Allan Corduner Explained

Allan Corduner
Birth Date:2 April 1950
Birth Place:Stockholm, Sweden
Yearsactive:1973–present

Allan Corduner (;[1] born 2 April 1950) is a British actor. Born in Stockholm to a German mother and a Russo-Finnish father, Corduner grew up in a secular Jewish home in London. After earning a BA (Hons) in English and Drama at Bristol University he trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He has worked extensively on stage, TV, and film, both in the UK and in the United States. His voice is familiar from many BBC radio plays, audio books and TV documentaries.

Corduner made his feature film debut in Yentl, with Barbra Streisand and Mandy Patinkin. Of his 44 films, he is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Sir Arthur Sullivan in Mike Leigh's Topsy-Turvy. He also voiced Gehrman the first hunter in the 2015 video game Bloodborne.

Early life

Corduner grew up in a secular Jewish home in North London with his parents and younger brother.[2] His mother had escaped to Great Britain from Nazi Germany with her family in 1938. His father was born in Helsinki, Finland, of a Finnish-born mother and a Ukrainian-born father. Corduner's parents first settled in Stockholm, where he was born, but the family moved to London when he was one year old.

Interest in arts and music was always encouraged at home, and Corduner's early ambition was to become either an orchestra conductor or a concert pianist. He attended University College School in Hampstead, London. Although Corduner developed into a skilled jazz and classical pianist, musical aspirations had taken second place by the time he went to study at Bristol University and the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Acting career

Corduner has worked extensively in theatre in London's West End and on Broadway, television as well as in film. He has also appeared in several BBC Radio plays including The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Insignificance, and Fanny and Alexander.

His voice is familiar to listeners of audio books including The Book Thief. TV appearances include Exile, ITV's Midsomer Murders, Stephen Poliakoff's Dancing on the Edge, and as Andrea Verrocchio in seasons 1 and 2 of the Starz original series Da Vinci's Demons. He appears on seasons 5 and 6 of the Showtime TV series Homeland.

After drama school, Corduner's first two years as a professional actor were spent playing a wide variety of parts at Newcastle Repertory Theatre. Spells at the Birmingham Rep and the Actors' Company followed, until Corduner returned to London to make his West End debut in Mary O'Malley's Once a Catholic at the Wyndham's Theatre. Corduner has appeared several times at the Royal Court Theatre, in plays such as Three Birds Alighting on a Field, Fucking Games, Ice Cream, and most notably Caryl Churchill's satirical Serious Money, which subsequently transferred to London's West End and Broadway in New York.

He garnered acclaim on Broadway for the role of Etches in the musical Titanic. In February 2014, he played Etches again in a one-off concert version of Titanic at Avery Fisher Hall (now David Geffen Hall) in New York, re-uniting him with the original cast of the musical. He played Fritz Litten in Mark Hayhurst's Taken at Midnight, first at Chichester Festival Theatre, and subsequently at Theatre Royal Haymarket in West End.

One of his first film roles was in Yentl in 1982, with Barbra Streisand. He is probably best known for his portrayal of Sir Arthur Sullivan in Mike Leigh's Topsy-Turvy (1999), his first leading role in a feature film. Corduner's film work spans a variety of genres, such as action-adventure film Defiance, horror comedy film Burke and Hare,[3] and western Medicine Men. Recent films include Woman in Gold (2015) and Tár (2022).

Voice acting

Corduner's voice is familiar to listeners of BBC radio plays such as Insignificance, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui and Fanny and Alexander. He was also the subject of BBC Radio 3 Private Passions.[4]

Corduner has provided voices for various video game characters, notably the first, second, third and fifth Harry Potter video games (namely as, among others, Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy, Fillius Flitwick and Argus Filch). He also voiced Apus, the pet parrot belonging to Queen Cassiopeia, the primary antagonist, for the English version of Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White White which was released in February 2013. In 2015, Corduner voiced Gehrman, the First Hunter in Bloodborne.

Audiobooks and narration

Corduner is also known for solo narration of TV documentaries such as Fish Warrior for the National Geographic Channel, and various audiobooks for Simply Audiobooks, notably The Book Thief and Inkdeath.[5] He also narrated Magyk written by Angie Sage and produced by Harper Audio. He has received two Earphones Awards by AudioFile His narration of "Anna and the Swallow Man" earned the Odyssey Award in 2017.

Personal life

Corduner's mother was from Berlin, Germany, and his father was born in Finland. He was born in Stockholm but grew up in London.[6]

Corduner and his partner Juha Leppäjärvi met in 2006 in London, formed their civil partnership in December 2009, and married in New York City in August 2013. Corduner is a trustee of the children's arts charity Anno's Africa.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1972Savage MessiahNewspaper VendorUncredited
1979Phoelix
Follow the StarShepherdTelevision film
1981Sredni VashtarMortimerShort film
1982The Return of the SoldierPianist
1983YentlShimmele
1985Bad MedicineDr. Diaz the Bus Driver
1986ValhallaLokeEnglish version, Voice only
1987MandelaBennyTelevision film
Hearts of FireMusic Executive
1988Talk RadioVince
1989Fat Man and Little BoyFranz Goethe
The Fairy QueenQuinceTelevision film
1991Edward IIPoet
1992Carry On ColumbusSam
1993Heart of DarknessVermeTelevision film
1994A Business AffairDinner Guest
Nobody's ChildrenIonTelevision film
1995VoicesOscar Butterworth
1996Norma Jean & MarilynBilly WilderTelevision film
Indian SummerTherapist
GadgetmanProfessor McNeilTelevision film
SoupEinsteinShort film
1997Love in the Ancient WorldMember at Platon's Guest MealTelevision film
1998The ImpostorsCaptain
1999Topsy-TurvyArthur Sullivan
2000Joe Gould's SecretFrancis McCrudden
GladiatorTrainer
2001ZoeRupert
Kiss Kiss (Bang Bang)Big Bob
Me Without YouMax
The Grey ZoneMiklós Nyiszli
The Search for John GissingFrancois "Fuller" Feulliere
2002Food of LoveJoseph Mansourian
Moonlight MileStan Michaels
The King's BeardVoice role
2004De-LovelyMonty Woolley
La Femme MusketeerAramisTelevision film
The Merchant of VeniceTubal
Vera DrakePsychiatrist
2005Bigger Than the SkyKippy Newberg
A Higher AgencyManagerShort film
Against NatureDes EsseintesShort film
The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes & Arthur Conan DoyleHerbert Greenhough SmithTelevision film
Friends and CrocodilesMarcusTelevision film
The White CountessSamuel Feinstein
2007The Last Days of the RajLord IsmayTelevision film
The Waiting RoomFiona's Dad
Fred ClausDr. Goldfarb
2008DefianceShimon Haretz
2009Mr. NobodyDr. Feldheim
2010Lennon NakedArthur JanovTelevision film
Burke & HareNicéphore Niépce
2011A Thousand Kisses DeepBuddy
2012We'll Take ManhattanAlex LibermanTelevision film
An Enemy To Die ForMartin
47 Orchard StreetHirschShort film
The SweeneyDoctor
2013The FuneralRabbi StephenShort film
Closer to the MoonFlaviu
2014AdmendmentAnthonyShort film
2015Woman in GoldGustav Bloch-Bauer
2016Florence Foster JenkinsJohn Totten
The Book of GabrielleSaul
2017DisobedienceMoshe Hartog
2018Miss DalíCaptain Moore
Operation FinaleGideon Hausner
2022MosquitoOzwald Godfrey
TárSebastian Brix
Count MagnusDeaconTelevision film
2023The OfferingSaul

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1977WingsHarrisEpisode: "Never Turn Back"
PoldarkManservantEpisode: "Series 2, Episode 9"
1980Tales of the UnexpectedStore AssistantEpisode: "Mr Botibol's First Love"
BuccaneerMonty BatemanRecurring role; 4 episodes
The Onedin LineAuctioneerEpisode: "Jonah's Luck"
1981RootsMelvin Solomons
DiamondsRoger MarkerRecurring role; 4 episodes
1983MayburyDr. WalkerEpisode: "New Gods for Old: Part 1"
1984Cold WarriorJoachimEpisode: "Bright Sting"
FreudOscar RieMiniseries; 2 episodes
1985Girls on TopBennyEpisode: "Hark"
1986The CollectorsJoe KalmanEpisode: "Go for Gold"
1987C.A.T.S. EyesMorrishEpisode: "Carrier Pigeon"
1988Tales of the UnexpectedHatchard's Bookshop AssistantEpisode: "The Colonel's Lady"
1990ScreenPlayStephen CarlinskyEpisode: "Antonia and Jane"
1991SpatzRexEpisode: "Talent Contest"
1992The BillGeorge QuigleyRecurring role; 2 episodes
BoonDennisEpisode: "Whispering Grass"
1993MinderMartyEpisode: "I'll Never Forget Whats'ername"
Inspector MorseGentile BellocchioEpisode: "Twilight of the Gods"
Teenage Health FreakDr.LimeRecurring role; 2 episodes
1994HeadhuntersSaul KarkoffEpisode: "The Golden Hello"
BirdlandChip RaffertyEpisode: "Plan B"
The BillDefence BarristerEpisode: "Backlash"
ParisMinottiSeries regular; 6 episodes
1995An Independent ManRobert FlowerEpisode: "Market Forces"
1996No BananasBenjamin MarksEpisode: "Escape"
Mad About YouOsofskyEpisode: "Burt's Building"
1996–1997NostromoHirschMiniseries; 4 episodes
1998Drop the Dead DonkeyArt CriticRecurring role; 2 episodes
1999Liverpool 1Alan PollockEpisode: "Sweet Dreams"
2000–2005Fat FriendsLeonard HarrisRecurring role; 4 episodes
2001The Way We Live NowCrollMiniseries; 4 episodes
2002Foyle's WarCarlo LuccianoEpisode: "A Lesson in Murder"
Daniel DerondaHerr KlesmerMiniseries; 3 episodes
2003TrustMichael CohenMiniseries; 1 episode
2004HeartbeatGerard LoweEpisode: "In the Bleak Midwinter"
The Last DetectiveMaurice LeymanEpisode: "Christine"
2006Simon Schama's Power of ArtMark RothkoEpisode: "Rothko"
2007RomeClerkEpisode: "These Being the Words of Marcus Tullius Cicero"
HeartbeatTristram JohnstoneEpisode: "Seeds of Destruction"
The WhistleblowersDaniel BlackEpisode: "Ghosts"
2008No HeroicsShopkeeperEpisode: "Supergroupie"
2010A Passionate WomanMr SolomonMiniseries; 1 episodes
Grandma's HouseRichardEpisode: "The Day Simon Felt the Family Was Ready to Be Healed"[7]
2011ZenMichelangelo GattusoEpisode: "Cabal"
ExileGellerMiniseries; 1 episode
Nazi UnderworldNarratorEpisode: "Hitler's Family"
2012Midsomer MurdersMichael HipsmanEpisode: "A Rare Bird"
2013Spies of WarsawViktor RosenMiniseries; 4 episodes
Dancing on the EdgeMr. WaxMiniseries; 5 episodes
2013–2014Da Vinci's DemonsAndrea VerrocchioRecurring role; 11 episodes
2014UtopiaRossRecurring role; 2 episodes
2015–2017HomelandEtai LuskinRecurring role; 7 episodes
2016The MusketeersVan LaarRecurring role; 2 episodes
The CollectionInspector BompardRecurring role; 4 episodes
2017FearlessMonty BermanMiniseries; 5 episodes
2018Call the MidwifeArnold GelinEpisode: "Series 7, Episode 1"
FBIVictor BeniovEpisode: "This Land Is Your Land"
2019The BlacklistAaron MeyersEpisode: "The Corsican (No. 20)"
2021Ridley RoadRabbi Leslie LehrerMiniseries; 4 episodes

Video games

YearGameRoleNotes
2001Harry Potter and the Philosopher's StoneArgus Filch / Filius Flitwick / Gringotts Goblin / Quirinus Quirrell / Severus SnapeVoice only
2002Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsFilius Flitwick / Lucius Malfoy / Severus Snape / Argus FilchVoice only
2004Harry Potter and the Prisoner of AzkabanFilius Flitwick / Severus SnapeVoice only
2007Harry Potter and the Order of the PhoenixArgus Filch / Severus Snape / Basil Fronsac / Reginald OddpickVoice only
XiphosEnglish version, voice only
2009Harry Potter and the Half-Blood PrinceArgus FilchVoice only
2011ApusEnglish version, voice only
2014Transformers UniverseIronhideVoice only
2015BloodborneOld Hunter GehrmanVoice only
Eynzahr Slafyrsyn / MidgardsormrEnglish version, voice only
2018Call of CthulhuJames Fitzroy / Additional VoicesVoice only
2020Assassin's Creed ValhallaTrygveVoice only
2021Bravely Default IIGwydionEnglish version, voice only
Quintus CinnaVoice only

Theatre

Audiobooks

Notes and References

  1. Web site: LITTLE DID YOU KNOW The Chat Show episode 22: Allan Corduner. Peccadillo Pictures. 26 April 2021. 26 April 2022.
  2. Web site: Interview: Allan Corduner | the Jewish Chronicle. 13 October 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101117025732/http://www.thejc.com/arts/arts-interviews/interview-allan-corduner. 17 November 2010.
  3. Web site: Barton. Steve. Burke and Hare - John Landis Talks Horror; New Image. Dread Central. 15 July 2010. 26 January 2018.
  4. Web site: Allan Corduner, Private Passions - BBC Radio 3. BBC.
  5. Web site: See All Search Results for Allan Corduner - Sort by Relevance - Page 1 | Audiobooks.com. 7 September 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150916233205/http://www.audiobooks.com/search/narrator/Allan%20Corduner. 16 September 2015.
  6. Web site: "His Topsy-Turvy Life" by Feinstein, Howard - The Advocate (The national homo/dyke newsmagazine), February 15, 2000. 2 April 2020. 4 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304200248/https://www.questia.com/magazine/1G1-59410464/his-topsy-turvy-life. dead.
  7. Web site: Episode 1.5 - The Day Simon Felt The Family Was Ready To Be Healed. British Comedy Guide. 7 September 2010.
  8. Web site: Samantha Spiro. Official London Theatre. 15 June 2017.
  9. Web site: The Playgoer: REVIEW: The Birthday Party. Playgoer.blogspot.com. 22 September 2006. 15 June 2017.