Russell first performed before an audience in 1960 on '' The Shari Lewis Show '' , but it was not until 1980 that he had his first real acting job – performing on the London stage as the superintendent in Nobel Prize-winner Dario Fo 's satire '' Accidental Death of an Anarchist '' , about police corruption in Italy . The reviews were good , and he reprised that role for television in 1983 . After further honing his skills in various British TV productions and a handful of films – including '' Jute City '' , '' The Power of One '' , '' The Hawk '' and '' Seconds Out '' – Russell received exposure before international audiences as Caleb Garth in the celebrated BBC miniseries '' Middlemarch '' , based on the George Eliot novel of the same name . A year later , he fell in love on the movie screen with Helena Bonham Carter in '' Margaret 's Museum '' , for which he earned a Genie nomination at the 16th Genie Awards for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role . After more TV roles and another film , Russell played Ralph Fiennes ' father in another critically acclaimed film , '' Oscar and Lucinda '' . Growing recognition of his acting skills then brought him major roles in four major TV miniseries : '' Great Expectations '' , '' Oliver Twist '' , '' The Railway Children '' and '' The Mists of Avalon ''
16th Genie Awards
16th Genie Awards
Clive Russell