WON'T HAVE FRANCIS URQUHART TO KICK AROUND ANY MOR:

Ian Richardson, the PM who couldn't possibly comment, dies aged 72 (Terry Kirby, 10 February 2007, Independent)

He was one of the leading Shakespearean actors of his generation, as well as a much-loved star of television and cinema. But Ian Richardson, who died yesterday aged at the age of 72, will always be most remembered for one particular line, delivered so perfectly that it has become part of the national lexicon.

"You might think that; I couldn't possibly comment," the signature phrase of the scheming politician Francis Urquhart, played by Richardson in the 1990 television thriller House of Cards. The series was a massive hit, catching the nation's mood at a time of growing disillusionment with politicians.

Richardson's portrayal of the murderous Urquhart won him a Bafta. Together with two sequels, To Play The King and The Final Cut, it was shown against the backdrop of the overthrow of Margaret Thatcher, the sleaze of the Major years and the rise of spin. He based the character on Richard III, the last role he played with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Richardson said in 2005: "I have done 15 years of Shakespeare but without doubt Francis Urquhart has been the best opportunity for my reputation. The only trouble is getting rid of it. So many people seem to think that I am like him. I'm grateful for the part as it put me on the map."

Michael Dobbs, author of House of Cards, said: "I am desperately sad. He is a man I admired immensely. He changed my life. He made a dream of mine a reality. And he did it in a way which transfixed millions of viewers. House of Cards was Ian Richardson. He made the character and brought the whole series to life. Even John Major's leadership campaign in 1990 came to a halt at 9pm on a Sunday night so that the whole campaign team could sit down and see what was happening."

The interesting question about Urquhart is whether he isn't somewhat aspirational. Isn't there some portion of us that would like to think that our leaders are capable of the cold-blooded precision he displays?

MORE:
Ian Richardson: RSC actor of clarity and brilliance who starred as Urquhart in the television drama 'House of Cards' (Independent, 10 February 2007)

In the first part of the political trilogy, Urquhart - the Conservative Party's Chief Whip - trapped an innocent, young political journalist, Mattie Storin (Susannah Harker), in his web, before throwing her over the parapet of the House of Commons roof garden. Then, as the ruthless politician achieved his goal of becoming Prime Minister in the sequel, To Play the King (1993), he found a new adversary in the newly crowned monarch, played by Michael Kitchen and clearly intended to represent the current Prince of Wales after having taken the throne.

The trilogy was completed with The Final Act (1995), in which Urquhart eventually received his come-uppance. He was assassinated after his dark secret was uncovered - that he had killed two boys in a war crime when he was a young Guards officer serving in Cyprus.

Richardson made the role his own, combining evil with wit and charisma in a chilling performance that was memorable for Urquhart's frequent, conspiratorial asides to the camera and his stock response to questions: "You might well think that. I couldn't possibly comment."

The actor modelled the evil Urquhart on Richard III for the trilogy, which was adapted by Andrew Davies from novels by Michael Dobbs, who had worked as a political reporter in the United States during the Watergate scandal and, more recently, as deputy chairman of the Conservative Party. The successful formula won Davies an Emmy Award (1991) and Richardson both a Bafta Best Actor Award (1991) and Broadcasting Press Guild Award for Best Acting Performance (1991).

But the recognition that the role of Urquhart brought to the actor was a double-edged sword. "I am rather sick of him," said Richardson 18 months ago. "It did two things: it made me a star, which I had not been before; it also clung to me rather heavily. The parts that then came my way were always a relation of Francis Urquhart."

Posted by Orrin Judd at February 9, 2007 8:16 PM