Sir Simon Russell Beale | |
|---|---|
 Beale in 2011 | |
| Born | (1961-01-12)12 January 1961 (age 64) |
| Education | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Awards | Full list |
Sir Simon Russell BealeCBE (born 12 January 1961) is an English actor. He has been described byThe Independent as "the greatest stage actor of his generation".[1] He has receivedvarious accolades, including twoBAFTA Awards, threeOlivier Awards, and aTony Award. For his services to drama, he wasknighted byQueen Elizabeth II in 2019.
Beale started his acting career at theRoyal Shakespeare Company andNational Theatre. He has received tenLaurence Olivier Award nominations, winning three awards for his performances inVolpone (1996),Candide (2000), andUncle Vanya (2003). For his work on theBroadway stage he has received aTony Award for Best Actor in a Play nomination for his performance as George in theTom Stoppard playJumpers in 2004. For his role asHenry Lehman inThe Lehman Trilogy, he won theTony Award for Best Actor in a Play and was nominated for anOlivier Award.
Beale made his film debut inSally Potter's period dramaOrlando (1992). He gained prominence for his roles inPersuasion (1995),Hamlet (1996),My Week with Marilyn (2011),The Deep Blue Sea (2011),Mary Queen of Scots (2018),Benediction (2021), andThe Outfit (2022). In 2017, he portrayedLavrentiy Beria inArmando Iannucci'sThe Death of Stalin, for which he received theBritish Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Beale has also appeared in the television projectsThe Young Visiters (2003),Dunkirk (2004), andVanity Fair (2018). He earned twoBritish Academy Television Awards: one forBest Actor forA Dance to the Music of Time (1998), and the other forBest Supporting Actor forHenry IV, Part I and Part II (2012). From 2014 to 2016, he was part of the main cast ofShowtime'sPenny Dreadful, and since 2024 inHouse of the Dragon.
Beale was born on 12 January 1961, one of six children ofCaptain, laterLieutenant General, SirPeter Beale and his wife Julianée Winter. He was born inPenang,Malaya, where his father was serving in theArmy Medical Services. From 1991 to 1994, Beale's father served asSurgeon-General of HM Armed Forces.[2] Several other members of Beale's family have successfully pursued careers in medicine.
Beale was first drawn to the performance arts when, at the age of eight, he became achorister atSt Paul's Cathedral and a pupil at the adjoiningSt Paul's Cathedral School. His secondary education was undertaken at the independentClifton College in Bristol.[3]
His first stage performance was asHippolyta inA Midsummer Night's Dream at primary school.[4] In the sixth form at Clifton, he also performed inRosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, a play in which he would later star at the National Theatre.
After Clifton, he attendedGonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and obtained afirst in English, after which he was offered a place to undertake a PhD. He pursued further studies atGuildhall School of Music and Drama, finishing in 1983.[citation needed]
Beale first came to the attention of theatre-goers in the late 1980s with a series of lauded comic performances, which were on occasion extremely camp, in such plays asThe Man of Mode byGeorge Etherege andRestoration byEdward Bond at theRoyal Shakespeare Company (RSC). He broadened his range in the early 1990s with moving performances as Konstantin inChekhov'sThe Seagull, as Oswald inIbsen'sGhosts, Ferdinand inThe Duchess of Malfi and as Edgar inKing Lear. At the first annualIan Charleson Awards in January 1991, he received a special commendation for his 1990 performances of Konstantin inThe Seagull,Thersites inTroilus and Cressida and Edward II inEdward II, all at the RSC.[5]
It was at the RSC that he first worked withSam Mendes, who directed him as Thersites inTroilus and Cressida, asRichard III and asAriel inThe Tempest, in the last of which he revealed a fine tenor voice. Mendes also directed him asIago inOthello at theRoyal National Theatre and in Mendes's farewell productions at theDonmar Warehouse in 2002, Chekhov'sUncle Vanya, in which Beale played the title role, andTwelfth Night, in which he playedMalvolio. He won the 2003Laurence Olivier Award forUncle Vanya.[citation needed]
Since 1995, he has been a regular at the National Theatre, where his roles have included Mosca inBen Jonson'sVolpone oppositeMichael Gambon, George inTom Stoppard'sJumpers and the lead inHumble Boy by Charlotte Jones, a part written specially for him. In 1997, he played the pivotal role ofKenneth Widmerpool in a television adaptation ofAnthony Powell'sA Dance to the Music of Time, for which he won the Best Actor award at theBritish Academy Television Awards in 1998. The following year, he was a key part ofTrevor Nunn's ensemble, playing inLeonard Bernstein'sCandide (Voltaire/Pangloss), his "delivery of the lines [...] true toVoltaire in that it is simultaneously hilarious and horrible",[6]Edward Bulwer-Lytton'sMoney andMaxim Gorky'sSummerfolk at the National. In autumn 2006, he playedGalileo inDavid Hare's adaption ofBrecht'sLife of Galileo and as Face inThe Alchemist.[citation needed]
In 2000, he played Hamlet in a production directed by John Caird for the National Theatre, a role for which he was described byThe Daily Telegraph as "portly [and] relatively long in the tooth".[7] In 2005, Beale was directed byDeborah Warner as Cassius inJulius Caesar alongsideRalph Fiennes as Antony. That same year, he played the title role inMacbeth at the Almeida Theatre. In 2007, he reprised his 2005Broadway role asKing Arthur in theMonty Python musicalSpamalot at thePalace Theatre, London.
From December 2007 to March 2008, he played Benedick inMuch Ado About Nothing directed byNicholas Hytner at the National Theatre and from February to July 2008, he played Andrew Undershaft in Hytner's production of Shaw'sMajor Barbara; he then appeared inHarold Pinter'sA Slight Ache andLandscape.[citation needed]
In 2008, he made his debut as a television presenter, fronting theBBC seriesSacred Music withHarry Christophers andThe Sixteen. Various specials and a second series have since been produced; the most recent episode(Monteverdi in Mantua: The Genius of the Vespers) was broadcast in 2015. In spring 2009, Beale and Sam Mendes collaborated onThe Winter's Tale andThe Cherry Orchard, in which Beale played Leontes and Lopakhin respectively, at theBrooklyn Academy of Music, later transferring to theOld Vic Theatre.[8][9]
From 2009 to 2010, he playedGeorge Smiley in theBBC Radio 4 adaptation of all theJohn le Carré novels in which Smiley featured. These were broadcast in nineteen 90-minute or 60-minute full cast radio plays.[10] From March to June 2010, he played Sir Harcourt Courtly inLondon Assurance, again at the National. In August 2010, he appeared in the firstWest End revival ofDeathtrap byIra Levin. In March 2011, he made his debut withThe Royal Ballet inAlice's Adventures in Wonderland as the Duchess. In October 2011, he returned to the National to star asJoseph Stalin in the premiere ofCollaborators, for which he won Best Actor at the 2012Evening Standard Awards.
In 2010–11, Beale played the CoalitionHome Secretary William Towers in the two final series ofBBC One's spy drama,Spooks.[11] He played the title role inTimon of Athens at the National Theatre from July to October 2012. The production was broadcast to cinemas around the world (as wasCollaborators earlier) on 1 November 2012 through theNational Theatre Live programme.[12] He starred in a revival ofPeter Nichols'Privates on Parade as part ofMichael Grandage's newWest End season at theNoël Coward Theatre from December 2012 to March 2013.[citation needed]
In 2013, he won theBritish Academy Television Award (BAFTA) for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Falstaff in the BBC'sThe Hollow Crown series of TV films about Shakespeare's historical dramasRichard II;Henry IV, Part 1;Henry IV, Part 2; andHenry V.[13] That same year he appeared inNational Theatre Live: 50 Years On Stage (2013).
Beale appeared alongsideJohn Simm inHarold Pinter'sThe Hothouse at theTrafalgar Studios from May to August 2013, directed byJamie Lloyd.[14] From January 2014, he played the title role inKing Lear at the National Theatre, directed once again by Sam Mendes.[15] Also from 2014 to 2016 he starred as a main cast member in Showtime'sPenny Dreadful, in which he played an eccentric Egyptologist. In 2014, Beale was appointed the Cameron Mackintosh Professor of Contemporary Theatre atOxford University, based atSt Catherine's College.[16]
From May to July 2015, he starred inTemple, a new play at theDonmar Warehouse about the2011 United Kingdom anti-austerity protests.[17] In September and October 2015, he playedSamuel Foote inMr Foote's Other Leg at theHampstead Theatre.[18] It transferred to theTheatre Royal Haymarket from October 2015 to January 2016.
In November 2016, Beale returned to theRoyal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, to play Prospero inThe Tempest.[19] In June 2017, it transferred to theBarbican Centre in London. In July 2018, Beale returned to the National, starring oppositeBen Miles andAdam Godley inThe Lehman Trilogy, again directed by Mendes.[20] It transferred to thePiccadilly Theatre in the West End in May 2019. Beale starred in the title role ofRichard II at theAlmeida Theatre from December 2018 to February 2019.[21]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic, Beale contributed as a guest speaker toThe Show Must Go Online's performance ofTimon of Athens.[22]
In the summer of 2021, Beale playedJS Bach in the world première of Nina Raine'sBach and Sons, directed by frequent collaboratorNicholas Hytner at his company's Bridge Theatre in London.[23]
During this time he re-rehearsed for the post-COVID return in late September of theBroadway transfer of the National Theatre production ofThe Lehman Trilogy whose run had been halted on 12 March 2020 by the pandemic. Beale reprised his role (along withAdam Godley) but, due to stage commitments in London for the RSC in the third part of theWolf Hall trilogy,Ben Miles was replaced byAdrian Lester.[24] Beale won aTony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performance inThe Lehman Trilogy.
In April 2023, it was announced that Beale had been cast as SerSimon Strong in the second season ofHouse of the Dragon.[25]
In April 2025, Beale returned to the Royal Shakespeare Company to play the title role inTitus Andronicus in theSwan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, directed by Max Webster.[26]
Beale is a past president of theAnthony Powell Society,[27] a tribute to his portrayal ofKenneth Widmerpool.[28]
Beale is gay. In theIndependent on Sunday 2006Pink List – a list of the most influential gay men and women in the UK – he was placed at number 30.[29]
He wasknighted byQueen Elizabeth II, atBuckingham Palace, on 9 October 2019.[30]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Orlando | Earl of Moray | |
| 1995 | Persuasion | Charles Musgrove | |
| 1996 | Hamlet | Second gravedigger | |
| 1999 | Blackadder: Back & Forth | Napoleon | Short film |
| 2002 | The Gathering | Luke Fraser | |
| 2011 | The Deep Blue Sea | William Collyer | |
| My Week with Marilyn | Mr. Cotes-Preedy | ||
| 2014 | Into the Woods | Baker's Father | |
| 2016 | Cunk on Shakespeare | Himself | |
| The Legend of Tarzan | Mr. Frum | ||
| 2017 | My Cousin Rachel | Couch | |
| The Death of Stalin | Lavrentiy Beria | British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| 2018 | Museum | Frank Graves | |
| Operation Finale | David Ben-Gurion | ||
| Mary Queen of Scots | Robert Beale | ||
| 2019 | Radioactive | Gabriel Lippmann | |
| 2020 | A Christmas Carol | Ebenezer Scrooge | Voice |
| 2021 | Benediction | Robbie Ross | |
| Operation Mincemeat | Winston Churchill | ||
| 2022 | The Outfit | Roy Boyle | |
| Thor: Love and Thunder | Dionysus | ||
| 2023 | Firebrand | Stephen Gardiner | |
| 2025 | The Choral | Edward Elgar | |
| Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale | Sir Hector Moreland | ||
| TBA | The Magic Faraway Tree | TBA | Post-production |
| Prima Facie | TBA | Post-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | A Very Peculiar Practice | Mark Stibbs | Episode: "Art and Illusion" |
| 1992 | Downtown Lagos | Heron | 3 episodes |
| 1993 | The Mushroom Picker | Anthony | 3 episodes |
| 1997 | A Dance to the Music of Time | Kenneth Widmerpool | 4 episodes |
| The Temptation of Franz Schubert | Franz Schubert | Television film | |
| 1999 | Alice in Wonderland | King of Hearts | Television film |
| 2003 | The Young Visiters | Prince of Wales | Television film |
| 2004 | Dunkirk | Winston Churchill | BBC Movie |
| 2006 | American Experience | John Adams | Episode: "America's First Power Couple" |
| 2010–11 | Spooks | Home Secretary | 13 episodes |
| 2012 | The Hollow Crown | Falstaff | Episode: "Henry IV, Parts I & II" |
| 2014–16 | Penny Dreadful | Ferdinand Lyle | 14 episodes |
| 2018 | Vanity Fair | John Sedley | 6 episodes |
| 2024 | Mary & George | Sir George Villiers | Miniseries |
| Douglas Is Cancelled | Bently | Miniseries | |
| House of the Dragon | Ser Simon Strong | Season 2 |
Selected credits:
| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | The Seagull | Konstantin | Royal Shakespeare Company Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon |
| 1994 | The Tempest | Ariel | Stratford, England |
| 1995 | The Duchess of Malfi | Performer | Greenwich and West End |
| 1995 | Volpone | Mosca | National Theatre, London |
| 1996 | Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead | Performer | National Theatre, London |
| 1997–98 | Othello | Iago | National Theatre, London |
| 1999 | Money | Alfred Evelyn | National Theatre, London |
| 1999–2000 | Battle Royal | Performer | National Theatre, London |
| 2001 | Hamlet | Hamlet | Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York City |
| 2001 | Humble Boy | Performer | National Theatre, London |
| 2002 | Uncle Vanya | Uncle Vanya | Donmar Warehouse, London Brooklyn Academy of Music |
| 2002 | Twelfth Night | Malvolio | Donmar Warehouse |
| 2004 | Jumpers | George | Brooks Atkinson Theatre, Broadway debut |
| 2004 | Macbeth | Macbeth | Almeida Theatre |
| 2005 | The Philanthropist | Philip | Donmar Warehouse |
| 2005–07 | Spamalot | King Arthur (replacement) | Shubert Theatre, Broadway Palace Theatre, London |
| 2008 | Major Barbara | Andrew Undershaft | Royal National Theatre |
| 2009 | The Cherry Orchard The Winter's Tale | Lopakhin Leontes | Brooklyn Academy of Music |
| 2010 | London Assurance | Sir Harcourt Courtly | National Theatre, London |
| 2011 | Bluebeard | Jimmy MacNeill | Atlantic Theater Company |
| 2011 | Collaborators | Joseph Stalin | Royal National Theatre, London[31] |
| 2012 | Timon of Athens | Timon of Athens | National Theatre, London |
| 2012–13 | Privates on Parade | Captain Terri Dennis | Noël Coward Theatre |
| 2014 | King Lear | King Lear | National Theatre, London |
| 2015 | Temple | Dean | Donmar Warehouse |
| 2015 | Mr. Foote's Other Leg | Samuel Foote | Hampstead Theatre |
| 2016–17 | The Tempest | Prospero | Royal Shakespeare Company Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon Barbican Theatre, London |
| 2018 | The Lehman Trilogy | Henry Lehman &Philip Lehman | National Theatre, London |
| 2019 | The Tragedy of King Richard the Second | King Richard II | Almeida Theatre |
| 2019–20 | The Lehman Trilogy | Henry Lehman & Philip Lehman | Park Avenue Armory, Off-Broadway Piccadilly Theatre, London |
| 2020–21 | A Christmas Carol | Ebenezer Scrooge | Bridge Theatre |
| 2021 | Bach & Sons | Johann Sebastian Bach | Bridge Theatre |
| 2021–22 | The Lehman Trilogy | Henry Lehman & Philip Lehman | Nederlander Theatre, Broadway Ahmanson Theatre |
| 2022 | John Gabriel Borkman | John Gabriel Borkman | Bridge Theatre |
| 2024–25 | The Invention of Love | A. E. Housman | Hampstead Theatre |
| 2025 | Titus Andronicus | Titus Andronicus | Royal Shakespeare Company Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon |
Beale is apatron of the following organisations:
Simon Russell Beale, for my money this country's greatest stage actor, stars in both shows
