The Butler Speaks: Simon Jones (Bannister on HBO’s “The Gilded Age”)
Butlers, it seems, know everything. They are privy to the goings on above and below stairs and, of course, keep it — mostly — to themselves. Agnes van Rhijn’s very British butler Bannister has become a fan favorite as he manages the downstairs staff and to a certain degree life above stairs as well. Simon Jones who played the role of Bannister, is a veteran actor with an astonishingly impressive list of credits on stage and in film, and television. He has played iconic roles in productions from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy to Bridreshead Revisited, and Downton Abbey. His co-stars have a true who’s who of theatrical history, from Sir Laurence Olivier, Dame Maggie Smith, Angela Lansbury, Lauren Bacall, among so many others. In this special episode, Simon Jones talks about it all, as well as about his role as Bannister on the hit HBO series “The Gilded Age”.
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