MARITAL STATUS
Professions Actor , Executive producer
British nationality
Birth September 29, 1942 (Blackburn, Lancashire – England)
BIOGRAPHY
Son of professional footballer Harry McShane, Ian McShane left the prestigious “Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts” in London before graduating to make his debut in the film The Wild and the Willing (1962), alongside John Hurt , one of his school friends. After a few small roles in television series, he was noticed by English viewers for his interpretation of Heathcliff in a prestigious adaptation of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë in 1967. A role which allowed him to enter the cinema through the front door in being one of the fighter pilots in Guy Hamilton ‘s The Battle of Britain (alongside Michael Caine ). In the following years, he starred opposite great actors: Ava Gardner in the TV movie The Ballad of Tam Lim (1970), Richard Burton in Bastard , Oliver Reed in The Screaming Target (1971) and Sean Connery in A Man Sees Red (1971). 1974). In 1977, he played Judas Iscariot in Franco Zeffirelli’s miniseries, Jesus of Nazareth . A role which perhaps brings him bad luck because after his glorious debut, his career declined. Thus, in the 1980s, apart from one of the first roles in Overexposed by James Toback in 1983 (alongside Harvey Keitel and Nastassja Kinski ), we hardly saw him except on television. He went on to make TV films and small roles in popular series like Magnum , Dallas , Two Cops in Miami and Columbo . We still see him in prominent productions, such as in 1983 when he played Prince Rainier in the TV film Grace Kelly (barely a year after the actress’s death) or in the series Young Charlie Chaplin (1989) where he plays Charlot’s father. His most important role at the time, however, remained his first role in The Rules of the Art, a flagship BBC series, between 1986 and 1994 (alongside his wife Gwen Humble ). On the other hand, the actor still appears a lot on stage where his career is enjoying a second wind. In 2001, Ian McShane again had the opportunity to rub shoulders with recognized actors by playing in the series At the White House opposite Martin Sheen and by playing a trapped killer in the film noir Sexy Beast opposite Ben Kingsley and Ray Winstone
. He also plays the villain in the family film Cody Banks: Secret Agent . But it was in 2003 that the role of consecration came for him. For three seasons, he played Al Swearegen, the saloon keeper in the series Deadwood . This role of manipulator-seducer, crude and tasty earned him numerous awards including the Golden Globe for best actor in a drama series and an Emmy Award nomination. He was also voted “sexiest villain” by People magazine in 2005 and considered one of the “men of the year” by GQ magazine, which defined his character as “infectious” and “darkly irresistible”.
Even if Deadwood only lasted three years, Al Swearegen is undoubtedly one of the roles of his life and brings the actor back to the forefront. We can see Ian McShane in 2005 in Nine Lives by Rodrigo Garcia alongside Glenn Close and Sissy Spacek . He is also Scarlett Johansson ‘s beyond-the-grave mentor in Woody Allen ‘s Scoop in 2006 and opposite Matthew McConaughey in We Are Marshall . The actor also has a particular voice, deep and hoarse, enhanced by a delicious British accent, which Hollywood cannot ignore. We hear him as Captain Hook in Shrek 3 and as the bear Ragnar in At the Crossroads of Worlds: The Golden Compass in 2007, then he is the diabolical snow leopard in Kung Fu Panda (2008) before playing the strange neighbor of Coraline in the film by Henry Selick (2009) and the narrator of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010). In 2009, Ian McShane reunited with Ray Winstone and the writers of Sexy Beast in 44 Inch Chest , a thriller of the same ilk where he plays a cold and cunning character. This great veteran of the villainous roles that he has always appreciated then found two roles suited to him: in 2010 he was the cruel bishop Walerand Bigod in the mini-series The Pillars of the Earth, adapted from Ken Follett ‘s best-seller . Then the following year, he joined the cast of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Fountain of Youth , in the role of the fearsome pirate Blackbeard. Author: Matthieu Le Caisne
