 A rugged, charismatic actor who came to prominence in the '90s. He had appeared in supporting roles in Excalibur (UK/US, d. John Boorman, 1981) and The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (UK/France, d. Peter Greenaway, 1989), when he suddenly made his presence felt with a brusque, unconventional reading of Captain Wentworth in Persuasion (d. Roger Michell, 1995), perhaps the most intelligent of the Austen adaptations. Since then, he has done imposing work in unsympathetic roles in the Irish-set dramas, Some Mother's Son (Ireland/US, d. Thaddeus O'Sullivan, 1996) and The Lost Son (UK/France/US, d. Chris Menges, 1999) as well as building a solid TV list, including Jane Eyre (LWT, 1997), as a perfectly cast Rochester. Educated at Queen's University, Belfast, and RADA-trained, he has mastered all the acting media, winning plaudits on London and Broadway stages for his role in Closer (1998-99), having experience with such major companies as the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre (1979-85) and the RSC (1991, 1993). Brian McFarlane, Encyclopedia of British Film
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FILM & TV CREDITS
