Early Life
Madoc was born Phillip Jones near Merthyr Tydfil and attended Cyfarthfa Castle Grammar School where he was a member of the cricket and rugby teams and displayed talent as a linguist. He then studied languages at the University of Wales and the University of Vienna, speaking seven languages, including Russian and Swedish and had a working knowledge of Huron Indian, Hindi and Mandarin. He worked as an interpreter, becoming very disenchanted with having to translate for politicians: "I did dry-as-dust jobs like political interpreting. You get to despise politicians when you have to translate the rubbish they spout", before switching to drama and winning a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).
Read more about this topic: Philip Madoc
Famous quotes containing the words early and/or life:
“...he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the sea.”
—Bible: New Testament, Mark 6:48.
“Gradually we come to admit that Shakespeare understands a greater extent and variety of human life than Dante; but that Dante understands deeper degrees of degradation and higher degrees of exaltation.”
—T.S. (Thomas Stearns)