Career
Ackland joined the Old Vic, appearing alongside other notable actors including Maggie Smith, Judi Dench and Tom Courtenay. Ackland's career advanced with parts in The Sicilian, Lethal Weapon 2, The Hunt For Red October and White Mischief. He has also appeared in in Passion of Mind with Demi Moore and the 2-part TV serial Hogfather based on Terry Pratchett's Discworld. He played C. S. Lewis in the television version of Shadowlands before it was adapted into a stage play starring Nigel Hawthorne and then a theatrical film with Anthony Hopkins in the same role.
His stage roles included creating the role of Juan Perón in Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Evita opposite Elaine Paige. He also starred in the London production of Stephen Sondheim's and Hugh Wheeler's A Little Night Music with Jean Simmons and Hermione Gingold, performing on the RCA Victor original London cast album.
Ackland appears in the Pet Shop Boys' 1987 film It Couldn't Happen Here, and in the video for their version of the song Always on My Mind, which was taken from the film. Several years later, he claimed in an interview with the Radio Times that he appeared with the band purely because his grandchildren liked their music.
Ackland, in a 2001 interview with the BBC, admitting to being forced to make "awful films" due to being a workaholic, said that he "regretted" appearing in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey and the Pet Shop Boys music video, while lambasting former co-star Demi Moore as "not very bright or talented".
In 2007, with his distinctive voice, Ackland narrated and provided the voice for the Robert Garofalo biography film/documentary on notorious Occultist Aleister Crowley, titled In Search of The Great Beast 666 that was released on DVD.
Also in 2007, Ackland appeared in the film How About You opposite Vanessa Redgrave, portraying a recovering alcoholic living in a residential home after being forced to retire and losing his wife to cancer.
In 2008 he returned to the small screen as Sir Freddy Butler, a much married baronet, in the popular ITV1 whodunnit show Midsomer Murders. The episode, entitled Vixens Run also featured veteran actress Siân Phillips.
Read more about this topic: Joss Ackland
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