Charles Dance | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Dance in 2012 | |
| Born | Walter Charles Dance (1946-10-10)10 October 1946 (age 79) Redditch,Worcestershire, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Spouse | |
| Partners |
|
| Children | 3 |
Walter Charles Dance (born 10 October 1946) is an English actor. He is known for playing intimidating, authoritarian characters and villains. Dance started his career on stage with theRoyal Shakespeare Company (RSC) before appearing in film and television. For his services to drama he was appointed anOBE byQueen Elizabeth II in 2006.[1]
He made his feature film debut in theJames Bond filmFor Your Eyes Only (1981). He has since acted in a string of critically acclaimed period films such asMichael Collins (1996),Gosford Park (2001),The Imitation Game (2014),Mank (2020), andThe King's Man (2021). He has also appeared in the filmsThe Golden Child (1986),Alien 3 (1992),Last Action Hero (1993),Dracula Untold (2014), andGodzilla: King of the Monsters (2019). He made his directorial film debut with the drama filmLadies in Lavender (2004), which he also wrote and executive produced.
On television, Dance played Guy Perron inThe Jewel in the Crown (1984), Mr Tulkinghorn inBleak House (2005), for which he was nominated for aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie,Tywin Lannister inGame of Thrones (2011–2015), andLord Mountbatten in the third and fourth seasons ofThe Crown (2019–2020), for which he was nominated for aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
Walter Charles Dance was born inRedditch,Worcestershire, on 10 October 1946, the younger son of Eleanor Marion (née Perks; 1911–1984), a cook, and Walter Dance (1874–1949), an electrical engineer who served as asergeant in the 2nd Regular Battalion of theRoyal Fusiliers during theSecond Boer War (having previously served in the 2nd Volunteer Battalion) and who was in his 70s when his son was born.[2][3] By his father's previous marriage, Dance had two older half-sisters, Norah (1898–1993) and Mary (1903–1908).[4] On his maternal side, he also has an elder half-brother, Michael (born 1936).[5]
During filming of an episode for the genealogical seriesWho Do You Think You Are? in 2016, Dance discovered that his mother had Belgian ancestry, which traced back to the city ofSpa. His immigrant ancestor Charles François Futvoye (1777–1847) had been a pioneer in the art ofjapanning during the early half of the 19th century.[4] Growing up inPlymouth, Dance attended the now-defunct Widey Technical School for Boys (then known as Widey High School) inCrownhill.[6] He later attended the Plymouth Drawing School (later renamed to Plymouth College of Art, and now known asArts University Plymouth) and Leicester College of Arts (now known asDe Montfort University), where he studied graphic design and photography.[7]
Dance was a member of theRoyal Shakespeare Company during the mid-to-late 1970s and was in many of their productions in London andStratford-upon-Avon. Later he returned to the RSC to take the title role inCoriolanus at Stratford-upon-Avon andNewcastle in 1989, and at theBarbican Theatre in 1990. He received rave reviews and aCritics' Circle Best Actor award for his performance asC. S. Lewis inWilliam Nicholson'sShadowlands, in the 2007 stage revival.[8]
Dance made his screen debut in 1974, in the ITV seriesFather Brown as Commandant Neil O'Brien in "The Secret Garden". Other small parts followed, including a 1983 cameo as aSouth African assassin inThe Professionals, but his big break came the following year when he played Guy Perron inThe Jewel in the Crown (Granada Television, Christopher Morahan 1984), an adaptation ofPaul Scott's novels that also made stars ofGeraldine James andArt Malik. Dance made one of his earliest big-screen appearances in the 1981James Bond filmFor Your Eyes Only as evil henchman Claus. Though he turned down the opportunity to screen test for the James Bond role,[9] in 1989 he played Bond creatorIan Fleming inAnglia Television's dramatised biography directed byDon Boyd,Goldeneye (the name ofFleming's estate in Jamaica and a title later used for aJames Bondfilm).
He has also starred in many other British television dramas such asEdward the Seventh (asPrince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale,Edward VII's oldest son, and heir to the throne),Murder Rooms,Randall and Hopkirk,Rebecca,The Phantom of the Opera,Fingersmith andBleak House (for which he received anEmmy nomination forOutstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie). He was name-checked in the British comedy seriesAbsolutely Fabulous, as being slated to play the title character inThe Life of Jesus Christ 2, which was filming inMorocco at the same time as the main characters of the series were there for a photo shoot. He also played Guy Spencer, the pro-Hitler propagandist, in the second instalment ofFoyle's War, and had an ongoing role as Dr. Maltravers in the ITV dramaTrinity.[10]
Dance made a guest appearance on the BBC drama seriesMerlin as the Witchfinder Aredian,[11] and as a vainglorious version of himself in the third series ofJam & Jerusalem. He playedLord Vetinari in the 2010 Sky adaptation ofTerry Pratchett's Going Postal, and theRussian oligarch Aleksandr Borinski inParis Connections.[12] He played the role ofTywin Lannister inHBO'sGame of Thrones, based on theA Song of Ice and Fire novels byGeorge R. R. Martin. Dance was wooed for the role by the producers while filmingYour Highness inBelfast.[13] Dance also played Conrad Knox on the British television seriesStrike Back: Vengeance as the primary villain in the series.[14]
Since 2012, Dance has had a recurring role inThe Big Fat Quiz of the Year reading excerpts from books, such asFifty Shades of Grey or the autobiographies of English media personalities, in a deadpan manner. On 30 June 2013, Dance appeared with other celebrities in an episode of the BBC'sTop Gear as a "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" for the debut of theVauxhall Astra.[15] In summer 2018, Dance narrated a documentary entitledSpitfire, which featured the legendary Supermarine Spitfire and recounted the efforts of the RAF pilots who flew them during the Second World War.
In February 2017, Dance participated as a featured guest at the inauguralSaudi Comic Con inJeddah,Saudi Arabia, alongside fellowGame of Thrones actorJulian Glover.[16][17]
In 2019 he played an antagonist inGodzilla: King of the Monsters and appeared asLord Mountbatten in series 3 ofThe Crown in the same year. In 2020, Dance portrayedWilliam Randolph Hearst inDavid Fincher'sMank, co-starring alongsideGary Oldman andAmanda Seyfried.[18] In January 2021, Dance was cast in theNetflix adaptation ofThe Sandman.[19]
In 2024 Dance starred asMichelangelo in the BBC docu-dramaRenaissance: The Blood and the Beauty.[20][21]
Dance's debut film as a screenwriter and director wasLadies in Lavender (2004), which starredJudi Dench andMaggie Smith. In 2009, he directed his own adaptation ofAlice Thomas Ellis'sThe Inn at the Edge of the World.
Dance married Joanna Haythorn in 1970, and they had a son named Oliver (born 1974) and a daughter named Rebecca (born 1980) before divorcing in 2004.[22][23] He later dated Eleanor Boorman from 2008 to 2014, and they had a daughter named Rose (born 2012).[24] He is in a relationship with Italian production manager and former actress Alessandra Masi, whom he met inItaly in 2018.[25]
As of 2018, Dance resides inKentish Town,London.[26]
Dance has described his political views as "very left-of-centre"[27] and "a bit left of centre-left". He supported the UK remaining in theEuropean Union in the run-up to the2016 EU referendum, and expressed his wish for the country to be closer toEurope to avoid "being a little satellite of America".[28] In a 2020 interview with theFinancial Times, he feltNHS workers were not being offered a decent enough pay rise and labelledBoris Johnson a "bumbling buffoon".[29]
In October 2023, after theGaza war began, Dance was one of over two thousand to sign an "Artists for Palestine" letter calling for a ceasefire and accusing western governments of "not only tolerating war crimes but aiding and abetting them."[30] In January 2024, Dance contributed to a video published by thePalestine Festival of Literature in support of South Africa'slegal motion accusing Israel of genocide at theInternational Court of Justice (ICJ).[31] In September 2025, Dance signed an open pledge withFilm Workers for Palestine pledging not to work with Israeli film institutions "that are implicated ingenocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people."[32] Later that month, in an interview withThe Daily Telegraph, Dance said that anyone with a conscience should be obsessed with the war and that "there would not be peace in the Middle East until theBalfour Declaration is unpicked... France and England need to announce: ‘Sorry, we f***ed up’."[33]
Dance was appointed anOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on 17 June 2006.[34]
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | For Your Eyes Only | Claus | |
| 1985 | Plenty | Raymond Brock | |
| 1986 | The Golden Child | Sardo Numspa | |
| 1987 | White Mischief | Josslyn Hay | |
| Good Morning, Babylon | D. W. Griffith | ||
| Hidden City | James Richards | ||
| 1988 | Pascali's Island | Anthony Bowles | |
| 1992 | Alien 3 | Jonathan Clemens | |
| Kalkstein | Surveyor | ||
| 1993 | Last Action Hero | Mr. Benedict | |
| Century | Professor Mandry | ||
| 1994 | China Moon | Rupert Munro | |
| Kabloonak | Robert J. Flaherty | Paris Film Festival Award for Best Actor | |
| Shortcut to Paradise | Quinn | ||
| 1995 | The Surgeon [fr] | Dr. Ed Mittlesbay | |
| 1996 | Space Truckers | Nabel / Macanudo | |
| Michael Collins | Soames | ||
| 1997 | The Blood Oranges | Cyril | |
| 1998 | What Rats Won't Do | Gerald | |
| Hilary and Jackie | Derek Du Pré | ||
| 1999 | Don't Go Breaking My Heart | Frank | |
| 2001 | Gosford Park | Raymond Stockbridge | |
| Jurij | Padre di Jurij | ||
| Dark Blue World | Wing Commander Bentley | ||
| 2002 | Black and White | Roderic Chamberlain | |
| Ali G Indahouse | David Carlton | ||
| 2003 | Swimming Pool | John Bosload | |
| Labyrinth | Charles Lushington | ||
| City and Crimes | Cox William | ||
| Ladies in Lavender | Director, writer and executive producer only | ||
| 2006 | Dolls | Narrator | Voice; short film |
| Scoop | Mr. Malcolm | ||
| Twice Upon a Time | Master of Ceremonies | ||
| Starter for 10 | Michael Harbinson | ||
| 2007 | The Contractor | DCS Andrew Windsor | Direct-to-DVD |
| Intervention | Private Investigator | ||
| 2010 | Paris Connections | Aleksandr Borinski | |
| The Commuter | Traffic Warden | Short film | |
| 2011 | Ironclad | Archbishop Langton | |
| Your Highness | King Tallious | ||
| There Be Dragons | Monsignor Solano | ||
| 2012 | Midnight's Children | William Methwold | |
| Underworld: Awakening | Thomas | ||
| St George's Day | Trenchard | ||
| 2013 | Patrick | Doctor Roget | |
| Justin and the Knights of Valour | Legantir | Voice | |
| 2014 | Viy | Lord Dudley | Credited by his name inRussian:Чарльз Дэнс,romanized: Charlz Dens |
| Dracula Untold | Master Vampire | ||
| The Imitation Game | Commander Alastair Denniston | ||
| 2015 | Victor Frankenstein | Baron Frankenstein | |
| And Then There Were None | Judge Lawrence “Justice” Wargrave | ||
| Michiel de Ruyter | Charles II | ||
| Woman in Gold | Sherman | ||
| Child 44 | Major Grachev | ||
| 2016 | Pride and Prejudice and Zombies | Mr. Bennet | |
| Me Before You | Stephen Traynor | ||
| Ghostbusters | Harold Filmore | ||
| Despite the Falling Snow | Old Alexander | ||
| Underworld: Blood Wars | Thomas | ||
| 2017 | Euphoria | Mr. Daren | |
| That Good Night | The Visitor | ||
| 2018 | Johnny English Strikes Again | Agent Seven | Cameo |
| Happy New Year, Colin Burstead | Bertie | ||
| 2019 | Godzilla: King of the Monsters | Alan Jonah | |
| Viy 2: Journey to China | Lord Dudley | ||
| Fanny Lye Deliver'd | John Lye | ||
| 2020 | The Book of Vision | Johan Anmuth | |
| Mank | William Randolph Hearst | [18] | |
| 2021 | The King's Man | Lord Kitchener | [35] |
| 2022 | Against the Ice | Neergaard | |
| Lancaster | Narrator | ||
| The Hanging Sun | Jacob | ||
| 2024 | The First Omen | Father Harris | Cameo |
| Rumours | Edison Wolcott | [36] | |
| Samana Sunrise | Noah Blum | [37] | |
| 2025 | Frankenstein | Baron Leopold Frankenstein | |
| Wildcat | Frasier Mahoney | ||
| TBA | Ladies First† | TBA | Post-production |
| The Bitter End† | TBA | Post-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Father Brown | Commandant Neil O'Brien | Episode: "The Secret Garden" |
| The Inheritors | Simon Leadbetter | Episode: "Fathers and Sons" | |
| 1975 | Edward the Seventh | Prince Eddy | 2 episodes |
| 1977 | Raffles | Teddy Garland | Episode: "Mr. Justice Raffles" |
| 1980, 1984 | Play for Today | Colin / Captain John Truman | 2 episodes |
| 1982 | Nancy Astor | Edward Hartford-Jones | Episode: "Guest for the Weekend" |
| 1983 | The Professionals | Parker | Episode: "The Ojuka Situation" |
| The Last Day | Alan | Television | |
| 1984 | The Jewel in the Crown | Guy Perron | 5 episodes |
| The Secret Servant | Harry Maxim | Mini-series | |
| Rainy Day Women | Captain John Truman | Play for Today | |
| 1985 | Time for Murder | James Latimer | Episode: "This Lightning Always Strikes Twice" |
| 1987 | Out on a Limb | Gerry Stamford | 2 episodes |
| Tales of the Unexpected | Robert Smythe | Episode: "Skeleton in the Cupboard" | |
| 1988 | First Born | Edward Forester | 3 episodes |
| Out of the Shadows | Michael Hayden | Television film | |
| 1989 | Goldeneye: The Secret Life of Ian Fleming | Ian Fleming | 2 episodes |
| Mission: Impossible | Prime Minister | Episode: "Command Performance" | |
| 1990 | The Phantom of the Opera | Erik/The Phantom | 2 episodes |
| 1996 | Undertow | Lyle Yates | Television film |
| 1997 | Rebecca | Maxim de Winter | 2 episodes |
| In the Presence of Mine Enemies | Captain Richter | Television film | |
| 1999 | Chrono-Perambulator | James "Dougie" Douglas | Television short |
| 2000 | The Real Spartacus | Narrator | |
| Mysteries of the Real Sherlock Holmes | Sir Henry Carlyle | Episode: "The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes" | |
| A History of Britain | Winston Churchill (voice) | Episode: "The Two Winstons" | |
| Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) | Kenneth Crisby | Episode: "Drop Dead" | |
| 2001 | The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby | Ralph Nickleby | Television film |
| 2002 | Foyle's War | Guy Spencer | Episode: "The White Feather" |
| Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future | Col. Simon Lasker (voice) | Episode: "Pilot of the Future" | |
| 2003 | Henry VIII | Duke of Buckingham | Television film |
| Trial & Retribution | Greg Harwood | Television film | |
| Looking for Victoria | Charles Greville | Television film | |
| 2004 | When Hitler Invaded Britain | Narrator | Documentary |
| Saint John Bosco: Mission to Love | Marquis Clementi | Television film | |
| 2005 | Fingersmith | Mr. Lilly | 2 episodes |
| Bleak House | Mr. Tulkinghorn | 12 episodes | |
| To the Ends of the Earth | Sir Henry Somerset | Episode: "Close Quarters" | |
| Last Rights | Richard Wheeler | 3 episodes | |
| Titanic: Birth of a Legend | Narrator | Documentary | |
| 2006 | Marple: By the Pricking of My Thumbs | Septimus Bligh | Episode: "By the Pricking of My Thumbs" |
| 2007 | Fallen Angel | David Byfield | 3 episodes |
| Consenting Adults | John Wolfenden | Television film | |
| 2009 | Merlin | Aredian | Episode: "The Witchfinder" |
| Trinity | Dr. Edmund Maltravers | 8 episodes | |
| 2010 | Going Postal | Havelock Vetinari | 2 episodes |
| 2010–2011 | Rosamunde Pilcher's Shades of Love | Edmund Aird | 4 episodes |
| 2011–2015 | Game of Thrones | Tywin Lannister | 27 episodes |
| 2011 | Neverland | Dr. Richard Fludd | Episode: "Part 1" |
| 2012 | Secret State | John Hodder | 4 episodes |
| Strike Back: Vengeance | Conrad Knox | 10 episodes | |
| 2013 | Common Ground | Floyd | Pilot episode: "Floyd" |
| Bones of the Buddha | Narrator | Documentary | |
| 2014 | The Great Fire | Lord Denton | 4 episodes |
| 2015 | Childhood's End | Karellen | 3 episodes |
| Deadline Gallipoli | General Ian Hamilton | 2 episodes | |
| And Then There Were None | Justice Lawrence Wargrave | 3 episodes | |
| 2017–2020 | Savage Kingdom | Narrator | 22 episodes |
| 2018 | The Woman in White | Mr. Fredrick Fairlie | 4 episodes |
| Hang Ups | Jeremy Pitt | 4 episodes | |
| The Little Drummer Girl | Commander Picton | 2 episodes | |
| 2019 | The Widow | Martin Benson | 7 episodes |
| 2019–2020 | The Crown | Louis, Earl Mountbatten of Burma | Main role (Seasons 3–4) 5 episodes |
| 2020 | The Singapore Grip | Mr. Webb | Episode: "Singapore for Beginners" |
| 2020–2022 | Rise of Empires: Ottoman | Narrator | 12 episodes |
| 2021–2022 | Moley | Manny the Magic Book | 52 episodes |
| 2022 | The Sandman | Roderick Burgess | Episode: "Sleep of the Just" |
| The Serpent Queen | Pope Clement VII | 2 episodes | |
| This England | Max Hastings | Episode #1.1 | |
| 2023 | Rabbit Hole | Ben Wilson | 8 episodes |
| 2024 | The Day of the Jackal | Timothy Winthorp | Miniseries |
| Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty | Michelangelo | 3 episodes[38] | |
| 2025 | Washington Black | James Wilde | Miniseries |
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | Emperor Emhyr var Emreis | English Dub | [39][40] |
| 2018 | Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 | Godfrey The Butler | "Dead of the Night" Zombies Map | [41][42] |
| Year | Title | Author | Voice role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | The Fourth Protocol | Frederick Forsyth | Narrator | [43] |
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Hindsight | Narrator | An Al Jazeera Podcast | [44] |
| Organizations | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAFTA TV Awards | 1985 | Best Actor | The Jewel in the Crown | Nominated | [45] |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | 2002 | Best Acting Ensemble | Gosford Park | Won | [46] |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2006 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie | Bleak House | Nominated | [47] |
| 2018 | Outstanding Narrator | Savage Kingdom | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | Nominated | ||||
| 2021 | Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series | The Crown | Nominated | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2002 | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Gosford Park | Won | [48] |
| 2014 | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Game of Thrones | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | The Imitation Game | Nominated | |||
| 2020 | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | The Crown | Won | ||
| 2026 | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Frankenstein | Pending |
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