Nigel Davenport (born 23 May 1928) is an English actor.
Born in Shelford, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, he grew up in an academic family. He was educated at Cheltenham College and Trinity College, Oxford, originally to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics but switching to English on the advice of his tutors.
Davenport joined the English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre in the 1960s. He began to appear in British film and television productions in supporting roles. He made an impression as the Duke of Norfolk in 1967's A Man for All Seasons and had the major role of Lord Bothwell in Mary, Queen of Scots. In 1972, he appeared as George Adamson, opposite Susan Hampshire in Living Free, the sequel to Born Free, Davenport took the leading role in the off-beat Phase IV, which failed to find an audience. Since then he has continued to work in supporting roles in film and television as a succession of lords, police inspectors and military officers with a twinkle in their eye, most characteristically as General Lord Ismay opposite Nicol Williamson's Lord Mountbatten in 'The last Viceroy', a classic TV drama series aired in 1986.
In 2000 he played William Smithers in the Midsomer Murders episode Blue Herrings.
Davenport has been twice married:
Father of the actor Jack Davenport and the actress Laura Davenport (I).
His father was a bursar of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, England.
He educated at St. Peter's, Seaford; Cheltenham College and read English at Trinity College,Oxford, where he graduated from with a Master of Arts degree.
He grew up in Cambridge but went to Trinity College, Oxford.
At Oxford his talent was for Philosophy and Politics.
He switched to studying English after his moral tutor told him his future was as an actor, which he claims he hadn't realised for himself at the time.
It was during his time at Oxford that he met his first wife, Helena, with whom he had two children.
Nigel was a founder member of the English Stage Company.
