Edward Fox has joined the cast of The Audience, following the announcement earlier today that Robert Hardy has been forced to withdraw due to injury.
Fox steps into the role of Winston Churchill at the eleventh hour with Peter Morgan’s play due to premiere to the press next Tuesday following previews which began on 15 February.
Stephen Daldry, director of the drama that stars Helen Mirren as Elizabeth II, said: “We are incredibly fortunate that at very short notice Edward Fox has kindly agreed to step in. We are particularly lucky to find an actor of such stature and great authority to play Winston Churchill and we are delighted to welcome Edward to the Company.”
Awarded an OBE in 2003 for his services to theatre and British cinema, the renowned actor was last seen on stage in Trollope In Barsetshire at the Riverside Studios and returns to the West End following his last outing in 2008’s Legal Fictions.
Fox’s career has spanned more than six decades and has seen him star in numerous high profile productions on the London stage including David Hare’s Knuckle, The Family Reunion at the Vaudeville theatre, Harold Pinter’s production of Simon Gray’s The Old Masters and A Letter Of Resignation, in which he starred as another of England’s historical political figures, Harold Macmillan.
A BAFTA Award-winning screen performer, Fox’s most iconic film roles include appearances in The Go Between, Oh! What A Lovely War, Day Of The Jackal, A Bridge Too Far, The Shooting Party, Ghandi and The Importance Of Being Ernest. He is also a familiar on television, well known for his performances in Edward And Mrs Simpson, Daniel Deronda, Oliver Twist and Hard Times.
Morgan’s play sees Mirren return to the role of Elizabeth II, following the writer’s 2006 film The Queen, to explore the weekly secret meetings held by the head of state and the Prime Minister.
Fox joins a cast including Haydn Gwynne, Nathaniel Parker, Paul Ritter and Rufus Wright, all of whom will portray other heads of government who have worked alongside the Queen during her reign.