Brian Denis Cox CBE is a Scottish actor. A classically trained Shakespearean actor, he is known for his work on stage and screen. His numerous accolades include two Laurence Olivier Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for a British Academy Television Award. In 2003, he was appointed to the Order of the British Empire at the rank of Commander.
Cox trained at the Dundee Repertory Theatre before becoming a founding member of the Royal Lyceum Theatre. He went on to train as a Shakespearean actor, starring in numerous productions with the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he gained recognition for his portrayal of King Lear. Cox received two Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Actor for his roles in Rat in the Skull (1984), for Royal Court, and Titus Andronicus (1988). He received two more Olivier Award nominations for Misalliance (1986) and Fashion (1988).
Known as a character actor in film, he played Robert McKee in Spike Jonze's Adaptation (2002) and William Stryker in X2 (2003). For his starring role in L.I.E. (2001), he received an Independent Spirit Award nomination. His other notable films include Manhunter (1986), Iron Will (1994), Braveheart (1995), The Boxer (1997), The Rookie (2002), Troy (2004), Match Point (2005), The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (2007), Coriolanus (2011), Pixels (2015), and Churchill (2017).
Cox won the Primetime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series for his portrayal of Hermann Göring in the television film Nuremberg (2001). The following year, he guest starred on the NBC sitcom Frasier, earning his second Emmy nomination in 2002. He portrayed Jack Langrishe in the HBO series Deadwood. He starred as Logan Roy on the HBO series Succession (2018-2023), for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series and was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards for Best Actor in a Drama Series.
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The Parenting
Frank
2025
The Electric State
Popfly (voice)
2025
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Helm Hammerhand (voice)
2024
Little Wing
Jaan Vari
2024
Quasi
Narrator (voice)
2023
An Interview with Brian Cox
Himself
2023
Peter O'Toole: Along the Sky Road to Aqaba
Self
2022
The Independent
Nick Booker
2022
Ukraine: Answering the Call
Self
2022
The Gospel of John
Narrator (voice) – King James Version
2014
The Anomaly
Dr. Langham
2014
Her
Alan Watts (voice)
2013
An Adventure in Space and Time
Sydney Newman
2013
The Curse of Edgar
Edgar Hoover
2013
Anna
Sebastian
2013
Believe
Matt Busby
2013
Blumenthal
Harold Blumenthal
2013
RED 2
Ivan
2013
Blood
Lenny Fairburn
2012
The Campaign
Raymond
2012
I Missed My Mother's Funeral
Old Man
2012
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
John Landon
2011
The Veteran
Gerry
2011
Ironclad
Albany
2011
The Key Man
Irving
2011
Coriolanus
Menenius
2011
RED
Ivan Simanov
2010
On Expenses
2010
As Good As Dead
Reverend Kalahan
2010
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Action 12 Reporter (voice)
2009
Brian Cox's Jute Journey
Self
2009
The Good Heart
Jacques
2009
Tell-Tale
Van Doren
2009
Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword
Green Dragon (voice)
2009
Red
Avery Ludlow
2008
The Escapist
Frank Perry
2008
The Water Horse
Old Angus
2007
The Secret of the Nutcracker
Drosselmeyer
2007
Trick 'r Treat
Mr. Kreeg
2007
Battle for Terra
General Hemmer (voice)
2007
A Woman in Winter
Dr. Hunt
2007
Zodiac
Melvin Belli
2007
Running with Scissors
Dr. Finch
2006
The Flying Scotsman
Douglas Baxter
2006
The Ringer
Gary Barker
2005
Match Point
Alec Hewett
2005
Red Eye
Joe Reisert
2005
Hitler in Colour
Narrator
2005
Japan's War In Colour
Narrator
2005
The Bourne Supremacy
Ward Abbott
2004
Troy
King Agamemnon
2004
The Reckoning
Tobias
2004
The Evolution of an American Filmmaker
Self
2003
X2
William Stryker
2003
25th Hour
James Brogan
2002
Adaptation.
Robert McKee
2002
The Ring
Richard Morgan
2002
The Trials of Henry Kissinger
2002
The Bourne Identity
Ward Abbott
2002
The Rookie
Jim Morris Sr.
2002
Bug
Cyr
2002
The Affair of the Necklace
Minister Breteuil
2001
L.I.E.
Big John Harrigan
2001
Strictly Sinatra
Chisolm
2001
Super Troopers
John O'Hagen
2001
Inside 'Manhunter'
Himself
2001
Complicity
Inspector McDunn
2000
Mad About Mambo
Sidney McLoughlin
2000
Longitude
Lord Morton
2000
The Corruptor
Sean Wallace
1999
The Minus Man
Doug
1999
Rushmore
Dr. Nelson Guggenheim
1998
Poodle Springs
Clayton Blackstone
1998
Desperate Measures
Captain Jeremiah Cassidy
1998
The Boxer
Joe Hamill
1997
Kiss the Girls
Chief Hatfield, Durham PD
1997
The Long Kiss Goodnight
Dr. Nathan Waldman
1996
The Glimmer Man
Mr. Smith
1996
Chain Reaction
Lyman Earl Collier
1996
Witness Against Hitler
Judge Freisler
1996
Braveheart
Argyle Wallace
1995
Rob Roy
Killearn
1995
The Maltese Double Cross
Narrator (voice)
1994
Prince of Jutland
Aethelwine
1994
Iron Will
Angus McTeague
1994
Sharpe's Eagle
Major Michael Hogan
1993
Sharpe's Rifles
Major Michael Hogan
1993
Six Characters in Search of An Author
The Director
1992
The Cutter
1992
The Lost Language of Cranes
Owen Benjamin
1992
The Cloning of Joanna May
Carl May
1992
Deceptions
Carlton Heard
1992
Hidden Agenda
Peter Kerrigan
1990
Brian Cox on Acting in Tragedy
Self
1989
The Blasphemers' Banquet
Rev. Wallace (voice)
1989
Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky
Voiceover Narrator
1988
Manhunter
Dr. Hannibal Lecktor
1986
Pope John Paul II
Father Góra
1984
King Lear
Burgundy
1983
The Privilege
Young Laird
1982
In Celebration
Steven Shaw
1975
The Changeling
Alsemero
1974
The Year of the Sex Olympics
Lasar Opie
1968
A Modern Magician
The Voice
That Christmas
Santa (voice)
2024
Skelly
Grandpa
2024
Bill Douglas: My Best Friend
Narrator (voice)
2023
Ooh the Banter!
Self
2022
Bonnie
Self
2022
Pretenders
Henry
2019
Churchill
Winston Churchill
2017
Darcey Bussell: My Life on the BBC
Self
2016
The Autopsy of Jane Doe
Tommy Tilden
2016
Morgan
Jim Bryce
2016
The Carer
Sir Michael
2016
Forsaken
James McCurdy
2015
Pixels
Admiral Porter
2015
Scotland In A Day
2014
Exit Humanity
Malcolm Young (voice)
2011
Shoot on Sight
Daniel Tennant
2007
The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes & Arthur Conan Doyle
Joseph Bell
2005
Murder by Numbers
Self
2004
Shoot for the Sun
Dunny
1987
The Glove
Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster
Glover
2011
Agent Crush
Spanners (voice)
2008
The Second Uncanny Issue of X-Men - Making X2
2003
Rasputin: The Devil in the Flesh
Narrator
2002
Smallpox 2002: Silent Weapon
Narrator
2002
Saltwater
George Beneventi
2000
Red Fox
Geoffrey Harrison
1991
The Making of 'Hidden Agenda'
self
1990
Beryl Markham: A Shadow on the Sun
Jack Purves
1988
The Planets
Wittgenstein's Poker
Bertrand Russell (voice)
For Love of the Game
Gary Wheeler
1999
Sharpe: The Legend
Hogan
1997
Murder on the Moon
Voronov
1989
Nicholas and Alexandra
Trotsky
1971
Glenrothan
Sandy
Prisoner's Daughter
Max
2023
Mending the Line
Ike Fletcher
2023
Separation
Rivers
2021
Oleg: The Oleg Vidov Story
Narrator (voice)
2021
The Bay of Silence
Milton
2020
John Rebus: The Lockdown Blues
John Rebus
2020
Last Moment of Clarity
Gilles
2020
Lawrence After Arabia
Father (Voice)
2020
The Last Right
Father Reilly
2019
Strange But True
Bill
2019
Remember Me
Shane
2019
Kubrick by Candlelight
The Narrator
2018
Widdershins
voice
2018
Super Troopers 2
John O'Hagen
2018
The Etruscan Smile
Rory MacNeil
2018
An Evening with Brian Cox
Himself
2017
Bob the Builder: Mega Machines - The Movie
Conrad (UK & US) / Crunch (UK & US) (voice)
2017
Vegalta: Soccer, Tsunami and the Hope of a Nation
Narrator
2017
Alan Clarke: Out of His Own Light
Self
2016
Pacific Warriors
Narrator
2015
Andrew Carnegie: Rags to Riches, Power to Peace
Andrew Carnegie (voice)
2015
Wide Blue Yonder
Wally
2012
The Jonathan Ross Show
Self · (1 episode)
2011
The Take
Ozzy · (4 episodes)
2009
The Bourne Ultimatum
Ward Abbott (voice) (archive footage) (uncredited)
2007
The Outsiders
Gabriel
2006
The One Show
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
2006
Carry On Ken
Self
2006
The Colbert Report
(1 episode)
2005
Blue/Orange
Dr. Robert Smith
2005
The Tony Danza Show
Self · (1 episode)
2004
Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson
Other Voices (voice)
2004
Deadwood
Jack Langrishe · (9 episodes)
2004
One Life
(1 episode)
2003
Sin
Captain Oakes
2003
Aleister Crowley - The Wickedest Man in the World
Narrator
2002
The Biographer
Michael O'Mara
2002
Loch Lomond: Legend of the Loch
Narrator
2002
Richard & Judy
Self · (2 episodes)
2001
Nuremberg
Herman Wilhelm Goering · (2 episodes)
2000
A Shot at Glory
Martin Smith
2000
The Invention of Dr. Morel
Dr. Morel
2000
The Making of 'Rushmore'
Self
2000
Merchants of Venus
Uncle Vladimir
1998
Food for Ravens
Aneurin Bevan
1997
Superman: The Animated Series
Dr. Earl Garver (voice) · (1 episode)
1996
The Negotiator
Charlie King
1994
Grushko
Colonel Yevgeni Grushko
1994
The Big Battalions
Edward Hoyland · (5 episodes)
1992
Secret Weapon
Andrew Neil
1990
Red Dwarf
The King · (1 episode)
1988
Acting
(1 episode)
1987
French & Saunders
King Lear · (1 episode)
1987
Inspector Morse
Michael Steppings · (1 episode)
1987
Rat in the Skull
Detective Inspector Nelson
1987
Gramsci: Everything that Concerns People
Narrator
1987
Home Cooking
Vic
1986
Florence Nightingale
Dr. McGregor
1985
The Cantor of St Thomas's
Johann Sebastian Bach
1985
A Cotswold Death
Dr. Gillespie
1982
Dalhousie's Luck
Dalhousie
1980
Minder
Frank · (1 episode)
1979
Clay, Smeddum and Greenden
George Simpson
1976
Killing Thyme
Norman
Old Pals
Jimmy
Macbeth
Macbeth
VE Day 80
Himself · (1 episode)
2025
Unsinkable
Robert Dodds · (11 episodes)
2024
007: Road to a Million
The Controller · (8 episodes)
2023
Shakespeare: Rise of a Genius
Self · (3 episodes)
2023
Made of Money with Brian Cox
(2 episodes)
2023
Brian Cox: How The Other Half Live
Presenter · (2 episodes)
2022
Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg
Self – Actor · (6 episodes)
2022
Piers Morgan Uncensored
Self · (2 episodes)
2022
Blade Runner: Black Lotus
Niander Wallace Sr. (voice) · (5 episodes)
2021
Good Omens
Death (voice) · (3 episodes)
2019
Succession
Logan Roy · (39 episodes)
2018
The Russell Howard Hour
Self · (1 episode)
2017
Carpool Karaoke: The Series
Self · (1 episode)
2017
Brian Cox's Russia
Host · (2 episodes)
2017
Medici: Masters of Florence
Bernardo Guadagni · (8 episodes)
2016
War and Peace
Mikhail Kutuzov · (6 episodes)
2016
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
(1 episode)
2015
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Self · (3 episodes)
2015
The Slap
Manolis · (8 episodes)
2015
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Self · (1 episode)
2014
The Game
Daddy · (6 episodes)
2014
The Great War: The People's Story
Rev. Andrew Clark · (1 episode)
2014
Penny Dreadful
Jared Talbot · (2 episodes)
2014
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
God · (1 episode)
2014
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Self · (2 episodes)
2014
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Self · (2 episodes)
2014
Shetland
Magnus Bain · (2 episodes)
2013
The Last Leg
Self · (2 episodes)
2013
Bob Servant
Bob Servant · (9 episodes)
2013
Addicted to Pleasure
Self - Host · (4 episodes)
2012
A Touch of Cloth
Bill Ball · (1 episode)
2012
Tooned
The Mechanic · (8 episodes)
2012
The Straits
Harry Montebello · (10 episodes)
2012
Celebrity Antiques Road Trip
Self - Participant · (1 episode)
2011
The Jonathan Ross Show
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
2011
The Sinking of the Laconia
Captain Sharp · (2 episodes)
2011
The Day of the Triffids
Dennis Masen · (2 episodes)
2009
The Colour of Magic
Narrator · (2 episodes)
2008
The Graham Norton Show
Self · (1 episode)
2007
Real Time with Bill Maher
Self · (1 episode)
2003
Top Gear
Self · (2 episodes)
2002
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Anubis (voice) · (1 episode)
2000
Longitude
Lord Morton · (2 episodes)
2000
The Daily Show
Self · (1 episode)
1996
Frasier
Harry Moon · (2 episodes)
1993
Sharpe
Major Hogan · (2 episodes)
1993
The Modern World: Ten Great Writers
Henrik Ibsen (voice) · (1 episode)
1988
Out
McGrath · (3 episodes)
1978
Target
Billy Voss · (1 episode)
1977
Playhouse
Dalhousie · (1 episode)
1974
Great Performances
Self - Narration (voice) · (1 episode)
1971
Manhunt
Anton · (3 episodes)
1970
Have I Got a Bit More News for You
Himself - Panellist · (1 episode)
Shakespeare: The Animated Tales
Macbeth (voice) · (1 episode)
1992
Performance
The Director · (1 episode)
1991
Perfect Scoundrels
Father Amedy · (1 episode)
1990
The Simpsons
Kostas Becker (voice) · (2 episodes)
1989
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
1988
Unnatural Causes
Vic · (1 episode)
1986
Hammer House of Horror
Chuck · (1 episode)
1980
Therese Raquin
Laurent · (3 episodes)
1980
Question Time
Self - Panellist · (5 episodes)
1979
The Devil's Crown
Henry II of England · (13 episodes)
1978
Van der Valk
Stefan Szabo · (1 episode)
1972
Play for Today
Dr. Gillespie · (1 episode)
1970
The Gamblers
Mickey · (20 episodes)
1967
BBC Play of the Month
Alsemero · (1 episode)
1965
A Knight in Tarnished Armour
Nelson
1965