Best known here and abroad as Agatha Christie's suave Belgian supersleuth Hercule Poirot in scores of 90s mini-movies, London-born actor David Suchet's early interest in the theatre led to his membership with the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain in the 1960s following graduation from high school. He then studied for three years at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts and subsequently became a company member of the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1973. Balding and stocky-framed with cruel eyes, arched brows and a dark, sinister countenance, he reveled in Shakespearean villainy with expertly loathsome portrayals of Iago in "Othello," Tybalt in "Romeo and Juliet" and Caliban in "The Tempest" to his credit. In the 1970s Suchet began to come into his own on British TV. In classical tradition, his first TV movie was "Tale of Two Cities, The" (1980). He actually played his first detective in the Disney mystery-comedy Trenchcoat (1983). His looks were perfect for playing ethnic heavies or dignitaries in 80s films. He was a Middle Eastern terrorist in The Little Drummer Girl (1984), a Russian operative in The Falcon and the Snowman (1985), a French hunter in Harry and the Hendersons (1987), a Polish bishop in To Kill a Priest (1988) and played Napoleon himself in Sabotage! (2000). He also had some masterful TV roles portraying a number of historical, biblical and entertainment figures including Sigmund Freud in the miniseries "Freud" (1984), news reporter William L. Shirer in the biopic "Murrow" (1986), Aaron in "Moses" (1996), and movie mogul Louis B. Mayer in "RKO 281" (1999). While the Poirot mysteries would figure into much of his 90s work, Suchet also enjoyed a few potent, award-winning performances on stage, particularly his George in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" in 1996, and composer Salieri in "Amadeus" from 1998-2001, which he took to Broadway and received a Tony nomination.
|
