Biographie

In 1963, his wife Rosemary broke her back while jumping from a window after rescuing their five children from a house fire. She was pregnant at the time and was told that she would miscarry and that she would never walk again. However she later gave birth to a daughter, and after 18 months in the spinal unit at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, was able to walk out of the hospital, the first person to do so after suffering such a serious injury.

Has five daughters (Melanie Ackland, Antonia Ackland, Penelope Ackland, Samantha Ackland and Kirsty Ackland) and one son (Toby Ackland). His eldest son, Paul Ackland, worked as a builder and passed away from a heroin overdose (1982).

He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2001 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to drama.

He has two roles in common with Michael York: (1) Ackland played d'Artagnan in The Further Adventures of the Musketeers (1967) while York played him in Les trois mousquetaires (1973) (in which Ackland played his father), On l'appelait Milady (1974), Le retour des mousquetaires (1989) and La femme mousquetaire (2004) and (2) Ackland played King Arthur in Le kid et le roi (1995) while York played him in Le chevalier hors du temps (1998).

On the "BBC Desert Island Discs" radio program broadcast in August 2001, Ackland picked the music he would want with him if he was stranded on a desert island. His picks were, in apparently ascending order: - 1. Ralph Vaughan Williams' "The Lark Ascending", Nigel Kennedy with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Simon Rattle - 2. "Bailero" from "Songs of the Auvergne", Victoria de los Angeles with Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux conducted by Jean-Pierre Jacquillat - 3. "Moon River" sung by Audrey Hepburn - 4. Stephen Sondheim's "Children Will Listen" from "Into the Woods", performed by Bernadette Peters - 5. Nina Simone's cover of "Mr. Bojangles" - 6. Sondheim's "Losing My Mind", sung by Barbara Cook - 7. Jean Sibelius' "Violin Concerto", Ivry Gitlis with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jascha Horenstein - 8. Tom Jones & Harvey Schmidt's "My Cup Runneth Over", performed by Mary Martin and Robert Preston. Ackland said that if he was limited to just one record, it would be No. 8, "My Cup Runneth Over". For books, in addition to the Bible and the Complete Works of Shakespeare, he would want Samuel Pepys' Diary. His luxury would be a huge jar of licorice.

I'm so tired of not being able to make a movie without a car chase, or the villain dying twice. It's all exactly the same.

I do an awful lot of crap, but if it's not immoral, I don't mind. I'm a workaholic.

I was in Mad Dogs and Englishmen (1995), with Liz Hurley [Elizabeth Hurley], which was God-awful and quite rightly torn to shreds. Then there was D'un rêve à l'autre (2000) last year with Demi Moore. Terrible script. Awful, actually, but I needed the money. She's alright, not very bright or talented. I imagine she and Bruce Willis together were a joy to behold.

[speaking in 2009] I always used to send up the actress Glynis Johns because she'd take about ten vitamin pills every day. I now realise I have just as many - set out in a little bowl by my wonderful housekeeper Connie. I haven't a clue what they are, but I do what I'm told.

[on Jean Simmons, 2012] She was stunning, Jean, and wonderful. I starred with her four times, including the first West End production of A Little Night Music. She and I and Elizabeth Taylor were all born in the same area of Hampstead. We went to the same Mickey Mouse club. I liked Elizabeth very much. Aside from that crap about the world's biggest diamonds, she was a warm-hearted woman and extremely earthy!