Matthew Macfadyen | |
|---|---|
 Macfadyen in 2019 | |
| Born | David Matthew Macfadyen (1974-10-17)17 October 1974 (age 51) Great Yarmouth,Norfolk, England |
| Education | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (BA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
David Matthew Macfadyen (/məkˈfædiən/; born 17 October 1974) is an English actor. Known for his performances on stage and screen, hegained prominence for his role asMr. Darcy inJoe Wright'sPride & Prejudice (2005). He gained wider recognition for playingTom Wambsgans in theHBO drama seriesSuccession (2018–2023), for which he received twoPrimetime Emmy Awards, twoBAFTA TV Awards, and aGolden Globe Award.
Macfadyen made his television debut in 1998 asHareton Earnshaw inWuthering Heights. He portrayedTom Quinn in theBBC One spy seriesSpooks (2002–2004, 2011), andInspector Edmund Reid in the BBC mystery seriesRipper Street (2012–2016). For his role inCriminal Justice (2009), he received theBritish Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor. He also starred in various miniseries playing roles such as Henry Wilcox inHowards End (2017),Charles Ingram inQuiz (2020), andJohn Stonehouse inStonehouse (2023).
In film, Macfadyen is known for his roles inDeath at a Funeral (2007),Frost/Nixon (2008),Anna Karenina (2012),The Assistant (2019), andOperation Mincemeat (2021). In 2024, he playedMr. Paradox in the superhero filmDeadpool & Wolverine.
Macfadyen was born on 17 October 1974[1][2] inGreat Yarmouth,Norfolk, the son of Meinir (née Owen), a drama teacher and former actress, and Martin Macfadyen, an oil engineer.[3][4][5] His paternal grandparents were Scottish and his maternal grandparents were Welsh.[3][6] Macfadyen was brought up in a number of places, includingJakarta,Indonesia, as a result of his father's occupation.[3]
He attended schools in England, including inLouth,Lincolnshire, as well as in Scotland and Indonesia. He went toOakham School inRutland before being accepted to theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) at 17. As a student, he was inspired byIngmar Bergman'sFanny and Alexander, which he thought was "[a]n example to follow – an example of people acting with each other...", and "[f]eatured just the most extraordinary acting I'd ever seen".[7] He studied at RADA from 1992 to 1995.[citation needed]
After leaving RADA, Macfadyen became known in British theatre primarily for his work with the stage companyCheek by Jowl, for which he played Antonio inThe Duchess of Malfi, Charles Surface inThe School for Scandal, and Benedick inMuch Ado About Nothing. His Benedick was played as an officer-class buffoon with a moustache and a braying laugh. In 2005, he played Prince Hal inHenry IV, PartsOne andTwo at theRoyal National Theatre, withMichael Gambon in the role of Falstaff. In 2007, he returned to the stage, portraying an American, Clay, a stay-at-home father with a liberal attitude in the playThe Pain and the Itch.[citation needed]
A TV breakthrough came when he appeared as Hareton Earnshaw in an adaptation ofWuthering Heights, screened on theITV network in 1998. Further television drama work followed, including starring roles in the dramasWarriors (1999) andThe Way We Live Now (2001), both for the BBC. Also in 2001, he earned acclaim for his starring role in theBBC Two drama serialPerfect Strangers, which was written and directed byStephen Poliakoff. In 2002, he starred inThe Project, a BBC drama chartingNew Labour's rise to power.[8]
He starred inSpooks, which became a success when screened onBBC One. A longer second season was screened in 2003, and a third season was broadcast in autumn 2004, with him leaving the series in the second episode. The series was aired asMI-5 on theA&E Network. In 2007 he appeared in the one-offChannel 4 dramaSecret Life, which dealt with paedophilia.[9] Macfadyen won the Best Actor award at theRoyal Television Society 2007 Awards for this part, and was nominated for aBAFTA. He also appeared in a short sketch forComic Relief as thebridegroom inMr. Bean's Wedding, alongsideRowan Atkinson andMichelle Ryan.[citation needed] Macfadyen appeared in films includingEnigma (released in 2001), andIn My Father's Den, for which he received the New Zealand Screen Award for Best Actor.[10] He starred as the romantic leadFitzwilliam Darcy in anadaptation ofPride and Prejudice, released in the UK in September 2005.[11]
Macfadyen starred in Frank Oz'sDeath at a Funeral and the filmIncendiary, based on Chris Cleave's novel alongsideMichelle Williams andEwan McGregor. He also appeared inRon Howard's filmFrost/Nixon, in which he playedJohn Birt. In 2008, he played the male lead Arthur Clennam in the BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens'Little Dorrit. In 2009 Macfadyen appeared alongsideAcademy Award-nominated actressHelena Bonham Carter in theBBC Four movieEnid, based on the life ofEnid Blyton, asHugh Pollock, Blyton's publisher and first husband.[citation needed] In 2010, he played the Sheriff of Nottingham inRobin Hood. He starred as Prior Philip in the TV serialThe Pillars of the Earth, and was the middle-aged Logan Mountstuart inAny Human Heart. In June 2010, Macfadyen won aBritish Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work inCriminal Justice.[citation needed] In 2011, Macfadyen made a final cameo inSpooks, and in 2012, he played Oblonsky in Joe Wright's filmAnna Karenina. From December 2012, he began portraying Detective InspectorEdmund Reid inBBC One'sRipper Street.[12]
In 2013–14, he played Jeeves in the production ofJeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense at theDuke of York's Theatre in the West End of London. The play won the 2014 Olivier award for Best New Comedy.[13][14][15] In 2015, Amazon Prime picked upRipper Street and, after good reviews, it was recommissioned for fourth and fifth seasons. Macfadyen said he was "delighted to be embarking on another dose ofRipper Street – blood and guts, pocket watches and Victorian headgear, wonderfully dark, moving and mysterious story lines from Mr Richard Wardlow".[16] The series also aired in the U.S. onBBC America. Also in 2015, he guest starred in the pilot episode ofThe Last Kingdom.[citation needed]
From 2018 to 2023, he starred asTom Wambsgans in the HBO seriesSuccession, for which he receivedPrimetime Emmy Awards in 2022 and 2023 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 2020,[17] and aGolden Globe Award for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role on Television in 2024.[18] In 2020, he appeared in the role of MajorCharles Ingram in a three-part ITV drama,Quiz, based on the controversial coughing cheat scandal onWho Wants to Be a Millionaire? in 2001.[19] In 2024, Macfadyen playedMr. Paradox in the superhero filmDeadpool & Wolverine.[20] He also starred asCharles J. Guiteau in the 2025Netflix miniseriesDeath by Lightning.[21]
In August 2025, it was announced that Macfadyen would be voicingLord Voldemort inHarry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions, a production ofAudible andJ.K. Rowling'sPottermore.[22]
In 2002, Macfadyen began a relationship with hisSpooks co-starKeeley Hawes. They were married in November 2004.[23] The couple have two children.[23][24] Macfadyen is stepfather to Hawes's son from her previous marriage.[25] In March 2024, it was reported that Macfadyen is a member of theGarrick Club.[26]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Maybe Baby | Nigel | |
| 2001 | Enigma | Lt. Cave | |
| 2002 | The Project | Paul Tibbenham | |
| 2004 | The Reckoning | King's Justice | |
| In My Father's Den | Paul Prior | ||
| 2005 | Pride & Prejudice | Fitzwilliam Darcy | |
| 2007 | Grindhouse | Eye Gouging Victim | Segment:Don't |
| Death at a Funeral | Daniel Howells | ||
| 2008 | Incendiary | Terence Butcher | |
| Frost/Nixon | John Birt | ||
| 2010 | Robin Hood | Sheriff of Nottingham | |
| 2011 | The Three Musketeers | Athos | |
| 2012 | Anna Karenina | Oblonsky | |
| 2014 | Lost in Karastan | Emil Forester | |
| 2015 | The von Trapp Family: A Life of Music | Georg von Trapp | |
| 2016 | Revolution: New Art for a New World | Vladimir Lenin (voice) | Documentary |
| 2017 | The Current War | J. P. Morgan | |
| 2018 | The Nutcracker and the Four Realms | Benjamin Stahlbaum | |
| 2019 | The Assistant | Wilcock | |
| 2021 | Operation Mincemeat | Charles Cholmondeley | |
| 2024 | Deadpool & Wolverine | Mr. Paradox | |
| 2025 | Holland | Fred Vandergroot |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Wuthering Heights | Hareton Earnshaw | Television film |
| 1999 | Warriors | Alan James | |
| 2000 | Murder Rooms | Brian Waller | Episode: "The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes: Part 1" |
| 2001 | Perfect Strangers | Daniel Symon | 3 episodes |
| The Way We Live Now | Sir Felix Carbury | 4 episodes | |
| 2002–2004, 2011 | Spooks | Tom Quinn | 19 episodes |
| 2007 | Mr. Bean's Wedding | The Groom | Short video |
| Secret Life | Charlie | Television film | |
| 2008 | Ashes to Ashes | Gil Hollis | Episode #1.7 |
| Little Dorrit | Arthur Clennam | 8 episodes | |
| Agatha Christie's Marple | Inspector Neele | Episode: "A Pocket Full of Rye" | |
| 2009 | Enid | Hugh Pollock | Television film |
| Criminal Justice | Joe Miller | 3 episodes | |
| 2010 | The Pillars of the Earth | Prior Philip | 8 episodes |
| Any Human Heart | Logan Mountstuart | 4 episodes | |
| 2012–2016 | Ripper Street | Det. Insp.Edmund Reid | 36 episodes |
| 2013 | Ambassadors | Prince of Darkness | 3 episodes |
| 2015 | The Enfield Haunting | Guy Playfair | 3 episodes |
| The Last Kingdom | Lord Uhtred | Episode #1.1 | |
| 2016 | Churchill's Secret | Randolph Churchill | Television film |
| 2017 | Howards End | Henry Wilcox | 4 episodes |
| 2018–2023 | Succession | Tom Wambsgans | Main role, 39 episodes |
| 2020 | Quiz | Maj. Charles Ingram | 3 episodes |
| 2023 | Stonehouse | John Stonehouse | Main role, 3 episodes;[27] also executive producer |
| 2025 | Death by Lightning | Charles J. Guiteau | Netflix miniseries |
| TBA | The Miniature Wife | Les | Main role; filming[28] |
| TBA | A Legacy of Spies | George Smiley | In development[29] |
| Year | Title | Author | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | The Voyage of the Beagle | Charles Darwin | BBC Radio 4 | [46] |
| 2001 | Trampoline | Meredith Oakes | BBC Radio 4 | [47] |
| 2004 | The Coma | Alex Garland | audio book | [48] |
| Getting Away From It: The Island | Tim Pears | BBC Radio 4 | [49] | |
| 2005 | Stories We Could Tell | Tony Parsons | audio book | [50] |
| 2007 | The Making of Music | — | BBC Radio 4 | [51] |
| 2025 | Harry Potter | J. K. Rowling | Audible | [52] |
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Essential Poems (To Fall in Love With) | BBC Two | [53] |
| 2004 | The Hungerford Massacre | BBC One | [54] |
| 2006 | The 9/11 Liars | Channel 4 | [55] |
| Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial | BBC Two | [56] | |
| 2007 | The Blair Years | BBC One | [57] |
| Last Party at the Palace | Channel 4 | [58] | |
| 2008 | Dangerous Jobs for Girls | Channel 4 | [59] |
| Words of War | ITV1 | [60] | |
| 2009 | Wine | BBC Four | [61] |
| Inside MI5 | ITV1 | ||
| 2014 | Horse Power | Sky Atlantic |
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Robin Hood's Quest | Robin Hood |
