I, Claudius Then and Now 2026 | Who's Still Alive After 50 Years?
mazuma1999
1,398 views
I, Claudius then and now in 2026: who's still alive after 50 years? In 1976 the BBC turned Robert Graves's novels into thirteen episodes of poison, plotting and imperial madness, and the cast of I, Claudius reads like a who's who of British acting. This Extended Cut follows the whole ensemble, where they are now, how much they have changed, and who tragically passed away.
Derek Jacobi, the stammering Claudius himself, is still with us and was knighted for a career that ran from Shakespeare to Gladiator. Siân Phillips, the terrifying Livia, is still alive and was back on the London stage in 2026. Brian Blessed, the booming Augustus, is still here, and so is Patrick Stewart, whose scheming Sejanus came years before Star Trek made him a household name. John Rhys-Davies, the brutal Macro, later found fame in Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Lord of the Rings. Patricia Quinn, the treacherous Livilla, Ian Ogilvy, who played Drusus, Kevin McNally as Castor and Christopher Biggins as the young Nero are all still alive too.
Other faces from the Roman court are gone. John Hurt, whose Caligula shocked a generation of viewers, died in 2017. George Baker, the brooding Tiberius, and Margaret Tyzack, the noble Antonia, both died in 2011. Bernard Hepton, the freedman Pallas, died in 2018, and Stratford Johns, who played Piso, died in 2002.
We look at every one of them then and now, the roles that followed, the shocking changes and the stories behind the togas, in a full-length look back at one of the greatest dramas the BBC ever made.
Which I, Claudius performance still stays with you after all these years? Tell us in the comments, and subscribe to The Extended Cut for more long-form British TV cast then and now stories.
I, Claudius Then and Now 2026 | Who's Still Alive After 50 Years?
mazuma1999
1,398 views
I, Claudius then and now in 2026: who's still alive after 50 years? In 1976 the BBC turned Robert Graves's novels into thirteen episodes of poison, plotting and imperial madness, and the cast of I, Claudius reads like a who's who of British acting. This Extended Cut follows the whole ensemble, where they are now, how much they have changed, and who tragically passed away.
Derek Jacobi, the stammering Claudius himself, is still with us and was knighted for a career that ran from Shakespeare to Gladiator. Siân Phillips, the terrifying Livia, is still alive and was back on the London stage in 2026. Brian Blessed, the booming Augustus, is still here, and so is Patrick Stewart, whose scheming Sejanus came years before Star Trek made him a household name. John Rhys-Davies, the brutal Macro, later found fame in Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Lord of the Rings. Patricia Quinn, the treacherous Livilla, Ian Ogilvy, who played Drusus, Kevin McNally as Castor and Christopher Biggins as the young Nero are all still alive too.
Other faces from the Roman court are gone. John Hurt, whose Caligula shocked a generation of viewers, died in 2017. George Baker, the brooding Tiberius, and Margaret Tyzack, the noble Antonia, both died in 2011. Bernard Hepton, the freedman Pallas, died in 2018, and Stratford Johns, who played Piso, died in 2002.
We look at every one of them then and now, the roles that followed, the shocking changes and the stories behind the togas, in a full-length look back at one of the greatest dramas the BBC ever made.
Which I, Claudius performance still stays with you after all these years? Tell us in the comments, and subscribe to The Extended Cut for more long-form British TV cast then and now stories.