Who is Julian Ovenden? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

British Celebrities Born In November

Also Known As: Julian Mark Ovenden

Age: 47 Years, 47 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Kate Royal (m. 2010)

father: Canon John Ovenden

Born Country: England

Actors British Men

Height: 5'10" (178 cm), 5'10" Males

More Facts

education: Eton College

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Career

Julian Ovenden started his career with theatre. In 1999, he was cast in his first play, ‘King Lear’, which was directed by Yukio Ninagawa, the legendary Japanese theatre director who is known for his intellectually astounding and visually stunning productions of Shakespeare and classic Greek plays. In 2000, Ovenden won critical acclaim for his role in ‘Merrily We Roll Along’. The musical was directed by Michael Grandage and Ovenden essayed the lead role of Franklin. It premiered at Donmar Warehouse in London and was awarded the Olivier Award for the Best Musical.

His next big role was in ‘A Woman of No Importance’ (2003), which premiered at the Theatre Royal in Haymarket, London. The production was directed by Adrian Noble and Ovenden was cast as Gerald, the illegitimate son of Mrs. Arbuthnot.

Year after year, he gave memorable performances in several plays including, ‘Grand Hotel’ (2004), ‘Butley’ (2006), ‘Marguerite’ (2008), ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ (2009), and ‘Death Takes a Holiday’ (2011). In 2011, he also starred in Harvey Weinstein’s first stage musical, ‘Finding Neverland.’

While pursuing a highly successful theatre career, Julian Ovenden started doing movies and television. His first television role was in ‘Foyle’s War’ in 2002. He essayed the role of Andrew Foyle. He was with the show for five seasons and during this time he became a household name in Britain. His role of Dr. David Cheriton in ‘The Royal’ (2003) earned him a huge fan following. In 2010, he appeared in the hugely popular ‘Any Human Heart’ and mesmerized audiences with his portrayal of Ernest Hemingway. His next prominent role was in ‘Downton Abbey,’ in which he was cast as Charles Blake. His female fan following increased considerably after this role.

‘Related,’ which looked into the lives of four American Italian sisters, was Julian Ovenden’s the first American television show. He was with the show from 2005 to 2006. After essaying the role of Jason in ‘Related,’ Ovenden moved on to essay the role of Eric Burden in ‘Cashmere Mafia’ (2008). In 2014, he was cast as Jeremy Lambert in the very popular American television show titled, ‘Person of Interest’. He appeared in total of seven episodes and left the show in 2016. In 2017, he was signed for ‘Knightfall’, a popular television series that revolved around the last days of Knights Templar. Ovenden proved his acting skills with his portrayal of William De Nogaret in ‘Knightfall’.

His movie career also intertwined with his theatre and television career. He made his film debut with the TV movie ‘A Christmas Carol: The Musical’ in 2004. He went star in movies, such as ‘First Night’ (2010), ‘Allies’ (2014), and ‘Sound of Music Live’ (2015). His most popular movie role was in ‘Colonia’ (2015), in which he starred opposite Emma Watson. ‘Head Full of Honey’ (2018), in which his co-stars included Nick Nolte, Matt Dillon, Emily Mortimer, and Sophie Lane, was his latest movie.

Though most of his movies have not really done that well at the office, his music career has been quite successful. Julian Ovenden has sung with many famous orchestras like, The New York Pops, New York Philharmonic, The Northern Sinfonia, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, John Wilson Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. In 2014, he had a concert at the Carnegie Hall. In 2016, his album, ‘Be My Love’ was launched with great reviews.

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Personal & Family Life

Julian Ovenden was born on November 29, 1976. Born in Sheffield, England, Ovenden was born in the royal settings. His father, Canon John Ovenden, was the chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II. From a very young age, Ovenden showed keen interest in music. His singing talent earned him a singing invitation from St. Paul’s Cathedral. The next big leap in his life was when at the tender age of 13 he got a scholarship to study music at the prestigious Eton College. He then got a choral scholarship to study music at the New College, Oxford. After completing his training as an opera singer, he developed an interest in drama. He enrolled at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art to study drama.

In 2010, he married Kate Royal, who is also an opera singer. They have two children.

Julian Ovenden Biography