Guy Masterson
Guy Alexander Masterson is a British actor, writer, theatre director, producer, and playwright. He is best known for his solo stage performances and for his work at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, including productions such as Under Milk Wood, Animal Farm, Morecambe, and The Shark Is Broken.
Personal life
Masterson was born in Hampstead, North London in 1961, to Carlo Libinick Mastroianni and Marian Mastroianni. He was educated at Christ's Hospital School and earned a Joint Honours degree in Biochemistry and Chemistry from Cardiff University in 1982. He is the great-nephew of actor Richard Burton, and his father's second cousin is Marcello Mastroianni.In 1982, he emigrated to the United States and worked in hotel restaurant management. In 1984, he became a carpenter and began taking acting classes at UCLA. Between 1985 to 1989, he performed in over twenty plays in the Los Angeles area, including: The Caretaker,''The Elephant Man, Othello, Hamlet, The Taming of the Shrew, Henry V, and Romeo and Juliet''.
He returned to the United Kingdom in 1989 and studied Classical Theatre at LAMDA. Masterson married Brigitta Scholz, a German actress and model, in 1999. He has two children, Indigo and Tallulah.
Career
Masterson's work includes solo theatre pieces, ensemble productions, and adaptations of existing texts. He later expanded into directing and producing. He has collaborated with performers and companies across multiple countries.Masterson's early career included performing and touring internationally. While in Los Angeles, from 1985 to 1989 he performed more than twenty plays, including The Caretaker, City Gents, The Elephant Man, Othello, Hamlet, The Taming Of The Shrew, Henry V, and Romeo and Juliet.
He formed his own theatre company, originally called "Boy's Own Productions", in 1991. In 1994 it was renamed "Guy Masterson Productions". In 2000 he created "Theatre Tours International Ltd", a touring presenting company. With these companies he has presented or co-presented numerous productions at festivals worldwide, with works including Playing Burton, Skin Tight, Krishnan's Dairy, Adolf, Americana Absurdum, and Number Two.
Masterson has directed several solo shows, including Under Milk Wood, Animal Farm, and Shylock. He has performed in productions such as "The Solo Show", a collection of one-man shows where he plays various characters.
He continued directing and producing works through the 2010s and 2020s, including commemorative shows and international collaborations, such as The Odd Couple, Scaramouche Jones, Reasonable Doubt, and Picasso: Le Monstre Sacré. He was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award twice in 2010, and again in 2022 for The Shark Is Broken.
Masterson is also known for his roles in productions including a stage adaptation of the Ernest Hemingway novella "The Old Man and the Sea", and a one-man show based on the original story "The Man Who Planted Trees" written by French author Jean Giono.
Masterson has been involved with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for at least 29 years, from his solo performance of Under the Milk Wood in 1994, through to directing and producing shows including Twelve Angry Men, The Odd Couple, Morecambe, and The Shark Is Broken. Both Morecambe and The Shark Is Broken later transferred to London’s West End, with The Shark Is Broken making its Broadway debut on 10 August 2023.