A Film by Tom Hooper

a film by Tom Hooper

starring

Colin Firth

Geoffrey Rush

Helena Bonham Carter

Guy Pearce

Jennifer Ehle

Derek Jacobi

Michael Gambon

Timothy Spall

Anthony Andrews

Production Notes

Running time: 118 minutes

THE KING’S SPEECH

Synopsis

After the death of his father King George V (Michael Gambon) and the scandalous abdication of King Edward VIII (Guy Pearce), Bertie (Colin Firth) who has suffered from a debilitating speech impediment all his life, is suddenly crowned King George VI of England. With his country on the brink of war and in desperate need of a leader, his wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), the future Queen Mother, arranges for her husband to see an eccentric speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). After a rough start, the two delve into an unorthodox course of treatment and eventually form an unbreakable bond. With the support of Logue, his family, his government and Winston Churchill (Timothy Spall), the King will overcome his stammer and deliver a radio-address that inspires his people and unites them in battle.

Based on the true story of King George VI, THE KING'S SPEECH follows the Royal Monarch's quest to find his voice.

THE KING’S SPEECH

About the Cast

COLIN FIRTH – Bertie

A classically trained British theatre actor, Colin Firth is a veteran of film, television and theater, with an impressive body of work spanning over three decades. Firth won the BAFTA Award in 2010 for his performance in Tom Ford’s “A Single Man,” which also earned him nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Firth received international critical acclaim for his starring role as ‘George Falconer’ in “A Single Man,” based on Christopher Isherwood’s 1964 novel, including being honored with the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the 2009 Venice Film Festival and the Performance of the Year Award at the 2010 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, as well as the London Critics Circle Film Award for British Actor of the Year.
In 2009 Firth made an appearance in Robert Zemeckis’ “A Christmas Carol,” Disney’s 3D motion-capture-animated version of the classic Charles Dickens tale starring Jim Carrey and Gary Oldman. Firth was also seen starring in “Genova,” directed by Michael Winterbottom. “Genova” is a subtle thriller revolving around two American girls and their British father who move to Italy after their mother dies. The film screened at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, the London Film Festival and the San Sebastian Film Festival, where Winterbottom was awarded Best Director.
In 2008, Firth was also seen in Universal Pictures’ global smash hit ABBA musical “Mamma Mia!” The cast included Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Stellan Skarsgard and Amanda Seyfried. “Mamma Mia!” grossed over half a billion dollars around the world and has become the highest grossing film of all time in the UK. The same year, Firth was seen in “Then She Found Me,” written and directed by Helen Hunt. He was also seen in the Sony Pictures Classics films “When Did You Last See Your Father?” and “Easy Virtue,” based on the Noel Coward play and directed by Stephan Elliott.
In 2004, Firth starred in the Universal/Working Title hit “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.” Firth reprised his role as ‘Mark Darcy’ opposite Renee Zellweger and Hugh Grant in the film. The same year Firth appeared in the Oscar-nominated film “Girl with a Pearl Earring” opposite Scarlett Johanssen. Firth was nominated for a European Film Award for his performance in the film.
In 2003, Firth appeared in the Universal hit “Love Actually,” written and directed by Richard Curtis. At the time of its release, “Love Actually” broke box office records as the highest grossing British romantic comedy opening of all time in the UK and Ireland, and was the largest opening in the history of Working Title Films.
In 2002, Firth was seen starring opposite Rupert Everett, Reese Witherspoon and Judi Dench in the Miramax Film, “The Importance of Being Earnest.” Prior to that, Firth appeared in the Academy Award nominated film "Shakespeare in Love," directed by John Madden. Firth portrayed ‘Lord Wessex,’ the evil husband to ‘Violet De Lesseps,’ played by Gwyneth Paltrow.
In 1996, Firth appeared in the multi-Oscar nominated film, "The English Patient," opposite Kristen Scott Thomas and Ralph Fiennes. His other film credits include the Atom Egoyan’s “Where the Truth Lies,” Marc Evans’ thriller “Trauma,” “Nanny McPhee,” “What a Girl Wants,” "A Thousand Acres," with Michelle Pfeiffer and Jessica Lange, “Apartment Zero,” "My Life So Far," Nick Hornby’s "Fever Pitch," "Circle of Friends," "Playmaker," and the title role in Milos Forman’s “Valmont" opposite Annette Bening.
On the small screen, Firth is infamous for his breakout role in 1995, when he played “Mr. Darcy” in the BBC adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice," for which he received a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor and the National Television Award for Most Popular Actor. Firth’s latest television appearance was in 2006 in the critically-acclaimed BBC television movie “Born Equal” directed by Dominic Savage (“Out of Control”). In March 2004, Firth hosted NBC’s legendary series “Saturday Night Live.” He was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2001 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in the critically acclaimed HBO film "Conspiracy" and also received the Royal Television Society Best Actor Award and a BAFTA nomination for his performance in "Tumbledown." His other television credits include "Windmills on the Clyde: Making Donovan Quick," "Donovan Quick," "The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd," "Deep Blue Sea," "Hostages," and the mini-series "Nostromo." His London stage debut was in the West End production of Another Country playing Benett. He was then chosen to play the character Judd in the 1984 film adaptation opposite Rupert Everett.
Firth is an active supporter of Oxfam International, an organization dedicated to fighting poverty and related injustice around the world. In 2008 he was named Philanthropist of the Year by The Hollywood Reporter. In 2006, Firth was voted European Campaigner of the Year by the EU.

GEOFFREY RUSH – Lionel Logue

AFI, Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe Award winner Geoffrey Rush is one of Australia’s most respected actors. His career has spanned over 70 theatrical productions and more than 20 feature films.

After taking a degree in English at the University of Queensland, Geoffrey traveled to Paris in 1975 to study at the Jacques Lecoq School of Mime, Movement and Theatre. He was a principal member of Jim Sharman’s pioneering Lighthouse ensemble in the early 1980s, where he played leading roles in numerous classics.
In 1989, Geoffrey’s lead performance in Neil Armfield’s production of “The Diary of a Madman” earned him the Sydney Critics’ Circle Award for Most Outstanding Performance, the Variety Club Award and the Victorian Green Room Award. This highly acclaimed production toured Moscow and St Petersburg before a triumphant return season at the Adelaide Festival. He has had starring roles in Gogol’s “The Government Inspector,” Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” and Mamet’s “Oleanna”, in which he co-starred with Cate Blanchett. In 1993 he received the prestigious Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award for his work in theatre.
Geoffrey’s Australian film credits include CANDY, LANTANA, SWIMMING UPSTREAM, HARVIE KRUMPET, NEDKELLY, ON OUR SELECTION and CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION. For his role as pianist David Helfgott in SHINE, he won an Oscar for Best Actor, an Australian Film Institute Award, New York and Los Angeles Film Critics’ Awards, a Broadcast Film Critics’ Award, a Film Critics’ Circle of Australia Award, a SAG Award, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA.
For his performance as Henslowe in SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, Geoffrey received a BAFTA Award, and Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor. In Shekhar Kapur’s ELIZABETH, for his role as Walsingham, he received a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
He was also nominated for Golden Globe, SAG and Oscar Best Actor Awards for his performance as the Marquis de Sade in Philip Kaufman’s QUILLS.
Other films include LES MISERBLES, MYSTERY MEN, HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, THE TAILOR OF PANAMA, THE BANGER SISTERS, FRIDA, INTOLERABLE CRUELTY, MUNICH, ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE. He is the voice of Nigel in Pixar Animation’s hugely successful animated feature FINDING NEMO, and the swashbuckling Barbossa in Jerry Bruckheimer’s PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN films directed by Gore Verbinski. These blockbuster films have set box office records internationally.
Geoffrey’s portrayal of the title role in the HBO biopic THE LIFE AND DEATH O FPETER SELLERS earned him a SAG Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award.
In 2007 he played the lead in Ionesco’s “Exit the King” at The Malthouse in Melbourne and Belvoir Theatre in Sydney. He co-translated this play with long term theatrical collaborator and director Neil Armfield. Rush made his Broadway debut in a re-staging of “Exit the King” under Malthouse Theatre's touring moniker Malthouse Melbourne. This re-staging featured a new American cast including Susan Sarandon as Queen Marguerite. The show opened on 26 March 2009 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. For his performance as King Berenger in the absurdist comedy, Rush won the Outer Critics Circle Award, Theatre World Award, and Drama Desk Award, as well as the Distinguished Performance Award from the Drama League Award, and was the winner of the 2009 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play.
He is currently filming PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDESand recently completed filming Fred Schepisi's THE EYE OF THE STORM, from the Patrick White novel, alongside Charlotte Rampling and Judy Davis.

HELENA BONHAM CARTER – Elizabeth
British actress Helena Bonham Carter has lent her talents to a wide array of diverse feature films such as David Fincher’s provocative Fight Club, Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination and an Evening Standard Best Actress Award and the dark comedy Novocaine, directed by David Atkins.

On the last day of filming her screen debut in Trevor Nunn’s Lady Jane, James Ivory offered her the ingenue lead in A Room with a View. It was the first of a series of roles in E.M. Forster adaptations that would bring her international acclaim and was followed by Charles Sturridge’s Where Angels Fear to Tread and James Ivory’s Howard’s End for which she received a BAFTA nomination. She played Ophelia in Franco Zeffirelli’s Hamlet, opposite Mel Gibson, and portrayed Elizabeth in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, directed by Kenneth Branagh. She subsequently appeared as Woody Allen’s wife in Mighty Aphrodite.
For her performance in Ian Softley’s Wings of the Dove, Helena received a Best Actress nomination for an Academy Award, as well as a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She received a Canadian Genie Award for Best Actress forMort Ransen’s Margaret’s Museum and was also Emmy-nominated for her role in Steve Barron’s mini series Merlin.
Other feature film credits includeHans Canosa’s Conversations with Other Women for which she received an Evening standard best actress award, Burton’s Big Fish in which she played two roles, Jenny and The Witch, Planet of The Apes and Charlie and the chocolate factory. Michael Petroni’s Till Human Voices Wake Us and the HBO film Live from Baghdad,directed by Mick Jackson, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award. Paul Weiland’s Sixty Six, Thaddeus O’Sullivan’s The Heart of Me and McG’s Terminator Salvation.In 2005 Bonham Carter provided the voice for Lady Tottington in Nick Parker’s animated feature film Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and the voice of the Corpse Bride in Tim Burton’s stop-motion animation feature Corpse Bride. This year Helena appeared as The Red Queen in Tim Burton’s 3D Imax Experience Alice in Wonderland. She recently completed filming on David Yates’ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II reprising the role of Bellatrix Lestrange. Both are due for release this Autumn.Bonham Carter’s television appearances include Magnificent 7, inspired by the life of Jacqui Jackson, she plays a mother with seven children, three normal daughters and four sons who are each in one form or another autistic, Dancing Queen, Fatal Deception, A Dark Adapted Eye, Merlin and Henri VIII.Last year she played Enid Blyton in the BBC drama Enid for which she received a BAFTA nomination. Her stage credits include Woman in White, The Chalk Garden, House of Bernarda Alba and Trelawny of the Wells.

GUY PEARCE – David

Born in England, his parents moved to Australia when Pearce was three years old.

Pearce has always been interested in performing, and he excelled at mimicking accents. He starred in several plays when he was young, and graduated to television when he was cast in the Australian soap opera “Neighbours” in 1985, playing the role of Mike Young for several years. Pearce also found roles in other television series such as “Home and Away”(1988) and “Snowy River: The McGregor Saga” (1993).

His major breakthrough into film came with his role as a drag queen in PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT in 1994. Since then, he has appeared in many American productions including LA CONFIDENTIAL, RULES OF ENGAGEMENT, THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, THE TIME MACHINEand notably in Christopher Nolan's MOMENTO.

More recently he starred in the critically lauded THE PROPOSITION(2005), directed by John Hillcoat who he worked with again on THE ROAD, he gained critical acclaim for his portrayal of pop artist Andy Warhol in FACTORY GIRL, played Harry Houdini in Gillian Armstrong's DEATH DEFYING ACTS and had a cameo appearance in Kathryn Bigelow's Academy Award winning THE HURT LOCKER.

He recently completed filming the Roger Donaldson thriller THE HUNGRY RABBIT JUMPS, alongside Nicolas Cage and most recently “Mildred Pierce” alongside Kate Winslet, directed by Todd Haynes for HBO.

JENNIFER EHLE – Myrtle Logue

Two-time Tony Award-winning British-American actress of stage and screen, Ehle is probably best known for her starring role as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 mini-series Pride and Prejudice in which she starred alongside Colin Firth.
Ehle's first major role was in 1992 when Peter Hall cast her in the television adaptation of “The Camomile Lawn”, a novel by Mary Wesley, in which she and her mother, Rosemary Harris, played the same character at different ages.This story, produced by UK's Channel 4, was a five part mini-series about lives and loves of a family of cousins from 1939 to the present.

Her performance as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 BBC television adaptation of Jane Austen's classic “Pride and Prejudice” gained her a Best Actress BAFTA award. After a stint with the RSC, she gained her first major feature film role in Bruce Beresford's PARADISE ROAD . She was nominated for a BAFTA for her role in WILDE and other film roles include BEDROOMS AND HALLWAYS, THE RIVER KING, MICHAEL CLAYTON and Istvan Szabo's SUNSHINE, among others. She continued pursuing a career on stage, winning critical acclaim and a Best Performance by a Leading Actress Tony for her 2000 Broadway debut in Tom Stoppard's “The Real Thing”. She returned to the stage in 2005 in “The Philadelphia Story” at the Old Vic opposite Kevin Spacey. The following year she played Lady Macbeth in “Macbeth” as part of Shakespeare in the Park in New York. She won her second Tony award for portraying three characters in Stoppard's “The Coast of Utopia” triptych, which ran from October 2006 until May 2007.

Her most recent films include BEFORE THE RAINS directed by Santosh Sivan and PRIDE AND GLORY, co-starring Edward Norton and Colin Farrell.

DEREK JACOBI – Cosmo Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury
Jacobi has enjoyed a highly successful stage career, after graduating from Cambridge he joined the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. A live broadcast of She Stoops to Conquer gave him his television debut. While at Birmingham he was invited by Laurence Olivier to join the newly-established National Theatre. He played Laertes in the inaugural production of “Hamlet” opposite Peter O'Toole in 1963 and in 1964 he played Cassius to Olivier's Othello and in 1965 the production was filmed. Over the next 30 years Derek had some very distinguished roles in the theatre such as Touchstone in an all-male As You Like It opposite Anthony Hopkins as Audrey (1967); the title role in Oedipus Rex (1972); Hamlet (1977) and again on a world tour (1979); Kean (1990); Macbeth (1993-94); and Uncle Vanya (1996).