The veteran actor on dancing with Helen Mirren, starring in Roger Michell’s final film, and why he turned down the role of Del Boy… and an OBE
Actor Jim Broadbent, 72, was born in Lincolnshire and studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (Lamda). He was initially known for theatre and TV work before getting his film breakthrough in Mike Leigh’s Life Is Sweet. He won an Oscar for Iris, and Baftas for both Longford and Moulin Rouge. He now stars in crime caper The Duke – the true story of taxi driver Kempton Bunton, who reputedly stole Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in 1961.
The Duke is director Roger Michell’s final film [Michell died last September]. Was he a colleague who became a friend?
Yes, Roger was delightful. Everyone in front or behind the camera, on stage or backstage, wanted to carry on working with him – that’s a measure of how lovely he was. In a way, it’s a pleasure and privilege to be in his final film, so we can show his story to the world and celebrate him.
