Stuart Conan Wilson (born 25 December 1946) is an English

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...

of film, television, and stage who is best known for his villainous and supporting roles in popular films like '' Lethal Weapon 3,

The Age of Innocence ''The Age of Innocence'' is a 1920 novel by American author Edith Wharton. It was her twelfth novel, and was initially serialized in 1920 in four parts, in the magazine '' Pictorial Review''. Later that year, it was released as a book by D. Ap ...

, No Escape, Death and the Maiden, The Mask of Zorro, Enemy of the State'', and '' Hot Fuzz''.

Early life

Wilson was born in

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

, Surrey, to an RAF family, and consequently had a varied educational history, spending much of his early childhood in

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to th ...

where his father worked as a mining engineer. Having moved to London, he trained at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sena ...

. After leaving RADA he played in theatres during the 1960s and 1970s. He has played major roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal ...

London's West End The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government bui ...

, regional, touring and many Fringe productions, most particularly at London's Bush Theatre.

Career

Wilson's first break was when he was chosen for the leading role of

Johann Strauss II Johann Baptist Strauss II (25 October 1825 – 3 June 1899), also known as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger or the Son (german: links=no, Sohn), was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed ov ...

in the 1972 ITV costume drama '' The Strauss Family''. He subsequently made many appearances on British

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...

, his credits including '' Space: 1999'', ''

I, Claudius ''I, Claudius'' is a historical novel by English writer Robert Graves, published in 1934. Written in the form of an autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius, it tells the history of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and the early years of the R ...

'', '' Special Branch'', '' The Sweeney'', '' Return of the Saint'', '' The Pallisers'', '' Anna Karenina'', '' The Professionals'', '' Tales of the Unexpected'', '' The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'', '' The Old Men at the Zoo'', '' The Jewel in the Crown'' and '' Prime Suspect''. His biggest success was as Alan Stewart in the 1979 thriller serial '' Running Blind''.

Film credits

As a more mature actor, Wilson successfully made the transition to Hollywood, often playing villains. His film credits include ''

Dulcima ''Dulcima'' is a 1971 British drama film directed by Frank Nesbitt. It was entered into the 21st Berlin International Film Festival. The story revolves around a love triangle: a farmer, his housekeeper and the handsome neighbour. Plot Dulcima ...

'', '' Wetherby'', '' Lethal Weapon 3'', '' No Escape'', '' Enemy of the State'', '' The Rock'' (uncredited), ''

'', ''

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III'' is a 1993 American superhero film written and directed by Stuart Gillard. It is the sequel to '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze'' (1991), and the final installment in the original ...

'', '' Death and the Maiden'', ''

The Prisoner of Zenda ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' is an 1894 adventure novel by Anthony Hope, in which the King of Ruritania is drugged on the eve of his coronation and thus is unable to attend the ceremony. Political forces within the realm are such that, in or ...

'', '' Slow Burn'', '' The Mask of Zorro'' and '' Hot Fuzz''. He also starred in

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

s, such as '' Secret Weapon'', ''

Coins in the Fountain ''Coins in the Fountain'' is a 1990 American made-for-television romantic comedy film based on the 1952 novel '' Coins in the Fountain'' by John H. Secondari, which was previously filmed in 1954 as '' Three Coins in the Fountain''. It was direct ...

'', ''

Her Wicked Ways ''Her Wicked Ways'' (also known as ''Lethal Charm'') is a 1991 American made-for-television thriller-drama film starring Barbara Eden and Heather Locklear. Directed by Richard Michaels and produced by ITC Entertainment, it originally aired on CBS ...

'' and '' Princess of Thieves''.

Television work

Wilson made fewer television appearances after his success as a film actor, but continued to appear occasionally in series such as ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British crime drama television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the '' Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series (created by Caroline Graham), and broadcast on two channels of ...

'' (2008), '' Spooks'' (2008), and '' Crossbones''."NBC's 'Crossbones' Casts 'Enemy of the State' Alum", ''Hollywood Reporter'', 14 November 2013
Accessed 19 May 2014

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Stuart 1946 births English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors Royal Shakespeare Company members Living people Male actors from Surrey Actors from Guildford Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art