Ian McShane
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Ian David McShane (born 29 September 1942) is an English actor. His television performances include the title role in the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
series ''
Lovejoy ''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery fiction, mystery series, based on the Lovejoy (novel series), novels by John Grant (Lovejoy), John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six ser ...
'' (1986–1994), Al Swearengen in '' Deadwood'' (2004–2006) and its 2019 film continuation, and Mr. Wednesday in ''
American Gods ''American Gods'' (2001) is a fantasy novel by British author Neil Gaiman. The novel is a blend of Americana (culture), Americana, fantasy, and various strands of ancient and modern mythology, all centering on the mysterious and taciturn Shad ...
'' (2017–2021). For the original series of ''Deadwood'', McShane won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama and received a nomination for the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series is an award presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Beginning with the 18th Primetime Emmy Awards, leading actors in drama have competed alone. However, ...
. As a producer of the film, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie. His film roles include Harry Brown in '' The Wild and the Willing'' (1962), Charlie Cartwright in '' If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium'' (1969), Wolfe Lissner in ''
Villain A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...
'' (1971), Teddy Bass in '' Sexy Beast'' (2000), Frank Powell in ''
Hot Rod Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimized for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and ma ...
'' (2007),
Blackbeard Edward Teach (or Thatch; – 22 November 1718), better known as Blackbeard, was an English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of Britain's North American colonies. Little is known about his early life, but he ma ...
in '' Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'' (2011), and Winston Scott in the '' John Wick'' franchise (2014–present).


Early life

McShane was born in
Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the River Ribble, Ribble Valley, east of Preston ...
, Lancashire on 29 September 1942. He is the child of professional footballer Harry (1920–2012) and Irene McShane (née Cowley; 1922–2020). His father was Scottish, from Holytown,
Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark (; ), is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands of Scotland. The county is no l ...
. His mother, who was born in England, was of Irish and English descent. McShane grew up in Davyhulme,
Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
and attended Stretford Grammar School. After being a member of the
National Youth Theatre The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT) is a youth theatre and charity in London, created with the aim of developing young people's artistic skills via theatrical productions and other creative endeavours. Founded in 1956 as the world ...
, he studied at the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...
(RADA), with
Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...
and
John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 28 January 2017) was an English actor. Regarded as one of the finest actors of his time and known for the "most distinctive voice in Cinema of the United Kingdom, Britain", he was described by David Ly ...
. McShane shared a flat with Hurt, whom he called his "oldest friend in the business", and he was still a student at RADA when he appeared (with Hurt) in his first film '' The Wild and the Willing'' (1962). He later played Satan in the York Mystery Plays in 1963.


Career

In the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, McShane's best known role is antiques dealer
Lovejoy ''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery fiction, mystery series, based on the Lovejoy (novel series), novels by John Grant (Lovejoy), John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six ser ...
in the eponymous series (1986-1994). Long before ''Lovejoy'', McShane was a pin-up as a result of appearances in television series, such as ''
Wuthering Heights ''Wuthering Heights'' is the only novel by the English author Emily Brontë, initially published in 1847 under her pen name "Ellis Bell". It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the ...
'' (1967, as Heathcliff), ''
Jesus of Nazareth Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the central figure of Christianity, the world's largest religi ...
'' (1977, as
Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot (; ; died AD) was, according to Christianity's four canonical gospels, one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. Judas betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin in the Garden of Gethsemane, in exchange for thirty pieces of sil ...
), and '' Disraeli'' (1978)—as well as films like '' Sky West and Crooked'' (1965), '' If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium'', ''
Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain () was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...
'' (both 1969), '' Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You'' (1970), '' Sitting Target'' (1972), ''
The Last of Sheila ''The Last of Sheila'' is a 1973 American whodunnit mystery film directed and produced by Herbert Ross and written by Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim. It starred Richard Benjamin, Dyan Cannon, James Coburn, Joan Hackett, James Mason, Ian Mc ...
'' (1973), and '' The Fifth Musketeer'' (1979). The actor also enjoyed success in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
as British film director Don Lockwood in ''
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
''. In the United States, he is known for the role of historical figure Al Swearengen in the
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
series '' Deadwood'', for which he won the 2005
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...
for Best Actor in a Television Drama. He was also nominated at the 2005
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
and
Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...
Awards. Among
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
fans, McShane is known for playing Robert Bryson in '' Babylon 5: The River of Souls''. In a 2004 interview with ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', McShane stated that he wished he had turned down the role of Bryson as he had struggled with the technical dialogue and found looking at
Martin Sheen Ramón Gerard Antonio Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. His work spans over six decades of television and film, and his accolades include three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and ...
, who was wearing an eye in the middle of his forehead, to be the most embarrassing experience that he had ever had while acting. In 1985, McShane appeared as an MC on
Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress. She began her Model (person), modelling career in New York State, then in Paris, working for fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent (brand), Yves St ...
' '' Slave to the Rhythm'', a
concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
which featured his narration interspersed throughout and which sold over a million copies worldwide. In 1992, he recorded and released his own solo studio album, ''From Both Sides Now'', which features McShane singing
cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
s of popular songs. The album reached number 40 in the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
. His other roles include that of armed robber and gangland boss Jack Last in the '' Minder'' episode ''The Last Video Show.'' As Captain Hook in '' Shrek the Third'', Ragnar Sturlusson in '' The Golden Compass'', Tai Lung in '' Kung Fu Panda'' (for which he received an
Annie Award The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in American cinema and television. Origina ...
nomination), crime boss Teddy Bass in '' Sexy Beast'', and Mr. Bobinsky in ''
Coraline ''Coraline'' () is a 2002 British dark fantasy horror children's novella by author Neil Gaiman. Gaiman started writing ''Coraline'' in 1990, and it was published in 2002 by Bloomsbury and HarperCollins. It was awarded the 2003 Hugo Award for ...
''. In live-action, he has performed in ''
Hot Rod Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimized for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and ma ...
'', the action/thriller '' Death Race'', and '' The Seeker''. He has appeared in ''
The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where t ...
'' as a Russian diplomat. During 2007–08, he starred as Max in the 40th anniversary Broadway revival of
Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 â€“ 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A List of Nobel laureates in Literature, Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramat ...
's '' The Homecoming'', co-starring Eve Best,
Raúl Esparza Raúl Eduardo Esparza is an American actor. Considered one of Broadway's most prominent leading men since the 2000s, he is best known for his Tony Award-nominated performance as Bobby in the 2006 Broadway revival of ''Company'' and for his te ...
, and
Michael McKean Michael John McKean (; born October 17, 1947) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, singer, and musician. Over his career he has received a Grammy Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. ...
, and directed by Daniel Sullivan, at the
Cort Theatre The James Earl Jones Theatre, originally the Cort Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 138 48th Street (Manhattan), West 48th Street, between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater ...
(16 December 2007 – 13 April 2008). In 2009, he appeared in '' Kings'', which was based on the biblical story of
David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...
. His portrayal of King Silas Benjamin, an analogue of
King Saul Saul (; , ; , ; ) was a monarch of ancient Israel and Judah and, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament, the first king of the United Monarchy, a polity of uncertain historicity. His reign, traditionally placed in the late elevent ...
, was highly praised with one critic saying: "Whenever ''Kings'' seems to falter, McShane appears to put bite marks all over the scenery." In 2010, McShane starred in '' The Pillars of the Earth'' as Bishop Waleran Bigod. The series was a historical drama set in 12th-century England and adapted from Ken Follett's novel of the same name. That same year, it was confirmed that McShane would portray
Blackbeard Edward Teach (or Thatch; – 22 November 1718), better known as Blackbeard, was an English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of Britain's North American colonies. Little is known about his early life, but he ma ...
in the
Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
/ Jerry Bruckheimer film '' Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides''. In 2013, he played King Brahmwell in
Bryan Singer Bryan Jay Singer (born September 17, 1965) is an American filmmaker. He is the founder of Bad Hat Harry Productions and has produced almost all of the films he has directed, as well as multiple television series. After graduating from the Univ ...
's ''
Jack the Giant Slayer ''Jack the Giant Slayer'' (previously titled ''Jack the Giant Killer'') is a 2013 American heroic fantasy, fantasy adventure film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Darren Lemke, Christopher McQuarrie and Dan Studney, from a story by Lemke ...
''. Since 2010, McShane has narrated the opening teases for each round of
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
's coverage of
The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...
. In 2012, McShane had a guest role for two episodes as Murder Santa, a sadistic serial killer in the 1960s in the second season of ''
American Horror Story ''American Horror Story'' (''AHS'') is an American horror film, horror anthology series, anthology television series created by Ryan Murphy (producer), Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the Cable television, cable network FX (TV channel), FX. Th ...
''. In 2016, he joined the cast of ''
Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series created by David Benioff and for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of high fantasy novels by ...
'' in Season 6 as Septon Ray. McShane announced on 20 April 2017 that a script for a two-hour ''Deadwood'' film had been submitted by creator David Milch to HBO and that a film was as close as ever to happening. " two-hour movie script has been delivered to HBO. If they don't deliver finished product blame them," McShane said. The film began production in October 2018. '' Deadwood: The Movie'' was released on 31 May 2019, concluding the story of the series.


Personal life

In 1965, McShane married English actress Suzan Farmer and they divorced in 1968. He married his second wife, English model Ruth Post, on 8 June 1968, and they had two children, Kate and Morgan. In 1977, he began a five-year relationship with Sylvia Kristel after meeting her on the set of '' The Fifth Musketeer''; the affair ended his marriage to Post. On 30 August 1980, McShane married his third wife, American actress Gwen Humble. They live in
Venice, California Venice is a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles within the Westside region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Venice was founded by Abbot Kinney in 1905 as a seaside resort town. It was an independent city until 1926, whe ...
. Through his eldest daughter, McShane has three grandchildren.


Filmography


Film


Television


Video games


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* * *
"A Conversation with Actor Ian McShane" (Max)
€”'' The Charlie Rose Show'', PBS, broadcast of 24 March 2008. Accessed 25 March 2008. ("A conversation with actor Ian McShane about his role in the 40th Anniversary Broadway revival of
Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 â€“ 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A List of Nobel laureates in Literature, Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramat ...
's '' The Homecoming''.") *
The Homecoming on Broadway
'—Official site of the 40th anniversary Broadway revival at the
Cort Theatre The James Earl Jones Theatre, originally the Cort Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 138 48th Street (Manhattan), West 48th Street, between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater ...
. Accessed 25 March 2008. {{DEFAULTSORT:McShane, Ian 1942 births Living people Male actors from Blackburn 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (television) winners English expatriate male actors in the United States English male film actors English male television actors English male voice actors English male singers English people of Irish descent English people of Scottish descent National Youth Theatre members People educated at Stretford Grammar School People from Davyhulme Male actors from Manchester People from Venice, Los Angeles