Just call me Sir Hercule: Our friend and fellow Leica enthusiast, David Suchet, has received a richly deserved knighthood in The Queen’s Birthday Honours. Those of us who have been addicted over the years to his portrayal of Agatha Christie’s fastidious Belgian detective, Poirot, think of David as a national treasure and will be delighted by the news.
But, of course, Poirot was just one of his many roles despite it being such an integral part of his life for nearly 25 years. He is a supremely talented actor with a large number of staggeringly diverse roles to his credit, from Sigmund Freud to Lady Bracknell.
We know him best as a result of his patronage of Leica enthusiasts. He is president of The Leica Society. His recent book, “Behind the Lens—My Life” charts his life through his love of photography, something he inherited from his grandfather, the famous press photographer, James Jarché. Along the way, he demonstrates his unquestioned abilities as a talented photographer.
David also has another passion, the preservation of canals. He is president of the Inland Waterways Association and, for a time, lived on a canal longboat.
I am sure all Macfilos readers will send their congratulations to Sir David and his wife Shiela, who now becomes Lady Suchet. They are two of the nicest and most genuine people you could wish to meet.
Congratulation to Sir Suchet. My wife and I love his Interpretation of HP
A very well deserved knighthood and look forward to the time when TLS events resume so we can say, “Good morning Sir David!”
Congratulations to Sir Suchet and Lady Suchet. He is my favourite actor and his Poirot cannot be beat by anyone. I would love to meet him at a Leica event but my long distance travel days are unfortunately over.
It’s certainly a big congratulations to Sir David.
It’s due to one of his brothers and the telling the story of James Jarché that I own a Leica and am happily reading and posting here.
Finally, think it has been overdue! Congratulations Sir Knight.
That’s a well-deserved knighthood. His acting is absolutely brilliant. My wife and I were glued to the screen for a couple of hours watching his Poirot series during lockdown. I’m sure Mike must have seen the one which was partially shot at Brooklands.
Indeed. There are so many interesting places and buildings that featured in the series over a quarter of a century. Only last week I was at the famous 1930s Midland Hotel in Morecambe, another or the memorable venues.
Well deserved. David is an accomplished photographer and has a great way with people. I was very moved by a scene in the film about James Jarche in which he showed a picture of Welsh miners taken by Jarche to a group of modern day Welsh miners. He was planning to replicate the earlier photo with his Leica. One of the hardened miners became extremely emotional when he recognised his own father in the photograph taken many years ago by Jarche. He said that he had never seen the photograph before and was astonished that David had come to his village with such a photo. David, of course, handled the situation with his customary aplomb.
When I first met David at the Leica Society AGM in Lincoln we were having lunch together and he was describing his recent television programmes about Saints Peter and Paul. When he heard that I was from Ireland, he apologised for saying in the programme about St Peter that there was no evidence that Peter had ever reached Rome to become the first Head of the Catholic Church. I just told him that he was forgiven. A well deserved knighthood for not only a fine actor, but also a true gentleman and a scholar.
William
Thanks forr this post. We’d seen his delightful documentary on actually riding the Orient Express, but he wasn’t carrying the Leica. It alwaysseemed to me ‘Why of course he’d use Leica!’
I agree. Sir David richly deserves his honour. But it is news to me that he is president of the Leica Fellowship.
Oops. I thought he was. I will amend. Thanks for pointing this out, David.