Lionel began his career in 1961 at Hythe Summer Theatre and then trained at Central from 1961-1964, where he won the Wiliam Poel Prize for Verse Speaking. Since then he has played in over 150 productions at many leading repertory theatres. He was a member of Sir Laurence Olivier's National Theatre Company at the Old Vic from 1968-1972 and a member of The RSC in the 1995-1996 Season. He has appeared in many corporate videos and voiced a number of documentaries for The BBC. His films include Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall, Flash Gordon and Jesus Of Nazareth, as well as numerous television appearances, most recently as Taylor in Downton Abbey.
Lionel was last seen on stage as Giuseppi Rossi in Christmas by Simon Stephens at the White Bear Kennington.
"There is fine support too […] particularly Lionel Guyett as Giuseppe the old Italian barber who has been around too long and seen it all" — The Stage
Lionel was also recently seen as part of Mark Rylance’s Sonnet Walks at the Globe Theatre.
