Nathaniel Parker was born in England in the year nineteen sixty-two, as the son of Sir Peter Parker and Dr. Jill Parker. From a young age, he had a strong inclination towards acting, and by the time he was just nine years old, he had made up his mind that this would be his career of choice. Nathaniel's first foray into the world of acting came in the form of performances with the National Youth Theatre, an esteemed institution that has served as a breeding ground for many notable British actors.
After completing his studies at The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, also known as LAMDA, Nathaniel became a member of the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company, or RSC. Prior to transitioning to the screen, he had the opportunity to portray the role of Bassanio in The Merchant Of Venice, a production that was directed by the highly acclaimed Sir Peter Hall and starred the renowned actor Dustin Hoffman.
Nathaniel's first feature film was the 1989 production War Requiem, which was directed by the acclaimed British filmmaker Derek Jarman and starred Tilda Swinton and Lord Laurence Olivier. He is perhaps most well-known for his roles in period dramas, including his portrayal of Laertes in Franco Zeffirelli's 1990 adaptation of Hamlet, Rochester in the 1993 film Wide Sargasso Sea, and Cassio in his brother Oliver Parker's 1995 version of Othello, which starred Laurence Fishburne.
In addition to his work in film, Nathaniel has also appeared in a number of television projects, including the 1997 productions Into Thin Air: Death on Everest and David, which helped him to gain momentum in the world of television. However, it was his roles in Vanity Fair, in which he played Rawdon Crawley, and Far from the Madding Crowd, in which he portrayed Gabriel Oak, that truly thrust him into the spotlight and solidified his career on the small screen.
Currently, Nathaniel can be seen playing the role of Detective Thomas Lynley in the BBC series The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, which has become an international success and has earned rave reviews around the world. In 2003, he returned to Hollywood, where he appeared in the Walt Disney Pictures film The Haunted Mansion, starring Eddie Murphy, and portrayed the role of Master Edward Gracey.