Simon Russell Beale
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- January 12, 1961
- Place of birth
- Penang, Malaysia
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.
Movies with Simon Russell Beale
- Thor: Love and Thunder 2022 · ★ 6.3
- The Legend of Tarzan 2016 · ★ 5.9
- Into the Woods 2014 · ★ 5.8
- The Death of Stalin 2017 · ★ 7.0
- Mary Queen of Scots 2018 · ★ 6.5
- The Outfit 2022 · ★ 7.1
- My Week with Marilyn 2011 · ★ 6.7
- Operation Finale 2018 · ★ 6.7
- Radioactive 2020 · ★ 6.6
- Operation Mincemeat 2022 · ★ 6.5
- My Cousin Rachel 2017 · ★ 5.7
- Hamlet 1996 · ★ 7.3
- Orlando 1992 · ★ 7.0
- Alice in Wonderland 1999 · ★ 6.2
- The Deep Blue Sea 2011 · ★ 5.9
- Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale 2025 · ★ 7.1
- De Gaulle: Résistance 2026 · ★ 7.8
- An Ideal Husband 1999 · ★ 6.5
- The Gathering 2003 · ★ 5.6
- De Gaulle: Liberté 2026 · ★ 7.8
- Blackadder: Back & Forth 1999 · ★ 7.0
- Firebrand 2024 · ★ 6.3
- Museo 2018 · ★ 6.5
- Persuasion 1995 · ★ 7.2
- The Magic Faraway Tree 2026 · ★ 6.7
- Benediction 2021 · ★ 6.1
- Deep Water 2006 · ★ 7.2
- The Choral 2025 · ★ 6.4
- Cunk on Shakespeare 2016 · ★ 7.4
- Shakespeare Live! From the RSC 2016 · ★ 7.4
- A Christmas Carol 2020 · ★ 7.5
- The Young Visiters 2003 · ★ 5.3
- Legacy 2013 · ★ 5.2
- National Theatre Live: King Lear 2014 · ★ 7.1
- Royal Opera House: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland 2011 · ★ 7.7
- National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage 2013 · ★ 6.2
- National Theatre Live: The Lehman Trilogy 2019 · ★ 8.2
- BBC Proms: Sondheim's 80th Birthday 2010 · ★ 10.0
- Muse of Fire 2013 · ★ 6.5
- RSC Live: The Tempest 2017 · ★ 7.0