PETER SALLIS (Wallace)
RALPH FIENNES (Victor Quartermaine)
HELENA BONHAM CARTER (Lady Tottington)
PETER KAY (PC Mackintosh)
NICHOLAS SMITH (Reverend Clement Hedges)
LIZ SMITH (Mrs. Mulch)
Lady Tottington (HELENA BONHAM CARTER) tries to keep the Golden Carrot out of the hands of Victor Quartermaine (RALPH FIENNES) in the clay animated comedy WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT, a presentation of DreamWorks Animation and Aardman Features.
Photos courtesy DreamWorks Distribution LLC.
PETER SALLIS (Wallace) has provided the distinctive voice of the cheese-loving inventor Wallace in all of Aardman’s award-winning “Wallace & Gromit” animated shorts, beginning with 1989’s Oscar®-nominated “A Grand Day Out,” and continuing in the Academy Award®-winning shorts: “The Wrong Trousers,” in 1993; and “A Close Shave,” in 1995. He also voiced Wallace in the Wallace & Gromit mini-shorts, collectively known as “Cracking Contraptions.”
Most recently, Sallis completed a cameo role in the upcoming film “Colour Me Kubrick,” starring John Malkovich. He also co-starred in the ITV drama “Belonging,” with Brenda Blethyn, and was a guest lead on the BBC series “Doctors.”
Sallis has been acting for more than 60 years, beginning as an amateur during a stint in the RAF during World War II. Immediately after the war, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and, in 1946, made his first professional appearance on the London stage in Richard Sheridan’s “The Scheming Lieutenant.” He then toured in “The School for Scandal,” before returning to London’s West End in “The Three Sisters,” with Ralph Richardson. Other West End appearances followed, including “The Dark is Light Enough,” with Edith Evans; Orsen Welles’ production of “Moby Dick”; “Look After Lulu,” with Vivien Leigh; “Rhinoceros,” with Laurence Olivier; “Two Stars for Comfort”; “A Shot in the Dark,” with Judi Dench; Hal Prince’s production of “She Loves Me”; “Wait Until Dark,” as Roat, opposite Honor Blackman; and “Cabaret.”
His additional theatre work includes the role of Mr. Bennett in “Pride & Prejudice,” at the Old Vic; Elijah Moshinsky’s production of “The Three Sisters,” at Greenwich; and “Ivanov” and “Much Ado About Nothing” at The Strand. He also spent two seasons at the Lyric, Hammersmith. In the United States, Sallis has been seen on Broadway in Hal Prince’s production of “Baker Street,” as Dr. Watson, and in John Osborn’s “Inadmissible Evidence,” with Nicol Williamson.
On television, Sallis is perhaps best known for the role of Norman Clegg in the series “Last of the Summer Wine,” which is the BBC’s longest-running program. He more recently portrayed his character’s own father in the spinoff series “First of the Summer Wine.” Peter also played the title role in the BBC’s production of “The Diary of Samuel Pepys.” His other television credits include “Come Home Charlie and Face Them,” “Holby City,” “Rumpole of the Bailey,” “The New Statesman,” “The Bretts,” “Mountain Men,” “Strangers and Brothers,” “The Pallisers,” “Bel Ami,” “The Moonstone,” “Leave It to Charlie,” “She Loves Me,” and installments of “Armchair Theatre.”
Sallis has also had roles in such films as “Witness for the Prosecution,” “Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?,” “Full Circle,” “The Incredible Sarah,” “Taste the Blood of Dracula,” 1970’s “Wuthering Heights,” “Inadmissible Evidence,” “Charlie Bubbles,” “The V.I.P.s,” “The Mouse on the Moon” and “The Curse of the Werewolf.”
In addition, together with his wife, Elaine, Sallis has written plays for the radio, as well as his own adaptation of Boucicault’s “Old Heads and Young Hearts,” which was presented at the Chichester Festival Theatre.
RALPH FIENNES (Victor Quartermaine) is an award-winning actor of the stage and screen. He next stars in the indie films “The Constant Gardener” and “The Chumscrubber,” which debuted at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. He also stars in “Chromophobia, which premiered as the closing night film at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. This fall Fiennes stars in two very different films: first starring in James Ivory’s “The White Countess,” with Vanessa Redgrave and Natasha Richardson; and then playing the dreaded Lord Voldemort in the much-anticipated blockbuster “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.”
A two-time Academy Award® nominee, he earned his first nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 1994 for his performance in Steven Spielberg’s Oscar®-winning Best Picture “Schindler’s List.” Fiennes’ chilling portrayal of the cruel Nazi Commandant Amon Goeth also brought him a Golden Globe nomination and a BAFTA Award, as well as Best Supporting Actor honors from numerous critics groups, including the National Society of Film Critics, and the New York, Chicago, Boston and London Film Critics.
Fiennes received his second Oscar® nomination in 1997, this time for Best Actor, for his work in another Best Picture winner, Anthony Minghella’s “The English Patient.” He also garnered Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations, as well as two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, one for Best Actor and another shared with the cast. In 2000, Fiennes was recognized with BAFTA and London Critics Circle Award nominations for his role in Neil Jordan’s “The End of the Affair.”
Fiennes’ film credits also include “Maid in Manhattan,” opposite Jennifer Lopez; “Red Dragon”; Neil Jordan’s “The Good Thief”; David Cronenberg’s “Spider”; Martha Fiennes’ “Onegin,” which he also executive produced; Istvan Szabo’s “Sunshine”; “The Avengers”; “Oscar and Lucinda”; “Strange Days”; Robert Redford’s “Quiz Show”; and “Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights,” in which he made his film debut.
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, Fiennes began his career on the London stage. He joined Michael Rudman’s company at the Royal National Theatre and later spent two seasons with the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 1994, Fiennes opened as Hamlet in Jonathan Kent’s sold-out production of the play, which became one of the theatrical events of the year. When the production moved to Broadway, Fiennes won a Tony Award for his performance. He reunited with Kent in the acclaimed London production of “Ivanov,” later taking the play to Moscow.
In 2000, Fiennes returned to the London stage in the title roles of “Richard II” and “Coriolanus,” and in a cameo in Kenneth Branagh’s production of “The Play I Wrote” on London’s West End. He is currently on tour in Deborah Warner’s production of “Julius Caesar” and, in early 2006, will again team with director Jonathan Kent for Brian Friels’ “Faith Healer,” which will premiere at Dublin’s Gate Theatre before going to Broadway.
HELENA BONHAM CARTER (Lady Tottington) has starred in a wide range of film and television projects both in the United States and in her native England. This summer she co-starred with Johnny Depp in the smash hit “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” for director Tim Burton. Bonham Carter will next be heard voicing the title role in the stop-motion animated film “Corpse Bride,” which reunites her with Burton and Depp. The film is due out in September 2005. She also stars opposite Aaron Eckhart in the live-action film “Conversations with Other Women.” Bonham Carter will have a dual presence at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival, as both that film and “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” are screening there.
In 1997, Bonham Carter starred in Iain Softley’s romantic period drama “The Wings of the Dove,” based on the novel by Henry James. For her performance in that film, she was honored with Academy Award®, Golden Globe, BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Actress. She also won Best Actress Awards from a number of critics organizations, including the Los Angeles Film Critics, Broadcast Film Critics, National Board of Review and London Film Critics Circle.
Bonham Carter made her feature film debut in the title role of Trevor Nunn’s historical biopic “Lady Jane,” as the doomed young woman who reigned as Queen of England for only nine days. She had barely wrapped production on that film when director James Ivory offered her the lead in “A Room With a View,” based on the book by E.M. Forster. Bonham Carter went on to receive acclaim in two more screen adaptations of Forster novels: Charles Sturridge’s “Where Angels Fear to Tread” and James Ivory’s “Howard’s End,” for which she earned her first BAFTA Award nomination.
Her early film work also includes Franco Zeffirelli’s “Hamlet,” in which she played Ophelia, opposite Mel Gibson; “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,” directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh; and Woody Allen’s “Mighty Aphrodite.” Bonham Carter has more recently starred in the acclaimed drama “Big Fish” and the sci-fi actioner “Planet of the Apes,” both for director Tim Burton; the independent features “Till Human Voices Wake Us,” “The Heart of Me” and “Novocaine”; and David Fincher’s controversial drama “Fight Club,” with Brad Pitt and Edward Norton.
Bonham Carter has also gained recognition for her work on television. She earned both Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominations for her performance in the Gulf War drama “Live From Baghdad” and for her role in the miniseries “Merlin.” She received her first Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of Marina Oswald in the historical miniseries “Fatal Deception: Mrs. Lee Harvey Oswald.” Bonham Carter more recently played Anne Boleyn in the British miniseries “Henry VIII,” and just finished filming “Magnificent Seven,” for the BBC.
PETER KAY (PC Mackintosh) has emerged as one of England’s most popular comedy stars. He recently wrote, directed and starred in the series “Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere,” for which he won a Montreux Award for Best Comedy Actor. He is currently working on the release of the series on DVD.
Kay’s first big break as a writer/performer came on a mock-documentary style comedy entitled “The Services,” broadcast as part of Channel 4’s “Comedy Lab.” His inimitable style led to his first series, “That Peter Kay Thing,” which premiered to great critical acclaim in early 2000 and won Kay the Best New Comedy Series Award at the British Comedy Awards.
Following that success, Kay co-wrote, co-produced and starred as three characters in “Phoenix Nights,” a six-part comedy-drama, which originally aired in early 2001 and was later released on DVD due to overwhelming demand. Kay also made his directorial debut during the the second season of “Phoenix Nights,” which won the People’s Choice Award at The British Comedy Awards, and was nominated for Best Television Comedy. In addition, Kay won the award for Best Writer, and earned a nomination for Best Comedy Actor. He was also recognized with two BAFTA Award nominations for Best Comedy Performance and Best Situation Comedy.
Kay’s additional acting credits include the films “The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse” and Michael Winterbottom’s “24 Hour Party People”; the television miniseries “Butterfly Collectors”; and episodes of such series as “Coronation Street” and “Linda Green.” He is also well known in England as the “John Smith Man” for his series of popular commercials.
Born and raised in Bolton, Lancashire, England, Kay started out as a stand-up comedian. He had been performing stand-up for less than a year when he won Channel 4’s “So You Think You’re Funny?” competition in 1997. In 1998, he was nominated for the prestigious Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and for Top Stand Up and Top TV Comedy Newcomer at the British Comedy Awards.
The following year, Kay embarked on a sold-out tour of the North West of England and starred in his first live stand-up video, “Peter Kay Live From the Top of the Tower.” His hugely popular “Mum Wants a Bungalow Live Tour,” began in September 2002 with 75 sold-out nights around the country, and continued selling out during its five-month run. The tour culminated in a record-breaking performance at the Manchester Evening News Arena in July 2003. The resulting television special, “Peter Kay Live at Manchester Arena,” was seen by more than seven million viewers. The “Mum Wants a Bungalow” tour also spawned the DVD “Peter Kay Life at Bolton Albert Halls.” Kay also recorded a remake of Tony Christie’s classic hit “Is This The Way to Amarillo” for Comic Relief, the single of which went to number one in the UK.
NICHOLAS SMITH (Reverend Clement Hedges) graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1957 and has since worked extensively in theatre, film, television and radio. His theatre repertoire encompasses both plays and musicals and includes “Portrait of a Queen,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “The Mikado,” “Ten Little Indians,” “Doctor in the House,” “My Fair Lady,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Who Dunnit?,” “The Plain Dealer,” “School for Scandal,” “The Relapse,” “The Mousetrap,” “How the Other Half Loves,” “Me and My Girl,” “As You Like It,” “Aladdin,” “Lloyd George Knew My Father,” “I Have Been Here Before,” “The Return of Sherlock Holmes,” “Pirates of Penzance,” “Cinderella,” “Dick Whittington,” “Sylvia’s Wedding,” “Taming of The Shrew” and “Macbeth.” He also spent two years with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and most recently played the Butler in “Murdered To Death.”
Smith is perhaps best known to television audiences for the role of Mr. Cuthbert Rumbold, which he first played for ten seasons on the acclaimed BBC series “Are You Being Served?,” followed by two seasons on the series “Grace & Favour” (aka “Are You Being Served? Again!”). He more recently appeared in the miniseries “Martin Chuzzlewit” and in two seasons of the BBC sketch show “Revolver.” His extensive television credits also include “Doctor Who”; the 1973 musical adaptation of “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” starring Kirk Douglas; “The Door of Opportunity,” based on the story by W. Somerset Maugham; the miniseries “The First Churchills”; the series “Z Cars” and “The Frost Report”; and a myriad of series guest roles, beginning in the mid-1960s.
Smith has also been seen in a number of feature films, most recently including the British comedy “What Rats Won’t Do.” His additional credits include Gene Wilder’s “The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother,” Federico Fellini’s “Casanova,” Pier Paolo Pasolini’s “The Canterbury Tales,” Mel Brooks’ “The Twelve Chairs,” John Huston’s “A Walk with Love and Death” and Richard Donner’s “Salt and Pepper.”
LIZ SMITH (Mrs. Mulch) was most recently seen in the role of Grandma Georgina in Tim Burton’s summer hit “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” Her upcoming films include Roman Polanski’s screen adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist” and the comedy “Keeping Mum.” Earlier in her career, she won a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Malcolm Mowbray’s “A Private Function.”
Smith began her career in 1947 at the Gateway Theatre in London, where she performed in repertory. Over the next seven years, she worked all across England in small theatres and repertory companies. She then left the theatre for a time to raise her two children. Returning to acting, she joined Charles Marowitz’s permanent company, then called The Stage, where she stayed for five years. Following that, she spent six years mainly playing leads with the Forbes Russell Company. Her theatre credits include such titles as “Endgame,” “Playhouse Creatures,” “This is a Chair,” “Just Between Ourselves,” “Cell Block H,” “Why Me?,” “When We Are Married,” “Once a Catholic” and “Enjoy.”
In 1971, Smith made her feature film debut as Mrs. Roberts in director Mike Leigh’s “Bleak Moments.” Two years later, he cast her in the starring role of Mrs. Thornley in the telefilm “Hard Labour.” They more recently reunited in Leigh’s award-winning film “Secrets & Lies.” Smith also played the role of Marta Balls in three of Blake Edwards’ Pink Panther movies: “Trail of the Pink Panther,” “Curse of the Pink Panther” and “Son of the Pink Panther.” Smith’s other film credits include “Dead Cool,” “Tom’s Midnight Garden,” “The Revengers’ Comedies,” “Haunted,” “Pretty Princess,” “Dakota Road,” “The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover,” “Bert Rigby, You’re a Fool,” “High Spirits,” “Little Dorrit,” “The French Lieutenant’s Woman” and “The Duellists.”
On television, she has been seen in a long list of miniseries and telefilms, including “A Good Thief,” “Between the Sheets,” “The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby,” “A Christmas Carol,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “Oliver Twist,” “Imaginary Friends,” “When We Are Married,” “Separate Tables,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “Spend Spend Spend” and “David Copperfield.” She has also had regular roles on more than a dozen series over the past 30 years, including “The Royle Family” and “2point4 Children,” in addition to guest starring on numerous series.
