Prince Philip had rich Hollywood history depicted in film and TV

James Cromwell in 'The Queen'. Photo: Handout

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 in 1956. Through those many years, in addition to several documentaries where 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, where Philip was played at various ages by two different 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.