Jim Piddock

Jim Piddock (born April 8, 1956) is an English actor, producer and writer who began his career on the stage in the United Kingdom before emigrating to the United States in 1981.

Jim Piddock
Piddock exiting the premiere of the film Mascots at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival
Born (1956-04-08) April 8, 1956
Rochester, Kent, England
Alma materDrama Studio London
Occupation(s)Actor, producer, writer, and author
Years active1978–present
PartnerAnn Cusack
ChildrenAlexandra Piddock

Personal life

Piddock was born on April 8, 1956, in Rochester, Kent, the son of Celia Mary (née O'Callaghan) and Charles Frederick Piddock.[1]

Career

Piddock began his acting career on the stage in the UK before emigrating to the US in his early twenties. He made his US theatrical debut in a one-man show, The Boy's Own Story, in 1982. He also appeared in Lethal Weapon 2, Independence Day, The Prestige, Austin Powers in Goldmember, The Five-Year Engagement, Think Like a Man Too, and several Christopher Guest films, including Best in Show and A Mighty Wind.[2][3]

Stage career

Piddock made his theatrical debut in the US in The Boy's Own Story, a one-man show about a football goalkeeper, at the Julian Theatre in San Francisco. That same year (1982), he was cast in Noël Coward's Present Laughter, and other Broadway and Off-Broadway shows followed, including the original US production of Noises Off, The Knack at the Roundabout Theatre, Make and Break, and Design For Living.[2][3]

I spent the first few years of my career pretty much doing nothing but stage work. I started in rep companies in England then did a one-man show in the US which led very quickly to doing several Broadway shows. I got very lucky early on. They were fun shows to do. I was in the first ever production of Noises Off in America and my first ever job in New York was being directed by and appearing with George C. Scott.[4]

In November 2007, he appeared at the Ricardo Montalbán Theatre in Hollywood, starring on stage in a production of What About Dick? alongside an all British expat cast, including Billy Connolly, Tim Curry, Eric Idle, Eddie Izzard, Jane Leeves, Emily Mortimer and Tracey Ullman.[5] When the play officially premiered in 2012, with the addition of Russell Brand, he was again in the cast.[6] He also appeared in 2009 at the Montalban Theatre and on Broadway in An Evening Without Monty Python.[2][3]

Piddock attending a Test match between England and Australia at Lord's cricket ground in 2019

Film and television career

Of his transition into television, Piddock said:

I'd always wanted to end up working in film and TV. I guess I could have stayed in New York and probably had a long and fruitful career in the theatre but in the mid-1980s I felt like it was time to change gears and I'd certainly not been short-changed in terms of getting to perform live.[7]

He has appeared in close to a hundred TV shows, including The Haunting of Bly Manor, Modern Family, A Confession, Designated Survivor, Get Shorty, Training Day, Mom, Childrens Hospital, The Royals, Touch, Two and a Half Men, Castle, ER, Law & Order: LA, Party Down, Chuck, Dollhouse, Without a Trace, Monk, Lost, Crossing Jordan, Citizen Baines, Friends, Yes, Dear, Angel, The Geena Davis Show, Murder She Wrote, Coach, Tour of Duty, Max Headroom, and The Twilight Zone. He has also appeared in several TV films and mini-series, including From The Earth to the Moon, A Mom for Christmas, She Creature on HBO, and The Women of Windsor.[2][3] He also created, wrote and produced the BBC series Too Much Sun.[2][3]

His film appearances include Get Him to the Greek, Woody Allen's You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. Falling Up, The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising, Who's Your Caddy?, Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans, The Prestige, Love for Rent, A Different Loyalty, See This Movie, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Multiplicity, Independence Day, Traces of Red, and Lethal Weapon 2. He also appeared in the Christopher Guest comedies Best in Show as the Dog Show commentator with Fred Willard, A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration, and Mascots, the last of which he co-wrote and produced.[2][3]

Voice work

As a voice actor, Piddock provided the voice of Major Zero in the English version of the video game Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater as well as Agent One in Return to Castle Wolfenstein for Xbox and PlayStation 2. In film he provided the voice of Bolero the Bull in the film Garfield 2 and of Kenneth Loring, the fictional artistic director of Forever Young Films, in the commentary of the directors' cut of the Coen brothers' Blood Simple. He also voiced the part of King Mufasa's hornbill majordomo, Zazu in the Disney games Timon & Pumbaa's Jungle Games and The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure, Batman's butler, Alfred Pennyworth, in the DC Comics animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood, and voiced Chic for the animated science fiction film Dead Space: Downfall, based on the video game Dead Space.[8]

Later work

Piddock appeared in 2012's The Five-Year Engagement, which starred Jason Segel and Emily Blunt, playing Blunt's father, The Cold Light of Day starring Henry Cavill, Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver, 1915, Kill Your Friends, and The Dictator with Sacha Baron Cohen.[2][3]

In August 2012, it was announced[9] that Piddock would be co-writing, acting, and producing a new TV comedy series with Christopher Guest for HBO and the BBC titled Family Tree.[2][3] The show subsequently aired in 2013.

On 13 October 2016, Mascots, which he also co-wrote with Guest, stars in, and produced, premiered on Netflix. Since then he has appeared in several television shows, including Modern Family, Designated Survivor, Get Shorty, Training Day, Blunt Talk, and The Royals.

In 2021, he played Captain Carradine in the film Haunting of the Queen Mary, which was shot in the UK and the US and is due to be released in 2022.

Writing and producing

Piddock wrote the story for and produced Tooth Fairy in 2010, New Line's action-comedy The Man, One Good Turn, Traces of Red, and the Cold War romantic thriller A Different Loyalty starring Rupert Everett and Sharon Stone, and which Piddock played a supporting role in.

In November 2019, it was announced that his screenplay Frankel would begin shooting in 2022 with Jeremy Irons playing the lead role of Sir Henry Cecil.[10]

Author

His light-hearted and irreverent memoir, CAUGHT WITH MY PANTS DOWN and Other Tales from a Life in Hollywood, chronicling his four decades in the entertainment industry, is being released on March 23, 2022, in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats. British comedian, actor, and writer, Russell Brand said of the book: "Jim has done that rare thing that perhaps only Michael Caine and David Niven have done before; conjured a funny, inclusive, whimsical, and magical tale." American actress Jean Smart wrote: "This laugh-out-loud book... entertains endlessly and most wisely". And British actor Hugh Bonneville described it as "hilarious, passionate, beautifully told, and memorably waspish."

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1989Lethal Weapon 2Consulate Envoy
1992Traces of RedMr. MartynAlso writer
1996Independence DayReginald
1996MultiplicityMaitre d'
1997Burn Hollywood BurnAttendant #1
2000Best in ShowTrevor Beckwith
2002Austin Powers in GoldmemberHeadmaster
2003A Mighty WindLeonard Crabbe
2004See This MovieMartin Hughes
2004A Different LoyaltyGeorge QuennellAlso writer and co-producer
2005Love for RentFrank Bauman
2005Death to the SupermodelsSelf-help RyanVoice, direct-to-video
2006Garfield: A Tail of Two KittiesBoleroVoice[11]
2006For Your ConsiderationSimon Whitset
2006The PrestigeProsecutor
2007Epic MovieMagneto
2007Who's Your Caddy?Harrington
2007The Seeker: The Dark Is RisingOld George
2008Meet the SpartansLoyalist / Simon Cowell Look-Alike
2008Dead Space: DownfallChicVoice, direct-to-video[11]
2009Falling UpPhillip Dowling
2009Endless BummerMr. Newell
2010You Will Meet a Tall Dark StrangerPeter Wicklow
2010Get Him to the GreekLimousine Driver in London
2010Batman: Under the Red HoodAlfred PennyworthVoice, direct-to-video[11]
2012The Cold Light of DayMeckler
2012The Five-Year EngagementGeorge Barnes
2012The DictatorUnknownUncredited
2014Think Like a Man TooDeclan
20151915Jeffrey
2015Kill Your FriendsDerek Sommers
2016MascotsOwen Golly, Sr.Also writer and executive producer

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1985WildsideBank RobberEpisode: "The Crimea of the Century"
1985The Twilight ZoneBrianEpisode: "Take My Life... Please!/Devil's Alphabet/The Library"
1986FameThe Record ProducerEpisode: "Fame and Fortune"
1987The Tracey Ullman ShowDerrick2 episodes
1988Max HeadroomMr. KellyEpisode: "Neurostim"
1988CBS Summer PlayhouseHankEpisode: "Old Money"
1989Tour of DutyMaj. ShadlowEpisode: "Lonely at the Top"
1990A Mom for ChristmasWilkinsTelevision film
1990–1991CoachAlan / Attendant2 episodes
1993Murder, She WroteMalcolm BrookerEpisode: "Murder in White"
1994–1996Mad About YouLogic Professor / Hal Conway7 episodes
1997–1998Team Knight RiderMax Amendas2 episodes
1998From the Earth to the MoonJohn HodgeEpisode: "Can We Do This?"
1998The New Batman AdventuresMartinVoice, episode: "Cult of the Cat"[11]
1999Tracey Takes On...VicarEpisode: "Hair"
2000The Geena Davis ShowMr. LevensteinEpisode: "Piece of Cake"
2000AngelThe ValetEpisode: "The Trial"
2001Yes, DearVetEpisode: "Worst in Show"
2001FriendsDennis PhillipsEpisode: "The One After I Do"
2001She CreatureCaptain DunnTelevision film
2001Citizen BainesLarryEpisode: "The Appraisal"
2002Maybe It's MeJudge ParksEpisode: "The Quahog Festival Episode"
2002The Drew Carey ShowLord Mercer4 episodes
2002ERDr. Earl WhiteheadEpisode: "Chaos Theory"
2003Crossing JordanNorman GibsonEpisode: "Family Ties"
2004The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me LunchTroy NixonTelevision film
2005LostFrancis HeathertonEpisode: "Homecoming"
2006That '70s ShowTV AnnouncerVoice, episode: "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"; uncredited
2006MonkJake ColbertEpisode: "Mr. Monk Can't See a Thing"
2007Without a TraceDr. McNeilEpisode: "Claus and Effect"
2008The MiddlemanArthur MendelsonEpisode: "The Cursed Tuba Contingency"
2009DollhouseBizEpisode: "Stage Fright"
2009–2011Batman: The Brave and the BoldDoctor Sivana, Dr. Watson, Shazam4 episodes[11]
2010ChuckCurator of Classical ArtEpisode: "Chuck Versus the Mask"
2010Ben 10: Ultimate AlienKing Urien, Color Commentator, Chair UmpireVoice, episode: "Duped"
2010Party DownLeland CorkeEpisode: "Not on Your Wife Opening Night"
2010Law & Order: LAJay BicksonEpisode: "Hollywood"
2010CastleLord HenryEpisode: "Punked"
2011Up All NightMatthew TaylorEpisode: "New Car"
2011Two and a Half MenEdwardEpisode: "One False Move, Zimbabwe!"
2012TouchDr. KnoxEpisode: "Zone of Exclusion"
2012Childrens HospitalCyrus MittlemanEpisode: "British Hospital"
2013Family TreeMr. Pfister5 episodes; also writer and executive producer
2013NTSF:SD:SUV::Hobson ChippsEpisode: "Hawaii Die-0"
2013Work ItCarlEpisode: "My So-Called Mid-Life Crisis"
2014Turbo FastSir Reginald, Rich Man #2Voice, episode: "The Escargot Affair"[11]
2014Franklin & BashDean CassedayEpisode: "Spirits in the Material World"
2014MomKennethEpisode: "Forged Resumes and the Recommended Dosage"
2015Man Seeking WomanUnknownEpisode: "Stain"
2015Marry MeChuckEpisode: "Date Me"
2015Instant MomDr. Ian HouserEpisode: "Ghost Busted"
2015Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesLord Simultaneous, Sir John, Overmind, WarbotVoice, 2 episodes[11]
2015The GrinderBarrister CromwellEpisode: "Buckingham Malice"
2015The RoyalsTruman2 episodes
2016Blunt TalkUnknownEpisode: "Your Therapist and His Pussy Are Here"
2017ElementaryTom SaundersVoice, episode: "Fidelity"; uncredited
2017Training DayAbel CribbsEpisode: "Sunset"
2017The Tom and Jerry ShowAlistairVoice, episode: "Downton Tabby/Growing Pains/Toodle Boom"
2017Get ShortyJulian PynterEpisode: "A Man of Letters"
2017Designated SurvivorDr. RuneEpisode: "Line of Fire"
2018Modern FamilyMalcolm FennermanEpisode: "The Escape"
2019A ConfessionJudge Griffith WilliamsEpisode #1.6
2020The Haunting of Bly ManorFather StackEpisode: "The Pupil"

Video games

YearTitleVoice roleNotes
1995 Shannara Leah Servant [11]
2001The Lion King: Simba's Mighty AdventureZazu[11]
2002The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingBilbo Baggins, Elrond[11]
2004The Bard's TaleAdditional voices[12]
2004Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake EaterMajor ZeroEnglish dub[11]
2006Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
2010The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's QuestElrond, Bilbo Baggins[11]
2011The Lord of the Rings: War in the North[11]
2012Lego The Lord of the Rings
2013Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics AdventureAlfred Pennyworth[11]

References

  1. "Jim Piddock Biography (1956-)". www.filmreference.com.
  2. "Jim Piddock Biography". Film Reference.
  3. "Jim Piddock". Hollywood.com. 20 April 2022.
  4. Willoughby, Shane. "Major Zero Speaks!". The Gaming Liberty. Archived from the original on 19 January 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  5. "Eric Idle Workshops 'What About Dick?' with Izzard, Curry". Broadway World. 12 October 2007.
  6. Gioia, Michael (26 April 2012). "What About Dick?, With Russell Brand, Eddie Izzard, Jane Leeves, Tracey Ullman, Offered 26–29 April in L.A." Playbill.
  7. Willloughby, Shane. "Major Zero Speaks!". The Gaming Liberty.
  8. Willoughby, Shane (15 January 2011). "Major Zero Speaks! An Intervie with Jim Piddock". The Gaming Liberty. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014.
  9. Morris, Clint. "Christopher Guest, Jim Piddock & Chris O'Dowd plant Family Tree". Moviehole. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  10. Kay, Jeremy. "Jeremy Irons to star as racehorse trainer Sir Henry Cecil in 'Frankel' for WaZabi Films (exclusive)". Screen. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  11. "Jim Piddock (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 23 October 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
  12. InXile Entertainment. The Bard’s Tale. InXile Entertainment. Scene: Ending credits, 2:10:21 in, More Great Talent.
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