Patrick Godfrey, an English actor who played Leonardo da Vinci in the 1998 fantasy film “Ever After: A Cinderella Story,” died on Thursday. He was 93.
Godfrey’s death was announced on June 5 via a statement from his talent agency, Markham Froggatt & Irwin. The statement read, “It is with great sadness that we can confirm Patrick Godfrey passed away last night. He died peacefully at home surrounded by his family. Paddy was an exceptionally talented actor and a remarkable individual, and we will miss him greatly.”
Godfrey starred as the Italian polymath in “Ever After” alongside Drew Barrymore, who played Cinderella stand-in Danielle. Other cast members include Anjelica Huston, Dougray Scott, Megan Dodds, Melanie Lynskey, Timothy West and Judy Parfitt.
Some of Godfrey’s other notable film credits include “A Room with a View,” “Clockwise,” “Maurice,” “The Count of Monte Cristo,” “Oliver Twist,” “Les Misérables” and “Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle.” On the TV side, Godfrey appeared in “Compact,” “Dixon of Dock Green,” “Doctor Who,” “Z Cars,” “The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby,” “Blott on the Landscape,” “Screenplay,” “Dandelion Dead” and dozens more.
Godfrey was born in February 1933 in Finsbury Park, England. In 1956, he broke into entertainment by joining the BBC’s Radio Drama Company. Then, in 1972, he made his film debut as a house servant in a televised production of John Glenister and Robin Phillips’ “Miss Julie” by the Royal Shakespeare Company. His next film role came in 1981, when he played Kulighin in Trevor Nunn’s “The Three Sisters.”