David Suchet
David Suchet
David Suchet, CBEis an English actor, known for his work on British stage and television. He played Edward Teller in the TV serial Oppenheimer and received the RTS and BPG awards for his performance as Augustus Melmotte in the 2001 British serial The Way We Live Now. For his role as Agatha Christie's detective Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie's Poirot, he received a 1991 British Academy of Film and Television Artsnomination...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionMovie Actor
Date of Birth2 May 1946
self-esteem character sacrifice
I love seeing my characters big up there and I would have liked to have reached a different public in movies from my television public. There's still a part of me that wishes that my character range could be seen on the big screen. Rather, as Rod Steiger was, because he was a big influence on me - about becoming other people and not worrying about your own glory or self esteem but sacrificing yourself to become somebody else.
thinking play floating
In so many roles I've played the outsider. As an outsider, you have more energy to succeed simply because you are an outsider. There are scripts floating around but they're not coming my way and I think that I am getting a little bit too old to play Napoleon. But if I was ever offered the role I would grab it.
italian outsiders would-be
So, if I ever played Napoleon it would be with an Italian accent. He was an outsider, which also interests me.
war army men
Napoleon was one of the most complex personalities in history.He was ruthless, small in stature, a bully, vulnerable, unfaithful and I think he was the first person to shoot prisoners of war so that he had food for his own army. He was absolutely single-minded but he also obviously had charm. How else could a man like him have come back as he did and have the nation rise to a man!
character people hollywood
The great exception to that, of course, is Johnny Depp, who is absolutely the ultimate character actor. Johnny Depp is the future of the character actor and thanks to his success maybe we will see the return of an era when my sort of actor is back in vogue. It's not in vogue for me to be in Hollywood movies as lots of different people.
thinking guy pimp
There are clues in the script... he will say "I think drugs are immoral"'... but the guy who says that kills, tortures, pimps and has whores working for him. There is this strange morality going on, which is rather like the Mafia.
kings pain mean
In The Godfather, for instance, they say they won't deal drugs because they have a code of behaviour. He is the last remnants of that. So playing someone like that, who is also in pain with his kidney stone, means you're beginning to find a dimension of the guy who is king and all show and the private guy who is in pain.
people able actors
I'm really not interested in showing me or playing me. My gift as an actor, given to me, is to be able to become other people.
growing-up meditation typical
I was a typical teen growing up in the 1960s, when everybody was into gurus and meditation,
men emotional blind
Although I'm a very emotional man, I just can't have blind faith, I have to find out for myself,
real character responsibility
I love playing real people. It's a huge challenge and responsibility which I take on board and which I relish. It also scares me to death. Give me a totally fictional character and I don't have the same sort of responsibility. If, though, I play Sigmund Freud or Robert Maxwell or whoever then there is a responsibility.
play actors
Inevitably, every part an actor plays contains some of himself.
murder-mysteries details boards
It's an honour to have such a wonderful international cast on board for this world famous murder mystery. Writer Stewart Harcourt has created an exquisite script. His attention to detail is impeccable.
years interesting acting
I'm 64 years old, and I've been acting now for 42 years. Only recently have I thought to myself, 'Hmmm, it may be interesting to start directing.'