Ian McShane
Ian David McShane is an English actor. His television performances include the title role in the BBC series Lovejoy, Al Swearengen in Deadwood and its 2019 film continuation, and Mr. Wednesday in American Gods. For the original series of Deadwood, McShane won the Golden Globe [Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama] and received a nomination for the Primetime [Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series]. As a producer of the film, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie.
His film roles include Harry Brown in The Wild and the Willing, Charlie Cartwright in If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium, Wolfe Lissner in Villain, Teddy Bass in Sexy Beast, Frank Powell in Hot Rod, Blackbeard in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and Winston Scott in the John Wick franchise.
Early life
McShane was born in Blackburn, Lancashire on 29 September 1942. He is the child of professional footballer Harry and Irene McShane. His father was Scottish, from Holytown, Lanarkshire. His mother, who was born in England, was of Irish and English descent. McShane grew up in Davyhulme, Manchester and attended Stretford Grammar School. After being a member of the National Youth Theatre, he studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, with Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt. McShane shared a flat with Hurt, whom he called his "oldest friend in the business", and was still a student at RADA when he appeared with Hurt in his first film The Wild and the Willing in 1962. He later played Satan in the York Mystery Plays in 1963.Career
In the United Kingdom, McShane's best known role is antiques dealer Lovejoy in the eponymous series. Long before Lovejoy, McShane was a pin-up as a result of appearances in such television series as Wuthering Heights, Jesus of Nazareth, and Disraeli —as well as films like Sky West and Crooked, If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium, Battle of Britain, Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You, Sitting Target, The Last of Sheila, and The Fifth Musketeer.He has also enjoyed success in the United States as Don Lockwood in Dallas, and is known for the role of Al Swearengen in the HBO series Deadwood, for which he won the 2005 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Drama. He was also nominated at the 2005 Emmy Award and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Among science fiction fans, McShane is known for playing Robert Bryson in Babylon 5: The River of Souls. In a 2004 interview with The Independent, McShane stated that he wished he had turned down the role of Bryson as the technical dialogue was a struggle. and he found looking at Martin Sheen, who wore an eye in the middle of his forehead, to be the most embarrassing experience that he had ever had while acting.
In 1985, McShane appeared as MC on Grace Jones' Slave to the Rhythm, a concept album featuring his narration interspersed throughout. It sold over a million copies worldwide.
In 1992, he recorded and released a solo studio album, From Both Sides Now, in which he sang cover versions of popular songs. The album reached number 40 in the UK Albums Chart.
His other roles include that of armed robber and gangland boss Jack Last in the Minder episode The Last Video Show. As Captain Hook in Shrek the Third, Ragnar Sturlusson in The [Golden Compass (film)|The Golden Compass], Tai Lung in Kung Fu Panda, crime boss Teddy Bass in Sexy Beast, and Mr. Bobinsky in Coraline. In live-action, he has performed in Hot Rod, the action/thriller Death Race, and The Seeker. He has appeared in The West Wing as a Russian diplomat. During 2007–08, he starred as Max in the 40th anniversary Broadway revival of Harold Pinter's The Homecoming, co-starring Eve Best, Raúl Esparza, and Michael McKean, and directed by Daniel Sullivan, at the Cort Theatre.
In 2009, he appeared in Kings, which was drawn from the biblical story of David. His portrayal of King Silas Benjamin, an analogue of King Saul, was highly praised, with one critic writing: "Whenever Kings seems to falter, McShane appears to put bite marks all over the scenery."
In 2010, McShane starred in The [Pillars of the Earth (miniseries)|The Pillars of the Earth] as Bishop Waleran Bigod. The series was a historical drama set in 12th-century England and adapted from Ken Follett's novel of the same name. That same year, it was confirmed that McShane would portray Edward "Blackbeard" Teach in the Walt Disney Company/Jerry Bruckheimer film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. McShane reprised the role of Blackbeard in Pirates of the Caribbean in Disneyland and Walt Disney World, as well as the interactive quest A Pirate's Adventure: Treasure of the Seven Seas at Magic Kingdom.
In 2013, he played King Brahmwell in Bryan Singer's Jack the Giant Slayer.
Since 2010, McShane has narrated the opening teases for each round of ESPN's coverage of The Open Championship. In 2012, McShane had a guest role for two episodes as Murder Santa, a sadistic serial killer in the 1960s in the second season of American Horror Story. In 2016, he joined the cast of Game of Thrones in Season 6 as Septon Ray.
McShane announced in 2017 that a script for a two-hour Deadwood film was submitted by creator David Milch to HBO and that a film was close to happening. " two-hour movie script has been delivered to HBO. If they don't deliver , blame them," McShane said. The film began production in October 2018. Deadwood: The Movie was released on 31 May 2019, concluding the story of the series.