Anton Lesser (born 14 February 1952^[1]) is a British actor. He is known for his roles asQyburn in theHBO seriesGame of Thrones,Harold Macmillan inThe Crown,Clement Attlee inA United Kingdom, Chief Superintendent Bright inEndeavour,^[2] and Major Partagaz inAndor. An associate of theRoyal Shakespeare Company, he has performed numerousShakespearean roles on stage and television.

Anton Lesser
Lesser in June 2011
Born	(1952-02-14)14 February 1952 (age 73) Birmingham,England,United Kingdom
Alma mater	University of Liverpool Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1979–present
Spouse	Madeleine Lesser
Children	2

Anton Lesser was born inBirmingham^[3] on 14 February 1952,^[4] the son of David Lesser and his wife Amelia Cohen.^{[citation needed]} He is ofJewish background.^[5]

He was educated atMoseley Grammar School^[6] and at theUniversity of Liverpool, where he earned a degree in architecture in 1973.^[7]

Lesser went to theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art from 1974 until 1976,^[3] and on graduation in 1977^[8] was awarded the Bancroft Gold Medal as the most promising actor of his year. His final performance there was as Gethin Price inComedians byTrevor Griffiths.^[3]

Lesser was spotted inComedians and offered a contract by the casting director for theRoyal Shakespeare Company (RSC).^[3]

As an associate artist with the RSC, Lesser played many of Shakespeare's great roles.^[3] In theBBC Television Shakespeare productions he was Troilus (Troilus and Cressida), Edgar (King Lear), andFeste (Twelfth Night). On stage, he has portrayedRomeo (a titular character inhis play),Prince Hamlet (the titular character ofhis play), Brutus (Julius Caesar),Petruchio (The Taming of the Shrew), Richard III (the titular character ofhis play), and others.^{[9][better source needed]}

When he moved down toLondon, the reviews were less flattering than he had become accustomed to at the RSC. However he continued to win roles on stage, including as Stanley inHarold Pinter’sThe Birthday Party, Petruchio inThe Taming of the Shrew, Rover inWild Oats and Brutus inDeborah Warner'sJulius Caesar in 2005.^[3]

Lesser is a frequent radio contributor and played the title role in theBBC Radio adaptations of the first fiveMarcus Didius Falco mysteries byLindsey Davis. He has also recorded manyaudiobooks, including much of the work ofCharles Dickens. His recording ofGreat Expectations won him a Talkie Award. Other books range fromJohn Milton'sParadise Lost,Homer andRumi^[10] to contemporary novels byRobert Harris (Fatherland) andPhilip Pullman. For two months in 2013, Lesser was a regular cast member playing Robin Carrow inAmbridge Extra, aBBC Radio 4 Extra spin-off from theBBC Radio 4 dramaThe Archers.^[11]

In 2013, during thethird season of theHBO Max seriesGame of Thrones, Lesser began playing the recurring role of Qyburn, an enigmaticmad scientist who served as part of the retinue ofCersei Lannister (Lena Headey). Qyburn, and Lesser's portrayal of him, were popular with fans, particularly as the series went on and the character appeared more frequently and had greater influence over the narrative.^[12][13]The Ringer described him as "the last curious man inWesteros" and noted that the character "refuses to seem like aMacGuffin, despite totally being one."^[14] The character returned across the remainder of the series run untilthe penultimate episode in 2019; Qyburn was one of the characters who perished in the episode, which led to many fans producingmemes about his abrupt death.^[15]

In 2015, Lesser was announced as a public supporter of Chapel Lane Theatre Company based inStratford-upon-Avon,United Kingdom.^[16]

Lesser portrayedThomas More in theBBC mini-seriesWolf Hall, and received a nomination for theBritish Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.^[17]

In 2022, Lesser played Major Partagaz, a supporting antagonist in theStar Wars spinoffAndor. His performance of Partagaz, a ranking member of theEmpire's intelligence agency, the Imperial Security Bureau, was noted by critics.Digital Spy noted that Lesser delivered dialogue on Imperial bureaucracy with "powerful coolness."^[18]

With his wife Madeleine Adams, Lesser has two children. His daughter Lilit Lesser is also an actor.^[19]

• Romeo and Juliet Romeo, 1980, RSC
• Hamlet Hamlet, 1982, Donmar Warehouse, London
• Troilus and Cressida Troilus, 1981, RSC
• The Plantagenets (Henry VI, part 1–3 andRichard III) Richard III, 1988, RSC
• Two Shakespearean Actors Edwin Forrest, 1990, RSC
• Richard II Henry Bullingbrook,^[20] 1990, RSC
• The Taming of the Shrew Petruchio, 1992, RSC
• The Merry Wives of Windsor Frank Ford, 1992, RSC
• 'Art' Serge, 1997,Wyndham's Theatre, London
• Private Lives Elyot, 1999, Lyttelton Theatre, London
• Cymbeline Iachimo, 2003, RSC
• Julius Caesar Marcus Brutus, 2005, Barbican, London
• The Winter's Tale Leontes, 2006, RSC
• The Vertical Hour Oliver Lucas, 2008, Royal Court Theatre, London
• A Doll's House Dr. Rank, 2009, Donmar Warehouse, London
• Hamlet Ghost, 2025, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon

• Anton Lesser atIMDb