Rupert Degas | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rupert Degas 17 August 1970 London, England, U.K. |
| Occupation | Actor, voice actor, impressionist |
| Years active | 1985–present |
Rupert Degas (born 17 August 1970) is a British/Australian actor,[1] voice actor, and impressionist.[2] He is best known for his voice work in animation, video games, audio drama, advertising, and also as an audiobook narrator.
Film and Television[]
Rupert's first professional TV appearance was as a 14 year old schoolboy in the BBC's Hold the Back Page in 1985. In 1988, while on the hunt for boys to appear in Jerry Schatzberg's Reunion, casting director Debbie McWilliams found Rupert while he was sitting his A-Levels. The following month he was off to Berlin to act in his first feature film along with fellow newcomers Samuel West and Christien Anholt.
His first leading role in television came in 1991 starring in the French TV series Lycée Alpin, followed by cameos in French series Cousin William, Premiers Baisers, and Hélène et Les Garçons. Subsequent film and TV appearances include Dead Romantic with Jonny Lee Miller, Van der Valk, Lovejoy, Eastenders, Waiting for God, Over Here, A Touch of Frost, Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years, and Passport to Murder - directed by David Hemmings.
It was around this time that Rupert began developing his skills as a voice actor in the little-known behind-the-scenes world of voice dubbing or ADR, learning all about the specialised craft from "the man of a thousand voices" Robert Rietty. Rupert was hooked, and found that he could be anyone from anywhere behind the mic. Although uncredited, Rupert's voice can be heard (among many others) in Stalingrad, Fatherland, Interview With the Vampire, Immortal Beloved, The Madness of King George, Twelve Monkeys, Pride and Prejudice, Goldeneye, Richard III, Dragonheart, Bridget Jones' Diary, Dead Man Running, Dark Corners and Pope Joan. But it is for his demon voice in Exorcist: The Beginning and the 2013 reboot of Evil Dead that he is probably best known in the world of film dubbing.
Documentaries have also played a vital part in his voice work, having provided narration or character voices for Russia's War, Britain at War In Colour, Richard Hillary - A Pilot's Story, How Do They Do It?, Imagine, The Wildest Dream - The Conquest of Everest, and Starsuckers. Rupert's been no stranger to short films either, appearing either on camera or as a voice in The Short Walk, Nine Inch Pinch, Foxhunter, I'm Banksy, and La Madre Buena as Donald Trump.
Other notable film and TV acting credits include: Holby City, Nathan Barley, Love Soup, Hedz, Red Dwarf and Shoot the Messenger opposite David Oyelowo.
Since relocating to Sydney, Australia, Rupert has appeard either on camera or as a voice in A Place to Call Home, Paper Giants – Magazine Wars, Super Awesome, #7 Days Later, Australia - The Story of Us, Sando, and the award-winning 2018 documentary Kangaroo.
Stage[]
Having appeared in numerous school and amateur productions since the age of 11, and getting a taste of theatre life touring as an understudy in The Breadwinner, Rupert made his professional stage debut at The Latchmere Theatre in Tom Jones in 1993. After appearing at The Royal Albert Hall in Joy to the World, Rupert continued his association with London's fringe scene, and especially The Latchmere Theatre, with The Boys Next Door, The International Café and Are We There Yet?. He also starred in Restless Farewell at the Battersea Arts Centre, and over several years made regular guest appearances in Newsrevue at the Canal Café Theatre, The Tyne Theatre, and at the Edinburgh Fringe. He also appeared at The Soho Theatre in the improvised comedy Probe.
In 2001 Rupert starred as King Henry II opposite Colin Salmon in Becket at The Southwark Playhouse, before making his West End debut in the award-winning, multi-character, two-hander Stones in His Pockets at The Duke of Yorks Theatre opposite Brian Doherty. After nearly 300 performances and a cast change, Rupert and Hugh Lee launched the Irish tour of Stones with a week at The Grand Opera House in Belfast and three weeks at The Gaiety in Dublin, before returning to London and a new theatre - The New Ambassador's - for another 300 performances.
After 18 months in Stones in His Pockets, Rupert took a break from theatre before joining the original London cast of The 39 Steps for a four-week run at The Tricycle Theatre. Immediately transferring to The Criterion Theatre in London's Piccadilly Circus [3], Rupert spent a further nine months in The 39 Steps performing opposite Charles Edwards, Catherine McCormack and Simon Gregor picking up the 2007 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy along the way.
Before moving to Sydney, Rupert's last theatre London appearance was in Dirk Maggs' stage production of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy at The Royal Festival Hall along with the cast of the original BBC Radio series and guests Harry Shearer and Andrew Sachs.
Animation[]
Best known as the voice of Scrambler in Bob the Builder, Rupert has been lending his voice to cartoons and animated films for decades, honing his craft during the craze for Japanese Anime in the 1990s, voicing the English versions of Urotsukidoji, Adventure Duo, and Kekko Kamen among others. After working on Skipper & Skeeto for Children's BBC, Rupert collaborated with Dirk Maggs and Rowan Atkinson on Mr. Bean, and created the voice for Chudd Chudders in Cartoon Network's hugely successful animated/live action quiz show Skatoony, in which he and fellow cast member Lewis MacLeod played some 200 characters between them over several seasons.
In 2007 the short film Badgered was nominated for an Academy Award, which was quickly followed by a string of top-rated shows such as Chop Socky Chooks, Lucky Fred, Groove High, Robotboy and The Amazing World of Gumball - he also played several charcaters in the animated feature film Planet 51. After spending eight years on Bob the Builder, and three years on Thomas & Friends, Rupert made the move to Sydney, Australia, where he continues to enjoy his time behind the mic, providing scores of voices for Doodles, The Wild Adventures of Blinky Bill, Beat Bugs, Kitty Is Not A Cat, The Strange Chores, 100% Wolf and Maya the Bee - The Honey Games.
Videogames[]
Rupert has been providing character voices for videogames since 1993 in vintage classics such as Simon the Sorcerer II, Three Skulls of the Toltecs and The Feeble Files. As the games industry has grown and grown, so have Rupert's credits, notching up some 50 titles, playing everything from FBI agents, US Marines and maniacal villans - to camp robots, medieval princes, and haggard wizards. He is probably best known for portraying Voldemort, Severus Snape and Hagrid in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Admiral Piett in the Star Wars games, and the Professor in Wonderbook: Book of Spells. Other notable games include Hostile Waters, Headhunter, Rogue Trooper, Haze, Dragon Age, Driver: San Francisco, Anno 2070, Martian Gothic, and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!.
Radio and Podcasts[]
Rupert has performed in over fifty radio productions, learning the craft of radio acting with Richard Shannon and Tim Crook, before collaborating numerous times with Dirk Maggs on productions such as Ringing the Changes, The Gemini Apes, The Glittering Prizes, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Dirk Gently and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He played Rizla in the BBC radio production of The Brightonomicon opposite David Warner and Andy Serkis, and he played Pantalaimon in the full cast audio production of His Dark Materials alongside author and narrator Philip Pullman. He also guests in Audible's 2017 full cast audio production of The X-Files, and as of September 2018 he can be heard playing some 38 characters in the true-crime satire podcast Grovers Mill.
Audiobooks[]
Degas is a prolific audiobook narrator, with over 250 titles to his name, having recorded the likes of Peter Carey, Haruki Murakami, Oscar Wilde, Arthur Conan Doyle, HP Lovecraft, Sulari Gentill, Rose Tremain, Darren Shan, Mervyn Peake, Bram Stoker, Cormac McCarthy, Sven Hassel, Bear Grylls and Anthony Horowitz. He has received particular critical acclaim for his performances of The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss and for Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy.
Advertising[]
Over the years Rupert has become one of the most sought after voice actors in the UK and Australia, working on thousands of promos and advertising campaigns. He is probably best known for the Bring on the Trumpets commercial with Matt Berry for The Natural Confectionery Company.
Production[]
In 1995, Rupert produced the short film, Police Procedure, which was followed by co-producing French short film Tattoo which premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival in 1998. In 2000, Rupert produced two more short films – Just the Ticket and Last Orders, winning Best Short Film on TCM, and receiving special mentions at the Cork and Belfast Film Festivals. In 2001, he produced and starred as King Henry II in Becket at The Southwark Playhouse, winning Time Out's Pick of the Week. In 1998 he was voice director for the videogames Three Skulls of the Toltecs and The Feeble Files, and in 2018 Rupert co-wrote, produced, and directed the eight episode true-crime satire podcast Grovers Mill.
References[]
- ↑ Cavendish, Dominic (23 July 2003). "Cash Cow With a Rare Kick". London: telegraph.co.uk The Telegraph July 2003. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/3599159/Cash-cow-with-a-rare-kick.html. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
- ↑ Bremner, Charles; Robertson, David. "The Essential Kipling". London: entertainment.timesonline.co.uk. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/audio_books/article4079574.ece. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
- ↑ Matt Wolf (26 September 2006). "Hitchcock's '39 Steps' Gets Mirthful London Staging: Matt Wolf". Bloomberg.com. https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=a0FstT_Y32Vg&refer=muse. Retrieved 26 December 2007.