Simon Russell Beale
Sir Simon Russell Beale CBE (born January 12, 1961) is an English actor. He is known for his appearances in film, television and theatre, and work on radio, on audiobooks and as a narrator. For his services to drama, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in 2019. He has spent much of his theatre career working in productions for both the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre. He has received ten Laurence Olivier Award nominations, winning three awards for his performances in Volpone (1996), Candide (2000), and Uncle Vanya (2003). For his work on the Broadway stage he has received a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play nomination for his performance as George in the Tom Stoppard play Jumpers in 2004. For his role as Henry Lehman in The Lehman Trilogy, he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play and was nominated for an Olivier Award. Beale has been described by The Independent as "the greatest stage actor of his generation". Beale made his film debut in Sally Potter's period drama Orlando (1992). He continued acting in films such as Persuasion (1995), Hamlet (1996), My Week with Marilyn (2011), The Deep Blue Sea (2011), Into the Woods (2014), and Mary Queen of Scots (2018). In 2017, he starred in Armando Iannucci's dark comedy The Death of Stalin playing Lavrentiy Beria for which he received the British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. He has also appeared in the television projects The Young Visiters (2003), Dunkirk (2004), and as Falstaff in the BBC made-for-television films Henry IV, Part I and Part II (2012). He was part of the main cast of Showtime's Penny Dreadful.
Filmography
Prima Facie
Prima Facie
De Gaulle: Résistance
as Winston Churchill
De Gaulle: Résistance
as Winston Churchill
The Choral
as Sir Edward Elgar
The Choral
as Sir Edward Elgar
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
as Sir Hector Moreland
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
as Sir Hector Moreland
Firebrand
as Stephen Gardiner
Firebrand
as Stephen Gardiner
Home! Home!
as Narrator (voice)
Home! Home!
as Narrator (voice)
Thor: Love and Thunder
as Dionysus
Thor: Love and Thunder
as Dionysus
Operation Mincemeat
as Winston Churchill
Operation Mincemeat
as Winston Churchill
Benediction
as Robbie Ross
Benediction
as Robbie Ross
A Christmas Carol
as Scrooge's voice (voice)
A Christmas Carol
as Scrooge's voice (voice)
The Hour
as Himself
The Hour
as Himself
Radioactive
as Professor Lippmann
Radioactive
as Professor Lippmann
National Theatre Live: The Lehman Trilogy
as Henry Lehman
National Theatre Live: The Lehman Trilogy
as Henry Lehman
National Theatre Live: The Tragedy of King Richard the Second
as Richard II
National Theatre Live: The Tragedy of King Richard the Second
as Richard II
Mary Queen of Scots
as Robert Beale
Mary Queen of Scots
as Robert Beale
Operation Finale
as David Ben-Gurion
Operation Finale
as David Ben-Gurion
Museo
as Frank Graves
Museo
as Frank Graves
The Death of Stalin
as Lavrenti Beria
The Death of Stalin
as Lavrenti Beria
RSC Live: The Tempest
as Prospero
RSC Live: The Tempest
as Prospero
The Legend of Tarzan
as Mr. Frum
The Legend of Tarzan
as Mr. Frum
Cunk on Shakespeare
as Self - Actor
Cunk on Shakespeare
as Self - Actor
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC
as Richard II
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC
as Richard II
Monteverdi in Mantua - The Genius of the Vespers
as presenter
Monteverdi in Mantua - The Genius of the Vespers
as presenter
Into the Woods
as Baker's Father
Into the Woods
as Baker's Father
The Mysterious Mr Webster
as Self - Interviewee
The Mysterious Mr Webster
as Self - Interviewee
National Theatre Live: King Lear
as Lear, King of Britain
National Theatre Live: King Lear
as Lear, King of Britain
Legacy
as Hookey
Legacy
as Hookey
National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage
as Hamlet
National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage
as Hamlet
Sacred Music: God's Composer
as Presenter
Sacred Music: God's Composer
as Presenter
National Theatre Live: Collaborators
as Joseph Stalin
National Theatre Live: Collaborators
as Joseph Stalin
The Deep Blue Sea
as Sir William Collyer
The Deep Blue Sea
as Sir William Collyer
My Week with Marilyn
as Cotes-Preedy
My Week with Marilyn
as Cotes-Preedy
Royal Opera House: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
as The Duchess / Introduced by
Royal Opera House: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
as The Duchess / Introduced by
Sacred Music: A Christmas History
as Presenter
Sacred Music: A Christmas History
as Presenter
National Theatre Live: London Assurance
as Sir Harcourt Courtly
National Theatre Live: London Assurance
as Sir Harcourt Courtly
BBC Proms: Sondheim's 80th Birthday
as Himself - Performer
BBC Proms: Sondheim's 80th Birthday
as Himself - Performer
The Young Visiters
as Prince of Wales
The Young Visiters
as Prince of Wales
The Gathering
as Luke Fraser
The Gathering
as Luke Fraser
Alice in Wonderland
as King Cedric of Hearts
Alice in Wonderland
as King Cedric of Hearts
An Ideal Husband
as Sir Edward
An Ideal Husband
as Sir Edward
Hamlet
as Second Gravedigger
Hamlet
as Second Gravedigger
Persuasion
as Charles Musgrove
Persuasion
as Charles Musgrove
Time and the Conways
as Party Guest
Time and the Conways
as Party Guest
This Is Your Five Minute Call
as Malcolm
This Is Your Five Minute Call
as Malcolm