Simon McBurney | |
|---|---|
.jpg) McBurney inThe Encounter 2015 | |
| Born | Simon Montagu McBurney (1957-08-25)25 August 1957 (age 68) Cambridge, England |
| Alma mater | Peterhouse, Cambridge Lecoq International School of Theatre École Philippe Gaulier |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Spouse | Cassie Yukawa |
| Father | Charles McBurney |
| Relatives | Gerard McBurney (brother) Charles McBurney (great-grandfather) |
Simon Montagu McBurney,OBE (born 25 August 1957), is an English actor, playwright, and theatre and opera director. He is the founder and artistic director of theThéâtre de Complicité, London. He has had roles in the filmsThe Manchurian Candidate (2004),Friends with Money,The Last King of Scotland (both 2006),The Golden Compass (2007),The Duchess (2008),Robin Hood,Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (both 2010),Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011),Magic in the Moonlight,The Theory of Everything (both 2014),Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015), andNosferatu (2024). He played Cecil the choirmaster in BBC'sThe Vicar of Dibley (1994–2004).
McBurney was born on 25 August 1957[1][2] inCambridge, England. His father,Charles McBurney, was an American archaeologist and academic ofScottish descent. His paternal great-grandfather was American surgeonCharles McBurney, who was credited with describing the medical signMcBurney's point. Simon McBurney's mother, Anne Francis Edmondstone (née Charles), was a British secretary of English, Scottish and Irish ancestry.[3] His parents were distant cousins who met duringWorld War II.[4] His older brother is composer and writerGerard McBurney.[5]
He attendedMarlborough College and Cambridgeshire College of Art and Technology (nowAnglia Ruskin University) before studyingEnglish literature atPeterhouse,Cambridge, graduating in 1980.[6] He moved toParis and trained for the theatre at theJacques Lecoq Institute and underPhilippe Gaulier.[4][7]
McBurney is a founder and artistic director of the UK-based theatre companyComplicité, which performs throughout the world.[8] In 1997 he was awarded theEurope Prize Theatrical Realities, with theThéâtre de Complicité.[9] He directed their productions ofStreet of Crocodiles (1992);The Three Lives of Lucie Cabrol (1994), which was adapted from theJohn Berger trilogyInto Their Labours;To the Wedding (another Berger collaboration);Mnemonic (1999);The Elephant Vanishes (2003);A Disappearing Number (2007);A Dog's Heart (2010);The Master and Margarita (2011), andThe Kid Stays in the Picture (2017).
A Disappearing Number was a devised piece conceived and directed by McBurney, taking as its inspiration the story of the collaboration between two of the 20th century's most remarkable pure mathematicians, the Indian geniusSrinivasa Ramanujan, and Cambridge donG. H. Hardy.[10] It played at theBarbican in autumn 2008 and toured internationally. In February 2009, McBurney directed the Complicité productionShun-kin, based on two texts byJun'ichiro Tanizaki. It was produced in London and Tokyo in 2010.
On a freelance basis, McBurney directed the following:The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui andAll My Sons (2008) (both in New York City), and live comedy shows, includingLenny Henry'sSo Much Things To Say andFrench and Saunders'Live in 2000.
McBurney is an established screen actor. He played the recurring role of Cecil the choirmaster inThe Vicar of Dibley, CIA computer whiz Garland inBody of Lies, Dr. Atticus Noyle inThe Manchurian Candidate (2004), British diplomat Nigel Stone inThe Last King of Scotland, themetrosexual husband Aaron inFriends with Money, Fra Pavel inThe Golden Compass,Charles James Fox inThe Duchess, and Oliver Lacon inTinker Tailor Soldier Spy. He also wrote the story and was an executive producer forMr. Bean's Holiday.
From 2010 to 2014, he appeared in theBBC comedy television seriesRev., portraying the role of Archdeacon Robert. McBurney provided the voice ofKreacher inHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010). In the seriesThe Borgias, he portrayed the canon law expertJohannes Burchart. He is the Artiste Associé of the 66thFestival d'Avignon (2012). He starred inThe Encounter, about photographerLoren McIntyre becoming lost in the Javari Valley in Brazil and his experiences with locals, which premiered at the 2015Edinburgh International Festival.[11] In July 2015, he starred as Atlee, the director ofMI6 in the filmMission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, and in 2016, he portrayed paranormal investigatorMaurice Grosse in the horror film sequelThe Conjuring 2.[12]
In 2013, he directed theEnglish National Opera production of Mozart'sThe Magic Flute at theLondon Coliseum,[13] and the same opera at the New YorkMetropolitan Opera in 2023.[14]
In September 2019, the Complicité production ofThe Encounter was ranked byThe Guardian writers as the 13th best theatre show since 2000.[15]
In 2007, he met concert pianist Cassandra "Cassie" Yukawa; as of 2010[update] they lived together with their two children.[16][17] They previously lived innorth London.[18] His sister-in-law is violinistDiane Yukawa.[19]
In the2005 New Year Honours, McBurney was appointedOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) "for services to Drama".[20] He is an Ambassador forSurvival International, the global movement for tribal peoples' rights.[21]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Screenplay | Martin | Episode: "Burning Ambition" | |
| 1989 | The Two of Us | The Man | Episode: "Trust" | |
| 1992 | The Bill | Shaun Anderton | Episode: "Man of the People" | |
| 1992–1993 | The Comic Strip Presents | Mick / Madman | 2 episodes | |
| 1994–2004 | The Vicar of Dibley | Choirmaster Cecil | 4 episodes | |
| 1995 | Performance | Ancient Pistol | Episode: "Henry IV" | |
| 1996 | Absolutely Fabulous | Conductor | Episode: "The Last Shout (Part 1)" | |
| 1999 | Midsomer Murders | Henry Carstairs | Episode: "Death of a Stranger" | |
| 2010–2014 | Rev. | Archdeacon Robert | 19 episodes | |
| 2011–2013 | The Borgias | Johannes Burchart | 6 episodes | |
| 2013 | Utopia | Christian Donaldson | 3 episodes | |
| 2014 | Knifeman | Houdyshell | Unsold pilot | |
| 2015 | The Casual Vacancy | Colin "Cubby" Wall | Miniseries; 3 episodes | |
| 2019 | The Loudest Voice | Rupert Murdoch | Miniseries | |
| 2019–2023 | Carnival Row | Runyan Millworthy | Recurring[22] | |
| 2023 | Hijack | Edgar | Miniseries |
| Preceded by Sarah Palmer | Footlights Vice President 1979–1980 | Succeeded by |
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