon graduation in 1977, he was named the most promising actor of his year. Following his RADA training, Lesser moved on to the Royal Shakespeare Company. He spent a considerable part of the next two decades taking on many of Shakespeare's principal roles, including Petruchio, Romeo, and Richard III, for the stage and televised productions. Much sought after for his voice talents, Lesser has been featured in many BBC Radio play adaptations and narrated a wide range of audiobooks, including classics such as The Iliad, The Odyssey, and several of Shakespeare's works.

Lesser's television and film career took off in the 2000s. His characters are complex- with plenty of wiggle room between good and evil. It would appear Mr. Lesser also has an affinity for Charles Dickens. He has not only narrated many of the author's novels but also portrayed Fagin in Dickensian, Mr. Merdle in Little Dorritt, and the Dickens himself in a 2002 biopic mini-series. Here are a few more highlights for fans to check out.

Charlotte Gray

The 2001 World War II drama, Charlotte Gray, stars Cate Blanchett as the title character, a Scottish woman working with the French Resistance in Nazi-occupied France. Lesser plays Monsieur Renech, the village's duplicitous schoolmaster who only takes advantage of the political climate to help himself.