Angus Macfadyen | |
|---|---|
 Macfadyen in the filmTimeless | |
| Born | 1963 (age 61–62)[1] |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh Central School of Speech and Drama |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Website | angusmacfadyen |
Angus Macfadyen (born 1963) is a Scottish actor. His roles includeRobert the Bruce, both inBraveheart andRobert the Bruce, Komodo inWarriors of Virtue, Vice-Counsel Dupont inEquilibrium,Jeff Denlon in theSaw franchise,Robert Rogers in theAMC historical dramaTurn: Washington's Spies, McCreedy inCameron Crowe'sWe Bought a Zoo, and biologistJames Murray inThe Lost City of Z. He has made appearances on several television series such asCalifornication,Criminal Minds,Chuck, andSuperman & Lois.
Macfadyen was brought up in thePhilippines,Africa,Singapore andFrance. His father was a doctor in theWorld Health Organization.[2] Macfadyen attended theUniversity of Edinburgh and theCentral School of Speech and Drama in London.
Macfadyen's first role was Philip in the film made for televisionThe Lost Language of Cranes (1991). He portrayed a young man who must tell his parents that he is gay. Playing the role of his father was fellow Scottish actorBrian Cox. Macfadyen then acted in five episodes ofSoldier Soldier before appearing in the television film15: The Life and Death of Philip Knight (1993) and also on the television seriesTakin' Over the Asylum (1994) about a salesman who runs a radio station in a mental institution. That role led to his role asRobert the Bruce inMel Gibson's filmBraveheart (1995).[3] In 1995 he also portrayedRichard Burton in the TV miniseriesLiz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story.
AfterBraveheart won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, Macfadyen acted in the independent filmNevada (1997), before giving the most over-the-top[citation needed] performance of his career in the action/fantasyWarriors of Virtue (1997). He also co-starred alongsideDon Cheadle andRay Liotta when he played Peter Lawford in the HBO filmThe Rat Pack (1998).[3]
Macfadyen playedOrson Welles inTim Robbins's third directorial filmCradle Will Rock (1999). Although the film received a nomination for thePalme d'Or atCannes, it was a financial flop. Macfadyen next made the Shakespearan filmTitus (1999), alongsideAnthony Hopkins, where he played Lucius, eldest son of Titus Andronicus. Directed byJulie Taymor, the film was a critical triumph but with mediocre box office results.
After the noir filmSecond Skin (2000), Macfadyen acted in a number of poorly received films. One such film was the action filmStyx (2001) which starredPeter Weller. A year later, he acted in the comedy filmDivine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002) alongside a number of famous names:Sandra Bullock,Ellen Burstyn,Maggie Smith andAshley Judd. That same year, Macfadyen took the role of Vice-Counsel Dupont inEquilibrium (also 2002). The film, also starringChristian Bale,Sean Bean,Taye Diggs andEmily Watson, is set in the future, where a fascist regime forbids all emotions.[3]
Macfadyen acted as Marcus Crassus in a TV mini-series ofSpartacus (2004), and the character of Bill inThe Pleasure Drivers (2005).
In 2006, he was the lead in the dramatic filmThe Virgin of Juarez (2006).[3] He then starred inKevin Connor's mini-seriesBlackbeard, it co-starsRichard Chamberlain,Jessica Chastain,Mark Umbers,Stacy Keach,David Winters, andRachel Ward. It's about pirateBlackbeard (Macfadyen), who wreaks havoc on the high-seas looking forCaptain Kidd's treasure.[4] His dark presence causes controversy in the local port town of New Providence, especially among Gov. Charles Eden (Chamberlain) and hisadopted daughter Charlotte (Chastain), who is being wooed by Lt. Robert Maynard (Umbers).[5]
His next big role was that ofJeff Denlon inSaw III (also 2006). Jeff is a man obsessed with revenge, and he is led into a series of traps that test his ability to forgive. The film was a smash hit for its $10 million budget, earning almost $200 million worldwide. Macfadyen then co-starred in thebox office bombRedline andSaw IV (both 2007), which was also a box office success.
Macfadyen continued making films, starring as the outlaw Will Tunney in his western filmShadowheart (2009). He has appeared on television on the seriesKiller Wave (2007) andCalifornication (2008) He has also acted in the mystery filmSan Saba (2008) and the thriller filmClean Break (aka,Unnatural Causes, 2008).
Macfadyen has appeared in two thrillers:Pound of Flesh (2010) alongsideMalcolm McDowell, which revolves around a corrupt college professor, and the crime thrillerShadows of the White Nights (aka,Assassins Run, 2013) alongsideChristian Slater. He starred as Lucas Blackstone in the Christian filmTaken by Grace (also 2013). Additionally, Macfadyen was part of the cast of theUSA Network's television seriesPsych, theCameron Crowe feature filmWe Bought a Zoo (2011) starringMatt Damon, and the final season ofChuck as villain Nicholas Quinn.
Macfadyen also starred asRobert Rogers inAMC's historical drama seriesTurn: Washington's Spies (2014–17), andAllan Pinkerton on the first-run syndicated seriesThe Pinkertons (2014–15).[3]Macbeth: Unhinged (2016) is a modernised feature-length film adapted from the Shakespearean play in which he stars and directs.[6] He appeared oppositeCharlie Hunnam andRobert Pattinson as biologistJames Murray in the 2016 biographical dramaThe Lost City of Z.
In 2021, Macfadyen was cast asJor-El inSuperman & Lois.[7]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Braveheart | Robert the Bruce | |
| 1997 | Nevada | West | |
| Warriors of Virtue | Komodo | ||
| Snide and Prejudice | Adolf Hitler / Michael Davidson | ||
| Still Breathing | Philip | ||
| 1998 | Joseph's Gift | Carl | |
| The Brylcreem Boys | Rudolph Von Stegenbek | ||
| Lani Loa – The Passage | Turner | ||
| 1999 | Façade | Frederic Colbert | |
| Titus | Lucius | ||
| Cradle Will Rock | Orson Welles | ||
| 2002 | Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood | Connor McGill | |
| Equilibrium | Vice-Counsel DuPont | ||
| 2005 | Shooting Gallery | Tenderloin Tony | Direct-to-video |
| 2006 | Fatwa | Bobby | |
| The Pleasure Drivers | Bill | ||
| Saw III | Jeff Denlon | ||
| .45 | Al "Big Al" | ||
| 2007 | Redline | Michael D'Orazio | |
| Saw IV | Jeff Denlon | Cameo | |
| 2008 | Impulse | Jonathan Dennison, Simon Philips | |
| Clean Break | Matt McKay | ||
| 2011 | We Bought a Zoo | Peter MacCready | |
| 2013 | Copperhead | Jee Hagadorn | |
| Sugar | Uncle Gene | ||
| 2016 | Timeless | Dr. Meier | |
| 2017 | The Lost City of Z | James Murray | |
| 2018 | Alive | Caretaker / The Man | |
| 2018 | F.R.E.D.I. | Grant | [8] |
| 2019 | 3022 | Richard Valin | |
| Robert the Bruce | Robert the Bruce | Also producer and screenwriter | |
| 2020 | Steel Rain 2: Summit | Willis Chatman Smoot | |
| 2024 | Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 | Desmarais |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | The Lost Language of Cranes | Philip | Television film |
| 1992 | Soldier Soldier | Lieutenant Alex Pereira | Recurring role, 5 episodes |
| 1994 | Screen One | Dexter | 1 episode |
| 1994 | Takin' Over the Asylum | Fergus | Miniseries, 4 episodes |
| 1995 | Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story | Richard Burton | Television film |
| 1998 | The Rat Pack | Peter Lawford | Television film |
| 2000 | Jason and the Argonauts | Zeus | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 2003 | Miracles | Alva Keel | Main role, 13 episodes |
| 2004 | Spartacus | Marcus Crassus | Television film |
| 2004 | Five Days to Midnight | Roy Bremmer | Miniseries, 5 episodes |
| 2005 | Tilt | Roy McEntyre | 1 episode |
| 2005–2006 | Alias | Joseph Erhmann | 3 episodes |
| 2006 | Blackbeard | Blackbeard | Miniseries, 3 episodes |
| 2007 | Killer Wave | John McAdams | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 2008 | Eleventh Hour | Jason Cooper | 1 episode |
| 2008 | Californication | Julian | Recurring role, 6 episodes |
| 2010 | Lie to Me | Jimmy Doyle | Episode "Sweet Sixteen" |
| 2010 | Psych | Logan Paget | 1 episode |
| 2011 | Criminal Minds | Sean McAllister | 2 episodes |
| 2012 | Chuck | Nicholas Quinn | 4 episodes |
| 2013 | Republic of Doyle | Gerald Byrne | 1 episode |
| 2014–2017 | Turn: Washington's Spies | Robert Rogers | Main role, 31 episodes |
| 2014–2015 | The Pinkertons | Allan Pinkerton | Main role, 22 episodes |
| 2019 | Strange Angel | Aleister Crowley | Recurring role, 5 episodes |
| 2021 | Superman & Lois | Jor-El | Recurring role; 5 episodes |
| 2023 | Outlander | Brigadier GeneralSimon Fraser | Recurring role, 3 episodes |
Angus Macfadyen (1963–)
