Born: August 6, 1947
Age: 77
Birthplace: Zürich, Switzerland
Oliver Tobias (born 6 August 1947) is a Swiss-born UK-based film, stage, and television actor and director.
Born Oliver Tobias Freitag in Zürich, Switzerland, he is the son of the Austrian-Swiss actor Robert Freitag and the German actress Maria Becker. He came to the United Kingdom at the age of eight and trained at East 15 Acting School, London. In 1968, he appeared in the original London production of Hair, playing the prime rebel role of Berger. The following year, he starred in, directed, and choreographed the rock opera in Amsterdam and, in 1970, directed a production in Tel Aviv.
Tobias's first role was in the feature film Romance of a Horsethief, co-starring with Yul Brynner, Serge Gainsbourg and Eli Wallach. He then co-starred with Charlotte Rampling in the Jacobean tragedy 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, a film directed by Giuseppe Patroni Griffi. He became popular as Arthur in the TV series Arthur of the Britons (1972). Peter Weir then directed him in the TV series Luke's Kingdom.
Many other successful films followed, including The Stud in 1978 in which he co-starred with Joan Collins, helping her to restart her career. In 1981, he starred in the British television series Dick Turpin's Greatest adventure, where he played the character Noll Bridger, a Colonial North American. Tobias also starred in Smuggler (1981) a children's drama series, set in Cornwall in 1801.Oliver also appeared as The Devil in the promotional video for Ultravox's 1982 hit "Hymn".
In 1991, Tobias starred alongside Charles Gray in the sci-fi movie "Firestar - First Contact" for Ice International Films. In 1996, Tobias played Rebecque, an aide to the Prince of Orange (Paul Bettany), in Sharpe's Waterloo. In 1998, he played Bassa Selim in Mozart in Turkey. In 2000, he starred in the West End musical La Cava. Three years later, he portrayed Percival Brown in the 50th anniversary production of The Boy Friend and the next year toured in the rock musical Footloose. In 2005, he finished shooting the film An Airfield in England. He has been acting in a variety of roles for German and Swiss TV and has recently reprised the role of Bassa Selim in Mozart's Seraglio at the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari, Italy. Tobias is famous for his voiceover work and was the narrator on the opening track of DJ Shadow's 2006 album The Outsider.
Tobias is divorced from Camilla Ravenshear, with whom he had one daughter, Angelika. In 2001, he married Polish-born Arabella Zamoyska, with whom he has two boys. They live in London.
Year | Film | Role |
---|---|---|
1969 | Arthur? Arthur! | Peter 'Bobo' Jackson |
1970 | Romance of a Horsethief | Zanvill Kradnik |
1971 | 'Tis Pity She's a Whore | Giovanni |
1973 | The God King | General Miara |
1978 | The Stud | Tony Blake |
1979 | Arabian Adventure | Prince Hasan |
1979 | A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square | Foxy |
1983 | The Wicked Lady | Kit Locksby |
1986 | Operation Nam (Cobra Mission) | Richard Wagner |
1986 | Johann Strauss: The King Without a Crown | Johann Strauss |
1993 | Nexus | |
1994 | Vendetta | Colonel de Piemonte |
1994 | Savage Hearts | Country Gent |
1997 | Breeders | Police Lt. Moore |
1997 | Darkness Falls | The Money Dealer |
1998 | The Brylcreem Boys | Hans Jorg Wolff |
1998 | Mozart in Turkey | Bassa Selim |
1999 | Grizzly Falls | Genet |
2003 | Half-Empty | Lead |
2003 | Method | Teddy |
2005 | An Airfield in England | Writer/Director |
2015 | Dad's Army | Cameo |
Year | Television Series | Role |
---|---|---|
1972-1973 | Arthur of the Britons | King Arthur |
1974 | Luke's Kingdom | Luke Firbeck |
1977 | Jesus of Nazareth | Joel |
1980 | Smuggler | Jack Vincent |
1985 | Robin of Sherwood | Bertrand de Nivelle |
1985 | The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | Captain Crocker |
1986 | Mountain Men: A Dangerous Kind of Love | Melchior Anderegg |
1986 | Adventurer | Jack Vincent |
1988 | Boon | |
1989 | Der Schattenspieler | |
1992-1993 | Flash - Der Fotoreporter | Flash |
1992 | Glückliche Reise | Guest Star |
1992 | Donauprinzessin | Rick Reimers |
1993 | Das Traumschiff | Guest Star |
1993 | Eurocops | Crook |
1995 | The Knock II | Alan Montfort |
1996 | Sharpe's Waterloo | Colonel Rebecque |
1997 | Real Women | Guest Star |
1998 | Klinik unter Palmen | Mexican Surgeon |
1999 | Der Bestseller | Miguel Gonzales |
2002 | Holby City | |
2005 | Unter weißen Segeln | Yussuf Arazi |
2006 | Mord in bester Gesellschaft | Comissario Santa Cruz |
2006 | Abschiedsmorgen | Father |
2008 | Hunkeler macht Sachen | Thomas Garzoni |