Bio
Nathaniel Parker is an English actor best known for his role as Inspector Thomas Lynley in the BBC television series The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, based on the novels by Elizabeth George, from 2001-2008.
Parker is known for a variety of costume drama roles on television, most notably Harold Skimpole in the BBC 1 dramatisation of Bleak House (2005), Rawdon Crawley in a BBC version of Vanity Fair (1998), and Gabriel Oak in the ITV production of Far From the Madding Crowd (1997). Other television appearances include A Village Affair (1994).
Born to ex-British Rail chairman Sir Peter Parker and his wife Dr Jill Parker, Parker's brother is the film director Oliver Parker.
After graduating from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (where he was the star pupil of his year), Nathaniel joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1986.
His stage work includes Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream with the RSC, Bassanio in The Merchant of Venice directed by Peter Hall and Hotspur in Richard II.
His television career started in 1989 when he starred in Never Come Back. Nathaniel went on to appear in films Hamlet, The Bodyguard (with Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston) and Wide Sargasso Sea.
Memorable television appearances include Joanna Trollope's A Village Affair, Thomas Hardy's Far from the Madding Crowd, psychological thriller Trust, and his role as Dr Dan Gallagher in McCallum.
In 2001, Nathaniel played soldier Rawdon Crawley in Vanity Fair. The same year he filmed the pilot of The Inspector Lynley Mysteries with Sharon Small.
In 2005 he took the role of Harold Skimpole in the BBC One all-star adaptation of Bleak House.
Since then he has appeared in a number of films, including Fade to Black (2006), I Really Hate My Job (2007), Flawless (2007), Stardust (2007), St. Trinian's (2007) and Malice in Wonderland (2009). He also appeared in the TV movies Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial (2006), in which he played Albert Speer; and A Class Apart (2007).
Parker is also a voiceover artist with prolific work in audio books, including Eoin Colfer's children's Artemis Fowl series, Young James Bond adventure, Silverfin by Charlie Higson and The Gardens of The Dead by William Brodrick.
He also read Mark Haddon's novel A Spot of Bother for BBC Radio Four's Book at Bedtime.
He is married to actress Anna Patrick and they have two daughters, Anjelica and Raphaella.