Tuesday, July 21, 2009

AS SEEN ON TV: GEORGE IV

GEORGE, PRINCE REGENT
AS SEEN IN:
'The Scarlet Pimpernel' (1955)

AS PLAYED BY:
Alexander Gauge From Wikipedia:
George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was the king of Hanover and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later. From 1811 until his accession, he served as Prince Regent during his father's relapse into insanity from an illness that is now suspected to have been porphyria.


George IV is remembered largely for his extravagant lifestyle that contributed to the fashions of the British Regency. By 1797 his weight had reached 17 stone 7 pounds (111 kg or 245 lb), and by 1824 his corset was made for a waist of 50 inches (127 cm). He was a patron of new forms of leisure, style and taste. He commissioned John Nash to build the Royal Pavilion in Brighton and remodel Buckingham Palace, and Sir Jeffry Wyatville to rebuild Windsor Castle. He was largely instrumental in the foundation of the National Gallery, London and King's College London.
AS SEEN IN:
'Blackadder The Third'

AS PLAYED BY:
Hugh Laurie

On television, George IV has also been played by:

Robert Stephens in the 'BBC Play of the Month' "Kean" (1978), based on the play by Jean-Paul Sartre about the actor Edmund Kean

Peter Egan in the BBC drama series 'Prince Regent' (1979), covering his life until his ascent to the throne

Julian Fellowes in the British dramas "The Scarlet Pimpernel" (1982) and "Sharpe's Regiment" (1996), the latter based on the novel by Bernard Cornwell

David King in the episode of the Yorkshire Television drama series 'Number 10' entitled "The Iron Duke" (1983)

Roy Dotrice in the miniseries 'Shaka Zulu' (1986), based on the novel by Joshua Sinclair

Peter Schofield in the BBC series 'Vanity Fair' (1987)

James Saxon in the Yorkshire Television sitcom 'Haggard' (1990) and the British drama 'Poldark' (1996), based on the novels by Winston Graham

Richard E. Grant in the 1996 BBC docudrama "A Royal Scandal"

Roger Ashton-Griffiths in the drama series 'Vanity Fair' (1998)

Jonathan Coy in the British drama series 'The Scarlet Pimpernel' (1999)

Hugh Bonneville in the British drama "Beau Brummell: This Charming Man" (2006), based on the biography by Ian Kelly

If either Julian Fellowes or James Saxon could get one more portrayal on their resume, one of them could be the official face of George IV for Toobworld...

(Gauge's George IV is seen with Sir Percy Blakeney - AKA The Scarlet Pimpernel. Laurie's Prince Regent is seen with Edmund Blackadder.)

Two for Tuesday!

BCnU!

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