Brian Denis Cox,
CBEThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 1 June, 1946) is a
ScottishScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Early life
Cox was born in
DundeeDundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and, fully named as Dundee City, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. It lies on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea....
,
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, the youngest of five children. His mother, Mary Ann Guillerline (
néeNEE, Nee, Née may refer to:* Née or Nee, French for "born", indicates a person's birth surname* Nee , a band in Kannada* NEE, a political party in Flanders, Belgium* "Ne~e?", a 2003 single by Aya Matsuura- People with the family name :...
McCann), was a spinner who worked in the jute mills and suffered several
nervous breakdownMental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
s during Cox's childhood. His father, Charles McArdle Campbell Cox, was a weaver who died when Cox was nine years old. Cox was subsequently raised by a sister and an aunt. He joined the
Dundee Repertory TheatreDundee Repertory Theatre or Dundee Rep is a theatre and arts company in the city of Dundee, Scotland. It operates as both a producing house - staging at least six of its own productions each year, and a receiving house - hosting work from visiting companies throughout Scotland and the United...
at the age of fourteen and spent a season with the
Birmingham Repertory TheatreBirmingham Repertory Theatre is a theatre and theatre company based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England...
in 1966.
Career
Cox was trained at the
London Academy of Music and Dramatic ArtThe London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art is a leading British drama school in west London.The institutions that combined to form LAMDA date from 1861 and include the London Academy of Music founded by Henry Wylde in 1867...
. He made his first television appearance as an extra in several episodes of
The PrisonerThe Prisoner is a 17-episode British television series broadcast in the UK from 29 September 1967 to 1 February 1968. Starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan, it combined spy fiction with elements of science fiction, allegory, and psychological drama....
in 1967 before taking a lead role in
The Year of the Sex OlympicsThe Year of the Sex Olympics is a 1968 television play made by the BBC and first broadcast on BBC2 as part of its Theatre 625 strand. It stars Leonard Rossiter, Tony Vogel, Suzanne Neve and Brian Cox. It was directed by Michael Elliot...
the next year. In 1978, he played King
Henry II of EnglandHenry II, called Curtmantle ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France...
in the acclaimed
BBC2
drama serial
The Devil's Crown, following which he starred in many other television dramas. His first film appearance was as
Leon TrotskyLeon Trotsky , born Leyba Davidov Bronstein , was a Bolshevik revolutionary and Marxist theorist. He was one of the leaders of the Russian October Revolution, second only to Lenin...
in
Nicholas and AlexandraNicholas and Alexandra is a 1971 biographical film which tells the story of the last of Russia's monarchs, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his wife, the Tsarina Alexandra....
in 1971.
Cox is an accomplished Shakespearean actor, spending seasons with both the
Royal Shakespeare CompanyThe Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company. Located primarily at Stratford-upon-Avon, with bases also in London and Newcastle upon Tyne, it is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly-funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal National Theatre.-The early...
and the
National TheatreThe Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company....
in the 1980s and 1990s. His work with the RSC included a critically acclaimed performance as the title character in
Titus AndronicusTitus Andronicus may be Shakespeare's earliest tragedy; it is believed to have been written in the early 1590s. It depicts a Roman general who is engaged in a cycle of revenge with his enemy Tamora, the Queen of the Goths. The play is by far Shakespeare's bloodiest work...
, as well as playing
PetruchioPetruchio is the male romantic lead in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew . Petruchio is a fortune seeker who enters into a marriage with a strong-willed young woman named Kate and then proceeds to "tame" her temperamental spirit...
in
The Taming of The ShrewThe Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1594.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a drunken tinker named Sly is tricked into thinking he is a nobleman by a mischievous Lord...
. Cox portrayed Burgundy opposite
Laurence OlivierLaurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century, along with his contemporaries John Gielgud, Peggy Ashcroft, Alec Guinness and Ralph Richardson...
's
King LearKing Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1603 and 1606, and is considered one of his greatest works. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological pre-Roman Celtic king...
(1983). He later went on to play King Lear at the National Theatre.
In 1986, during the production of
ManhunterManhunter is a thriller film based on Thomas Harris's novel Red Dragon. Written and directed by Michael Mann, it features Brian Cox as the popular character Hannibal Lecter and stars William Petersen, Joan Allen, Kim Greist, Dennis Farina and Tom Noonan...
, while Cox was playing
Hannibal LecterHannibal Lecter, M.D. is a fictional character in a series of novels by author Thomas Harris. Lecter is introduced in the thriller novel Red Dragon as a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer. This novel and its sequel, The Silence of the Lambs, feature Lecter as one of two primary...
,
Anthony HopkinsSir Philip Anthony Hopkins, CBE is a Welsh film, stage and television actor. Considered to be one of film's greatest living actors, he is known for his portrayal of cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter in the 1991's The Silence of the Lambs, its sequel, Hannibal, and its prequel, Red Dragon...
was playing
King LearKing Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1603 and 1606, and is considered one of his greatest works. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological pre-Roman Celtic king...
on stage at the National Theatre. Five years later, during the production of
The Silence of the Lambs in which Hopkins took over as Lecter, Cox was playing King Lear at the National Theatre. At the time, the two actors shared the same agent.
In 1991 he played the part of Owen Benjamin, the
closetedThe Closet may refer to:* The Closet , Chinese film* The Closet , French film* The closet, a reference to homosexuality...
father of a
gayThe term gay was originally used, until well into the mid-20th century, primarily to refer to feelings of being "carefree", "happy", or "bright and showy"; it had also come to acquire some connotations of "immorality" as early as 1637....
man, in the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
"Screen 2" production of
David LeavittDavid Leavitt is an American novelist.-Biography:Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Leavitt is a graduate of Yale University and a professor at the University of Florida...
's novel,
The Lost Language of CranesThe Lost Language of Cranes is a novel by David Leavitt, first published in 1986. A British TV movie of the novel was made in 1991. The movie has been released on dvd in 2009.-Plot introduction:...
, which is set in the 1980s.
His most famous appearances include
Rob RoyRob Roy is a historical drama film directed by Michael Caton-Jones and released on April 7, 1995. The film was generally inspired by elements of the life of a 17th-18th century Scot named Robert Roy MacGregor and his battles with feudal landowners in the Scottish Highlands...
,
BraveheartBraveheart is a 1995 Academy-award winning historical action-drama film produced and directed by Mel Gibson, who also starred in the title role. The film was written for screen and then novelized by Randall Wallace...
(both in 1995),
The RingThe Ring is a 2002 American remake of the 1998 Japanese horror film . Both films are based on the novel of the same name by Kôji Suzuki...
,
X2X2 is a 2003 superhero film based on the fictional characters the X-Men. Directed by Bryan Singer, it is the second film in the X-Men film series...
,
TroyTroy is a 2004 epic/action film concerning the Trojan War. It is loosely based on Homer's Iliad, besides material from Virgil's Aeneid and other sources of the Epic Cycle, but it frequently diverges from myth...
and
The Bourne SupremacyThe Bourne Supremacy is a 2004 spy mystery thriller film. The title comes from the Robert Ludlum novel of the same name, but the films plot is completely different to the plot of the book. The title was used because it is a sequel to The Bourne Identity...
. He usually plays villains, such as
William StrykerCol. William "Bill" Stryker, M.D. is a fictional comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe, and enemy of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Brent Anderson, he first appeared in the 1982 graphic novel X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills.Rev...
in
X2,
AgamemnonIn Greek mythology, Agamemnon / is the son of King Atreus of Mycenae and Queen Aerope; the brother of Menelaus and the husband of Clytemnestra; different mythological versions make him the king either of Mycenae or of Argos...
in
Troy, Pariah Dark in the
Danny PhantomDanny Phantom is an American animated television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon, produced by Billionfold Studios. The show is about a teenage half-ghost boy, who frequently saves his town and the world from ghost attacks, while attempting to keep his ghost half a secret...
television series episode
Reign Storm, and a devious CIA official in the
Bourne films and in
Chain ReactionChain Reaction is a 1996 American film starring Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Dunn and Fred Ward. It presents a fictional account of the invention of bubble fusion using sonoluminescence and the attempts by the United States Government to prevent the spreading of this technology...
. He has on occasion played more sympathetic characters, such as
Edward NortonEdward Harrison Norton is an American film actor, screenwriter and director. In 1996, his supporting role in the courtroom drama Primal Fear garnered him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. A year later, his lead role as a reformed white power skinhead in American History...
's father in
25th Hour25th Hour is a 2002 Spike Lee film based on David Benioff's novel The 25th Hour. The cast includes Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Pepper, Rosario Dawson, Brian Cox and Anna Paquin...
, a fatherly police superior in
Super TroopersSuper Troopers is a 2001 comedy film directed by Jay Chandrasekhar, written by and starring the Broken Lizard comedy group . Marisa Coughlan, Daniel von Bargen and Brian Cox co-star while Lynda Carter has a cameo appearance...
, and
Rachel McAdamsRachel Anne McAdams is a Canadian actress. Her films include Mean Girls, The Notebook, Wedding Crashers, The Family Stone, Red Eye and The Time Traveler's Wife.-Early life:...
' father in
Red EyeRed Eye is a 2005 thriller film directed by Wes Craven and starring Rachel McAdams as a hotel manager ensnared in an assassination plot by a terrorist while aboard a red eye flight to Miami. The film score was composed and conducted by Marco Beltrami. This is Cillian Murphy's second role of 2005...
. He has also appeared in the sitcom
FrasierFrasier is an American sitcom broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993 to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Paramount Television.A spin-off from Cheers, Frasier stars Kelsey Grammer as psychiatrist...
as
Daphne MoonDaphne Crane is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Frasier, played by Jane Leeves....
's father.
Cox garnered critical acclaim for his performance in 2001's
L.I.E.L.I.E. is a 2001 independent film about a relationship between Howie, a 15-year-old boy, and a pederast known as 'Big John'. The title is an acronym for the Long Island Expressway. The film was directed by Michael Cuesta who has said that the film is about exploring sexuality....
, in which he played a pedophile who grows to genuinely (and
platonicallyPlatonic love, in its modern popular sense, is a non-sexual affectionaterelationship. A simple example of Platonic relationships is a deep, non-sexual friendship, not subject to gender pairings and including close relatives....
) care for a boy he had initially intended to
molestChild sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent abuses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of CSA include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure of the genitals to a child, displaying pornography to a child, actual sexual...
. He won an
Emmy AwardThe Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards , Grammy Awards and Tony Awards .They are presented in various...
and was nominated for a
Golden Globe AwardThe Golden Globe Awards are presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to recognize outstanding achievements in the entertainment industry, both domestic and foreign, and to focus wide public attention upon the best in motion pictures and television...
that year for his portrayal of
Hermann GöringHermann Wilhelm Göring was a German politician, military leader and a leading member of the Nazi Party. Among many offices, he was Hitler's designated successor and commander of the Luftwaffe...
in the television mini-series
NurembergNuremberg is a 2000 Canadian/United States television docudrama, based on the book Nuremberg: Infamy on Trial by Joseph E. Persico, that tells the story of the Nuremberg Trials.-Part one:...
. He also appeared in a supporting role as Jack Langrishe in the HBO series
DeadwoodDeadwood is an American Western drama television series created, produced and almost entirely written by David Milch. The series aired on the premium cable network HBO from 21 March 2004 to 27 August 2006, spanning three 12-episode seasons. Set in the 1870s in Deadwood, South Dakota, the show is...
.
In 2002, he appeared in
Spike JonzeSpike Jonze is an American director of music videos and commercials, and a director and producer in film and television, most notably the 1999 film Being John Malkovich and the 2002 film Adaptation., both written by Charlie Kaufman, as well as 2009's Where the Wild Things Are...
's
Charlie KaufmanCharles Stuart "Charlie" Kaufman is an Academy Award-, BAFTA-, and Independent Spirit Award-winning American screenwriter, producer, and director...
-scripted
Adaptation as the real-life screenwriting teacher,
Robert McKeeRobert McKee, born 1941, is a creative writing instructor who is widely known for his popular "Story Seminar", which he developed when he was a professor at the University of Southern California. McKee is the author of a "screenwriters' bible" called Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the...
, giving advice to
Nicolas CageNicolas Cage is an American actor.Cage pursued acting as a career, making his debut on television in 1981...
in both his roles, as Charlie Kaufman and Charlie's fictional twin-brother Donald. In 2004, Cox played King
AgamemnonIn Greek mythology, Agamemnon / is the son of King Atreus of Mycenae and Queen Aerope; the brother of Menelaus and the husband of Clytemnestra; different mythological versions make him the king either of Mycenae or of Argos...
in
TroyTroy is a 2004 epic/action film concerning the Trojan War. It is loosely based on Homer's Iliad, besides material from Virgil's Aeneid and other sources of the Epic Cycle, but it frequently diverges from myth...
. He was to play the lion
AslanAslan, the "Great Lion", is the central character in The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels for children written by C. S. Lewis. He is the eponymous lion of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and his role in Narnia is developed throughout the remaining books...
in
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a 2005 epic fantasy film directed by Andrew Adamson based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first published novel in C. S. Lewis's children's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. It was produced by Walden Media and...
, but was replaced by
Liam NeesonWilliam John "Liam" Neeson, OBE is an Irish actor, who has been a U.S. citizen since 2009. He is well known for his roles as Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List, Michael Collins in Michael Collins, Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Alfred Kinsey in Kinsey and Aslan in The...
. He appeared on a 2006 episode of the British motoring programme
Top GearTop Gear is a BBC television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style. The show is currently presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond...
(as a "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car").
Cox has also been involved in the video game industry. Among his most prominent roles were
KillzoneKillzone is a first-person shooter exclusive to the PlayStation 2 game console, developed by Netherlands-based Guerrilla Games and released on November 2, 2004 in North America. A sequel, Killzone: Liberation was released on the PlayStation Portable and another followup, Killzone 2 was released for...
(2004) and
Killzone 2 (2009), in which he played the ruthless Scolar Visari, and as the voice of Lionel Starkweather, a
snuff filmA snuff film or snuff movie is a motion picture genre that depicts the actual death or murder of a person or people, without the aid of special effects, for the express purpose of distribution and entertainment or financial exploitation...
director, in
ManhuntManhunt is a stealth game developed by Rockstar Games, it was released November 18, 2003 for the PlayStation 2 video game console, and April 20, 2004 for Xbox and Windows. Although it was generally well-received by critics, Manhunt created a controversy due to the graphic violence the player is...
.
His radio work includes the BBC series
McLevy (1999–2006), based on the real life detective
James McLevyJames McLevy was a prominent detective in Edinburgh during the mid 19th century, and later an author of popular crime mysteries. The son of a farmer, he was born in Ballymacnab in County Armagh, Ireland...
.
Cox narrated an abridged
audio bookAn audiobook is a recording that is primarily spoken word. It is often based on a recording of commercial printed material. It is not necessarily an exact audio version of a book....
version of Sir Walter Scott's novel
IvanhoeIvanhoe is a novel by Sir Walter Scott. It was written in 1819 and set in 12th century England, an example of historical fiction. Ivanhoe is sometimes given credit for helping to increase popular interest in the Middle Ages in 19th century Europe and America...
, and an unabridged audio book of
J. R. R. TolkienJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford from...
's
The SilmarillionThe Silmarillion is a collection of J. R. R. Tolkien's mythopoeic works, edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, with assistance from Guy Gavriel Kay, who later became a noted fantasy writer. The Silmarillion, along with J. R. R...
. He has also collaborated with
HarperCollinsHarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company. The worldwide CEO of HarperCollins is Brian Murray...
on an audiobook of Tolkien's epic poem
The Legend of Sigurd and GudrúnThe Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún is an eddic poem composed by J. R. R. Tolkien. The book was released worldwide on May 5, 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and HarperCollins....
, which is scheduled for release in August 2009.
In 2008 Cox starred in
Red, based on
Jack KetchumJack Ketchum is the pseudonym of American horror author Dallas Mayr. Born in 1946, Mayr has been praised by such literary icons as Stephen King, and condemned by a Village Voice critic who dismissed his work as violent pornography...
's novel. The film was directed by
Lucky McKeeEdward Lucky McKee is an American director, writer, and actor, largely known for the 2002 film May, which has acquired a cult following. McKee has also directed Sick Girl, the tenth episode of the first season of the popular Showtime TV series Masters of Horror...
and also starred
Tom SizemoreThomas Edward "Tom" Sizemore, Jr. is an American film and television actor and producer. He is known for his roles of soldiers in war films such Saving Private Ryan, and Black Hawk Down.-Early life:...
,
Amanda Plummer-Life and career:Plummer was born in New York City, New York, the daughter of actors Tammy Grimes and Christopher Plummer. Plummer attended Middlebury College in Vermont and acting classes at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York...
, and
Angela BettisAngela Marie Bettis is an American actress, film producer and director best known for her lead role in the 2002 TV remake of the Stephen King film Carrie....
. Cox also played an institutionalized convict in Rupert Wyatt's film,
The Escapist, appearing alongside
Joseph FiennesJoseph Alberic Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes is an English film and stage actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayals of William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love, Sir Robert Dudley in Elizabeth, Commisar Danilov in Enemy at the Gates, Martin Luther in Luther, and Mark Benford in the 2009 TV...
,
Dominic CooperDominic Cooper is an English actor. He has worked in TV, film, theatre and radio, in productions including Mamma Mia!, The Duchess, Sense and Sensibility, and The History Boys.- Early life :...
and
Damian LewisDamian Watcyn Lewis is an English actor and producer, who is best known for portraying Major Richard Winters in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers and Soames Forsyte in the ITV miniseries The Forsyte Saga. He recently starred as Detective Charlie Crews in the NBC drama Life.-Early life:Lewis was...
.
Personal life
Cox is a diabetic and has worked to promote a diabetes research facility in his home town of Dundee. The producers of
Super TroopersSuper Troopers is a 2001 comedy film directed by Jay Chandrasekhar, written by and starring the Broken Lizard comedy group . Marisa Coughlan, Daniel von Bargen and Brian Cox co-star while Lynda Carter has a cameo appearance...
discovered his affliction when a scene called for Cox to eat a white chocolate prop that resembled a bar of soap. Cox bit into it thinking they knew this, and promptly spat it out upon tasting it. Production was halted until a sugar-free substitute could be found.
Cox is a patron for
Scottish Youth TheatreScottish Youth Theatre is Scotland's national youth theatre company for ages 3-25. It is core funded by the Scottish Arts Council.Scottish Youth Theatre has headquarters in Glasgow but work throughout Scotland...
, Scotland's National Theatre 'for and by' young people. Scottish Youth Theatre's building in Glasgow, The Old Sheriff Court, named their theatre the Brian Cox Studio Theatre in his honour.
He is also a patron of "THE SPACE", a training facility for actors and dancers in his native Dundee, and an "ambassador" for the
Screen Academy ScotlandThe Screen Academy Scotland is a collaboration between Napier University and Edinburgh College of Art. It was opened in August 2005 by the then First Minister of Scotland, Jack McConnell, and is based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Both Napier and ECA already had established film making courses. The...
.
In July 2008, Cox was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from
Napier University-History:Edinburgh Napier University was opened as Napier Technical College in 1964, taking its name from John Napier, the inventor of logarithms, who was born at Merchiston Castle — the site of the University's Merchiston campus. In 1966, it was renamed Napier College of Science and Technology....
, Edinburgh.
His son,
Alan Cox-Biography:He is the son of the Emmy Award winning actor Brian Cox and his first wife Caroline Burt. Alan was educated at St Paul's School . He has a sister, Margaret, and a half brother Torin Kamran Charles....
, is also an actor, best known for his role in
Young Sherlock HolmesYoung Sherlock Holmes is a 1985 film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Chris Columbus. The movie depicts a young Sherlock Holmes and John Watson meeting and solving a mystery together at a boarding school.-Plot Synopsis:...
. He also played the young
John MortimerSir John Clifford Mortimer, CBE, QC was an English barrister, dramatist, screenwriter and author.-Early life:...
in the TV film of his play
A Voyage Round My FatherA Voyage Round My Father is an autobiographical play by John Mortimer, later adapted for television.The first version of the play appeared as a series of three half-hour sketches for BBC radio in 1963. It then became a television play with Ian Richardson playing Mortimer, Tim Good as the young...
(1982) opposite
Laurence OlivierLaurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century, along with his contemporaries John Gielgud, Peggy Ashcroft, Alec Guinness and Ralph Richardson...
.
Filmography
| Year |
Film |
Role |
Notes |
| 1971 |
Nicholas and AlexandraNicholas and Alexandra is a 1971 biographical film which tells the story of the last of Russia's monarchs, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his wife, the Tsarina Alexandra....
|
Trotsky |
|
| 1975 |
In Celebration In Celebration is a 1975 film directed by Lindsay Anderson. It is based in the 1969 stage production of the same name by David Storey which was also directed by Anderson. The movie was meant to be shown theatrically with tickets sold in advance....
|
Steven Shaw |
|
| 1983 |
King Lear King Lear is a 1983 videotaped production that was directed by Michael Elliott. It is an adaptation of William Shakespeare's play of the same name. It was shown on British television in 1983 and in the U.S. in 1984....
|
Burgundy |
(TV movie) |
| 1986 |
ManhunterManhunter is a thriller film based on Thomas Harris's novel Red Dragon. Written and directed by Michael Mann, it features Brian Cox as the popular character Hannibal Lecter and stars William Petersen, Joan Allen, Kim Greist, Dennis Farina and Tom Noonan...
|
Dr. Hannibal LecktorHannibal Lecter, M.D. is a fictional character in a series of novels by author Thomas Harris. Lecter is introduced in the thriller novel Red Dragon as a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer. This novel and its sequel, The Silence of the Lambs, feature Lecter as one of two primary...
(sicSic is a Latin word meaning "thus", "so", "as such", or "in such a manner". In writing, it is placed within square brackets and usually italicized – [sic] – to indicate that an incorrect or unusual spelling, phrase, punctuation, and/or other preceding quoted material has been reproduced verbatim...
) |
|
| 1990 |
Hidden Agenda Hidden Agenda is a 1990 political thriller film directed by Ken Loach and starring Frances McDormand, Brian Cox and Brad Dourif.-Plot and context:...
|
Kerrigan |
|
| 1991 |
The Lost Language of Cranes The Lost Language of Cranes is a 1991 British television film. Made by the BBC, it is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by David Leavitt.-Overview:...
|
Owen Benjamin |
(TV movie)
Nominated – British Academy Television Award for Best Actor- 1950's :*1955 Paul Rogers — *1956 Peter Cushing — *1957 Michael Gough — *1958 Michael Hordern — *1959 Donald Pleasence — - 1960's :*1960 Patrick McGoohan — *1961 Lee Montague —...
|
| 1993 |
Inspector Morse: The Deadly SlumberDetective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse is a fictional character in a series of thirteen detective novels by British author Colin Dexter, as well as the 33 episode television series produced by Central Independent Television from 1987–2000, in which he was portrayed by John Thaw...
|
Michael Steppings |
(TV movie) |
| 1993 |
SharpeSharpe is a British series of television dramas about Richard Sharpe, a fictional British soldier in the Napoleonic Wars. Sharpe is the hero of a number of novels by Bernard Cornwell; most, though not all, of the episodes are based on the books...
: Sharpe's Rifles |
Major Hogan Michael Hogan is a fictional character who appears in the Sharpe series of novels by Bernard Cornwell. His character is loosely based upon the career of Colquhoun Grant.-Career:...
|
(TV movie) |
SharpeSharpe is a British series of television dramas about Richard Sharpe, a fictional British soldier in the Napoleonic Wars. Sharpe is the hero of a number of novels by Bernard Cornwell; most, though not all, of the episodes are based on the books...
: Sharpe's Eagle |
Major Hogan Michael Hogan is a fictional character who appears in the Sharpe series of novels by Bernard Cornwell. His character is loosely based upon the career of Colquhoun Grant.-Career:...
|
(TV movie) |
| 1994 |
Iron Will Iron Will is a 1994 family film and adventure film directed by Charles Haid. It is based on the exploits of Albert Campbell, who won the 1917 race from Winnipeg to Saint Paul, and Fred Hartman, the American hope in the race. According to Albert Campbell, he won the race to fulfill his father’s...
|
Angus McTeague |
|
| 1995 |
Rob Roy Rob Roy is a historical drama film directed by Michael Caton-Jones and released on April 7, 1995. The film was generally inspired by elements of the life of a 17th-18th century Scot named Robert Roy MacGregor and his battles with feudal landowners in the Scottish Highlands...
|
Killearn |
|
BraveheartBraveheart is a 1995 Academy-award winning historical action-drama film produced and directed by Mel Gibson, who also starred in the title role. The film was written for screen and then novelized by Randall Wallace...
|
Argyle Wallace |
|
| 1996 |
Chain Reaction Chain Reaction is a 1996 American film starring Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Dunn and Fred Ward. It presents a fictional account of the invention of bubble fusion using sonoluminescence and the attempts by the United States Government to prevent the spreading of this technology...
|
Lyman Earl Collier |
|
| The Glimmer Man For the official employed by coal gas reticulation companies in Ireland during the Emergency see Glimmer ManThe Glimmer Man is a 1996 American action film directed by John Gray...
|
Mr. Smith |
|
| The Long Kiss Goodnight The Long Kiss Goodnight is a 1996 action thriller film starring Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson, written by Shane Black and directed by Renny Harlin.- Plot :...
|
Dr. Nathan Waldman |
|
| 1997 |
Kiss the Girls Kiss the Girls is a 1997 American thriller film directed by Gary Fleder. The screenplay by David Klass is based on the bestselling 1995 novel of the same name by James Patterson....
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Chief Hatfield, Durham P.D. |
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| The Boxer The Boxer is a 1997 film by Irish director Jim Sheridan. Starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Emily Watson, the film centers on the life of a boxer and former Provisional IRA Volunteer, Danny Flynn, played by Day-Lewis, who has just been released from prison...
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Joe Hamill |
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| 1998 |
Desperate Measures Desperate Measures is a 1998 action thriller film starring Michael Keaton, Andy Garcia, Marcia Gay Harden and Brian Cox, directed by Barbet Schroeder.- Plot :...
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Captain Jeremiah Cassidy |
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RushmoreRushmore is a 1998 comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson about an eccentric teenager named Max Fischer , his friendship with rich industrialist Herman Blume , and their mutual love for elementary school teacher Rosemary Cross . The film was co-written by Anderson and Owen Wilson...
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Dr. Nelson Guggenheim |
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| 1999 |
The Minus Man The Minus Man is a 1999 film based on the novel by Lew McCreary. It was directed by Hampton Fancher, who also wrote the screenplay.-Plot:...
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Doug Durwin |
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The CorruptorThe Corruptor is a 1999 American action thriller film directed by James Foley, and starring Chow Yun-Fat and Mark Wahlberg.-Plot summary:Nick Chen is one of New York City's most martial police officers and the head of the Asian Gang Unit...
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Sean Wallace |
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For Love of the GameFor Love of the Game is an American film drama based on the novel of the same title by Michael Shaara. It is directed by Sam Raimi and stars Kevin Costner and Kelly Preston...
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Gary Wheeler |
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| 2000 |
Longitude Longitude was a 2000 TV drama produced by Granada Productions and A&E for Channel 4, first broadcast in 2000 in the UK on Channel 4 and the US on A&E. It was an adaptation of the 1997 book of the same title by Dava Sobel...
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Lord Morton |
(TV movie) |
| Complicity Complicity is a 2000 film based on the novel Complicity by Iain Banks. The screenplay was written by Bryan Elsley. It was directed by Gavin Millar...
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Inspector McDunn |
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| Mad About Mambo Mad About Mambo is a 2000 British and Irish co-production, filmed in Dublin but set in Belfast, written and directed by John Forte. It starred William Ash, Keri Russell and Brian Cox.- Plot Summary :...
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Sidney McLoughlin |
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| Nuremberg Nuremberg is a 2000 Canadian/United States television docudrama, based on the book Nuremberg: Infamy on Trial by Joseph E. Persico, that tells the story of the Nuremberg Trials.-Part one:...
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Hermann GöringHermann Wilhelm Göring was a German politician, military leader and a leading member of the Nazi Party. Among many offices, he was Hitler's designated successor and commander of the Luftwaffe...
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(TV movie)
Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor – Miniseries or a Movie
Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-SeriesThe Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada...
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie |
| A Shot at Glory A Shot at Glory is a film by Michael Corrente produced in 1999 and released in 2001, starring Robert Duvall and the Scottish association football player Ally McCoist. It had limited commercial and critical success. The film features the fictional Scottish football club Kilnockie, as they attempt to...
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Martin Smith |
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| 2001 |
Super TroopersSuper Troopers is a 2001 comedy film directed by Jay Chandrasekhar, written by and starring the Broken Lizard comedy group . Marisa Coughlan, Daniel von Bargen and Brian Cox co-star while Lynda Carter has a cameo appearance...
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Capt. John O'Hagen |
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L.I.E.L.I.E. is a 2001 independent film about a relationship between Howie, a 15-year-old boy, and a pederast known as 'Big John'. The title is an acronym for the Long Island Expressway. The film was directed by Michael Cuesta who has said that the film is about exploring sexuality....
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Big John Harrigan |
Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor -1980s:-1990s:-2000s:...
(tied with Denzel WashingtonDenzel Hayes Washington, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter, director and film producer. He has garnered much critical acclaim for his work in film since the 1990s, including for his portrayals of real-life figures, such as Steve Biko, Malcolm X, Rubin Carter, Melvin B...
for Training DayTraining Day is a 2001 police drama directed by Antoine Fuqua, written by David Ayer and starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke. The film follows two LAPD narcotics detectives over a 24-hour period in the gang neighborhoods of South Los Angeles....
)
Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead |
| Strictly Sinatra Strictly Sinatra is a 2001 drama film directed by Peter Capaldi. The film was released in the UK in 2001 by Focus Features and stars Ian Hart, Kelly Macdonald, and Brian Cox.-Synopsis:...
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Chisolm |
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| The Affair of the Necklace The Affair of the Necklace is a 2001 American historical drama film directed by Charles Shyer. The screenplay by John Sweet is based on what became known as the Affair of the Diamond Necklace, an incident that helped fuel the French populace's disillusionment with the monarchy and, among other...
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Minister Breteuil |
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| 2002 |
Bug Bug is a 2002 comedy film, directed by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi. It was released on February 28, 2002.-Synopsis:An eclectic group of individuals in Silverlake, LA, are propelled by a series of cause-and-effect chain reactions to a common destiny....
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Cyr |
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| The Rookie The Rookie is a 2002 motion picture directed by John Lee Hancock. It is inspired by the true story of Jim Morris, who had a brief but famous Major League Baseball career.-Plot:...
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Jim Morris Sr. |
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| The Bourne Identity The Bourne Identity is a 2002 spy film very loosely based on Robert Ludlum's novel of the same name, and the first of three films in the Bourne Series...
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Ward Abbott |
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| The Ring The Ring is a 2002 American remake of the 1998 Japanese horror film . Both films are based on the novel of the same name by Kôji Suzuki...
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Richard Morgan |
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Adaptation.Adaptation. is a American comedy-drama satire film directed by Spike Jonze and written by Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman. The film is based on Susan Orlean's novel The Orchid Thief through self-referential events...
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Robert McKee Robert McKee, born 1941, is a creative writing instructor who is widely known for his popular "Story Seminar", which he developed when he was a professor at the University of Southern California. McKee is the author of a "screenwriters' bible" called Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the...
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Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
| 25th Hour 25th Hour is a 2002 Spike Lee film based on David Benioff's novel The 25th Hour. The cast includes Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Pepper, Rosario Dawson, Brian Cox and Anna Paquin...
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James Brogan |
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| The Trials of Henry Kissinger The Trials of Henry Kissinger , is a documentary film inspired by Christopher Hitchens' 2001 book The Trial of Henry Kissinger, examining the alleged war crimes of Henry Kissinger, the National Security Advisor and later Secretary of State under Presidents Nixon and Ford.The film was directed by...
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Narrator |
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| 2003 |
X2X2 is a 2003 superhero film based on the fictional characters the X-Men. Directed by Bryan Singer, it is the second film in the X-Men film series...
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William StrykerCol. William "Bill" Stryker, M.D. is a fictional comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe, and enemy of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Brent Anderson, he first appeared in the 1982 graphic novel X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills.Rev...
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ManhuntManhunt is a stealth game developed by Rockstar Games, it was released November 18, 2003 for the PlayStation 2 video game console, and April 20, 2004 for Xbox and Windows. Although it was generally well-received by critics, Manhunt created a controversy due to the graphic violence the player is...
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The Director (voice) |
(Video game) |
| The Reckoning The Reckoning is a 2003 murder-mystery film set during the medieval period. The film is directed by Paul McGuigan and is written by Mark Mills from Barry Unsworth's 1995 novel, Morality Play. It was released in 2003....
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Tobias |
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| 2004 |
KillzoneKillzone is a first-person shooter exclusive to the PlayStation 2 game console, developed by Netherlands-based Guerrilla Games and released on November 2, 2004 in North America. A sequel, Killzone: Liberation was released on the PlayStation Portable and another followup, Killzone 2 was released for...
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Scolar Visari (voice) |
(Video game) |
| Troy Troy is a 2004 epic/action film concerning the Trojan War. It is loosely based on Homer's Iliad, besides material from Virgil's Aeneid and other sources of the Epic Cycle, but it frequently diverges from myth...
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AgamemnonIn Greek mythology, Agamemnon / is the son of King Atreus of Mycenae and Queen Aerope; the brother of Menelaus and the husband of Clytemnestra; different mythological versions make him the king either of Mycenae or of Argos...
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Nominated — London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actor of the Year |
The Bourne SupremacyThe Bourne Supremacy is a 2004 spy mystery thriller film. The title comes from the Robert Ludlum novel of the same name, but the films plot is completely different to the plot of the book. The title was used because it is a sequel to The Bourne Identity...
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Ward Abbott |
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| 2005 |
Blue/OrangeBlue/Orange is a 2005 television film by English dramatist, Joe Penhall adapted from his play of the same title. This sardonically comic film that touches on race, mental illness, and twenty-first century British life, was directed by Howard Davies for BBC Four, starring Brian Cox, John Simm, and...
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Dr. Robert Smith |
(TV movie) |
| Match Point Match Point is a dramatic thriller film written and directed by Woody Allen, and starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Brian Cox and Penelope Wilton.-Synopsis:...
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Alec Hewett |
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| The Ringer |
Gary Barker |
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Red EyeRed Eye is a 2005 thriller film directed by Wes Craven and starring Rachel McAdams as a hotel manager ensnared in an assassination plot by a terrorist while aboard a red eye flight to Miami. The film score was composed and conducted by Marco Beltrami. This is Cillian Murphy's second role of 2005...
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Joe Reisert |
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| 2006 |
The Flying ScotsmanThe Flying Scotsman is a 2006 British drama film, based on the life and career of Scottish amateur cyclist Graeme Obree. The film covers the period of Obree's life that saw him take, lose, and then retake the world one-hour distance record...
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Douglas Baxter |
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DeadwoodDeadwood is an American Western drama television series created, produced and almost entirely written by David Milch. The series aired on the premium cable network HBO from 21 March 2004 to 27 August 2006, spanning three 12-episode seasons. Set in the 1870s in Deadwood, South Dakota, the show is...
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Jack Langrishe |
(TV series) |
Running with ScissorsRunning With Scissors is a 2006 Golden Globe-nominated comedy-drama film based on the memoir of the same name by Augusten Burroughs directed by Ryan Murphy starring Joseph Cross, Annette Bening, Brian Cox, Joseph Fiennes, Evan Rachel Wood and Alec Baldwin.-Plot:Based on the memoir Running with...
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Dr. Finch |
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| 2007 |
ZodiacZodiac is a 2007 American film directed by David Fincher and based on Robert Graysmith's non-fiction book of the same name. The Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros...
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Melvin Belli Melvin Mouron Belli was a prominent American lawyer known as "The King of Torts" and by detractors as 'Melvin Bellicose'. He had many celebrity clients, including Zsa Zsa Gabor, Errol Flynn, Chuck Berry, Muhammad Ali, Sirhan Sirhan, Jim Bakker, the Rolling Stones, and Tammy Faye Bakker, Martha...
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Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor may refer to:*Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture or*Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Series, Miniseries or Television Film...
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| Battle for Terra |
General Hemmer (voice) |
2007/2009 |
| The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep |
Old Angus |
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| 2008 |
Red Red is a 2008 thriller film about a couple of kids who kill a dog named 'Red' during an attempted robbery. The dog's owner finds out who they are, and tries to bring them to justice by informing the authorities. However, this amounts to nothing, so he decides to dish out his own brand of...
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Avery Ludlow |
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| The Escapist The Escapist is a prison break film starring Brian Cox, Joseph Fiennes, Liam Cunningham, Seu Jorge, Dominic Cooper, Steven Mackintosh and Damian Lewis. It is directed and co-written by Rupert Wyatt, and premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival to considerable acclaim...
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Frank Perry |
BAFTA Scotland BAFTA Scotland is the national organisation for Scotland of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Formed in 1997, they hold an annual awards ceremony to recognise achievement by performers and production staff in Scottish film and television...
Award for Best Acting Performance in Film |
The Colour of MagicThe Colour of Magic is a two-part television adaptation of the bestselling novels The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett. The fantasy film was produced for Sky One by The Mob, a small British studio, starring David Jason, Sean Astin, Tim Curry and Christopher Lee as the...
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Narrator (voice) |
(TV movie) |
| Agent Crush Agent Crush is a 2008 animated movie starring Ioan Gruffudd, Brian Cox, Neve Campbell, Roger Moore, Brian Blessed, Rula Lenska and Ruby Wax...
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Spanners (voice) |
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| Trick 'r Treat Trick 'r Treat is a 2009 horror film. It was written and directed by Michael Dougherty and based on his short film Season's Greetings. Originally slated for an October 5, 2007 release, it was announced in September 2007 that the film had been pushed back. Warner Bros...
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Mr. Kreeg |
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| Shoot on Sight Shoot On Sight is a 2007 film directed by Jag Mundhra and produced by Aron Govil. The film is ready for release and is being marketed and distributed globally by Aron Govil Productions Inc.-Plot:...
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Daniel Tennant |
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| 2009 |
Killzone 2 |
Scolar Visari (voice) |
(Video game) |
| Scooby-Doo and the Samurai Sword Scooby-Doo and the Samurai Sword is the thirteenth of a series of direct-to-video animated films based upon the Scooby-Doo Saturday morning cartoons. It, along with The Goblin King, was produced and completed in 2008, but Goblin King was released first for the Halloween season...
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Green Dragon (voice) |
KingsKings is a television drama series which aired on NBC and Citytv, based loosely on the Biblical story of King David in a kingdom that culturally and technologically resembles the present-day United States....
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King Vesper Abedon |
(TV series) |
| The Take The Take is a 4 episode drama TV series on Sky 1 based upon the Martina Cole novel. Shooting for the show took place in Dublin. The show premiered on June 17 2009 and stars Tom Hardy, Brian Cox, Hayley Angel Wardle, Shaun Evans, Kierston Wareing and Charlotte Riley...
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Ozzy |
(TV series) |
| Tell-Tale Tell-Tale is an upcoming thriller film inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe short story The Tell-Tale Heart. It is directed by Michael Cuesta and stars Josh Lucas, Lena Headey, and Brian Cox.-Plot:...
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Van Doren |
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| Fantastic Mr. Fox Fantastic Mr. Fox is a stop motion animated film based on Roald Dahl's book of the same name. It will be produced by Regency Enterprises and Indian Paintbrush, and will be released on 25 November 2009 by 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight Pictures. It features the voices of George Clooney, Meryl...
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Boggis (voice) |
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External links