Michael Byrne (born 7 November 1943) is a British actor known for his roles in the National Theatre,

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

films, and television shows. During his career he has performed a wide variety of roles, that include several films in which he has played German military roles.

Early life

Byrne was born 7 November 1943 in London, England, to Helen Byrne of

Kilkenny Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, a single parent.

Life and career

Byrne began appearing in films in the 1960s but rose to prominence from the 1970s onwards. In 1972, he played

Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp (150022 January 1552) was an English nobleman and politician who served as Lord Protector of England from 1547 to 1549 during the minority of his nephew King E ...

in the historical drama film Henry VIII and His Six Wives. In 1976 he played the German NCO

Feldwebel '' '' (Fw or F, ) is a non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in several countries. The rank originated in Germany, and is also used in Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia. The rank has also been used in Russia, Austria-Hungary, occupied Serbia ...

Karl Hofer in the film '' The Eagle Has Landed''. Byrne appeared in the role of Lieutenant-Colonel Giles Vandeleur in the 1977 film '' A Bridge Too Far''. In 1978, he played Major Schroeder in '' Force 10 from Navarone''. In 1989, he played Colonel Vogel in ''

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'' is a 1989 American action adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by Jeffrey Boam, based on a story by George Lucas and Menno Meyjes. It is the third installment in the Indiana Jone ...

''. In 1995, he acted in the film ''

Braveheart ''Braveheart'' is a 1995 American epic film, epic historical drama, historical war drama film directed and produced by Mel Gibson, who portrays Scottish warrior William Wallace in the First War of Scottish Independence against Edward I of Engl ...

'' appearing to audiences as Smythe, a soldier who attempts to rape William Wallace's wife and first inspires Wallace to seek independence from England in In 1997, Byrne played the role of Royal Navy Admiral Kelly, in command of a British task force on HMS Bedford in the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

film ''

Tomorrow Never Dies ''Tomorrow Never Dies'' is a 1997 spy film, the eighteenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions and the second to star Pierce Brosnan as fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by Roger Spottiswoode from a screenplay ...

''. In 1998, Byrne appeared as a Jewish concentration camp survivor who is instrumental in the capture of a Nazi war criminal (played by Sir

Ian McKellen Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. He has played roles on the screen and stage in genres ranging from Shakespearean dramas and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. He is regarded as a British cu ...

) in the film ''

Apt Pupil ''Apt Pupil'' (1982) is a novella by Stephen King subtitled "Summer of Corruption", originally published in the 1982 novella collection '' Different Seasons'' with a more dramatic bent, rather than the horror fiction for which King is famous. ''A ...

''. His other film credits include ''Butley'', '' The Medusa Touch'', '' The Saint'', '' The Good Father'', ''

The Sum of All Fears ''The Sum of All Fears'' is a political thriller novel, written by Tom Clancy and released on August 14, 1991, as the sequel to '' Clear and Present Danger'' (1989). Main character Jack Ryan, who is now the Deputy Director of Central Intellig ...

'', ''

Gangs of New York ''Gangs of New York'' is a 2002 American-Italian epic historical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan, based on Herbert Asbury's 1928 book '' The Gangs of New York''. The fil ...

'' and '' Mortdecai.'' He has also played Reinhard Beck in '' The Scarlet and the Black'' and General Olbricht in '' The Plot to Kill Hitler''. He was also the SS interrogator in '' Rogue Male''. On television, he has appeared in '' Thriller'', '' Tales of the Unexpected'', '' The Professionals'', '' The Devil's Crown'', '' Smiley's People'' as Peter Guillam, '' Yes, Prime Minister'', '' Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy'', '' Between The Lines'', '' Sharpe'', '' Hornblower'', '' A Touch of Frost'', (The episode "Quarry", in which he played the father of Allie Byrne, his real-life daughter), ''Agatha Raisin'' (Hell’s Bells), ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British Mystery fiction, mystery television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the ''Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series created by Caroline Graham (writer), Caroline Graham. ...

'' (The Ghost of Causton Abbey), ''

The Mists of Avalon ''The Mists of Avalon'' is a 1983 historical fantasy novel by American writer Marion Zimmer Bradley, in which the author relates the Arthurian legends from the perspective of the female characters. The book follows the trajectory of Morgaine ...

'', '' Waking the Dead'', '' The Body Farm'', '' Honest'', ''

Hamish Macbeth Hamish Macbeth is the police constable of the fictional Scottish Highlands, Scottish Highland town of Lochdubh, in a series of murder mystery novels created by M. C. Beaton (Marion Chesney). Considered by many to be a useless, lazy moocher, M ...

'', and ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

''. From April 2008 to January 2010, Byrne starred in ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...

'', as Ted Page, Gail Platt's long lost father and the ex-lover of Audrey Roberts. He also appeared in the 2010 film '' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1'' as Gellert Grindelwald, a powerful wizard that had been defeated by Dumbledore and imprisoned at Azkaban. He played Alfred Maxwell in BBC's ''

'', a terminally ill man with

motor neuron disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and low ...

and his friendship with clinical lead Connie Beauchamp. He plays Bruce Titchener in ''

The Archers ''The Archers'' is a British radio soap opera currently broadcast on BBC Radio 4, the corporation's main spoken-word Radio broadcasting, channel. Broadcast since 1951, it was famously billed as "an everyday story of country folk" and is now pr ...

''.

Theatre

Byrne is a long-established stage actor, having joined the National Theatre in 1964 and appearing in many seasons since. He has also appeared on stage throughout the world. He has numerous theatre credits to his name including: Roberto Miranda in ''Death and the Maiden at the Royal Court'', Maskwell in ''The Double Dealer'' and Claudio in ''Much Ado About Nothing'' at the National Theatre, Reg in ''Butley'' at The Criterion, and also ''The Cherry Orchard'', ''The Seagull'', ''Romeo and Juliet'', ''Mayor of Zalamea'', ''All My Sons'', ''Lulu'', ''Faith Healer'', ''Duchess of Malfi'', ''A Slight Ache'', and ''Molly Sweeney'' amongst many others. Byrne has appeared in ''State of Play'' at the

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of Arts festival, arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the ...

written by Zia Trench. In 2010, he played Romeo to

Siân Phillips Dame Jane Elizabeth Ailwên Phillips (born 14 May 1933), known professionally as Siân Phillips ( ), is a Welsh actress from Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Wales. Her early career consisted primarily of stage roles, including the title roles in Ibsen's '' ...

' Juliet at the

Bristol Old Vic Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a fin ...

theatre.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Byrne, Michael 1943 births Living people 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors British male film actors British male television actors British people of Irish descent British male soap opera actors Male actors from London