Sir Christopher John Frayling (born 25 December 1946) is a British educationalist and writer, known for his study of popular culture.
Early life and education
Christopher Frayling was born in
Hampton, a suburb of London, in affluent circumstances.[1] His father, Major Arthur Frederick Frayling,
OBE (1910–1993),[2] late of the
Royal Army Service Corps,[3] was chairman of the
Hudson's Bay fur auction house in London and of the International Fur Trade Federation;[4] his mother, Barbara Kathleen ("Betty") Imhof, the daughter of record and audio equipment store owner Alfred Imhof, was a driver in international car rallies, and won the
RAC Rally with her brother,
Godfrey Imhof, in 1952.[5][6][7][8] His brother,
Nicholas, was Dean of
Chichester Cathedral from 2002-2014.
Frayling taught history at the
University of Bath[10][11] and was awarded an Honorary Degree (Doctor of Arts) from that University in 2003. In 1979, Frayling was appointed Professor of Cultural History at London's post-graduate art and design school, the
Royal College of Art. Frayling was Rector of the Royal College of Art from 1996 to 2009.[12]
He has had a wide output as a writer and critic on subjects ranging from vampires to westerns. He has written and presented television series such as The Art of Persuasion on advertising and Strange Landscape on the
Middle Ages. He has conducted a series of radio and television interviews with figures from the world of film, including
Woody Allen,
Deborah Kerr,
Ken Adam,
Francis Ford Coppola and
Clint Eastwood. He has written and presented several television series, including The Face of Tutankhamun[16] and Nightmare: Birth of Horror.
In January 2018, he gave a lecture at the
British Library in the
Hogwarts Curriculum Lecture series on "Defence against the Dark Arts". This specialised in the treatment of vampires.[17]
Knighthood
In 2001, he was awarded a
knighthood for "Services to Art and Design Education" and chose as his motto "PERGE SCELUS MIHI DIEM PERFICIAS", which can be translated as "Proceed,
varlet, and let the day be rendered perfect for my benefit".[18]
Arms
Coat of arms of Christopher Frayling
Crest
(upon a helm with a wreath Or and Sable): A Dodo Sable beaked and legged Or grasping in the dexter foot a Goblet Argent enflamed Or.
Escutcheon
Or between three Owls volant affronty bendwise sinister two Bendlets sinister Sable thereon square Billets in bend sinister Argent.