David Morrissey: Gazumped by Willoughby in Sense and Sensibility

In an interview with BBC Press last season, David Morrissey observed about Colonel Brandon, the character he played in Sense and Sensibility, "Just as he’s starting to form an idea of himself with Marianne he’s gazumped, really, thwarted by his rival, and has to take a back step. He then tries to be honourable, even though his rival is somebody he knows is not right for this girl."

When approached to play the part, David quickly signed on, having been a "massive fan" of Andrew Davies for years. As prolific an actor as Dominic Cooper (see post sitting below), David can most recently be seen as Norfolk, the scheming uncle in The Other Boleyn Girl. He also played the London psychiatrist opposite Sharon Stone's deadly character in Basic Instinct 2, and in Hilary and Jackie and Captain Corelli's Mandolin. David is a regular fixture on British television, and viewers will recognize him from State of Play, Blackpool, and most recently, Cape of Wrath. David's success lies in his ability to immerse himself in his characters. "At 43, he's one of Britain's most in-demand character actors, strangely familiar yet oddly unrecognisable, despite the fact that he's cornered the market in ordinary-men-in-extraordinary-turmoil roles over the past few years," Stuart Husband recently wrote in The Telegraph.

Wishing to embrace all aspects of his craft, David has also branched out into directing, and owns his own production company, Tubedale. His partner of almost twenty years is the novelist Esther Freud, author of The Hideous Kinky, great granddaughter of Sigmund Freud, and daughter of Lucien Freud, who is regarded as one of Britain's greatest painter. They have three children.

David's appeal as the Colonel is enormous, as this YouTube video attests. As Colonel Brandon, we all know that hunky David gets the girl in the end.

• Click on this link to read a short biography, view Flickr photos of set scenes and a series of video clips about David, or see a filmography.
  

• David Morrissey, Honorary Fellowship, Liverpool John Moores University, Oration by Frank Sanderson
  

• 2005 UK Guardian Interview
  

• David Morrissey: The Incredible Disappearing Man, UK Telegraph, March 2008
  

• Images: David Morrissey and Esther Freud

Posted by Ms. Place