George Asprey

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George Asprey (born 1 October 1966) is a British stage, film, and television character actor. Since 2008, Asprey has played the part of Scar in the West End theatre production of the musical The Lion King.

Early life

Of Asprey's origins, the Daily Mirror said that his world had been one of "indecent wealth" and he was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth but a "silver shovel".[1] The only son of Edward Asprey, of Asprey the jewellers, he was educated at Charterhouse School and was expected to join the family business on leaving school. Asprey rebelled, wishing instead to pursue an acting career. This was not welcomed by his father, and the pair did not speak for several months.[1] Asprey subsequently studied business in the United States, with a view to joining the family firm, but while there was cast in a stage production of The Tempest. This led him to audition for entry to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), and at the age of twenty he was one of nineteen new students accepted out of some 2,500 applicants.[2][3]

Career

Soon after leaving LAMDA, Asprey was cast as Sean Devereux in the television film The Dying of the Light (Yorkshire Television, 1992). His character was a UNICEF aid worker who was murdered, and Asprey received good reviews for the performance.[1] He appeared as a policeman in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994).[4]

In 1995, Asprey was cast as Tony Paterson, a promiscuous hairdresser, in the ITV television serial An Independent Man.[1] In 2003 he played Doc Holliday in a BBC production,[5] in 2016 appeared as Walter Monckton in The Crown,[6] and in 2021 played Jonathan Rees QC in Four Lives.

Asprey's longest-running part on stage is as Scar in the West End production of The Lion King, which he began to play in 2008 and was still performing in October 2019, when in an interview he described Scar as "probably the greatest baddie that Disney has ever written".[2] The production had to close in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 lockdown, but it reopened at the Lyceum Theatre in July 2021, with Asprey returning as Scar.[7]

Personal life

In 1992, while they were both appearing in The Sound of Music, Asprey dated Amanda Holden.[8]

Asprey and his wife Kirsten have three daughters.[9]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1992 The Dying of the Light Sean Devereux Television film [10]
1994 Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Policeman [4]
2000 Secrets & Lines Andrew H Television film [3]
2002 AKA David, Lord Glendening [11]
2003 Out of Bounds Matthew Van Huet [12]
2005 The Wedding Date Pat [13]
Ian Fleming: Bondmaker Officer Television film [14]
The Greatest Game Ever Played Wilfrid Reid [15][16]
Riot at the Rite Journalist Television film [17]
2019 The Gentlemen Lord Snowball [18]
2021 Without Remorse Denis Stewart [19]
2024 The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare Commander Hopkirk [20]
2025 Heavyweight Harry [21]

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1994 Screen One 2nd Lieutenant Episode: "A Breed of Heroes" [3]
1995 An Independent Man Tony Patterson Series regular; 7 episodes [22]
1997 The Peter Principle Simon Episode: "The Midas Touch" [23]
1998 Coming Home Dr Jeremy Wells Miniseries; 2 episodes [24]
Supply & Demand Terry James Episode: "Blood Ties" [25]
The Bill Anthony Howarth Episode: "Trial Run" [26]
1998–1999 Trial & Retribution DC Jack Hutchins Recurring role; 4 episodes [27]
1999 Nancherrow Jeremy Wells Miniseries; 2 episodes [27]
2003 Holby City Simon Hargreaves Episode: "Love Nor Money" [28]
2006 The Afternoon Play Boniface Episode: "Molly" [27]
The Gil Mayo Mysteries Adam Kendrick Episode: "A Species of Revenge" [29]
The Bill Andrew King Episode: "Little Black Book" [30]
2007 Waking the Dead Young Bruno Rivelli Episode: "Mask of Sanity" [31]
The Wild West Doc Holliday Episode: "The Gunfight at the OK Corral" [5]
2008 New Tricks Cameron Wyatt Episode: "A Face for Radio" [32]
2009 Psychoville John George Haigh Episode: "Joy" [33]
2010 Upstairs Downstairs Oswald Mosley Recurring role; 3 episodes [27]
2016–2017 The Crown Walter Monckton Recurring role; 6 episodes [34]
2021 Sex Education Jeff Groff Episode: "Series 3, Episode 6" [27]
2022 Four Lives Jonathon Rees QC Episode: "Episode 3" [27]
2024 Grantchester Professor Henry Waddingham Episode: "Series 9, Episode 6" [35]
A Very Royal Scandal Alastair Watson Episode: "Episode 1" [36]

Notes

  1. Carole Aye Maung, "Rough diamond; Asprey rebel has a golden future as an actor", Daily Mirror (London), 23 May 1996, archived at thefreelibrary.com, accessed 23 November 2021
  2. Matt Wolf, "Longtime London The Lion King Star George Asprey Reflects on the Show's 20 Years in the West End", broadway.com, 18 October 2019, accessed 23 November 2021
  3. "George Asprey - West End Performers". London Theatre Direct. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  4. John Kenneth Muir, Horror Films of the 1990s (2011), p. 330
  5. Shirley Ayn Linder, Doc Holliday in Film and Literature (McFarland, 2014), p. 150
  6. Robert Lacey, The Crown: The official book of the hit Netflix series (Bonnier Publishing, 2017), p. 407
  7. "The Lion King cast ‘ecstatic’ ahead of show’s West End reopening", itv.com, 29 July 2021, accessed 23 November 2021
  8. Jim Maloney, Amanda Holden (Kings Road Publishing, 2011), p. 22
  9. Warren Humphries, "Ticketmaster meets The Lion King’s George Asprey", ticketmaster.co.uk, 19 September 2014, accessed 23 November 2021
  10. "The Dying of the Light". Screen Rant. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  11. Leonard Maltin, Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide: The Modern Era (2017), p. 18
  12. "BBC One - Out of Bounds". BBC. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  13. Chang, Justin (2 February 2005). "The Wedding Date". Variety. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  14. "Ian Fleming: Bond Maker - BBC Drama". YouTube. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  15. John Willis, Barry Monush, Screen World: 2006 Film Annual (2006), p. 126
  16. Croce, Fernando (17 September 2005). "Review: The Greatest Game Ever Played". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  17. "Riot at the Rite - Full Cast & Crew". TV Guide. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  18. Hans, Simran (4 January 2020). "The Gentlemen review – Guy Ritchie's dated gangster romp". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  19. Without Remorse review, flickeringmyth.com, accessed 24 November 2021
  20. Kojder, Robert (19 April 2024). "Movie Review – The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024)". flickeringmyth.com. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  21. Hoad, Phil (21 January 2026). "Heavyweight review – locker room becomes pressure cooker in real-time boxing face-off". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  22. "George Asprey, Mel Martin and George Cole at a photocall for the tv series, An Independent Man (1995)". Alamy. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  23. "Series 1, Episode 4 - The Midas Touch". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  24. "Coming Home - Full Cast & Crew". TV Guide. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  25. "Watch Supply and Demand Blood Ties Part 1". STV Player. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  26. "The Bill - S17 E50 - Trial Run". U. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  27. "George Asprey - CV" (PDF). Waring McKenna. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  28. "Holby City - Love Nor Money". Apple TV. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  29. "Gil Mayo Mysteries – Season 1, Episode 3". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  30. "The Bill - S25 E64 - Little Black Book". U. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  31. "Mask of Sanity - Waking the Dead - Series 6 Episode 7 of 12". BBC. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  32. "New Tricks - Series 5: 3. A Face for Radio". BBC iPlayer. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  33. "Episode 5 Psychoville - Series 1 Episode 5 of 7". BBC. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  34. "The Lawyer and the Corporal". Kent County Cricket Club. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  35. Simone, Carlo (7 January 2025). "ITV Grantchester Series 9: Cast list and when it's on TV". Hearts Standard. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  36. "'A VERY ROYAL SCANDAL' STARRING GEORGE ASPREY NOW ON AMAZON PRIME". Waring McKenna Ltd. Retrieved 17 April 2026.