32 Facts About Ian Richardson

Ian Richardson portrayed the Machiavellian Tory politician Francis Urquhart in the BBC's House of Cards television trilogy.

Ian Richardson was educated in the city, at Balgreen Primary School, Tynecastle High School and George Heriot's School.

Ian Richardson first appeared on stage at the age of 14, in an amateur production of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities.

Ian Richardson's mother arranged elocution lessons, and he became a stage manager with the semi-professional Edinburgh People's Theatre.

Ian Richardson was a versatile member of the company for more than 15 years, playing villainy, comedy and tragedy to equal effect.

Ian Richardson played the hero, Tom Wrench, a small-part player who wants to write about "real people".

Ian Richardson cited the role of Berowne as one of his all-time favorite parts.

Ian Richardson appeared on Broadway as onstage narrator in the original production of Edward Albee's play Lolita, an adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's book that was not critically well received.

In 2002, Richardson joined Sir Derek Jacobi, Sir Donald Sinden and Dame Diana Rigg in an international tour of The Hollow Crown.

Ian Richardson appeared in The Creeper by Pauline Macaulay at the Playhouse Theatre in London, and on tour.

Ian Richardson played Bertram in John Barton's television version of All's Well That Ends Well in 1968, as well as playing Oberon in the Peter Hall film of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Ian Richardson took part in the television production of John Mortimer's A Voyage Round My Father in Plays of Today in 1969 as well as appeared in the television adaptation of The Canterbury Tales.

Ian Richardson played one musical role on film, the Priest in Man of La Mancha, the 1972 screen version of the Broadway musical.

Ian Richardson appeared in BBC radio plays, notably in 'The House on the Strand' by Daphne du Maurier, in 1973.

Ian Richardson again played the part of Field Marshal Montgomery in Churchill and the Generals in 1979, a BBC television videotaped play concerning the relationship between Winston Churchill and generals of the Allied forces between 1940 and 1945.

Ian Richardson performed the role of Sherlock Holmes for two of six planned television movies, The Sign of Four and The Hound of the Baskervilles, in 1983, which were both critically acclaimed.

Ian Richardson appeared in Brazil and played Jawaharlal Nehru in the television serial, Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy.

Ian Richardson portrayed Anthony Blunt, the Soviet spy and Surveyor of The King's Pictures in the BBC film Blunt: the Fourth Man opposite Anthony Hopkins as Guy Burgess.

Ian Richardson played Sir Nigel Irvine in John Mackenzie's adaptation of Frederick Forsyth's novel The Fourth Protocol.

Ian Richardson appeared in commercials for Grey Poupon Dijon mustard in the United States in his role as Prime Minister Francis Urquhart, opposite Paul Eddington as Prime Minister Jim Hacker.

Ian Richardson won the BAFTA Best Television Actor Award for his portrayal in the first series, House of Cards, and was nominated for both of the sequels To Play the King and The Final Cut.

Ian Richardson received another BAFTA film nomination for his role as Falkland Islands governor Sir Rex Hunt in the film An Ungentlemanly Act, and played corrupt politician Michael Spearpoint, British Director of the European Economic Community, in the satirical series The Gravy Train and The Gravy Train Goes East.

Ian Richardson narrated the BBC docudrama A Royal Scandal.

In 1999, Richardson became known to a young audience as the main character Stephen Tyler in both series of the family drama The Magician's House.

Ian Richardson played the Judge in the family-based film, The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby.

Ian Richardson returned to this role for a sequel the following Easter.

In December 2006, Ian Richardson starred in Sky One's two-part adaptation of the Terry Pratchett novel Hogfather.

Ian Richardson voiced the main character of the novel, Death, who steps in to take over the role of the Father Christmas-like Hogfather.

Ian Richardson died in his sleep of a heart attack on the morning of 9 February 2007, aged 72.

Ian Richardson was survived by his wife, Maroussia Frank, an actress, and two sons, one of whom, Miles, is an actor.

Ian Richardson's ashes were placed in the foundation of the auditorium of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford during renovations in 2008.

Ian Richardson was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1989 New Year Honours.