Greg Hicks

Hicks raised in Leicester, England. His parents were founding members of the Leicester Progressive Jewish Congregation, and Hicks even entertained early aspirations of becoming a rabbi. But after playing the role of Shylock in Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice" at the tender age of 11, he decided to put his oratory skills to use on the stage rather than the synagogue.After graduating from Rose Bruford College in Kent, he was facing his first big break with the Royal Shakespeare Company when on the day of rehearsals, Hicks ended up slipping a disc in his back while attempting a self-taught yoga headstand. Despite the inauspicious circumstances, Hicks later ended up joining the equally famous National Theatre company in London, where he established his credibility as an actor from 1979 to 1986. While tackling the classics, Hicks also supplemented his stage work by appearing on British TV programs such as the crime drama "Waking the Dead" (BBC 2000-) and the televised film "Deadline" (BBC 1998) alongside famed British actors John Hurt and Imogen Stubbs. His real career-making milestone came with the lead role in the play, "Coriolanus" in 2003, where he received a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award and won the London Critics Circle Award. He also gained many accolades abroad, when he took on double-duty, playing the leads in "King Lear" and "The Winter's Tale" during the Royal Shakespeare Company's residency at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City in 2011. Though comfortable on the stage and small screen, Hicks aspired to expand his presence in the American market, citing Jeremy Irons and Ian McKellen as role models of classical actors who found success in film later in life. His first high-profile American film project came when he played Pontius Pilate in the acclaimed miniseries "The Bible" (History 2013).