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Simon Russell Beale
Born · January 12, 1961 (64 years old)
Known For: Acting
Place of Birth: Penang, Malaysia
Bio
Sir Simon Russell Beale CBE (born January 12, 1961) is an English actor. He is known for his appearances in film, television and theatre, and work on radio, on audiobooks and as a narrator. For his services to drama, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in 2019. He has spent much of his theatre career working in productions for both the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre. He has received ten Laurence Olivier Award nominations, winning three awards for his performances in Volpone (1996), Candide (2000), and Uncle Vanya (2003). For his work on the Broadway stage he has received a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play nomination for his performance as George in the Tom Stoppard play Jumpers in 2004. For his role as Henry Lehman in The Lehman Trilogy, he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play and was nominated for an Olivier Award. Beale has been described by The Independent as "the greatest stage actor of his generation". Beale made his film debut in Sally Potter's period drama Orlando (1992). He continued acting in films such as Persuasion (1995), Hamlet (1996), My Week with Marilyn (2011), The Deep Blue Sea (2011), Into the Woods (2014), and Mary Queen of Scots (2018). In 2017, he starred in Armando Iannucci's dark comedy The Death of Stalin playing Lavrentiy Beria for which he received the British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. He has also appeared in the television projects The Young Visiters (2003), Dunkirk (2004), and as Falstaff in the BBC made-for-television films Henry IV, Part I and Part II (2012). He was part of the main cast of Showtime's Penny Dreadful.
Downton Abbey 3
0.0
2025
Firebrand
Stephen Gardiner
6.4
2024
Home! Home!
Self (narrator)
10.0
2024
Thor: Love and Thunder
Dionysus
6.4
2022
The Hour
Himself
0.0
2020
The Death of Stalin
Lavrenti Beria
7.0
2017
RSC Live: The Tempest
Prospero
9.0
2017
The Legend of Tarzan
Mr. Frum
5.9
2016
Cunk on Shakespeare
Self - Actor
7.5
2016
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC
Richard II
7.5
2016
Monteverdi in Mantua - The Genius of the Vespers
presenter
0.0
2015
Into the Woods
Baker's Father
5.8
2014
The Mysterious Mr Webster
Self - Interviewee
6.0
2014
National Theatre Live: King Lear
Lear, King of Britain
7.1
2014
Legacy
Hookey
5.1
2013
Lava Land - Glowing Hawaii
Narrator
0.0
2013
National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage
Hamlet
7.0
2013
Muse of Fire
Self
6.5
2013
My Week with Marilyn
Cotes-Preedy
6.7
2011
The Deep Blue Sea
Sir William Collyer
5.9
2011
BBC Proms: Sondheim's 80th Birthday
Himself - Performer
10.0
2010
An Easter Celebration
presenter
0.0
2008
Deep Water
Donald Crowhurst (voice)
7.3
2006
The Young Visiters
Prince of Wales
5.1
2003
The Gathering
Luke Fraser
5.4
2003
Blackadder: Back & Forth
Wellington
7.0
1999
Alice in Wonderland
King Cedric of Hearts
6.3
1999
Hamlet
Second Gravedigger
7.3
1996
Persuasion
Charles Musgrove
7.1
1995
Orlando
Earl of Moray
6.9
1992
Time and the Conways
Party Guest
0.0
1985
The Choral
0.0
De Gaulle – Partie 1 : La France Libre
Winston Churchill
0.0
The Magic Faraway Tree
0.0
De Gaulle – Partie 2
Winston Churchill
0.0
Douglas Is Cancelled
Bently · (4 episodes)
7.5
2024
Mary & George
Sir George Villiers · (1 episode)
7.2
2024
House of the Dragon
Ser Simon Strong · (6 episodes)
8.4
2022
Operation Mincemeat
Winston Churchill
6.5
2022
The Outfit
Roy Boyle
7.1
2022
Benediction
Robbie Ross
6.2
2021
A Christmas Carol
Scrooge's voice (voice)
7.4
2020
Radioactive
Professor Lippmann
6.6
2020
National Theatre Live: The Lehman Trilogy
Henry Lehman
8.7
2019
National Theatre Live: The Tragedy of King Richard the Second
Richard II
10.0
2019
Mary Queen of Scots
Robert Beale
6.6
2018
Vanity Fair
John Sedley · (7 episodes)
7.4
2018
Operation Finale
David Ben-Gurion
6.7
2018
Museo
Frank Graves
6.6
2018
My Cousin Rachel
Couch
5.7
2017
Penny Dreadful
Ferdinand Lyle · (14 episodes)
7.8
2014
National Theatre Live: Timon of Athens
Timon
0.0
2012
Shakespeare's Sonnets
0.0
2012
The Hollow Crown
Falstaff · (3 episodes)
7.3
2012
Simon Schama's Shakespeare
(2 episodes)
0.0
2012
National Theatre Live: Collaborators
Joseph Stalin
0.0
2011
Symphony
(4 episodes)
8.0
2011
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House)
The Duchess / Introduced by
7.7
2011
A Christmas History
Presenter
0.0
2010
National Theatre Live: London Assurance
Sir Harcourt Courtly
7.0
2010
Dunkirk
Winston Churchill · (3 episodes)
6.3
2004
Spooks
William Towers · (6 episodes)
7.6
2002
Spooks
Home Secretary · (7 episodes)
7.6
2002
An Ideal Husband
Sir Edward
6.5
1999
A Dance to the Music of Time
Widmerpool · (4 episodes)
5.3
1997
The Mushroom Picker
Anthony · (3 episodes)
1.0
1993
American Experience
John Adams (voice) · (1 episode)
7.5
1988
A Very Peculiar Practice
Mark Stibbs · (1 episode)
8.0
1986
Blackadder
Napoléon · (1 episode)
8.0
1983