Ronald Pickup

Ronald Alfred Pickup (7 June 1940 – 24 February 2021) was an English actor. He was active in television, film, and theatre, beginning with a 1964 appearance in Doctor Who. Theatre critic Michael Billington described him as "a terrific stage star and an essential member of Laurence Olivier's National Theatre company". His major screen roles included the title role in The Life of Verdi and Prince Yakimov in Fortunes of War (1987). Early life and training Pickup was born in Chester on 7 June 1940. His father, Eric, worked as a lecturer; his mother was Daisy (née Williams). Pickup attended the King's School, Chester, and went on to study English at the University of Leeds, graduating in 1962. He then trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, receiving the annual Bancroft Medal (silver) on graduation in 1964. He met his wife at RADA and became a member of the RADA Academy. Acting roles Television Pickup's television work began with an episode during the first series of Doctor Who (as a physician in part 4 of The Reign of Terror) in 1964. He was paid £30, in what is regarded as the breakthrough in his acting career. He went on to star in the BBC drama series The Dragon's Opponent in 1973, playing Charles Howard, 20th Earl of Suffolk, a World War II bomb disposal expert. In 1976, he appeared in the Thames Television serial Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill playing Lord Randolph Churchill to Lee Remick's Jennie. Almost a decade later, Pickup had the starring role as composer Giuseppe Verdi in the acclaimed The Life of Verdi, written and directed by Renato Castellani.