Raised in Lincolnshire, England

First acted on stage at age four in "A Doll's House" in a theater founded by his father

Was stage manager at the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park

Had acting breakthrough playing multiple roles in the 12-part sci-fi TV program "Illuminatus"

Earliest feature film appearances included small roles in the British films, "The Life Story of Baal" and "The Shout"

Earliest collaboration with Mike Leigh was a stage production of Leigh's "Ecstasy"

With Peter Barlow, formed the comedy duo The National Theatre of Brent in the 1980s

Acted in Leigh's TV production "Birth of a Nation: Tales Out of School"

Had featured role in the BBC adaptation of "Silas Marner"

Most prominent feature role up to that time, "The Good Father"; also first feature film for director Mike Newell

First American film, "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace"

Cast as Prince Albert in the BBC comedy "Blackadder's Christmas Carol"

Acted in London at the Old Vic in a revival of the Georges Feydeau comedy, "A Flea in Her Ear"

Played first leading role in a feature, "Life is Sweet" directed by Mike Leigh

Acted in the British six-part comedy-drama series, "Gone to Dogs"

Penned (also acted) the comedy short, "A Sense of History" (aka "Two Mikes Don't Make a Wright") directed by Mike Leigh

Directed by Richard Loncraine in BBC's "Wide-Eyed and Legless" (released theatrically in the US as "The Wedding Gift")

Was featured in Woody Allen's "Bullets Over Broadway"

Reunited with Loncraine for "Richard III"; played the Duke of Buckingham

Had featured role in "The Secret Agent"

Offered a fine supporting turn as a sleazy nightclub owner in "Little Voice"

Co-starred as William Gilbert in Mike Leigh's biopic of Gilbert & Sullivan "Topsy-Turvy"

Played the title character's father in "Bridget Jones's Diary"

Portrayed Zidler, the owner of the titular establishment, in "Moulin Rouge!"

Won an Oscar playing John Bayley, the husband of writer Iris Murdoch, in the biopic "Iris"

Cast as Boss Tweed in Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York"

Cast as Desmond Morton in the HBO miniseries "The Gathering Storm"; earned a Golden Globe nomination

Received a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word Album for his work on Winnie-The-Pooh

Cast as Lord Kelvin in Disney's live action feature "Around the World in 80 Days" based on the classical novel by Jules Verne

Reprised his role as Bridget's dad in "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason"

Voiced Madame Gasket in the animated feature "Robots"

Cast in Andrew Adamson's adaption of C.S. Lewis' children's novel, "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"

Cast in Terry Zwigoff's adaptation of Daniel Clowes' comic story "Art School Confidential"

Portrayed the Earl of Longford in the HBO original movie, "Longford"; earned an Emmy nomination for Best Actor

Cast as chief Inspector Butterman in the U.K. comedy "Hot Fuzz"

Cast in the fourth film in the Indiana Jones series, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"