Happy 69th birthday, Derek Jacobi!

Today in 1938, the classically trained turned fantasy actor Derek Jacobi was born. Sir Derek (knighted twice over, no less) is probably best known to older audiences for his critically acclaimed portrayal of Claudius in the series, I, Claudius and Brother Cadfael in the Cadfeal mysteries. Younger audiences may recognize him for his work in The Secret of NIMH, Dead Again, Jason and the Argonauts, Underworld: Evolution, the remake of Doctor Who and the much anticipated The Golden Compass.  He also won an Emmy in 2001 for parodying his Shakespearean backround on an episode of Frasier:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7849AKQ-NtA

While Jacobi trained at the University of Cambridge alongside the great Sir Ian McKellen, he never knew until much later in life that Sir Ian had a crush on him that McKellen now admits was "a passion that was undeclared and unrequited."   Alas, poor Ian… although it looks like things pretty much worked out for the both of them.