The Times' obituary of Tom

Versatile actor whose repertoire ranged from Shakespeare to Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

As Tom Beard morphed into the Duke of Albany for the Donmar Warehouse production of King Lear, it became clear to Michael Grandage that he was a rare thespian breed. “There are some actors that make acting a perfectly normal profession. There’s no need for fame, no seeking status, no craving celebrity . . . it’s just a job that when done well offers an opportunity for people to examine the human condition in a deep and meaningful way. That was how Tom viewed it.”

He was the quintessential “actors’ actor” who became the backbone of a cast and took his work seriously, but not himself. His other recent stage credits included Polly Stenham’s Hotel at the National Theatre,Tusk Tusk at the Royal Court, and a central role as Cyril Radcliffe inDrawing the Line at the Hampstead Theatre.

Born in London in 1965, Tom Beard was the second son of Charles, a plastic surgeon, and Trish, a flautist. His talent for acting and sport was evident from an early age: he took the romantic lead as the milkmaid in The King’s Breakfast by AA Milne when he was eight, and at 11 he reached the finals of the Lancashire rugby sevens. While a student at Westminster School he was in the first XI for both football and cricket.

When his father died of lung cancer aged 42, he and his brother Alex forged an even closer bond. His academic work suffered but, after retaking his A levels, he secured a place at the University of Sussex to read politics with German, and became a leading player in the student drama society. Alex would also enter the arts world, becoming the chief executive of the Royal Opera House.

After graduating from Sussex, Beard enrolled at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London. In a performance of Not Quite Jerusalem he was spotted by the agent Rebecca Blond, and his stage breakthrough came in 1994 when he played Laertes in Peter Hall’s West End production of Hamlet, alongside Stephen Dillane in the title role and Sir Donald Sinden as Polonius.

He subsequently appeared in several productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company, including Henry VI, Parts I-III and The Tempest.

On the small screen he had roles in Whitechapel, Wallander, Foyle’s War Spooks and Holby City. Among his big screen credits was the 2011 film adaptation of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, in which he starred with Emily Blunt and Ewan McGregor.

Beyond acting he roamed a rich hinterland: he continued to play sport throughout his life, whether cricket, tennis in gruelling grudge matches, friendly rounds of golf or on-set impromptu football knockabouts. His support for Chelsea was fierce and unwavering. He was also a keen angler and an enthusiastic gardener, with his dahlias and leeks becoming the envy of Hampshire. He read widely, had a catholic interest in music, and set off every year on an extended walk through dales and vales, taking a different route each time. Yet the theatre in all its forms remained his great passion.

After struggling with an increasingly painful back, he was diagnosed with stage four cancer in January. Even when exhausted and in pain as he filmed The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses television series under the direction of Dominic Cooke, due to be broadcast next year, he still insisted on mounting a horse to charge into his scenes.

His principal concern as his condition deteriorated was that his family were looked after, supported, and left with happy memories. He is survived by his wife Polly, a childhood friend whom he married in 1992, and their two children, Ella and Joe, who are both still students.

Sir Derek Jacobi recalled that during their run in King Lear at the Donmar he would go off stage after his first scene every night and ask Beard how he thought it went. “He wouldn’t pull any punches, but about 90 per cent of the time he would say to me, ‘you’ve got it, you’ve got it’.”

His support of his fellow actors was always genuine and, with his dry sense of humour, he could be relied on to dispel any backstage tension. “Every dressing room,” Jacobi said, “needs a Tom Beard.”

Tom Beard, actor, was born on April 25, 1965. He died of cancer on July 20, 2015, aged 50