Anthony Calf

Hammersmith, London, England, UK

Biography

Anthony Calf is an English actor with an extensive career across theatre, television, and film. Born on May 4, 1959, in London, he trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) before making his professional screen debut in the early 1980s. Calf is widely recognized for his roles in prominent period dramas and feature films, including Great Expectations (1989), The Madness of King George (1994), Anna Karenina (1997), and The Children Act (2017). On television, his notable credits include Pride and Prejudice (1995) and New Tricks. In addition to his screen work, Calf has maintained a distinguished career in British theatre, performing regularly with the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Movies

Judge John Deed is a British legal drama television series produced by the BBC in association with One-Eyed Dog for BBC One. It was created by G.F. Newman and stars Martin Shaw as Sir John Deed, a High Court judge who tries to seek real justice in the cases before him. It also stars Jenny Seagrove as the barrister Jo Mills, frequently the object of Deed's desire. A pilot episode was broadcast on 9 January 2001, followed by the first full series on 26 November 2001. The sixth and last series concluded on 18 January 2007. The programme then went on an indefinite break after Shaw became involved in another television programme, and he and Seagrove expressed a wish for the format of the series to change before they filmed new episodes. By 2009, the series had officially been cancelled. The six series produced make it the longest-running BBC legal drama. The factual accuracy of the series is often criticised by legal professionals and journalists; many of the decisions taken by Deed are unlikely to happen in a real court. The romanticised vision of the court system created by Newman caused a judge to issue a warning to a jury not to let the series influence their view of trials—referring to an episode where Deed flouts rules when called up for jury duty. Another episode led to complaints about biased and incorrect information about the MMR vaccine, leading the BBC to ban repeats of it in its original form. All six series have been released on DVD in the UK.

More info
Judge John Deed
2001