Robert Lindsay is back on our screens as billionaire Franklin Warner in the second season of the BBC's critically acclaimed drama, Sherwood, set in a Nottinghamshire town divided by tensions caused by the 1980s miners' strike.
But did you know that Robert, who's perhaps best known for his role in the BBC sitcom My Family, has been a familiar face on TV for over 50 years? We've taken a look back at some of his earliest roles and his impressive acting career…
© Fremantle Media/ShutterstockRobert's early TV career
Robert burst onto our TV screens back in the 1970s as Teddy Boy Jakey Smith in the ITV comedy series Get Some In!. The show, which ran for three years from 1975, followed a group of young men called up to do National Service in the RAF.
Robert was a main character in the show for four seasons before leaving to star in the BBC sitcom, Citizen Smith, about a deluded anarchist living in south London.
From there, he landed various roles in the BBC Television Shakespeare series of the 1980s, including Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Fabian in Twelfth Night and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing.
© Alastair Muir/ShutterstockTheatre roles and Olivier's success
Alongside his burgeoning TV career, Robert made a name for himself on stage. He received widespread acclaim for his role as Bill Snibson in the 1984 West End revival of Me and My Girl, co-starring Emma Thompson. After winning an Olivier Award for his portrayal, the show transferred across the pond to New York's Broadway, earning Robert a Tony Award.
From there, TV and film offers came in thick and fast and Robert starred in a succession of major films and shows, including the 1990 rom-com Strike It Rich alongside Molly Ringwald, the comedy film Fierce Creatures, which co-starred John Cleese, Michael Palin and Jamie Lee Curtis, and Channel 4's dark drama G.B.H., which earned him a BAFTA award for Best Actor.
© BBCMy Family days
Robert's longest-running role was in the BBC sitcom My Family, in which he played grumpy patriarch Ben Harper for 11 series and several Christmas episodes. The actor starred alongside Zoe Wanamaker, Kris Marshall, Daniela Denby-Ashe, Gabriel Thomson and Siobhan Hayes in the popular comedy.
While the show was hugely popular amongst viewers, Zoe criticised the comedy back in 2007 and claimed she and Robert once refused to film an episode because the script was so bad.
Four years later, the comedy came to an end. The BBC said at the time: "Now that all the Harper children have fled the nest we feel it's time to make room for new comedies."
© Justin Downing/SkyLater comedy roles
While My Family might be Robert's most notable comedy role, he's appeared in various sitcoms over the years, including Sky's Spy, which starred Darren Boyd, Bull and Bounty Hunters.
He's also popped up in episodes of Extras and Absolutely Fabulous.
Latest TV roles
In recent years, Robert has appeared on both the big and small screen. Disney fans might recognise him as King John in both Maleficent films starring Angelina Jolie.
As for his TV roles, he's appeared in episodes of Plebs, McDonald and Dodds and Dodger. He's currently on our screens in the BBC's Sherwood, which sees two new families intertwined with the infamous crime clan the Sparrows.
