Sir Derek George Jacobi was born on 22 October 1938 in Leytonstone, London, England. He is an English actor.

He quickly came to the fore, and his talent was recognised by Laurence Olivier, who gave him the role of Cassio in his 1965 film of Othello. It was the title role of the BBC's blockbuster series I, Claudius (1976) that finally cemented his popular reputation.

His performance as the stammering, twitching Emperor Claudius won him many plaudits. It was a performance he would later come close to repeating in the role of Alan Turing in the stage play, Breaking the Code (1996).

Jacobi continued to play Shakespeare, notably in Kenneth Branagh's 1989 film of Henry V and in two notable productions of Hamlet, but also attracted new audiences as the detective-monk Cadfael in ITV's adaptation of the novels of Ellis Peters.

In 2002, Jacobi toured Australia in The Hollow Crown with Sir Donald Sinden, Ian Richardson and Dame Diana Rigg. Jacobi also played the role of Senator Gracchus in Gladiator and starred in the 2002 miniseries The Jury.

He played the role of Alexander Corvinus in the 2006 movie Underworld: Evolution. In 2007, he starred in The Riddle.

In March 2006, after 27 years together, he registered his civil union with long-term partner Richard Clifford.

Filmography

• "Diamonds" (2008)
• Adam Resurrected (2008)
• Morris: A Life with Bells On (2008)
• The Old Curiosity Shop (2007)
• "Doctor Who" (1 episode, 2007)
• "Mist: Sheepdog Tales" (13 episodes, 2007)
• Anastezsi (2007)
• The Riddle (2007)
• Guantanamero (2007)
• Mist: The Tale of a Sheepdog Puppy (2006)
• Pinochet in Suburbia (2006)
• Underworld: Evolution (2006)
• Nanny McPhee (2005)
• Project Huxley (2005)
• Bye Bye Blackbird (2005)
• Marple: The Murder at the Vicarage (2004)
• The Long Firm (2004)
• Strings (2004)
• London (2004)
• Cloud Cuckoo Land (2004)
• "Doctor Who: Scream of the Shalka" (2003)
• Henry VIII (2003)
• Mr. Ambassador (2003)
• Inquisition (2002)
• Two Men Went to War (2002)
• Night's Noontime (2002)
• Revengers Tragedy (2002)
• The Gathering Storm (2002)
• "The Jury" (2002)
• Gosford Park (2001)
• "Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)" (1 episode, 2001)
• Revelation (2001)
• The Diaries of Vaslav Nijinsky (2001)
• The Children's Midsummer Night's Dream (2001)
• "Frasier" (1 episode, 2001)
• The Body (2001)
• Great Escape: The Untold Story (2001)
• On Wings of Fire (2001)
• Wilfred (2000)
• Jason and the Argonauts (2000)
• Gladiator (2000)
• Up at the Villa (2000)
• The Wyvern Mystery (2000)
• Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (1999)
• "Flora Britannica" (1999)
• "Cadfael" (13 episodes, 1994-1998)
• Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon (1998)
• Basil (1998)
• Animated Epics: Beowulf (1998)
• "Great Performances" (1 episode, 1997)
• "The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends" (1 episode 1996)
• Hamlet (1996)
• Breaking the Code (1996)
• Achilles (1996)
• Witness Against Hitler (1996)
• "ABC Weekend Specials" (1 episode, 1994)
• The Vision Thing (1993)
• Circle of Deceit (1993)
• Aladdin (1992)
• Dead Again (1991)
• The Fool (1990)
• "The Storyteller: Greek Myths" (1990)
• Henry V (1989)
• The Tenth Man (1988)
• Little Dorrit (1988)
• The Secret Garden (1987)
• "Mr Pye" (1986)
• Cyrano de Bergerac (1985)
• "The Morecambe & Wise Show" (1 episode, 1983)
• Enigma (1983)
• The Secret of NIMH (1982)
• "Tales of the Unexpected" (2 episodes, 1980-1982)
• Inside the Third Reich (1982)
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1982)
• Charlotte (1981)
• Mann, der sich in Luft auflöste, Der (1980)
• Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (1980)
• The Human Factor (1979)
• "Minder" (1 episode, 1979)
• "Call My Bluff" (2 episodes, 1979)
• King Richard the Second (1978)
• The Medusa Touch (1978)
• Philby, Burgess and Maclean (1977)
• "I, Claudius" (1976)
• Markheim (1974)
• The Odessa File (1974)
• "The Pallisers" (1 episode, 1974)
• The Day of the Jackal (1973)
• "The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes" (1 episode, 1973)
• Blue Blood (1973)
• "The Strauss Family" (1972)
• "Budgie" (1 episode, 1972)
• "Man of Straw" (1972)
• Three Sisters (1970)
• Interlude (1968)
• "ITV Playhouse" (1 episode, 1968)
• Much Ado About Nothing (1967)
• Othello (1965)
• "Armchair Theatre" (1 episode, 1962)

Awards

• Broadcast Film Critics Association Award Best Acting Ensemble "Gosford Park" 2001
• Florida Film Critics Circle Award Best Ensemble "Gosford Park" 2001
• Online Film Critics Society Award Best Ensemble "Gosford Park" 2001
• The Actor Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture "Gosford Park" 2001
• Emmy Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series "Frasier" 2000 - 2001
• Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Actor in a Play "Uncle Vanya" 2000
• Emmy Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Special "The Tenth Man" 1988 - 1989
• Tony Outstanding Actor in a Play "Much Ado About Nothing" 1985
• Society of West End Theatres (SWET) Award Best Actor "Much Ado About Nothing" and "Cyrano de Bergerac" 1984
• London Critics' Circle Award Best Actor "Much Ado About Nothing" and "Cyrano de Bergerac" 1983
• BAFTA Award Best Television Actor "I, Claudius" 1977
• Country Club Award of Great Britain Best Actor "I, Claudius" 1976
• Press Guild Award Best Actor "I, Claudius" 1976
• Royal Television Society Award Best Actor "I, Claudius" 1976