Ian McShane
Born on 29th of September 1942
The old cliché ‘star of stage, screen and television’ for once rings true as regards the work of actor Ian McShane, born in Blackburn in 1942. After studies at RADA he quickly broke into films, his most notable early cinema role being in The Battle of Britain in 1969, but almost a decade earlier he had appeared in the first staging of Joe Orton ’s Loot.
The bulk of McShane’s career has been concerned with television, however: roles in many series like Minder, Magnum, Dallas, Miami Vice, and Roots feature on his extensive CV. He is most celebrated for two enjoyable character parts: the eponymous Lovejoy, which was produced by his own company, and episodes of which he directed; and as Al Swearengen in the hit western series Deadwood.
With smooth good looks, a certain dark menace, and an equally memorable voice, McShane excels as a heavy, as with Al Swearengen, a part that won him many plaudits, and his brilliant turn as Teddy Bass the criminal mastermind in the 2001 indie classic Sexy Beast. Not afraid to face new challenges he starred in Cameron Mackintosh ’s The Witches of Eastwick in 2000, his musical debut nearly 40 years into his career, and later in the decade starred in a revival of Pinter ’s The Homecoming on Broadway.
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