Green denotes the 48 landlocked countries located in the world.

A landlocked country is a country entirely enclosed by land, or whose only coastlines lie on closed seas.^[1][2][3][4] There are 48 landlocked countries in the world, including partially recognized states. Of the major landmasses, only North America, Australia, and inhospitable Antarctica do not have a landlocked country inside their respective continents.

History and significance[link]

Bolivia's loss of its coast in the War of the Pacific (1879-1884) remains a major political issue. In the mural is written: "What once was ours, will be ours once again", and "Hold fast, rotos (Chileans), for here come the Colorados (Reds) of Bolivia".

Historically, being landlocked was regarded as a disadvantageous position. It cuts the country off from sea resources such as fishing, but more importantly cuts off access to seaborne trade which, even today, makes up a large percentage of international trade. Coastal regions tended to be wealthier and more heavily populated than inland ones. Paul Collier in his book The Bottom Billion argues that being landlocked in a poor geographic neighborhood is one of four major development "traps" by which a country can be held back. In general, he found that when a neighboring country experiences better growth, it tends to spill over into favorable development for the country itself. For landlocked countries, the effect is particularly strong, as they are limited from their trading activity with the rest of the world. "If you are coastal, you serve the world; if you are landlocked, you serve your neighbors."^[5] Others have argued that being landlocked may actually be a blessing as it creates a 'natural tariff barrier' which protects the country from cheap imports. In some instances this has led to more robust local food systems.^[6][7]

Landlocked developing countries have significantly higher costs of international cargo transportation compared to coastal developing countries (in Asia the ratio is 3:1).^[8]

Countries thus have made particular efforts to avoid being landlocked:

• The International Congo Society, which owned the modern-day Democratic Republic of the Congo, was given a thin piece of land cutting through Angola to connect it to the sea by the Conference of Berlin in 1885.
• The Republic of Ragusa once gifted the town of Neum to the Ottoman Empire because it did not want to have a land border with Venice; this small municipality was inherited by Bosnia and Herzegovina and now provides limited sea access, splitting the Croatian part of the Adriatic coast in two. Since Bosnia and Herzegovina is a new country, railways and ports have not been built for its need. There is no freight port along its short coast line at Neum. Instead the port of Ploče in Croatia is used, making it landlocked in reality, although there are plans to change this.
• After World War I, in the Treaty of Versailles, a part of Germany, designated "the Polish corridor", was given to the new Second Polish Republic, for access to the Baltic Sea. This was also the pretext for making Danzig (now Gdańsk) with its harbour the Free City of Danzig. This gave Poland a slight coastline, which was soon enlarged as the small fishing harbor of Gdynia grew into a large one.
• The Treaty of Versailles also forced Germany to offer Czechoslovakia a lease for 99 years for a part of the ports in Hamburg and Stettin, allowing Czechoslovakia sea trade over the Elbe and Oder rivers. While the former Stettin is now part of Poland after World War II, Hamburg still continued the contract so that the part of the port (now called Moldauhafen) may still be used for sea trade by the successor of Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic.
• The Danube is an international waterway so that landlocked Austria, Hungary, Serbia, and Slovakia could have secure access to the Black Sea (the same access is given to southern parts of Germany, itself not landlocked, and eastern parts of Croatia, which is also not landlocked).
• The Mekong is an international waterway so that landlocked Laos has secure access to the South China Sea (after Laos became independent from French Indochina).

Losing access to the sea is generally a great blow to a nation, politically, militarily, and particularly with respect to international trade and therefore economic security:

• The independence of Eritrea and Montenegro, brought about by successful separatist movements, have caused Ethiopia and Serbia respectively to become landlocked.
• Bolivia lost its short-lived coastline to Chile in the War of the Pacific. The Bolivian Navy still trains in Lake Titicaca for an eventual recovery, and the Bolivian people annually celebrate a patriotic "Dia del Mar" (Day of the Sea) to remember its territorial loss, which included both the coastal city of Antofagasta and what has proven to be one of the most significant and lucrative copper deposits in the world. In the 21st century, the selection of the route of gas pipes from Bolivia to the sea fueled popular uprisings.
• Austria and Hungary also lost their access to the sea as a consequence of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919) and the Treaty of Trianon (1920) respectively. Before, although Croatia had a constitutional autonomy within the Kingdom of Hungary, the City of Fiume/Rijeka on the Croatian coast was governed directly from Budapest by an appointed governor as a corpus separatum, to provide Hungary with its only international port in the periods 1779–1813, 1822–1848 and 1868–1918.
• When the Entente Powers divided the former Ottoman Empire under the Treaty of Sèvres at the close of World War I, Armenia was promised part of the Trebizond vilayet (roughly corresponding to the modern Trabzon and Rize provinces in Turkey). This would have granted Armenia access to the Black Sea. However, the Sèvres treaty collapsed with the Turkish War of Independence and was superseded by the Treaty of Lausanne which firmly established Turkish rule over the area.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea now gives a landlocked country a right of access to and from the sea without taxation of traffic through transit states. The United Nations has a programme of action to assist landlocked developing countries,^[9] and the current responsible Undersecretary-General is Anwarul Karim Chowdhury.

Some countries may have a long coastline, but much of it may not be readily usable for trade and commerce. For instance, in its early history, Russia's only ports were on the Arctic Ocean and frozen shut for much of the year. The wish to gain control of a warm water port was a major motivator of Russian expansion towards the Baltic Sea, Black Sea and Pacific Ocean. On the other hand, some landlocked countries can have access to the ocean along wide navigable rivers. For instance, Paraguay (and Bolivia to a lesser extent) have access to the ocean by the Paraguay and Parana rivers.

Several countries have coastlines on landlocked seas, such as the Caspian Sea and the Aral Sea. Since these seas are in effect lakes, and do not allow access to seaborne trade, countries such as Kazakhstan are still considered to be landlocked. (The Caspian Sea, however, is connected to the Black Sea via a man-made canal between the Volga and Don rivers.)

List of landlocked countries[link]

Country	Area (km²)	Population	Cluster
Afghanistan	647,500	29,117,000	Asia
Andorra	468	84,082
Armenia	29,743	3,254,300	Caucasia
Austria	83,871	8,396,760	Europe
Azerbaijan[a]	86,600	8,997,400	Caucasia
Azawad[c]			Central Africa
Belarus	207,600	9,484,300
Bhutan	38,394	691,141
Bolivia	1,098,581	10,907,778	South America
Botswana	582,000	1,990,876	South Africa
Burkina Faso	274,222	15,746,232	Central Africa
Burundi	27,834	8,988,091	Central Africa
Central African Republic	622,984	4,422,000	Central Africa
Chad	1,284,000	10,329,208	Central Africa
Czech Republic	78,867	10 674 947	Europe
Ethiopia	1,104,300	85,237,338	Central Africa
Hungary	93,028	10,005,000	Europe
Kazakhstan[a][b]	2,724,900	16,372,000	Asia
Kosovo[c]	10,908	1,804,838	Europe
Kyrgyzstan	199,951	5,482,000	Asia
Laos	236,800	6,320,000
Lesotho[d]	30,355	2,067,000
Liechtenstein	160	35,789	Europe
Luxembourg	2,586	502,202
Macedonia	25,713	2,114,550	Europe
Malawi	118,484	15,028,757	South Africa
Mali	1,240,192	14,517,176	Central Africa
Moldova	33,846	3,567,500	(Moldova)
Mongolia	1,566,500	3,000,000
Nagorno-Karabakh[c]	11,458	138,000	Caucasia
Nepal	147,181	29,331,000
Niger	1,267,000	15,306,252	Central Africa
Paraguay	406,752	6,349,000	South America
Rwanda	26,338	10,746,311	Central Africa
San Marino[d]	61	31,716
Serbia	88,361	7,306,677	Europe
Slovakia	49,035	5,429,763	Europe
South Ossetia[c]	3,900	72,000
South Sudan	619,745	8,260,490	Central Africa
Swaziland	17,364	1,185,000
Switzerland	41,284	7,785,600	Europe
Tajikistan	143,100	7,349,145	Asia
Transnistria[c]	4,163	537,000	(Moldova)
Turkmenistan[a]	488,100	5,110,000	Asia
Uganda	241,038	32,369,558	Central Africa
Uzbekistan[b]	447,400	27,606,007	Asia
Vatican City[d]	0.44	826
Zambia	752,612	12,935,000	South Africa
Zimbabwe	390,757	12,521,000	South Africa
Total	16,963,624	470,639,181
Percentage of World	11.4%	6.9%

^a Has a coast on the saltwater Caspian Sea

^b Has a coast on the saltwater Aral Sea

^c Disputed region with limited international recognition

^d Completely landlocked by exactly one country

They can be grouped in contiguous groups as follows:

• Central Asian cluster (6): Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
• European cluster (9): Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo (partially recognized), Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Serbia, Slovakia and Switzerland
• Central and East African cluster (10): Azawad (unrecognised), Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Uganda, Ethiopia, South Sudan
• South African cluster (4): Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe
• Caucasian cluster (3): Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh (unrecognized)
• South American cluster (2): Bolivia, Paraguay

If it were not for the 40 km of coastline at Muanda, DR Congo would join the two African clusters into one, making them the biggest contiguous group in the world.

There are the following 'single' landlocked countries (each of them borders no other landlocked country):

• Africa (2): Lesotho, Swaziland
• Asia (4): Bhutan, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal
• Europe (6): Andorra, Belarus, Luxembourg, Moldova, San Marino, and the State of the Vatican City
• Caucasus (1): South Ossetia (partially recognized)

If Transnistria is included then Moldova and Transnistria form their own cluster.

If the Caucasian countries are counted as part of Europe, then Europe has the most landlocked countries, at 19. Kazakhstan is also sometimes regarded as a transcontinental country, so if that is included, the count for Europe goes up to 20. If these countries are included in Asia, then Africa has the most, at 16. Depending on the status of the three transcontinental countries, Asia has between 9 and 14, while South America has only 2. North America and Oceania are the only continents with no landlocked countries.

Doubly landlocked country[link]

A landlocked country surrounded only by other landlocked countries may be called a "doubly landlocked" country. A person in such a country has to cross at least two borders to reach a coastline.

There are currently two such countries in the world:

•  Liechtenstein in Central Europe surrounded by Switzerland and Austria.
•  Uzbekistan in Central Asia surrounded by Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.^[10]

Uzbekistan has borders with Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan that border the landlocked but saltwater Caspian Sea, from which ships can reach the Sea of Azov by using the man-made Volga-Don Canal, and thence the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the oceans.

There were no doubly landlocked countries in the world from the Unification of Germany in 1871 until the end of World War I. This is because Uzbekistan was part of the Russian Empire, and thus part of a country that was not landlocked; while Liechtenstein bordered Austria-Hungary, a country which had an Adriatic coast until it was dissolved in 1918. Upon the dissolution of Austria-Hungary Liechtenstein became a doubly landlocked country. There were again no doubly landlocked countries from 1938 until the end of World War II, as Nazi Germany had incorporated Austria, which meant that Liechtenstein bordered a country with a coast. After World War II Austria regained its independence and Liechtenstein became doubly landlocked once more. Upon the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan became the second doubly landlocked country.

Landlocked by a single country[link]

There are only three countries that are landlocked by a single country – that is they are surrounded on all sides by just one country. Such a country is also called an enclave.

The three countries are:

•  Lesotho, an enclave in South Africa.
•  San Marino, an enclave in Italy.
•  Vatican City, an enclave in the city of Rome, Italy.

Landlocked by two countries[link]

There are seven landlocked countries that are surrounded by only two mutually-bordering neighbors:

•  Andorra (between France and Spain)
•  Bhutan (between India and China)
•  Liechtenstein (one of the "doubly landlocked" countries, between Switzerland and Austria)
•  Moldova (between Romania and Ukraine)
•  Mongolia (between Russia and China)
•  Nepal (between India and China)
•  Swaziland (between South Africa and Mozambique)

See also[link]

Geography portal

• Enclave
• Landlocked developing countries
• List of countries and territories by land and maritime borders
• List of countries and territories by maritime boundaries
• List of countries by length of coastline
• List of countries that border only one other country
• List of sets of four countries that border one another
• Navies of landlocked countries
• Pole of inaccessibility

References[link]

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2010)

Chris Pureka is an American acoustic singer-songwriter from Northampton, Massachusetts.^[1] Raised in Connecticut,^[1] she began writing songs at the age of eight and began playing the guitar at 16.^[1] She soon became a frequent performer at local coffee houses and open mics. As a young performer, she opened shows for such artists as Erin McKeown and Pamela Means while completing a degree in biology at Wesleyan University.^[1] After graduating, she worked in a microbiology research lab at Smith College in Northampton, eventually leaving to focus on her music full-time. In June 2001, she recorded a self-titled seven-song EP in preparation for a three-month nationwide tour with lesbian folk poet Alix Olson.^[1] The EP, which was home-recorded in two weeks and featured her playing back-up accompaniment on the mandolin and bass, was later mastered and reprinted for her 2005 summer tour.

In 2004, Pureka released Driving North, her first full-length album, earning rave reviews from fans and fellow artists alike. In 2006, she released Dryland, and toured the US a second time as a headlining act. The album received rave reviews and was featured on the Paste Magazine Sampler in February 2007.

In May 2007, Pureka was a member of the month-long New American Songwriter Tour in New York City, Philadelphia, and Massachusetts. The tour also featured Krystle Warren, Jesse Harris and Ryan Scott.^[2] In August, Pureka played at the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival.

In July 2007, Pureka's song, "Swann Song" won 1st Place in the Acoustic competition on the independent music site OurStage.com.^[3] Because of her excellent performance there, she won a spot to perform at the Virgin Music Festival in Baltimore, Maryland, where she performed on August 5.^{[citation needed]} Pureka had previously also won the Acoustic competition in April for her song "31 and Falling".^[4]

In October 2007, Pureka was nominated for 2007's Outstanding Folk Act by the Boston Music Awards. She was also awarded an ASCAPLUS award in the summer of 2007.

Pureka has sold over 7000 copies of her latest album, How I Learned to See in the Dark, independently, on her own label, Sad Rabbit Music. She has gained popularity by performing with artists such as Dar Williams, The Cowboy Junkies, Peter Mulvey, Ani Difranco, Martin Sexton, Jeffrey Foucault, Kris Delmhorst, Melissa Ferrick, Catie Curtis, and Girlyman.

Pureka is the founder of her label, Sad Rabbit Music. She has been compared to artists like early Bruce Springsteen, Ryan Adams, Patty Griffin, Gillian Welch and Mary Gauthier. Pureka covered Welch's song "Everything Is Free" on Dryland and has expressed admiration for her music as well as that of Griffin. She cites influences from Peter Mulvey and Pamela Means, as well as Ani DiFranco, though she says that her music differs greatly from DiFranco's often-outspoken political messages. Pureka has lent her vocals and guitar playing to several tracks by artists like Olson and Arjuna Greist; a notable track is "Checking My Pulse" with Olson, which went on to become a relative hit for Olson.

Pureka identifies as genderqueer^[5] and cultivates an androgynous appearance. She has received positive reviews in the long-running radical feminist publication off our backs^[6] and other magazines. Pureka's music does not deal explicitly with LGBT issues, focusing instead on emotional interactions between individuals.

On January 20, 2009, Pureka released a fourth album, an EP entitled Chimera. The EP has seven tracks; one new, original song (with a prelude as the first track), a reworked studio version of a song off of her 2001 EP, three live tracks, and a cover of Bob Dylan and Ketch Secor's Wagon Wheel. The hard copy of Chimera is complete with written commentary from Pureka on each track.

In April 2010, Pureka released her fifth album, How I Learned To See In The Dark, which she co-produced with Merrill Garbus.^{[7][8][9][10]}

Discography[link]

• 2001 - Chris Pureka EP
• 2004 - Driving North
• 2006 - Dryland
• 2009 - Chimera (EP)
• 2010 - How I Learned To See In The Dark

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Swartz, Shauna (June 11, 2007). "7 Out Musicians to Watch — Chris Pureka". AfterEllen.com. http://www.afterellen.com/music/2007/6/outmusicians?page=0%2C3. Retrieved January 27, 2010. 
2. ^ Kristen Beam (11 May 2007). "New American Songwriter Tour breezing through town". Sound Check. masslive.com. http://blog.masslive.com/soundcheck/2007/05/new_american_songwriter_tour_b.html. Retrieved 20 April 2010. 
3. ^ "The Winners for July 2007". OurStage.com. http://www.ourstage.com/winners/2007/7. Retrieved 16 April 2010. 
4. ^ "The Winners for April 2007". OurStage.com. http://www.ourstage.com/winners/2007/4. Retrieved 16 April 2010. 
5. ^ Azzopardi, Chris (August 30, 2007). "Goodbye, guitar". PrideSource. http://www.pridesource.com/article.html?article=26714. Retrieved January 27, 2010. 
6. ^ Young, Angie (July 1, 2005). "An interview with Chris Pureka: Feminist. Lesbian. Singer. Guitarist extraordinaire". off our backs. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-9705323_ITM. Retrieved January 27, 2010 
7. ^ Cory Albertson (15 April 2010). "Best of What's Next: Chris Pureka". Paste. http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2010/04/best-of-whats-next-chris-pureka.html. Retrieved 20 April 2010. 
8. ^ http://host.madison.com/entertainment/music/article_74967464-51fd-11df-86ba-001cc4c002e0.html
9. ^ Pareles, Jon (2010-05-18). "Vintage Rock and Midlife Heartaches". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/23/arts/music/23play.html. 
10. ^ http://newsletter.blogs.wesleyan.edu/2010/06/07/pureka-01-confronts-her-sorrows-in-third-album/#more-11785

External links[link]

• Official website

Mick Moss (August 8, 1975) is an English singer/songwriter. He is best known for his role in UK band Antimatter.

Musical History[link]

Moss began writing music for a solo career in 1995 after numerous disappointments with previous bands, the idea being that no longer could a key member pull out leaving the current project in ruins.^[1]

From 96-98 the solo project went through numerous name changes, from ‘The Reptile Brain’, to ‘Heavy Soul’ and eventually ‘Cloud One’. The style of music early on was instrumental with a strong leaning towards rhythmic psychedelic rock/trance. The addition of vocals to Moss’s abilities in 1996 led to a shift in musical direction, where the writing turned to dark, melodic acoustic rock. During this period he wrote and recorded key tracks ‘Over Your Shoulder’, ‘Saviour’, ‘Too Late’ and ‘Angel’ (later re-titled to ‘Angelic’).^[2]

Antimatter was formed in 1998 ^[3] when Duncan Patterson (then of Anathema) approached Moss to record an album with him after hearing Moss’s demos which bore a striking resemblance to his own newer material on Anathema’s ‘Alternative 4’ album (neither party had heard the others latest material).

The project was titled ‘Antimatter’ by Patterson, and would record their debut album in 2000. The album ‘Saviour’, featured an even split of songs written separately by Patterson and Moss.^{[citation needed]} This method of writing alone and then compiling completed songs into one album would continue for the course of Patterson’s involvement in the project.^[4]

Patterson decided he’d had enough of Antimatter after the release of the third album ‘Planetary Confinement’. Due to the non-collaborative nature of the previous albums, Moss (with Patterson’s blessing) continued with the projects name,^[4] writing and releasing the entirety of the fourth album, ‘Leaving Eden’, and continuing to tour performing Antimatter songs of his own composition.^[5]

In 2008, Mick established his own record label ‘Music In Stone’, releasing Antimatter's Live@An Club.

From 2009 - 2010 Moss compiled the 3CD/DVD, 100 page artbook 'Alternative Matter', producing the 30 minute documentary 'The Small Yesterdays'.

In January 2010, Mick announced two new releases on "Music In Stone"; Irish artist Lisa Cuthbert's album "Obstacles" and French progressive metal outfit Averse - The Endesque Chants.^[6] Moss is credited on "Obstacles" for playing bass and additional vocals.

On 7 September 2010, it was announced that Antimatter and Lisa Cuthbert are to support prog-rock veterans Marillion at Leamington Assembly, London, as part of the UK's first ever Marillion Weekend, 6–8 May 2011.^[7]

On 12 October 2010, Mick Moss announced the fourth act to the "Music In Stone" catalogue; Duncan Patterson & Augusto Reinhold - 'Herencia'. The album is said to be an assortment of traditional Irish, medieval, and Patterson's original instrumental compositions. Played on harp, flute and various stringed instruments.^[6]

Discography[link]

2002 - Antimatter – Saviour
2003 - Antimatter - Lights Out
2003 - Antimatter - Live@K13
2004 - V/A - The Lotus Eaters, A Tribute To Dead Can Dance
2004 - Antimatter - Unreleased 98-03 (Internet Release only)
2005 - Antimatter - Planetary Confinement
2006 - Bushido - Sonnenbank Flavour (Single)
2007 - Antimatter - Leaving Eden
2009 - The Last Embrace - Aerial
2009 - Antimatter - Live@An Club
2010 - Lisa Cuthbert - Obstacles
2010 - Antimatter - Alternative Matter CD/DVD
2012 - Fourteen Twentysix - In Halflight Our Soul Glows
2012 - The Beautified Project - Broken Smile (Single)
2012 - Antimatter - Fear Of A Unique Identity
2012 - The Beautified Project - Unplugged At Puppet Theater

References[link]

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2010)

Jimmy Thackery (born May 19, 1953, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States)^[1] is an American blues singer and guitarist.

Career[link]

Thackery spent fourteen years as part of The Nighthawks, the Washington, D.C. based blues and roots rock ensemble. After leaving the Nighthawks in 1986, Thackery toured under his own name.

Born in Pittsburgh and raised in Washington, Thackery joined The Nighthawks in 1972 and went on to record over twenty albums with them. In 1986 he began touring with The Assassins, a six-piece original blues, rock and R&B ensemble which he had previously helped start as a vacation band when The Nighthawks took one of their rare breaks. Originally billed as Jimmy Thackery and The Assassins, the band toured the U.S. Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, South, and Texas regions. The Assassins released a variety of recordings on the Seymour record label, two on vinyl (No Previous Record and Partners in Crime) and the 1989 CD Cut Me Loose.

In the wake of the Assassins 1991 break-up, Thackery has been leading a trio, Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers, whose early recordings were for the San Francisco, California based Blind Pig Records. In 2002 Thackery released, We Got It, his first album on Telarc and in 2006, In the Natural State with Earl and Ernie Cate on Rykodisc. In 2007, he released Solid Ice again with The Drivers.^[2] His latest album 'Feel the Heat' was released in April 2011.

Discography[link]

• 1992 Empty Arms Motel
• 1993 Sideways in Paradise (with John Mooney)
• 1994 Trouble Man
• 1995 Wild Night Out
• 1996 Drive To Survive
• 1996 Partners in Crime (with Tom Principato)
• 1998 Switching Gears
• 2000 Sinner Street
• 2002 We Got It
• 2002 Whiskey Store" with Tab Benoit)
• 2003 Guitar (Instrumental/Compilation)
• 2003 True Stories
• 2004 Whiskey Store Live (with Tab Benoit)
• 2005 Healin' Ground
• 2006 In the Natural State (with the Cate Brothers)
• 2007 Solid Ice
• 2008 Live! 2008
• 2008 Inside Tracks
• 2010 Live in Detroit
• 2011 Feel the Heat

See also[link]

• The Nighthawks

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Jimmy Thackery Website

This article's references may not meet Wikipedia's guidelines for reliable sources. Please help by checking whether the references meet the criteria for reliable sources. (January 2012)

James Fox, OBE (born William Fox; 19 May 1939) is an English actor.

Early life[link]

James Fox was born in London, England to theatrical agent Robin Fox and actress Angela Worthington. He is the brother of actor Edward Fox and film producer Robert Fox. The actress Emilia Fox is his niece and the actor Laurence Fox is his son. His grandfather was playwright Frederick Lonsdale. Like his brother, Fox served with the Coldstream Guards. Like several members of the Fox family, including his brothers and his son, James was educated at Harrow.

Acting career[link]

James Fox first appeared on film in The Miniver Story in 1950. His other early film appearances were made under the name William Fox.

During the 1960s he gained popularity and appeared to be heading for stardom. In 1964, he won a BAFTA for Most Promising Newcomer in The Servant (1963).^[1] His roles in films such as Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965), King Rat (1965), The Chase (1966), Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), Isadora (1968) and Performance (1970) (alongside Mick Jagger), as well as his relationship with actress Sarah Miles, had made him a media personality.

Spiritual life and break from acting[link]

After finishing work on Performance, and following his father's death, Fox suspended his acting career. The strain of filming, his father's death and smoking the hallucinogen DMT led to a nervous breakdown.^[2] On his break from acting, Fox has commented that "[p]eople think Performance blew my mind... my mind was blown long before that."^[2]

He has also said that: "Performance gave me doubts about my way of life. Before that I had been completely involved in the more bawdy side of the film business. But after that everything changed.'^[2]

In a 2008 interview, he said: "It was just part of my journey...I think my journey was to spend a while away from acting. And I never lost contact with it - watching movies, reading about it ... so I didn't feel I missed it."^[3]

He became an evangelical Christian, working with The Navigators and devoting himself to the ministry.^[4] During this time, the only film in which Fox appeared was No Longer Alone (1978), the story of a suicidal woman saved by Christianity.

Return to acting[link]

After an absence of almost 10 years from mainstream cinema, Fox gradually returned to the screen, appearing in A Passage to India (1984) and playing Anthony Blunt in the acclaimed BBC play by Alan Bennett, A Question of Attribution (1992). He also portrayed the character of Colonel Ferguson in Farewell to the King.

More recently, he has appeared in the 2001 adaption of The Lost World as Prof. Leo Summerlee, Agatha Christie's Poirot - Death on the Nile (2004) as Colonel Race and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) playing Mr. Salt, Veruca Salt's father. He appeared in the Doctor Who audio drama Shada, and in 2007, he guest-starred in the British television crime series Waking the Dead. He also appeared opposite his son, Laurence Fox in "Allegory of Love," an episode in the third season of Lewis. He was part of the cast of Sherlock Holmes, as Sir Thomas, leading member of a freemason-like secret society.

In 2010, he filmed Cleanskin, a terrorist thriller directed by Hadi Hajaig.^[5]; and in 2011 he played King George V in Madonna's film "W.E."^[6]

Personal life[link]

In the 1960s, Fox had a relationship with actress Sarah Miles.^[2] James Fox has five children with his wife Mary Elizabeth Piper, whom he married in 1973.^[2] He is the father of Laurence Fox, as well as three other sons and one daughter, Lydia Fox. Both Laurence and Lydia were married to fellow actors in 2007, making James the father-in-law of both Richard Ayoade and Billie Piper. He is also grandfather to Laurence's two sons with Piper.

Film and television appearances[link]

• The Miniver Story (1950) - Toby Miniver
• The Magnet (1950) - Johnny Brent
• One Wild Oat (1951) - Porter
• The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) - Gunthorpe
• Tamahine (1963) - Oliver
• The Servant ) (1963) - Tony
• King Rat (1965) - Peter Marlowe
• Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965) - Richard Mays
• The Chase - Jason 'Jake' Rogers
• Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) - Jimmy
• Duffy (1968) - Stephane Calvert
• Performance (1970) - Chas
• Runners (1983) - Tom Lindsay
• Anna Pavlova (1983)
• Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984) - Lord Charles Esker
• A Passage to India (1984) - Richard Fielding
• Absolute Beginners (1986) - Henley of Mayfair, Dressmaker to the Queen
• The Whistle Blower - Lord
• The Mighty Quinn (1989) - Thomas Elgin
• The Russia House (1990) - Ned
• Patriot Games (1992) - Lord William Holmes
• A Question of Attribution (1992) (TV) - Sir Anthony Blunt
• The Remains of the Day (1993) - Lord Darlington
• Heart of Darkness (1994) - Gosse
• The Choir (1995) - The Dean, Hugh Cavendish
• Gulliver's Travels (1996) - Dr. Bates
• Anna Karenina (1997) - Karenin
• Jinnah (film) (1998) - Mountbatten
• Mickey Blue Eyes (1999) - Philip Cromwell
• The Dwelling Place late 1990s)- "http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/cqnz5/catherine-cookson's-the-dwelling-place--28122011"
• Up at the Villa (2000) - Sir Edgar Swift
• Sexy Beast (2000) - Harry
• The Golden Bowl (2000) - Colonel Bob Assingham
• The Lost World (2001) - Prof. Leo Summerlee
• Cambridge Spies (2003) - Lord Halifax
• The Prince and Me (2004) - King Haraald
• Agatha Christie's Poirot - Death on the Nile (2004) - Colonel Race
• Marple: The Body in the Library (2004) - Colonel Arthur Bantry
• Colditz (2005) - Lt. Colonel Jimmy Fordham
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) - Mr. Salt
• Absolute Power - The Nation's Favourite (2005) - Gerald Thurnham
• Suez: A Very British Crisis(2006) - Anthony Eden
• Mister Lonely (2007) - The Pope
• Margaret (2009) - Charles Powell
• Sherlock Holmes (2009) - Sir Thomas
• Cleanskin (2011) - Scott Catesby
• Midsomer Murders (2011–present) "Master Class" - Sir Michael Fielding
• W.E (2011) - King George V

References[link]

External links[link]

• James Fox at the Internet Movie Database
• James Fox at the British Film Institute's Screenonline
• Biography at British Cinema Greats