Michael Jayston
Birthday: Born in 1935-10-29 in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, UK
Deathday: 2024-02-05
Michael James (born 29 October 1935), known professionally as Michael Jayston, was an English actor. He played Nicholas II of Russia in the film Nicholas and Alexandra (1971). He has also made many television appearances, which have included playing the Valeyard in all fourteen episodes of the Doctor Who serial The Trial of a Time Lord (1986) and appearing in the Only Fools and Horses episode "Time on Our Hands" (1996) as Raquel's father, James.
TV Credits
Tales of the Unexpected
Character: G.B. Shaw
A British television anthology of stories, often with sinister and wryly comedic undertones, and a twist at the end. With early episodes written and presented by Roald Dahl, the series featured a plethora of big name guest stars....
UFO
Character: Russell Stone
A secret, high-technology international agency called SHADO defends Earth from alien invaders....
Heartbeat
Character: Michael Harvey
Set during the 1960s in the fictional North Yorkshire village of Aidensfield, this enduringly popular series interweaves crime and medical storylines....
C.A.T.S. Eyes
Character:
C.A.T.S. Eyes is a British television series made by TVS for ITV between 1985 and 1987....
Callan
Character:
Callan is the title of a British television series set in the murky world of espionage. Originally produced by ABC Weekend Television and later Thames Television, it was aired on the ITV network over four seasons spread out between 1967 and 1972. The series starred Edward Woodward as David Callan, a reluctant professional killer for a shadowy branch of the British Government's intelligence services known as 'the Section'....
A Bit of a Do
Character:
A Bit of a Do is a British comedy drama series based on the books by David Nobbs. The show starred David Jason and was aired on ITV in 1989. It was made for the ITV network by Yorkshire Television. The show was set in a fictional Yorkshire town. Each episode took place at a different social function and followed the changing lives of two families, the working-class Simcocks and the middle-class Rodenhursts, together with their respective friends, Rodney and Betty Sillitoe, and Neville Badger. T...
Jane Eyre
Character: Mr Rochester
Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre has been the subject of numerous television and film adaptations. This 1973 four-hour literary version was a BBC television drama serial. It was directed by Joan Craft and starred Sorcha Cusack and Michael Jayston....
Lady Killers
Character: Frederick Henry Seddon
Compelling crime anthology looks at some of Britain's most notorious murder trials, in which both male and female defendants stood accused of the murder of women. Introduced by Robert Morley, seven hour-long dramas reconstruct sensational trials which shocked Britain, offering in-depth analyses of individuals' motives and methods....
Quiller
Character: Quiller
Quiller is a British drama television . Quiller is the alias of a fictional spy created by English novelist Elleston Trevor who featured in a series of Cold War thrillers written under the pseudonym "Adam Hall"....
Outside Edge
Character:
Comedy-drama series starring Timothy Spall, Brenda Blethyn, Robert Daws, and Josie Lawrence about two couples united only by the fact that they play for a Sunday League cricket team....
Detective
Character:
A BBC anthology series featuring adaptations of detective stories over 45 episodes in three seasons that ran from 1964 to 1969. As with many BBC programmes made before the early 1970s, many of its episodes no longer exist. Of the eighteen episodes from the first season only twelve are currently known to exist; likewise six of the sixteen editions from the second run are considered lost, and just one of the final ten survives in the archives....
The Edwardians
Character: Mr. Royce
It was a time when England was a nation on the cusp of change, an evolving landscape tht lay between Victorian England and the First World War. 'The Edwardians' explores the lives of and events in the lives of many who helped define the era, the "Belle Epoque"....
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Character: Peter Guillam
George Smiley, the aging master spy of the Cold War and once heir apparent to Control, is brought back out of retirement to flush out a top level mole within the Circus. Smiley must travel back through his life and murky workings of the Circus to unravel the net spun by his nemesis Karla 'The Sandman' of the KGB and reveal the identity of the mole before he disappears....
Thriller
Character: Roger Masters
Thriller is a British television series, originally broadcast in the UK from 1973 to 1976. It is an anthology series: each episode has a self-contained story and its own cast. As the title suggests, each story is a thriller of some variety, from tales of the supernatural to down-to-earth whodunits....
The Ruth Rendell Mysteries
Character: Quentin Nightingale
The Ruth Rendell mysteries is a British television series made by TVS and Meridian Television for ITV between 2 August 1987 and 11 October 2000....
Thriller
Character: Mark Walker
Thriller is a British television series, originally broadcast in the UK from 1973 to 1976. It is an anthology series: each episode has a self-contained story and its own cast. As the title suggests, each story is a thriller of some variety, from tales of the supernatural to down-to-earth whodunits....
Press Gang
Character: Colonel X
The activities of the staff at The Junior Gazette, a children's weekly newspaper produced by a group of school pupils....
Casualty
Character: Ian
Drama series about the staff and patients at Holby City Hospital's emergency department, charting the ups and downs in their personal and professional lives....
The Royal
Character: Henry Appleton
Follows the staff and patients of a Yorkshire cottage hospital in the 60s, embroiled in tangled love lives and bitter power struggles....
Midsomer Murders
Character: Reverend Arthur Gould
The peacefulness of the Midsomer community is shattered by violent crimes, suspects are placed under suspicion, and it is up to a veteran DCI and his young sergeant to calmly and diligently eliminate the innocent and ruthlessly pursue the guilty. ...
Sherlock Holmes
Character: The Earl of Rufton
Sherlock Holmes uses his abilities to take on cases by private clients and those that the Scotland Yard are unable to solve, along with his friend Dr. Watson....
Casualty
Character: David Northwick
Drama series about the staff and patients at Holby City Hospital's emergency department, charting the ups and downs in their personal and professional lives....
Holby City
Character: Judge
Drama series about life on the wards of Holby City Hospital, following the highs and lows of the staff and patients....
A Dinner of Herbs
Character: Justice Craig
After taking his young son Roddy to a remote Northumberland village, Peter Greenbank meets a violent death, leaving the boy alone with no family to speak of. Roddy is adopted and raised by Kate Makepeace, a good friend of his father’s, and develops a close friendship with Hal and Mary Ellen. But their sibling bond is put to the test as they become adults. The hidden secrets of the past are painfully unearthed as their lives are intertwined by a tragic destiny....
Time for Murder
Character: Austin Tupp
Written by six of Britain's finest writers (including Fay Weldon, Antonia Fraser, and Michael Robson), performed by leading actors, these are no ordinary tales of mystery and suspense. Each has its own twist, ranging from the darkly humorous to the truly macabre....
Doctor Who
Character: The Valeyard
The adventures of The Doctor, a time-traveling humanoid alien known as a Time Lord. He explores the universe in his TARDIS, a sentient time-traveling spaceship. Its exterior appears as a blue British police box, which was a common sight in Britain in 1963 when the series first aired. Along with a succession of companions, The Doctor faces a variety of foes while working to save civilizations, help ordinary people, and right many wrongs....
Heartbeat
Character: Gerald Hudson
Set during the 1960s in the fictional North Yorkshire village of Aidensfield, this enduringly popular series interweaves crime and medical storylines....
Coronation Street
Character: Judge
The residents of Coronation Street are ordinary, working-class people, and the show follows them through regular social and family interactions at home, in the workplace, and in their local pub, the Rovers Return Inn. Britain's longest-running soap....
The Wednesday Play
Character: Siegfried Sassoon
The Wednesday Play is an anthology series of British television plays which ran on BBC1 from October 1964 to May 1970. The plays were usually written for television, although adaptations from other sources also featured. The series gained a reputation for presenting contemporary social dramas, and for bringing issues to the attention of a mass audience that would not otherwise have been discussed on screen....
Armchair Theatre
Character: Jimmy
Armchair Theatre is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by Associated British Corporation, and later by Thames Television from mid-1968....
Foyle's War
Character: AC Henry Parkins
As WW2 rages around the world, DCS Foyle fights his own war on the home-front as he investigates crimes on the south coast of England. Foyle's War opens in southern England in the year 1940. Later series sees the retired detective working as an MI5 agent operating in the aftermath of the war....
Stay Lucky
Character: Valentine
Drama about a small-time gangster Thomas Gynn (Dennis Waterman) from London who discovers a new life up north in Yorkshire. Helping widowed, self-sufficient businesswoman Sally Hardcastle (Jan Francis) when her car breaks down on the motorway, Thomas reluctantly accepts an offer of a lift to Leeds. Over the coming months, the two become involved in a series of misadventures that soon find them being drawn closer together....
Big Deal
Character: Grover
The ups and downs of small time London gambler Robby Box, and the effect that his poker addiction has on his long suffering girlfriend Jan Oliver and family....
Cluedo
Character: Colonel Mustard
Cluedo was a UK television game show based on the board game of the same name. Each week, a reenactment of the murder at the stately home Arlington Grange of a visiting guest was played and, through a combination of interrogating the suspects and deduction, celebrity guests had to discover who committed the murder, which of six weapons and in which room it was committed, whilst viewers were invited to play along at home....
BBC2 Play of the Week
Character: Mansel
...
Movie Credits
From a Far Country
Character: Narrator (voice)
This heroic story follows the life of Karol Wojtyla, a Polish Roman catholic who ascends the throne of St. Peter as Pope John Paul II. As a young boy, Karol is a bright and talented student. Archbishop Sapieha recognizes the very special, moving qualities Karol possesses and encourages him to consider the priesthood. Although determined to study Polish literature, Karol turns to the church; he is ordained and studies in Italy, France, and Belgium. Torn by fear and repression in post-Stalin Easte...
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Character: Admiral Sellings
In the 19th century, an expert marine biologist is hired by the government to determine what's sinking ships all over the ocean. His daughter follows him. They are intercepted by a mysterious captain Nemo and his incredible submarine....
Highlander III: The Sorcerer
Character: Jack Donovan
Starts off in the 15th century, with Connor McLeod training with another immortal swordsman, the Japanese sorcerer Nakano. When an evil immortal named Kane kills the old wizard, the resulting battle leaves him buried in an underground cave. When Kane resurfaces in the 20th century to create havoc, it's up to McLeod to stop him....
Cromwell
Character: Henry Ireton
Disgusted with the policies of King Charles I, Oliver Cromwell plans to take his family to the New World. But on the eve of their departure, Cromwell is drawn into the tangled web of religion and politics that will result in the English Civil War....
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Character: Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson)
An all-star cast highlights this vibrant musical adaptation of Lewis Carroll's immortal tale. One day, plucky young Alice follows a white rabbit down a hole and discovers a world of bizarre characters....
Tales That Witness Madness
Character: Brian (segment "Mel")
Dr. Tremayne is an enigmatic psychiatrist running an asylum that houses four very special cases. Visited by his colleague Nicholas, Tremayne explains his amazing and controversial theories as to why each of the four patients went mad....
Nicholas and Alexandra
Character: Nicholas
Tsar Nicholas II, the inept last monarch of Russia, insensitive to the needs of his people, is overthrown and exiled to Siberia with his family....
The Internecine Project
Character: David Baker
Offered a job as a presidential adviser, a professor is forced to dispose of those who knew him when he was a spy....
Follow Me!
Character: Charles
A strait-laced British banker hires an eccentric private detective to follow his free-spirited American wife, whom he suspects is cheating on him....
Craze
Character: Detective Sgt. Wall
A demented art dealer and antique shop owner performs nightly rituals in honour of the African god Chuku, whom he believes will reward him with unimaginable wealth and power if he merely offers up human sacrifice....
The Homecoming
Character: Teddy
In a dreary North London flat, the site of perpetual psychological warfare, a philosophy professor visits his family after a nine-year absence and introduces the four men - father, uncle and two brothers - to his wife....
Element of Doubt
Character: Kirk
A woman has doubts about the intentions of her husband, even to the point where she thinks he might kill her....
Dominique
Character: Arnold Craven
The wife of a greedy man comes back to haunt him after he scares her to death....
Peter O'Toole: Along the Sky Road to Aqaba
Character: Self
Reflecting Peter O'Toole's theatrical legacy, this feature documentary is structured into four acts, each introduced by a quote about O'Toole that encapsulates his life during a specific period....
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Character: Demetrius
Peter Hall's film adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy, filmed in and around an English country house and starring actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company....
The Merchant of Venice
Character: Gratiano
An Edwardian take on the Shakespeare play starring Laurence Olivier....
Macbeth
Character: Macbeth
Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself....
King Lear
Character: Edmund
King Lear, old and tired, divides his kingdom among his daughters, giving great importance to their protestations of love for him. When Cordelia, youngest and most honest, refuses to idly flatter the old man in return for favor, he banishes her and turns for support to his remaining daughters. But Goneril and Regan have no love for him and instead plot to take all his power from him. In a parallel, Lear's loyal courtier Gloucester favors his illegitimate son Edmund after being told lies about hi...
Love's Labour's Lost
Character: Longaville
A scholarly king and his three companions swear off the society of women for three years, only to have a diplomatic visit from a French princess and her three ladies-in-waiting thwart their intentions....
She Fell Among Thieves
Character: Mansel
While on a Pyrenees vacation in 1922, upright English gentleman Richard Chandos (Malcolm McDowell, A Clockwork Orange, Heroes) encounters the villainous Vanity Fair (Eileen Atkins, Cold Mountain). Mistress of the turreted Chateau Jezreel and leader of a motley band of criminals, she will inherit millions if she can force her stepdaughter to marry. Pitting his wits against this formidable adversary, Chandos determines to rescue the beautiful young woman. But Vanity Fair keeps one step ahead of hi...
Bequest to the Nation
Character: Capt. Hardy
Set before the Battle of Trafalgar, this is the story of relationship between Admiral Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton during the Napoleonic Wars....
The Hero of My Life
Character: Charles Dickens
The rise of Charles Dickens, from poverty to prosperity, traced and reflected in his writings....
The Doctors: The Colin Baker Years
Character:
This is the definitive set of interviews with the team who brought the Colin Baker era of Doctor Who to life! This documentary includes the best in-depth interviews with Colin Baker (the Sixth Doctor), Nicola Bryant (Peri), Bonnie Langford (Mel), Michael Jayston (The Valeyard), John Nathan-Turner (Producer) and Eric Saward (Script Editor) ever undertaken!...
Zulu Dawn
Character: Col. Crealock
In 1879, the British suffer a great loss at the Battle of Isandlwana due to incompetent leadership....
Gossip from the Forest
Character: Alfred Maiberling
The events around the signing of The Armistice at the end of the First World War....
Mad Jack
Character:
Play dealing with the life of British Army lieutenant Siegfried Sassoon, and his protests against the inhumanity of the First World War...
Albert's Memorial
Character: Albert
One-off comedy drama that follows the story of three World War II veterans: Harry, Frank and Albert. It is October 2000 and, at the age of 76, Albert's dying wish is to be buried on the little hill outside Hinderburg in Germany where he watched the Russians take position in the closing stages of the Battle for Berlin. The notion of Harry and Frank transporting Albert's body after his death is a crazy one, but life is short, friendship precious and, after all, the trio have known each other for m...
The Man Who Left His Soul on Film
Character:
Documentary about Nagisa Oshima. It includes interviews with Oshima, Donald Richie, Roger Pulvers and Paul Mayersberg...
From This Day Forward
Character: Him
Sheila Hancock stars as Ellie; a woman gathering her strength on the morning of the hardest day of her life. Unwaveringly, she prepares to perform her last act of love. As she navigates her feelings and the very practical considerations of getting this done, she finds that another big decision is to be made....
Finisterre
Character: Narrator (Voice)
London has always been a source of influence, inspiration and curiosity - Finisterre tries to identify the dreams that London holds for so many. Presented and scored by Saint Etienne, the film enraptures with a journey through the ultimate city of possibilities - from John Nash and Berthold Lubetkin to Hendon FC and Hampstead Heath via the New Piccadilly cafe. A genuinely moving meditation on the capital in all its tawdry glory, with extra features and deluxe booklet...
Competition
Character: Jimmy
An out of work man must take his son to a school poetry competition while accompanied by his friendly neighbours, of which, he's not too secretly been having an affair with the wife....
A Coffin for the Bride
Character: Mark Walker
Mark Walker is in the lucrative business of marrying wealthy older women and murdering them after the honeymoon. That all changes when he falls for cool blonde Stella McKenzie. He considers giving up his life of crime and finally marrying for love. The only obstacles in his way are a lawyer who suspects the truth, and temptation in the form of the perfect target for one more kill......
The Making of The Trial of a Time Lord
Character:
The Making of The Trial of a Time Lord was the umbrella title for a series of four 2|entertain documentaries. Each covered a different story within the larger fourteen-part serial The Trial of a Time Lord. An instalment of the series was found on each DVD of the The Trial of a Time Lord box set....
Doctor Who: The Ultimate Foe
Character: The Valeyard
Charged with genocide by the treacherous Valeyard at his trial, the Doctor receives help from an unlikely source to turn the tide of the High Council's rulings in his favour and reveal the Valeyard as a wrongdoer: the Master. For the Valeyard's own crimes are so atrocious, even the Doctor's archenemy will help him to ensure that the villain won't see the light of day again. Cornered, the Valeyard flees to the Matrix, where he can be the Doctor's judge, jury and executioner......
Doctor Who: The Mysterious Planet
Character: The Valeyard
The Doctor is summoned before the High Council of Time Lords to stand trial for the charges of harmful interference to the course of events during his travels which have threatened the sanctity of the universe. Indignant at these accusations, the Doctor pleads his case to the Inquisitor with the hope that she will see him as a source of hope and goodwill for existence. However, his prosecuting attorney, a sinister Time Lord known simply as the Valeyard, begins a crusade against the Doctor with t...
Doctor Who: Mindwarp
Character: The Valeyard
As the Doctor's trial continues, evidence is presented showing his most recent adventure, one where he faces an old adversary, Sil. As a scientist conducts his unethical experiments to prolong the life of Sil's boss Kiv, the Doctor's memories of the events begins to return and an unpleasant surprise awaits him....
Doctor Who: Terror of the Vervoids
Character: The Valeyard
As evidence for the defense at his ongoing trial, the Doctor presents an adventure from his future when he is travelling with a computer programmer named Mel. Answering a mysterious distress call from the space liner Hyperion III, they find that the passengers aboard include unscrupulous scientists, secret agents, saboteurs, thieves and a murderer. And lurking in the shadows are the Vervoids, the product of sinister botanical experiments, who will stop at nothing to destroy all non-plant life....
Ring Once for Death
Character: Roger Masters
Recently widowed Laura Vallance returns home to England after many years living abroad. She knows few people in England, but she desires rest and seclusion in her time of grief. However, she is more alone than she bargained for when she hires Roger Masters as her butler. With small doses of poison, the ruthless butler plans to keeps his wealthy employer incapacitated... permanently....