In addition to several documentaries where he appeared as himself, the prince was portrayed by a variety of actors in movies and television.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh — who died April 9 at 99 — spent most of his life as a stalwart companion to his bride, who became Queen Elizabeth II unexpectedly upon her father’s death in 1952. Through those many years, in addition to several documentaries in which he appeared as himself, the prince was portrayed by a variety of actors in movies and television. The most recent and high-profile depiction has been on Netflix’s hit series “The Crown,” in which Philip was played at various ages by two British actors, with a third upcoming in the series’ fifth and sixth seasons. An American was cast as Philip in “The Queen,” while one of his real-life friends took the reins in a 1982 TV movie for CBS. He was even portrayed in another TV movie by the actor who menaced Middle-earth as Saruman in Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies. Curious about how Hollywood sees Prince Philip? Here are the actors who’ve taken on the role over the years — and one who will play him in the near future. ‘The Crown’: Matt Smith, Tobias Menzies, Jonathan Pryce, Finn Elliot Despite being fiction, “The Crown” has done a lot in the past five years to make Americans and others feel like they know a bit about the royal family. Prince Philip was played by Matt Smith in the series’ first two seasons, followed by Tobias Menzies in the third and fourth.
