He was educated at Ampleforth boarding school and went on to study English at Magdalene College in Cambridge 1966-69 then attended Webber Douglas 1970 -73 and made his television debut in Joking Apart in 1978 which was followed by the television play The Old Crowd in 1979 and his theatre debut in Present Laughter at The Vaudeville Theatre in 1981. his film debut came in 1985 in Baby, The Secret of the Lost Legend In 1989 He played Noel Coward in the television film Goldeneye, the Secret Life of Ian Fleming and The following year he married Emma Kitchener who was Lady in Waiting to the Princess of Kent 1991 saw the birth of his son Peregrine and he starred in For the Greater Good. 1993 he had a role in the film Damage. in 1995 he adapted Little Lord Fauntleroy for television and won an Emmy for the screenplay.. 1996 he adapted and produced The Prince and the Pauper for television and starred in Our Friends in the Northon the BBC.The following year, 1997 he starred in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies In 1999 he starred in Aristocats and Monarch of the Glen for the BBC. 2002 He won an Oscar for the screenplay of Gosford Park and in 2003 he directed A Way Through the Woods.2004 he published the novel Snobs and wrote the screenplay for Vanity Fair
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