During his childhood years, Grantchester star Robson Green wanted to be an astronaut, but he quickly changed his mind after discovering acting. It wasn't always smooth sailing for the budding performer, though. Reflecting on his career path in 2016, the TV star confessed to Reader's Digest that he was told: "'You'll never be an actor, you're a fool and you'll always be one,'" by one of the masters at his school.
Despite receiving such harsh criticism, however, Robson continued to pursue his dreams, and he had some help along the way. "It was the women teachers who inspired me," he added. "My drama teacher Mrs Wheeler said, 'You have the ingredients for being a very fine actor.' I bumped into her a couple of years ago. She gave me a big hug and said, 'I'm so happy for you, Robson, you handsome man.' She was gorgeous, that Mrs Wheeler."
Robson had discovered his love of acting at the age of seven, after heading to the cinema where he saw the 1971 Disney classic, Bedknobs and Broomsticks. "Mum and Dad had a taste for storytelling, though," he said to The Telegraph in 2020.
"They were great advocates of reading, and of the cinema. When I was seven, I went to see Bedknobs and Broomsticks and it changed my life. It's one of the main reasons I do what I do. Being introduced to a world of fantasy and a window to other places was a defining moment."
Before landing his breakthrough role as Jimmy Powell in the BBC drama series Casualty in 1989, Robson sat down with his parents – Robson Sr and Ann Green – to tell them that he wanted to become an actor, but their response was one of "confusion."
"My dad said, "What do you mean you're going to be an actor? That's a hobby, not a job," Robson told Reader's Digest. "I said, 'The only person who will suffer if I fail is myself,' and off I went. Inside I knew I'd survive."
And of course, it all worked out in the end! "I'll never forget my mum and dad at the opening night of The Long Line. I watched as my dad refused the complimentary tickets and paid for them with his hard-earned money," Robson recalled.
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As it turns out, Robson's father had also been a natural performer, and he was even crowned a national ballroom dancing champion at one time. "I didn't learn until I was about 26 that my dad was a national ballroom dancing champion," Robson, 58, explained to The Guardian.
"He won loads of trophies. I'm not sure why he was so quiet about his achievements. Maybe he thought ballroom dancing wasn't a manly thing to do. I did see him dance once on my 18th birthday and it was astonishing to watch this big, powerful man glide across the room like Fred Astaire. And as my acting career took off, I think he enjoyed living vicariously through me when he turned up on film sets to watch me work."