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Michael Whitehall

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Michael Whitehall
Born (1940-04-12) 12 April 1940 (age 84)
Exeter, Devon, England
EducationAmpleforth College
Occupation(s)Author, producer, talent agent, television personality
Years active1988–present
Spouses
Jane McIntosh
​
​
(m. 1969; div. 1973)​
Hilary Amanda Jane Isbister
​
​
(m. 1986)​
Children3, including Jack Whitehall

Michael Whitehall (born 12 April 1940) is an English author, producer, talent agent and television personality. He is a former theatrical agent who went on to form two production companies, Havahall Pictures (with Nigel Havers) in 1988, and Whitehall Films in 1998. He has represented Nigel Havers, Edward Fox, Colin Firth, Judi Dench and Daniel Day-Lewis.[1] He is the father of comedian and actor Jack Whitehall.[2]

Early life and education

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Whitehall was born on 12 April 1940 in Exeter, Devon.[3] He was educated at Ampleforth College, a Catholic boarding school in Yorkshire, run by Benedictine monks. After his education, Whitehall worked as a film reporter for The Universe, a weekly Catholic newspaper.[4] Both his father Jack and grandfather were commercial travellers. His education was paid for by his grandfather, who had inherited significant wealth from his cousin, a wool merchant.[5][6]

Career

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Whitehall has produced TV programmes such as Bertie and Elizabeth, Noah's Ark, Element of Doubt, The Good Guys and A Perfect Hero. He represented Judi Dench,[7] Colin Firth,[citation needed] Richard E. Grant,[8] and Leslie Grantham.[9]

He has made guest appearances on various television shows including Countdown, John Bishop's Britain, The Million Pound Drop Live, Alexander Armstrong's Big Ask and Alan Carr: Chatty Man. In 2013, it was announced that he would present a TV chat show for the BBC with his son Jack. The first series of Backchat began airing on BBC Three,[4] starting on 20 November 2013, but has since moved to BBC Two.[10] In 2017, he co-presented Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father, a travel documentary/road trip through Southeast Asia with his son on Netflix.[11] In 2018, Travels had a second series where they visited several countries in Eastern Europe. In 2019, Travels had a third, two-episode series where they visited, California, Arizona, and Nevada in the USA. In 2020, Travels had a fourth, two-episode series where they visited Australia. In 2021, Travels had a fifth, three-episode series, in which they traveled around the U.K. This series went on to be the final series of the show. In 2019, along with his son Jack, Michael appeared in the programme Who Do You Think You Are? to discover his heritage.

Whitehall's first book was Shark Infested Waters: Tales of an Actors' Agent, and his son Jack illustrated it.[12] The Times Literary Supplement (TLS) called the book "a most entertaining memoir" that was "wittily illustrated".[12] In October 2013, he released his second book Him & Me, which was co-written with his son. Written in two distinctive styles, it reflects the different personalities of its authors.[13]

Personal life

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Whitehall married Jane McIntosh in 1969. The couple had no children and they divorced in 1973, after which McIntosh married lyricist Tim Rice.[14][15]

Whitehall married television actress Hilary Amanda Jane Isbister (stage surname Gish) on 12 April 1986, Whitehall's 46th birthday.[16] As of 2013, Whitehall and Isbister were living in Putney in the London Borough of Wandsworth. They have three children together, including Jack Whitehall.[17]

Whitehall is a supporter of the Conservative Party and supported Brexit.[18]

He is a supporter of Leicester City.

Books

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  • Shark Infested Waters: Tales of an Actors' Agent (Timewell Press, 2007), ISBN 978-1857252156[19]
  • Him & Me by Michael and Jack Whitehall (Michael Joseph, 2013), ISBN 978-1405910903[20]
  • Backing into the Spotlight: A Memoir (Constable, 2017), ISBN 978-1472127099[21]

Filmography

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Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2013–2015 Backchat Presenter
2017–2021 Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father Presenter Also Executive Producer, 4 series
2019 Jack Whitehall: Christmas with My Father Himself
2020 Jack Whitehall: Father's Day
2023 Jon and Lucy's Odd Couples
2024 Jack Whitehall: Fatherhood with My Father Himself

References

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  1. ^ "Michael Whitehall, an actors' agent – memoirs published by Apostrophe Books". Apostrophe Books. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  2. ^ Cavendish, Dominic (12 October 2013). "Jack and Michael Whitehall interview". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  3. ^ "Jack and Michael Whitehall on Who Do You Think You Are?: Everything you need to know". Who Do You Think You Are Magazine. 26 February 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Michael Whitehall | Backchat with Jack Whithall and His Dad". BBC Three.
  5. ^ "Who Do You Think You Are? – Series 16: 3. Jack and Michael Whitehall". BBC.
  6. ^ "Jack and Michael Whitehall – Who Do You Think You Are?". The Genealogist. 31 July 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  7. ^ Smith, Julia Llewellyn (16 November 2013). "So what was it like bringing up Jack Whitehall?". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  8. ^ Grant, Richard E. (1999). With nails : the film diaries of Richard E. Grant. Woodstock, N.Y.: Overlook Press. ISBN 0879519355. OCLC 41554963.
  9. ^ "Grantham memoir to Timewell". The Bookseller (5231): 15. 26 May 2006.
  10. ^ Buchanan, Daisy (22 August 2013). "Jack Whitehall bags new BBC3 chat show, with his dad". Daily Mirror.
  11. ^ "Jack Whitehall travels with his dad". Chortle. 28 February 2017. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  12. ^ a b Cecil, Jonathan (9 November 2007). "SHARK-INFESTED WATERS". TLS (5458): 33. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  13. ^ "About – Jack Whitehall". jackwhitehall.com.
  14. ^ Palmer, Katie (25 September 2021). "Michael Whitehall first wife: Who did Jack Whitehall's father marry?". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  15. ^ Nikkhah, Roya (27 November 2011). "Why Jane Rice wants to save the red squirrel". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  16. ^ "What you need to know about Hilary Gish, Jack Whitehall's mother". inews.co.uk. 19 June 2020.
  17. ^ Hattenstone, Simon (14 December 2013). "Comedians and their parents: Jack Whitehall and father Michael". The Guardian.
  18. ^ Gordon, Bryony (19 December 2012). "Jack Whitehall: The funny thing about being posh".
  19. ^ results, search (14 June 2007). Shark Infested Waters. Timewell Press. ASIN 1857252152.
  20. ^ Whitehall, Jack; results, search (5 June 2014). Him & Me. Penguin. ASIN 1405911379.
  21. ^ Whitehall, Michael (26 October 2017). Backing into the Spotlight: A Memoir (1st ed.). Constable. ISBN 9781472127099. ASIN 1472127099.
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