At Oxford his talent was for Philosophy and Politics.
During production of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Davenport read the lines of "HAL 9000" off-camera during the computer's dialogs with actors Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood. Canadian actor Douglas Rain, who was ultimately chosen for the role of HAL's voice, quickly recorded his lines for the final film in post-production.
Father of Hugo and the actress Laura Davenport with his first wife, Helena, and the actor Jack Davenport with his second, Maria Aitken.
He educated at St. Peter's, Seaford; Cheltenham College and read English at Trinity College,Oxford, where he graduated from with a Master of Arts degree.
He grew up in Cambridge but went to Trinity College, Oxford.
He switched to studying English after his moral tutor told him his future was as an actor, which he claims he hadn't realised for himself at the time.
His father was a bursar of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, England.
It was during his time at Oxford that he met his first wife, Helena, with whom he had two children.
Nigel was a founder member of the English Stage Company.
Retired from acting in the early 21st Century because he could no longer remember dialogue.