Sir Nigel Barnard Hawthorne CBE (5 April 1929 - 26 December 2001) was a British actor. He was born in Coventry, Warwickshire and raised in South Africa. He is best known for his role as Sir Humphrey Appleby in sitcom "Yes Minister" and its sequel "Yes, Prime Minister". He played the title role as George III in "The Madness of King George".