Rory McCann | |
|---|---|
 McCann in 2014 | |
| Born | (1969-04-24)24 April 1969 (age 55) Glasgow, Scotland |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (198 cm)[1] |
Rory McCann (born 24 April 1969) is a Scottish actor, best known for portrayingSandor "The Hound" Clegane on theHBO seriesGame of Thrones, Michael "Lurch" Armstrong inEdgar Wright's crime-comedyHot Fuzz (2007), Jurgen the Brutal in the adventure comedyJumanji: The Next Level (2019) and the voice ofMegatron inTransformers: EarthSpark.
McCann was born inGlasgow, Scotland.[2] He has a sister, Sally-Gay McCann, born in 1972.[3]
Before becoming an actor, McCann was a painter who studied at the Scottish School of Forestry nearInverness. He also worked as a bridge painter (on theForth Road Bridge), landscape gardener and carpenter.[4] Rory McCann was first trained as an actor by writer-artist Robert Parsifal Finch in The Actor's Workshop, Glasgow in 1998.[5][6]
McCann's first acting job was as an extra on the filmWillow (1988). He was fired because he laughed during the takes.[7] He appeared in an advertisement forScott's Porage Oats, dressed in a vest andkilt.[7] As his first major acting role, McCann played a disabledpersonal trainer in the 2002 television comedy dramaThe Book Group, winning the ScottishBAFTA for the best television performance of 2002.[8]
Since then, he has taken television roles as Detective Inspector Stuart Brown inState of Play,Peter the Great inPeter in Paradise, and a priest in the award-winning British comedy-drama seriesShameless.[6]
He made hisHollywood debut in the 2004 filmAlexander, which required the actors to go through training in the African desert, and included shooting inThailand,Morocco, and aLondon studio.[9] In 2007, he appeared as Michael "Lurch" Armstrong inHot Fuzz. In 2008, he played Moby inThe Crew andAttila the Hun in theBBCdocudramaHeroes and Villains.
McCann portrayedSandor "The Hound" Clegane in 7 out of 8 seasons of theHBO seriesGame of Thrones.[10][11][12]
Other projects include aBBC TV series by writerJimmy McGovern calledBanished, set in Australia in the 18th century. McCann plays a blacksmith named Marston.[13]
In 2022 he became the narrator of theITV1 seriesDNA Journey.
McCann's younger sister, Sally-Gay McCann, works on costumes for film and television; he worked alongside her onAlexander andGame of Thrones.[3] McCann is a supporter of theScottish Green Party, and appeared in its2007 Scottish Parliament general election broadcast.[14]
In 1990, McCann broke multiple bones in a near-fatal rock climbing accident inYorkshire.[15]
McCann is the former frontman of a defunct band called Thundersoup.[9] He plays the piano, guitar, banjo and mandolin.[16]
McCann lives a solitary, transient lifestyle.[7] He often lives on his boat or in places without modern conveniences.[17][18] In 2006, he went toIceland withGerard Butler to attend the premiere ofBeowulf & Grendel. He ended up living in Iceland for a year, part of the time in a tent after losing his apartment, and working as a carpenter.[19][20]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Young Adam | Sam | ||
| 2004 | Alexander | Craterus | ||
| 2005 | Beowulf & Grendel | Breca | ||
| 2006 | Sixty Six | Policeman | ||
| 2007 | Hot Fuzz | Michael "Lurch" Armstrong | ||
| 2008 | The Crew | Mobey | ||
| 2009 | Solomon Kane | McNess | ||
| 2010 | Clash of the Titans | Belo | ||
| 2011 | Season of the Witch | Soldier Commander | Credited as Rory MacCann | |
| 2015 | Slow West | John Ross | ||
| 2017 | XXX: Return of Xander Cage | Tennyson "The Torch" | ||
| 2019 | Jumanji: The Next Level | Jurgen The Brutal | ||
| 2023 | Jackdaw | Armstrong | ||
| 2024 | The Damned | Ragnar | ||
| Gladiator II | Tegula |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Randall & Hopkirk | Bouncer | 1 episode | |
| 2000 | Monarch of the Glen | Roger | 1 episode | |
| 2002 | London's Burning | Keith | 1 episode | |
| 2002–2003 | The Book Group | Kenny McLeod | Main role, 12 episodes | |
| 2003 | State of Play | Stuart Brown | 1 episode | |
| 2003 | Rockface | Adam | Recurring role, 6 episodes | |
| 2006 | Shameless | Father Critchon | 2 episodes | |
| 2008 | Heroes and Villains | Attila the Hun | 1 episode | |
| 2011 | The Jury | Derek Hatch | Main role, 5 episodes | |
| 2011–2014; 2016–2019 | Game of Thrones | Sandor "The Hound" Clegane | Main role, 38 episodes | |
| 2015 | Banished | Marston | Main role, 4 episodes | |
| 2021 | The Irregulars | Arthur "the Birdmaster" Hilton | 2 episodes | |
| 2022 | The Legend of Vox Machina | Duke Vedmire (voice) | 3 episodes[21] | |
| 2022 | Transformers: EarthSpark | Megatron (voice) | Main role; 3 seasons[22] | |
| 2024 | Knuckles | "The Buyer" | Miniseries, 3 episodes | |
| TBA | Ahsoka | Baylan Skoll | Season 2[23] |
