Quick Facts
Biography
Christopher "Chris" Fairbank (born 4 October 1953) is an English film, stage and television actor, perhaps best known for his role as Moxey in the hit comedy-drama series Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. Born in Hertfordshire, he first developed an interest in acting while appearing in a play at his primary school in Clavering, Essex. He has numerous television credits to his name, including Sapphire and Steel, The Professionals, and The Scarlet Pimpernel. He provided voice talent for both of the Wallace and Gromit feature-length films, Curse of the Were-Rabbit and Flushed Away. Fairbank also appeared as one of the pair of muggers who rob an out-of-town family, heralding the first appearance of the Batman in Tim Burton's 1989 film. Fairbank also had roles as Mactilburgh the scientist in the film The Fifth Element, the prisoner Murphy in Alien 3, and the Player Queen in the Franco Zeffirelli version of Hamlet, opposite Mel Gibson. He appeared in the Goal! trilogy as a Newcastle United fan.
Fairbank is renowned for his skilful ability to utilise different accents and dialect. For example as Moxey in Auf Weidersehen Pet he portrayed a Liverpudlian, his accent was so convincing members of the public thought he was from Liverpool in real life.
In 2010, he appeared as a detective in Five Daughters, and as Alfred "Freddie" Lennon in the biopic Lennon Naked.
In 2011 Fairbank starred in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides as a pirate called Ezekiel, and in 2012 he appeared as an Australian in Sky 1's Starlings.
In 2017 he played Ibbotson, Delaney's tenant farmer in BBC One's drama Taboo.
Selected TV
- Z-Cars (1978) — Man at Bus Stop
- The Professionals (1979) — Billy
- The Old Curiosity Shop (1979-1980) — Kit Nubbles
- Sapphire & Steel (1982) — Johnny Jack
- Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (1983-2004) — Albert Moxey
- Bergerac (1987) — Sydney Sterrat
- Casualty (1987) — Gerald Bryant
- Rockliffe's Babies (1988) — Dover
- The Bill (1989) — Charles
- Spender (1991) — Joe Phelan
- Sweating Bullets (1993) — Patrick
- Prime Suspect 3 (1993) (TV) — Chief Inspector David Lyall
- Lovejoy (1994) — Foxy Norris
- Crocodile Shoes (1994) — Alan Clark
- Space Precinct (1995) — Burl Flak
- Inspector Morse (1995) — George Daley
- Silent Witness (1997) — Chris Palmer
- Wokenwell (1997) — Stew Saunter
- Invasion: Earth (1998) — Wing Cmdr. Friday
- The Scarlet Pimpernel (1999) — Fumier
- In A Land Of Plenty (2001) — Bob
- Paradise Heights (2002) — John Askins
- Spooks (2003) — Gordon Blaney
- The Rotters' Club (2005) — Roll-up Reg
- New Tricks (2006) — Tommy Gerrard
- The Line of Beauty (2006) — Barry Groom
- Five Days (2007) — DS Curling
- Diamond Geezer (2007) — Barry
- Midsomer Murders (2007) — Ronnie Tyler
- Never Better (2008) — Doug
- Ashes to Ashes (2008) — David Bonds
- Tess of the D'Urbervilles (2008) — Groby
- Merlin (2008) — Black Knight
- Law & Order: UK (2009) — Jeff McFadden
- Five Daughters (2010) — DCI John Quinton
- Borgen (2013) — Vassily Andrejev
- Doctor Who (episode: "Flatline") (2014) — Fenton
- Wolf Hall (2014) - Walter Cromwell
- Dickensian (2015) — Silas Wegg
- Taboo (2017) — Ibbotson
Filmography
- Agatha (1979) — Luland
- Plenty (1985) — Spencer
- Batman (1989) — Nick
- Hamlet (1990) — Player Queen
- White Hunter Black Heart (1990) — Tom Harrison, Art Director
- Alien 3 (1992) — Murphy
- The Fifth Element (1997) — Mactilburgh
- The Bunker (2001) — Sgt. Heydrich
- Below (2002) — Pappy
- Anazapta (2002) — Steward
- Goal! (2005) — Foghorn
- Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) — Additional Voice
- Flushed Away (2006) (voice) — Thimblenose Ted / Cockroach / Passerby
- Goal! III (2009) — Foghorn
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) — Ezekiel
- Jack the Giant Slayer (2013) — Uncle
- Little Deaths (2014) — X
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) — The Broker
- Hercules (2014)
- Orthodox (2014) — Goldberg
- Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse (2015) — Potter
- Lady Macbeth (2016) — Boris
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) — Ezekiel
Video games
- Prisoner of War (2002) — Colonel Roger Harding & other additional voices
- The Getaway: Black Monday (2004) — Additional Voices
- Killzone: Liberation (2006) — General Armin Metrac
- Medieval II: Total War (2006)
- Rule of Rose (2006) — Gregory M. Wilson (Stray Dog)
- Heavenly Sword (2007) — Additional Voices
- Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (2008)
- Fable II (2008)
- Viking: Battle for Asgard (2008)
- Demon's Souls (2009) — Old King Doran/Yurt, the Silent Chief
- Killzone 2 (2009) — Additional Helghast Voices
- The Last Story (2011) — Narrator
- Divinity: Dragon Commander (2013) — Sir Falstaff Silvervein, additional voices
- Puppeteer (2013) — General Tiger
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III (2017) — Inquisitor Holt