Edward Fox gives officers and patricians authority through precise speech and a courteous distance. We rate that restraint, but familiar casting can allow a film to rely on his manner instead of giving him a fully written character.
Fi1m perspective
Fox's precise diction can make a courteous line sound like an instruction. He is particularly useful as an officer or a patrician, establishing authority without having to insist on it. We believe these men have been listened to all their lives, and that being questioned comes as an inconvenience. The risk is familiarity: a film can get so much from his voice and manner that it neglects to give him anything else.
He gained notice in Battle of Britain (1969). Further recognition followed as Hugh Trimingham in The Go-Between (1971). That performance found complexity within the upper-class restraint, giving us something beyond the expected good manners. The larger turn came with The Day of the Jackal (1973), which brought international recognition for his lead performance as an assassin. The assassin makes useful sense of the same detachment that can look limiting in a succession of officers.
Richard Attenborough repeatedly used that authority, casting him as Lt. Gen. Brian G. Horrocks in A Bridge Too Far (1977) and General Dyer in Gandhi (1982). Dyer gives the familiar English officer a more openly villainous purpose. Fox's courteous distance is useful for such a character because it need not suggest decency; the manner can belong to someone we have no reason to like. Yet Gandhi also shows the limitations of a substantial supporting cast when the writing gives those actors too little to do.
We grew impatient with Gandhi's stately pace and thin supporting roles, although Ben Kingsley's performance kept us watching. We still recommend the film for Kingsley, with patience required for the company around him. We would be warier of choosing it chiefly for Fox, whose appearance belongs to the supporting work that the film leaves underdeveloped. For an evening built around his performance, choose The Day of the Jackal.
Biography
Edward Fox is an English stage, film and television actor. Born Edward Charles Morice Fox on 13 April 1937 in Chelsea, London, he is the elder brother of actor James Fox and the father of actors Emilia Fox and Freddie Fox. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began his career in the theatre before making his screen debut in the early 1960s.
Fox is known for his roles in The Day of the Jackal (1973), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Gandhi (1982) as General Dyer, Never Say Never Again (1983) and The Bounty (1984). He portrayed Edward VIII in the television series Edward & Mrs. Simpson (1978) and appeared in Taboo (2017). He has worked extensively on the West End stage and collaborated with director Richard Attenborough on Oh! What a Lovely War (1969), A Bridge Too Far and Gandhi.
Fox won BAFTA awards for Best Supporting Actor for The Go-Between (1971) and A Bridge Too Far (1977), and Best Actor for Edward & Mrs. Simpson (1979). He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2003 for services to drama.
