Crown jewel for Olivier protégé
Ronald Pickup Actor BORN JUNE 7, 1940 – DIED FEBRUARY 24, 2021, AGED 80
RONALD Pickup, known for his roles in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel films, was an accomplished stage and screen star whose career spanned half a century.
He played Neville Chamberlain in the 2017 film Darkest Hour, and the Archbishop of Canterbury in Netflix hit The Crown.
His first TV role was in Doctor Who in 1964 but his early career was defined by stage roles after he graduated from Rada.
Pickup was born in Chester and from a young age dreamt of acting alongside Laurence Olivier, after seeing him in Hamlet.
It made him an “oddball at school” as his friends idolised footballer Stanley Matthews.
However, his rendition of Olivier’s Richard III gave him “a lot of street cred” he later recalled.
It also sealed his fate. “I thought this is good stuff. I’m going to be an actor and I’m going to work with Laurence Olivier.”
He did just that, aged 24, after securing an audition with the acting legend at the National Theatre by way of the Royal Court, where he made his debut as Octavius in Julius Caesar.
He was so desperate to impress his hero that he showed off, and Olivier grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, “pulled him off his feet” and berated him.
He was grateful for the reprimand, and went on to star with Olivier in Three Sisters and Long Day’s Journey Into Night.
Pickup appeared regularly on TV from the late 1970s. His favourite role was as George Orwell in TV film Crystal Spirit: Orwell On Jura.
In 1998 he was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for a supporting role in Amy’s View in the West End.
He died peacefully following a long illness.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Lans Traverse, and their children, Simon and actress Rachel.