<P> Rees was born in Aberystwyth, Cardiganshire, Wales, the son of Doris Louise (née Smith), a shop clerk, and William John Rees, a police officer . He studied art at the Camberwell College of Arts and the Slade School of Fine Art, turning to acting when he was painting backdrops at the Wimbledon Theatre and was asked to fill a part in a play . </P> <P> Rees started his career with the Royal Shakespeare Company . He played Malcolm in the acclaimed Trevor Nunn 1976 stage and 1978 television production of Macbeth . Rees created the title role in the original production of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, David Edgar's stage adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel, winning a Laurence Olivier Award for Actor of the Year in a New Play in 1980 and a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1982 . A recorded version of the play also earned him an Emmy nomination in 1983 . He also starred in the original production of The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard at the Strand Theatre in London in 1982 . </P> <P> Rees began to work in television during the 1970s, appearing opposite Laurence Olivier in The Ebony Tower (1984). That same year, Rees portrayed Fred Hollywell in A Christmas Carol starring George C. Scott as Scrooge . From 1988 to 1991 he starred in the late 80s / early 90s British sitcom Singles, with co-star Judy Loe . From 1989 to 1991 and in 1993, he also appeared intermittently on the long - running American TV series Cheers as the English tycoon Robin Colcord . His later television appearances include My So - Called Life as substitute teacher Mr Racine, British Ambassador Lord John Marbury on The West Wing and James MacPherson on Warehouse 13 . His film career began in the 1980s . Rees played the Sheriff of Rottingham in the Mel Brooks movie, Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993). Rees' later film appearances include Frida (2002), The Prestige (2006) and The Pink Panther (2006). </P> <P> Continuing his work in the theatre through the 1990s, both as an actor and a director, Rees was awarded an Obie Award for his 1992 performance in the Off - Broadway play The End of the Day . In 1995 he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role in Indiscretions . He recorded many audiobooks, including Memnoch the Devil by Anne Rice . </P>

Rodger who played uk ambassador on the west wing
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