Stephen Dillane | |
|---|---|
 Dillane at the 2012 Dinard British Film Festival | |
| Born | Stephen John Dillane (1957-03-27)27 March 1957 (age 68) London, England |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Spouse | Naomi Wirthner |
| Children | 2, includingFrank Dillane |
Stephen John Dillane (/dɪˈleɪn/;[1] born 27 March 1957)[2] is a British actor. He is best known for his roles asLeonard Woolf in the 2002 filmThe Hours,Stannis Baratheon in theHBO fantasy seriesGame of Thrones (2012–2015) andThomas Jefferson in the HBO miniseriesJohn Adams (2008), a part which earned him aPrimetime Emmy nomination.[3] An experienced stage actor who has been called an "actor's actor",[4][5] Dillane won aTony Award for his lead performance inTom Stoppard's playThe Real Thing (2000) and gave critically acclaimed performances inAngels in America (1993),Hamlet (1990), and a one-manMacbeth (2005). His television work has additionally garnered himBAFTA andInternational Emmy Awards for best actor.
Dillane was born inKensington,London, to an English mother, Bridget (née Curwen), and anIrish-Australian surgeon father, John Dillane.[6][7][8] The eldest of his siblings (his younger brotherRichard is also an actor), he grew up inWest Wickham, Kent.[9]
At school, Dillane began performing in end-of-term plays and had "a certain facility" for funny accents.[9] He often found himself in women's roles, which he says "wasn’t good for my confused adolescent psyche",[10] but also recalls a part inRosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead as being particularly memorable, noting that shouting "Fire!" as Rosencrantz while pointing at the audience was "a very thrilling thing to be able to do."[11]
He studied history and politics at theUniversity of Exeter, concentrating on theRussian Revolution,[12] and afterward became a journalist for theCroydon Advertiser. Unhappy in his career, he read one day how actorTrevor Eve gave up architecture for acting; this, along with readingHamlet andPeter Brook'sThe Empty Space back-to-back, made him "light up inside somewhere"[13] and spurred him to enter theBristol Old Vic Theatre School at 25.[7][14] During his early acting career, he was known as Stephen Dillon but reverted to his birth name in the 1990s.[13][15]
Dillane is an experienced theatre actor; his notable roles include Archer inThe Beaux' Stratagem (Royal National Theatre, 1989), Prior Walter inAngels in America (1993),Hamlet (1994), Clov inSamuel Beckett'sEndgame (1996),Uncle Vanya (1998), Henry inTom Stoppard'sThe Real Thing (for which he won a Tony Award in 2000),The Coast of Utopia (2002), and a one-man version ofMacbeth (2005) directed byTravis Preston. He has also performedT.S. Eliot'sFour Quartets in London and New York City, and was seen in the 2010 Bridge Project's productions ofThe Tempest andAs You Like It.[16]
Dillane also portrayedHoratio in the1990 film adaptation ofHamlet. He played Michael Henderson inWelcome to Sarajevo (1997), a character based on British journalistMichael Nicholson, and the impatient and easily agitated Harker inSpy Game (2001).
Dillane is also known for his portrayal ofLeonard Woolf inThe Hours (2002),[17] Englishprofessional golferHarry Vardon inThe Greatest Game Ever Played (2005)[18] and Glen Foy in theGoal! trilogy. He also starred inJohn Adams asThomas Jefferson.[19]
He joined the cast ofGame of Thrones in 2011 asStannis Baratheon, a major contender for the throne of the fictional realm of Westeros.[20] While admitting he had not readthe books on which the series is based,[21] he commented that the show's appeal was due to "the storytelling, the extraordinary world that’s created and the way it reflects our actual world – a naked, ruthless pursuit of power in all its forms."[22]
In 2012, he also played Rupert Keel, head of the private security agency Byzantium, in the BBC drama seriesHunted.[23] The following year he went on to take the male lead, oppositeClémence Poésy, in the crime drama seriesThe Tunnel, an Anglo-French remake of the ScandinavianThe Bridge.[24] Dillane, who had not seen the original series, plays Karl Roebuck, the laid-back, experienced British detective to Poésy's humourless French counterpart.[21] His performance won him anInternational Emmy Award for Best Actor.[25] In a second series in 2016, titledThe Tunnel: Sabotage, he reprised his role alongside Poésy for a new case involving a deadly airliner crash in theEnglish Channel.[26]
Besides television, Dillane also starred in the 2012 British independent filmPapadopoulos & Sons as successful entrepreneur Harry Papadopoulos, who rediscovers his life after being forced to start again from nothing in the wake of a banking crisis. His son,Frank Dillane, plays his son in the film.[27] That same year he also had roles in the filmsZero Dark Thirty andTwenty8k.
Offscreen, the actor in 2014 collaborated with visual artistTacita Dean for theSydney Biennale andCarriageworks in a project calledEvent for a Stage. The work, performed live and later adapted for radio broadcast[28] and film,[29] explored the process of filmmaking and the "concept of artifice on the stage" through a single actor, Dillane.[30] The performance encompassed readings from texts as well as his personal reflections on acting, theatre, and family.[31] 2015 saw Dillane making other brief returns to stage including a reprise of his reading ofFour Quartets in London[32] and a one-off appearance inTim Crouch'sAn Oak Tree at the National Theatre.[33]
In 2016, besides appearing in the second series ofThe Tunnel, Dillane returned to theDonmar Warehouse for a revival ofBrian Friel'sFaith Healer.[34] His performance as Frank, an itinerant Irish healer, was described as "poetic and powerful."[35] In addition, he appeared as artistGraham Sutherland inThe Crown,Netflix's TV series about British monarchElizabeth II. In 2017, Dillane appeared in two biopics, playingEdward Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax inJoe Wright'sDarkest Hour, starringGary Oldman asWinston Churchill,[36] and writerWilliam Godwin, the father ofFrankenstein authorMary Shelley, in the filmMary Shelley.[37]
In 2018, he appeared in the filmThe Thin Man, which has since been retitledThe Man In The Hat,[38] oppositeCiarán Hinds; it was directed by Oscar-winning composerStephen Warbeck.[39]
Dillane has two sons with actress-director Naomi Wirthner: Séamus and actorFrank Dillane,[6] with whom he co-starred inPapadopoulos & Sons.[27]
In October 2023, Dillane signed theArtists4Ceasefire open letter toJoe Biden,President of the United States, calling for a ceasefire of the Israeli bombardment of Gaza.[40]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Business as Usual | Mr. Dunlop | |
| 1990 | Hamlet | Horatio | |
| 1991 | Heading Home | Leonard Meopham | |
| 1994 | La chance | Antonio | |
| 1996 | Two If by Sea | Evan Marsh | Alternate title:Stolen Hearts |
| 1997 | Welcome to Sarajevo | Michael Henderson | (Lead role) |
| Firelight | Charles Godwin | ||
| Déjà Vu | Sean | (Lead role) | |
| 1998 | Love & Rage | Dr. Croly | |
| 1999 | The Darkest Light | Tom | (Lead role) |
| 2000 | Ordinary Decent Criminal | Noel Quigley | |
| 2001 | Spy Game | CIA Agent Chuck Harker | |
| The Parole Officer | Inspector Burton | ||
| 2002 | The Truth About Charlie | Charlie | |
| The Hours | Leonard Woolf | ||
| 2003 | The Gathering | Simon Kirkman | |
| 2004 | King Arthur | Merlin | |
| Haven | Mr. Allen | ||
| 2005 | The Greatest Game Ever Played | Harry Vardon | |
| Goal! | Glen Foy | ||
| Nine Lives | Martin | ||
| 2006 | Klimt | Secretary | |
| 2007 | Goal II: Living the Dream | Glen Foy | |
| Fugitive Pieces | Jakob Beer (Adult) | (Lead role) | |
| Savage Grace | Brooks Baekeland | ||
| 2008 | Freakdog | Dr. Harris | Original title:Red Mist |
| 2009 | 44 Inch Chest | Mal | |
| Storm | Keith Haywood | ||
| 2011 | Perfect Sense | Stephen Montgomery | |
| 2012 | Papadopoulos & Sons | Harry Papadopoulos | (Lead role) |
| Twenty8k | DCI Edward Stone | ||
| Zero Dark Thirty | National Security Adviser | ||
| 2017 | Darkest Hour | Viscount Halifax | |
| Mary Shelley | William Godwin | ||
| 2018 | Outlaw King | KingEdward I of England | |
| 2019 | The Professor and the Madman | Dr. Richard Brayne | |
| 2020 | The Man in the Hat | The Damp Man | |
| 2021 | Boxing Day | Richard | |
| 2024 | The Outrun | Andrew |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Remington Steele | Bradford Galt | Episode: "Steel Searching: Part 1" |
| 1986 | Coronation Street | Mark Siddall | Episode: "#1.2624" |
| ScreenPlay | George | Episode: "Shift Work" | |
| Screen Two | Reporter at Press Conference | Series 2; Episode 4: "Frankie & Johnnie" | |
| 1987 | Bulman | DC Danny Keech | Episode: "White Lies" |
| The Secret Garden | Captain Lennox | Television film | |
| 1988 | The One Game | Nicholas Thorne | Mini-series; 4 episodes |
| Christabel | Peter Bielenberg | Mini-series; 4 episodes | |
| The Face of Trespass | Gray Harston | Television film; alternate title:An Affair in Mind | |
| 1989 | Comeback | Alec | Television film |
| The Yellow Wallpaper | John | Television film | |
| 1991 | Screen Two | Leonard Meopham | Series 7; Episode 1: "Heading Home" |
| Sophie | John | Television film | |
| Boon | Paul Lyle | Episode: "Help Me Make It Through the Night" | |
| The Ruth Rendell Mysteries | Philip Blackstock | Episode: "Achilles Heel" | |
| 1992 | Frankie's House | Antony Strickland | Mini-series; 4 episodes |
| Hostages | Chris Pearson | Television film | |
| 1993 | You, Me and It | James Woodley | Mini-series; 3 episodes |
| Soldier Soldier | Captain Mike Davidson | Episode: "Hard Knocks" | |
| 1994 | The Rector's Wife | Jonathan Byrne | Mini-series; 3 episodes |
| 1995 | Performance | Mr. Blackmore | Episode: "The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd" |
| 1998 | Kings in Grass Castles | Patsy | Mini-series; 2 episodes |
| 2000 | Anna Karenina | Karenin | Mini-series; 4 episodes |
| 2001 | The Cazalets | Edward Cazalet | 6 episodes |
| 2008 | John Adams | Thomas Jefferson | Mini-series; 6 episodes |
| The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall | Anthony Hurndall | Television film | |
| God on Trial | Schmidt | Television film | |
| 2010 | Agatha Christie's Marple | Inspector Finch | Episode: "The Secret of Chimneys" |
| 2012 | Eternal Law | Carl | 2 episodes |
| Hunted | Rupert Keel | 8 episodes | |
| Secret State | Paul J. Clark | Mini-series; 4 episodes | |
| Murder: Joint Enterprise | Arlo Raglin | Television film | |
| 2012–2015 | Game of Thrones | Stannis Baratheon | 24 episodes |
| 2013 | A Touch of Cloth | Macratty | 2 episodes: "Undercover Cloth: Parts One & Two" |
| 2013–2018 | The Tunnel | Karl Roebuck | 24 episodes |
| 2016 | The Crown | Graham Sutherland | Episode: "Assassins" |
| 2020–2024 | Alex Rider | Alan Blunt | Main role; 23 episodes |
| 2021 | Vigil | Rear Admiral Shaw | Mini-series; 6 episodes |
| Red Election | MI5 director William Ogilvy | 10 episodes[41] | |
| 2024 | Kaos | Prometheus | 8 episodes |
| Sherwood | Roy Branson | Series 2; 6 episodes |
| Title | Year | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | The Beaux' Stratagem | Archer | Royal National Theatre |
| 1990 | Long Day's Journey into Night | Edmund Tyrone | |
| 1993–1994 | Angels in America | Prior Walter | |
| 1994–1995 | Hamlet | Prince Hamlet | International Tour andGielgud Theatre |
| 1996 | Endgame | Clov | Donmar Warehouse |
| 1998 | Uncle Vanya | Vanya | Young Vic Theatre |
| 1999–2000 | The Real Thing | Henry | Donmar, West End, Broadway |
| 2002 | The Coast of Utopia | Alexander Herzen | Royal National Theatre |
| 2004–2006 | Macbeth | Various | Almeida Theatre, Various |
| 2010 | As You Like It | Jaques | Tour includingOld Vic andBrooklyn Academy of Music |
| The Tempest | Prospero | ||
| 2010–2011 | The Master Builder | Halvard Solness | Almeida Theatre |
| 2016 | Faith Healer | Francis Hardy | Donmar Warehouse |
| 2019 | When We Have Sufficiently Tortured Each Other | Man | Royal National Theatre |
