Simon Russell Beale
Biography
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.
Known For

House of the Dragon

American Experience

Spooks

Spooks

Thor: Love and Thunder

Penny Dreadful

The Hollow Crown

Remembers…
All Movies (58)
- De Gaulle: Liberté2026 · as Winston Churchill
- De Gaulle: Résistance2026 · as Winston Churchill
- The Magic Faraway Tree2026 · as Know All
- The Choral2025 · as Sir Edward Elgar
- Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale2025 · as Sir Hector Moreland
- Firebrand2024 · as Stephen Gardiner
- Home! Home!2024 · as Narrator (voice)
- Thor: Love and Thunder2022 · as Dionysus
- Operation Mincemeat2022 · as Winston Churchill
- The Outfit2022 · as Roy Boyle
- Benediction2021 · as Robbie Ross
- A Christmas Carol2020 · as Scrooge's voice (voice)
- The Hour2020 · as Himself
- Radioactive2020 · as Professor Lippmann
- National Theatre Live: The Lehman Trilogy2019 · as Henry Lehman
- National Theatre Live: The Tragedy of King Richard the Second2019 · as Richard II
- Mary Queen of Scots2018 · as Robert Beale
- Operation Finale2018 · as David Ben-Gurion
- Museo2018 · as Frank Graves
- The Death of Stalin2017 · as Lavrenti Beria
- My Cousin Rachel2017 · as Couch
- RSC Live: The Tempest2017 · as Prospero
- The Legend of Tarzan2016 · as Mr. Frum
- Cunk on Shakespeare2016 · as Self - Actor
- Shakespeare Live! From the RSC2016 · as Richard II
- Monteverdi in Mantua - The Genius of the Vespers2015 · as presenter
- Into the Woods2014 · as Baker's Father
- The Mysterious Mr Webster2014 · as Self - Interviewee
- National Theatre Live: King Lear2014 · as Lear, King of Britain
- Legacy2013 · as Hookey
- Lava Land - Glowing Hawaii2013 · as Narrator
- National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage2013 · as Hamlet
- Muse of Fire2013 · as Self
- National Theatre Live: Timon of Athens2012 · as Timon
- Shakespeare's Sonnets2012
- A Musical Nativity with John Rutter2011
- Sacred Music: God's Composer2011 · as Presenter
- National Theatre Live: Collaborators2011 · as Joseph Stalin
- The Deep Blue Sea2011 · as Sir William Collyer
- My Week with Marilyn2011 · as Cotes-Preedy
- Royal Opera House: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland2011 · as The Duchess / Introduced by
- Sacred Music: A Christmas History2010 · as Presenter
- National Theatre Live: London Assurance2010 · as Sir Harcourt Courtly
- BBC Proms: Sondheim's 80th Birthday2010 · as Himself - Performer
- An Easter Celebration2008 · as presenter
- Deep Water2006 · as Donald Crowhurst (voice)
- The Young Visiters2003 · as Prince of Wales
- The Gathering2003 · as Luke Fraser
- Blackadder: Back & Forth1999 · as Wellington
- Alice in Wonderland1999 · as King Cedric of Hearts
- An Ideal Husband1999 · as Sir Edward
- The Temptation of Franz Schubert1997 · as Franz Schubert
- Hamlet1996 · as Second Gravedigger
- Persuasion1995 · as Charles Musgrove
- Orlando1992 · as Earl of Moray
- Time and the Conways1985 · as Party Guest
- Prima Facie—
- This Is Your Five Minute Call— · as Malcolm
All TV Shows (17)
- Douglas Is Cancelled2024 · as Bently
- Mary & George2024 · as Sir George Villiers
- House of the Dragon2022 · as Ser Simon Strong
- Remembers…2022 · as Self
- Vanity Fair2018 · as John Sedley
- Penny Dreadful2014 · as Ferdinand Lyle
- The Hollow Crown2012 · as Falstaff
- Simon Schama's Shakespeare2012
- Symphony2011
- Sacred Music2008 · as Presenter
- Dunkirk2004 · as Winston Churchill
- Spooks2002 · as William Towers
- Spooks2002 · as Home Secretary
- A Dance to the Music of Time1997 · as Widmerpool
- The Mushroom Picker1993 · as Anthony
- American Experience1988 · as John Adams (voice)
- A Very Peculiar Practice1986 · as Mark Stibbs