Derek Jacobi is an English actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen as well as for his work at the Royal National Theatre, he has received numerous accolades including a Tony Award, a British Academy Television Award, two Laurence Olivier Awards, and two Primetime Emmy Awards. He was given a knighthood for his services to theatre by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994.
For his work in theatre Jacobi received two Tony Award nominations winning for his performance in a Broadway revival of William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing in 1985. He also received seven Laurence Olivier Award nominations winning twice for Best Actor for his performances for revivals of Cyrano de Bergerac in 1983, and Twelfth Night in 2009, as well as being awarded the Society of London Theatre Special Award.
For his work on television and film, he has been nominated for five BAFTAs, winning for Best Actor for I, Claudius in 1976. He also received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations winning twice for his performances in The Tenth Man (1988), and Frasier in 2001. For his work on film he received three Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture nominations, winning twice with the ensemble casts of Gosford Park (2001), and The Kings Speech (2010).