Bio
David Suchet, CBE is an English actor best known for his role as Agatha Christie's suave Belgian super-sleuth Hercule Poirot in the long-running series of short films, beginning in 1989.
London-born actor Suchet's early interest in the theatre led to his membership with the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain in the 1960s following graduation from high school.
He then studied for three years at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts and, after much work in repertory, became a company member of the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1973.
Balding and stocky-framed with cruel eyes, arched brows and a dark, sinister countenance, he reveled in Shakespearean villainy with expertly loathsome portrayals of Iago in Othello, Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet and Caliban in The Tempest to his credit and became one of the dominant players of the RSC by decade's end.
In the 1970s Suchet also began to come into his own on British television. In classical tradition, his first television movie was A Tale of Two Cities. He actually played his first detective in the Disney mystery-comedy Trenchcoat.
His looks were perfect for playing ethnic heavies or dignitaries in 1980s films. He was a Middle Eastern terrorist in The Little Drummer Girl (1984), a Russian operative in The Falcon and the Snowman (1985), a French hunter in Harry and the Hendersons (1987), a Polish bishop in To Kill a Priest (1988) and Napoleon himself in Sabotage! (2000).
He also had some masterful television roles portraying a number of historical, biblical and entertainment figures, including Sigmund Freud in the mini-series Freud, news reporter William L. Shirer in the biopic Murrow, Aaron in Moses and movie mogul Louis B. Mayer in RKO 281.
While the Poirot mysteries and other TV dramatic showcases still figure into much of his work today, Suchet also has given potent, award-winning performances on the non-Shakespearean stage, particularly his George in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in 1996 and, from 1998 to 2001, composer Salieri in Amadeus, which he took to Broadway and for which he received a Tony nomination.
David played the role of Jaggers in the BBC One adaptation of Great Expectations and also featured in 2011's Hidden.
With a distinguished stage career, including a highly acclaimed performance in Arthur Miller's All My Sons in 2010, David also starred in Eugene O'Neill's masterpiece, A Long Day's Journey into Night.
Long wed to former actress Sheila Ferris, the couple has a son and daughter. His older brother is BBC newscaster-turned-journalist John Suchet and his nephew is the broadcaster Richard Suchet.