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{{Short description|British actor, playwright and theatre director (born 1960)}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = [[Sir]]
| name             = Mark Rylance
| image            = Mark Rylance Cannes 2016.jpg
| caption          = Rylance promoting ''[[The BFG (2016 film)|The BFG]]'' at the [[2016 Cannes Film Festival]]
| birthname        = David Mark Rylance Waters
| birth_date       = {{birth date and age|1960|1|18|df=yes}}<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Mark Rylance |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mark-Rylance |encyclopedia=Britannica |access-date=18 January 2023}}</ref>
| birth_place      = [[Ashford, Kent]], England
| education        = [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]]
| occupation       = {{hlist|Actor|playwright|theatre director}}
| yearsactive      = 1980–present
| spouse           = {{marriage|[[Claire van Kampen]]|1989|2025|reason=her death}}
| relatives        = [[Susannah Waters]] (sister)<br />Jonathan Waters (brother)<br />[[Juliet Rylance]] (stepdaughter)
| works            = [[Mark Rylance on screen and stage|Full list]]
| awards           = [[List of awards and nominations received by Mark Rylance|Full list]]
| module           = {{Listen| embed=yes |filename = Mark Rylance voice.ogg |title = Rylance's voice |type = speech |description = recorded 2012, as part of an [[:File:Mark Rylance on the Gates of the Globe Theatre.ogg|audio description of the Globe Theatre]] for [[VocalEyes]]}}
}}
'''Sir David Mark Rylance Waters''' ({{IPAc-en|r|aɪ|l|ə|n|s}}; born 18 January 1960) is an English actor, playwright and theatre director. He is known for his roles on stage and screen, having [[List of awards and nominations received by Mark Rylance|received numerous awards]] including an [[Academy Award]], three [[BAFTA Awards]], two [[Laurence Olivier Awards|Olivier Awards]] and three [[Tony Awards]]. In 2016 he was included in the [[Time 100|''Time'' 100]] list of the world's most influential people.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/collection-post/4299682/mark-rylance-2016-time-100/|title=Mark Rylance |first=Steven |last=Spielberg |magazine=Time |access-date=27 April 2016}}</ref> In 2017 he was made a [[Knight Bachelor|knight]] by [[Queen Elizabeth II]].

He was the first artistic director of [[Shakespeare's Globe]] in London, between 1995 and 2005. After training at the [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]] in London, he made his professional debut at the [[Citizens Theatre]] in Glasgow in 1980. He appeared in the [[West End theatre|West End]] productions of ''[[Much Ado About Nothing]]'' in 1994 and ''[[Jerusalem (play)|Jerusalem]]'' in 2010, winning the [[Olivier Award for Best Actor]] for both. He has also appeared on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], winning three [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play|Tony Awards]]: two for Best Actor for ''[[Boeing Boeing (play)|Boeing Boeing]]'' in 2008 and ''Jerusalem'' in 2011, and one for Best Featured Actor for ''[[Twelfth Night]]'' in 2014. He was Tony-nominated for his roles in ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]'' in 2014 and ''[[Farinelli and the King]]'' in 2017.

Rylance's early roles include ''[[Prospero's Books]]'' (1991), ''[[Angels & Insects]]'' (1995), ''[[Institute Benjamenta]]'' (1996), ''[[Intimacy (2001 film)|Intimacy]]'' (2001) and ''[[The Other Boleyn Girl (2008 film)|The Other Boleyn Girl]]'' (2008). He won the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Academy Award]] and [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role|BAFTA]] for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of [[Rudolf Abel]] in [[Steven Spielberg]]'s ''[[Bridge of Spies (film)|Bridge of Spies]]'' (2015). He subsequently collaborated with Spielberg acting in ''[[The BFG (2016 film)|The BFG]]'' (2016) and ''[[Ready Player One (film)|Ready Player One]]'' (2018). He also appeared in films such as ''[[Dunkirk (2017 film)|Dunkirk]]'' (2017), ''[[The Trial of the Chicago 7]]'' (2020), ''[[Don't Look Up]]'' (2021), ''[[Bones and All]]'' (2022) and ''[[The Outfit (2022 film)|The Outfit]]'' (2022).

On television, Rylance won the [[British Academy Television Award for Best Actor]] for his role as [[Death of David Kelly|David Kelly]] in the 2005 [[Channel 4]] drama ''[[The Government Inspector (film)|The Government Inspector]]'' and for playing [[Thomas Cromwell]] in the 2015 [[BBC Two]] mini-series ''[[Wolf Hall (TV series)|Wolf Hall]]''; for the latter role, he also received [[Primetime Emmy Award|Emmy Award]] and [[Golden Globe Award]] nominations. Rylance is a patron of the [[London International Festival of Theatre]]; of the London-based charity [[Peace Direct]], which supports peace-builders in areas of conflict; and of the [[Stop the War Coalition]].

== Early life and education ==
Rylance was born in [[Ashford, Kent|Ashford]], [[Kent]], to Anne (''née'' Skinner) and David Waters, both teachers of English. One of his grandmothers was Irish.<ref>[http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/mark-rylance-i-remember-bringing-food-to-trees-like-bowls-of-milk-and-other-things-1.2145603 "Mark Rylance: 'I remember bringing food to trees. Like bowls of milk and other things' "]. Irish Times. Retrieved 23 March 2016</ref> Both of his grandfathers were British [[Prisoner of war|POW]]s of the Japanese.<ref>[http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-11-27/mark-rylance-from-wolf-hall-courtier-to-steven-spielberg-spy "Mark Rylance: from Wolf Hall courtier to Steven Spielberg spy"]. Radio Times. Retrieved 23 March 2016</ref> His maternal grandfather, Osmond Skinner, spent decades as a banker with the [[HSBC|Hong Kong Shanghai Bank]] (HSBC). After being shot in the stomach during the [[Battle of Hong Kong]], Skinner was recuperating when he witnessed the [[St. Stephen's College massacre]]. He then spent four years in a POW camp. He was able to survive thanks to HSBC contacts who brought him food.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Anita |title=My Grandparents' War, review: Mark Rylance's determination to see both sides made for an extraordinary film |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2019/12/04/grandparents-war-review-mark-rylances-determination-see-sides/ |access-date=8 December 2019 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=4 December 2019}}</ref>

Rylance's parents moved to the US in 1962; first to [[Connecticut]], then to [[Wisconsin]] in 1969, where his father and mother taught English at the [[University School of Milwaukee]], which Rylance attended.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mark Rylance '78 |url=https://www.usmk12.org/list-detail?pk=101517 |publisher=University School of Milwaukee}}</ref> He returned to England in 1978. Rylance has a sister named [[Susannah Waters|Susannah]], an opera singer and author, and a deceased brother, Jonathan, who was a [[sommelier]] at [[Chez Panisse]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Cooke|first=Rachel|date=30 June 2013|title=Mark Rylance: You Have To Move into The Chaos|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/jul/01/mark-rylance-jerusalem-much-ado-interview|work=The Guardian|access-date=1 July 2013}}</ref>

Rylance took the [[stage name]] of Mark Rylance because his given name, Mark Waters, was already taken by someone else registered with [[Equity (trade union)|Equity]]. He trained at the [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]] (RADA) in London from 1978 to 1980 under [[Hugh Cruttwell]]; and with Barbara and [[Peter Bridgmont]] at the Chrysalis Theatre School in [[Balham]], London.

== Career ==
=== 1980–1999: Royal Shakespeare Company === 
[[File:Royal Shakespeare Company.jpg|thumb|right|Rylance started his career acting in numerous productions with the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]]]]
In 1980 Rylance gained his professional acting debut in the [[Shaun Lawton]] play ''[[Desperado Corner]]'' at the [[Glasgow Citizens' Theatre]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/mark-rylance|title= Mark Rylance Theatre Credits and Bio|website= New York Theatre Guide|accessdate= 12 April 2024}}</ref> In 1982 and 1983 he performed in numerous productions at the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] (RSC) in [[Stratford-upon-Avon]] and London. During this time he acted in productions of ''[[The Taming of the Shrew]]'', ''[[The Tempest]]'' and ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.abouttheartists.com/artists/298925-mark-rylance|title= Mark Rylance|website= Abouttheartist|accessdate= 12 April 2024}}</ref> He received his first [[Laurence Olivier Award]] nomination in the [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role|Best Supporting Actor in a Play]] category for his portrayal of Michael in ''[[Arden of Faversham]]'' at the [[1983 Laurence Olivier Awards]]. In 1988 Rylance played [[Hamlet]] with the RSC in [[Ron Daniel]]s' production that toured Ireland and Britain for a year. The play then ran in [[Stratford-upon-Avon]]. ''Hamlet'' toured the US for two years. In 1990 Rylance and [[Claire van Kampen]] (later his wife) founded "Phoebus' Cart", their own theatre company. The following year, the company staged ''[[The Tempest]]'' on the road.

In 1995 Rylance became the first artistic director of [[Shakespeare's Globe]] Theatre, a post he held until 2005. Rylance directed and acted in every season, in works by Shakespeare and others, including an all-male production of ''[[Twelfth Night]]'', in which he played Olivia, and ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]'' in the title role. Under his directorate, new plays were also performed at the Globe, the first being ''Augustine's Oak'' (referring to [[Augustine of Canterbury]] and Christianisation of Anglo-Saxon England) by [[Peter Oswald]], the writer-in-residence, which was performed in 1999. A second play by Oswald followed in 2002: ''[[The Golden Ass]] or the Curious Man''.

Rylance played the lead in [[Gillies MacKinnon]]'s film ''[[The Grass Arena]]'' (1991), and won the ''[[Radio Times]]'' Award for Best Newcomer. In 1993 he starred in [[Matthew Warchus]]' production of ''[[Much Ado About Nothing]]'' at the [[Sondheim Theatre|Queen's Theatre]], produced by [[Thelma Holt]]. His Benedick won him an [[Olivier Award]] for Best Actor.

=== 2000–2009: Broadway debut and acclaim ===
[[File:William Shakespeare by John Taylor, edited.jpg|thumb|left|160px|Rylance has acted in numerous plays of [[William Shakespeare]]]]
For his role as Jay in ''[[Intimacy (2001 film)|Intimacy]]'' (2001), directed by Patrice Chéreau, he received real, rather than simulated, [[fellatio]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/jun/22/features.features11|title=Dangerous liaisons|first=The Guardian|author-link=The Guardian|last=Staff|date=22 June 2001|work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/nov/26/features.review|title=Tim Adams: Everybody's doing it...|first=Tim|last=Adams|date=26 November 2006|work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> He took the leading role as British weapons expert [[David Kelly (weapons expert)|David Kelly]] in [[Peter Kosminsky]]'s ''[[The Government Inspector (film)|The Government Inspector]]'' (2005), an award-winning [[Channel 4]] production for which he won the [[British Academy Television Award for Best Actor]] in 2005. That same year, Oswald's third play written for the Globe was first performed: ''The Storm'', an adaptation of [[Plautus]]{{'s}} comedy ''[[Rudens]]'' (''The Rope'') – "argu[ably]" one of the sources of Shakespeare's ''[[The Tempest]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kabatchnik |first1=Amnon |title=Blood on the stage, 480 B.C. to 1600 A.D. |publisher=Rowman and Littlefield |year=2014|location=Plymouth, England |isbn=978-1-4422-3547-2 |page=82}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Louden |first1=Bruce |title=The Tempest, Plautus, and the "Rudens" |journal=Comparative Drama |date=1999 |volume=33 |issue=2 |pages=199–233|jstor=41153968 |quotation=I argue that the ''Rudens'', by Plautus,…serves as Shakespeare's principal source. |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41153968 |issn=0010-4078}}</ref> Other historical first nights were organised by Rylance while director of the Globe including ''[[Twelfth Night]]'' performed in 2002 at [[Middle Temple]], to commemorate its first performance there exactly 400 years before, and ''[[Measure for Measure]]'' at [[Hampton Court]] in summer 2004. In 2007 he received a [[Sam Wanamaker Award]] together with his wife [[Claire van Kampen]], Director of Music, and [[Jenny Tiramani]], Director of [[Costume Design]], for the founding work during the opening ten years at Shakespeare's Globe.

In 2007 Rylance wrote (co-conceived by John Dove) and starred in ''The BIG Secret Live 'I am Shakespeare' Webcam Daytime Chatroom Show (A comedy of Shakespearean identity crisis)'', which toured England in 2007. On 8 September 2007 [[Derek Jacobi]] and Rylance unveiled a [[Declaration of Reasonable Doubt]] on the authorship of [[William Shakespeare]]'s work, after the final [[wikt:matinée|matinée]] performance of ''The Big Secret Live "I am Shakespeare" Webcam Daytime Chat-Room Show'' in [[Chichester]]. The actual author of Shakespeare's plays is variously proposed to be [[Christopher Marlowe]]; [[Francis Bacon]]; [[Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford]]; or [[Mary Sidney]] (Mary Sidney Herbert, Countess of Pembroke). The declaration named 20 prominent doubters of the past, including [[Mark Twain]], [[John Gielgud]], [[Charlie Chaplin]] and actor [[Leslie Howard]] (later withdrawn from the list), and was made by the Shakespeare Authorship Coalition duly signed online by 300 people to begin new research. Jacobi and Rylance presented a copy of the document to William Leahy, head of English at [[Brunel University London]].

In 2016 the writer [[Ben Elton]] delivered a riposte to this "batty" premise in the episode "If You Prick Us, Do We Not Bleed" of his television comedy ''[[Upstart Crow]]''.<ref>Series 2, episode 3</ref> The great but "self-regarding and pretentious" actor Wolf Hall (played by [[Ben Miller]]) joins [[Richard Burbage|Burbage's]] acting company to play [[Shylock]]. The character Wolf Hall confronts Shakespeare (played by [[David Mitchell (comedian)|David Mitchell]]) with the suggestion that he didn't write his own plays; it is a satirical portrait of Rylance and his opinion.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Low |first1=Valentine |title=Mark Rylance ridiculed by upstarts over comedy of errors |access-date=5 October 2018 |work=[[The Times]] |date=11 September 2018|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/mark-rylance-ridiculed-by-upstarts-over-comedy-of-errors-23px93t5z}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Moore |first1=William |title=Much ado about Shakespeare's plays, but upstart Ben Elton has the last laugh |access-date=23 September 2018 |work=[[Evening Standard]] |date=12 September 2018|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/comment/comment/much-ado-about-shakespeare-s-plays-but-upstart-elton-has-the-last-laugh-a3934001.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=Coalition aims to expose Shakespeare | url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-09-08-2401825447_x.htm | work=[[USA Today]] | author=Doran, D'Arcy|date=8 September 2007 | access-date=22 January 2015}}</ref>

In 2007 Rylance performed in ''[[Boeing-Boeing (play)|Boeing-Boeing]]'' in London. In 2008 he reprised the role on Broadway and won [[Drama Desk Award|Drama Desk]] and [[Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play|Tony Awards]] for his performance. In 2009 Rylance won the [[Critics' Circle Theatre Award]] Best Actor, 2009 for his role of Johnny Byron in [[Jez Butterworth]]'s play ''[[Jerusalem (play)|Jerusalem]]'' at the [[Royal Court Theatre]] in London.

=== 2010–2019: Career expansion ===
[[File:Cannes 2016 19.jpg|thumb|upright|right|alt=Steven Spielberg, Ruby Barnhill, and Mark Rylance at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France.|Rylance with [[Steven Spielberg]] and co-star [[Ruby Barnhill]] in 2016]]

In 2010 Rylance starred in a revival of [[David Hirson]]'s verse play ''[[La Bête (play)|La Bête]]''. The play ran first at London's [[Comedy Theatre]] before transferring to the [[Music Box Theatre]] on Broadway, on 23 September 2010. Also in 2010 he won another [[Laurence Olivier Awards|Olivier award]] for best actor in the role of Johnny Byron in ''[[Jerusalem (play)|Jerusalem]]'' at the [[Apollo Theatre]] in London. In 2011 he won his second Tony Award for playing the same role in the Broadway production. In 2013 Shakespeare's Globe brought two all-male productions to Broadway, starring Rylance as Olivia in ''[[Twelfth Night]]'' and in the title role in ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]'', for a limited run in repertory. He won his third [[Tony Award]] for his performance as Olivia and was nominated for his performance as [[Richard III]].

He played [[Thomas Cromwell]] in ''[[Wolf Hall (miniseries)|Wolf Hall]]'' (2015), [[BBC Two]]'s adaptation of [[Hilary Mantel]]'s historical novels ''[[Wolf Hall]]'' and ''[[Bring Up the Bodies]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/5wPZrBYxRXSLrxFTN0nvqLM/the-cast |title=Wolf Hall |publisher=BBC Two |access-date=16 February 2015}}</ref> For his performance, he was nominated for numerous accolades including the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie]], the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film]] and the [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie]]. Rylance was featured as the castaway on the [[BBC]] radio programme ''[[Desert Island Discs]]'' on 15 February 2015.<ref>BBC Desert Island Discs website [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/desert-island-discs/find-a-castaway "Castaway archive"], 15 February 2015.</ref>

Rylance co-starred in the biographical drama ''[[Bridge of Spies (film)|Bridge of Spies]]'', released in October 2015, directed by [[Steven Spielberg]] and starring [[Tom Hanks]], [[Amy Ryan]], and [[Alan Alda]]. The film is about the [[1960 U-2 Incident]] and the arrest and conviction of [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] spy [[Rudolf Abel]] and the exchange of Abel for U-2 pilot [[Francis Gary Powers|Gary Powers]]. Rylance, who had previously turned down a role offered by Spielberg in the 1987 film ''[[Empire of the Sun (film)|Empire of the Sun]]'',<ref>{{cite news|last=Higgins|first=Charlotte|title=Mark Rylance: 'Theatre is a thousand times more enjoyable than film'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/jan/08/mark-rylance-theatre-is-a-thousand-more-times-enjoyable-than-film|access-date=9 January 2022|work=[[The Guardian]]|publisher=[[Guardian Media Group|Guardian News & Media Limited]]|date=8 January 2022}}</ref> plays Abel and has received unanimous universal acclaim for his performance, with many critics claiming it as the best performance of 2015. The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' quoted, "As the deeply principled Donovan, Hanks deftly balances earnestness and humour. And Rylance's spirited performance is almost certain to yield an Oscar nomination."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Wilson|first1=Calvin|title='Bridge of Spies' Spielberg is at his best|date=15 October 2015 |url=http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/movies/reviews/bridge-of-spies-is-spielberg-at-his-best/article_ec1b6fbf-a964-580f-a164-83deec311516.html}}</ref> David Edelstein from ''[[New York (magazine)|New York]]'' cited 'It's Rylance who keeps ''Bridge of Spies'' standing. He gives a teeny, witty, fabulously non-emotive performance, every line musical and slightly ironic – the irony being his forthright refusal to deceive in a world founded on lies."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Edelstein|first1=David|title=Bridge of Spies Is a Subtler Kind of Spielberg Movie|date=4 October 2015 |url=http://www.vulture.com/2015/10/movie-review-bridge-of-spies.html}}</ref> Rylance won the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Academy Award]], [[BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor|BAFTA Award]], and [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor|New York Film Critics Circle Award]] in the Best Supporting Actor categories, as well as receiving [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture|Golden Globe Award]] and [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role|Screen Actors Guild Award]] nominations, among other wins and nominations.
[[File:Mark Rylance Deauville 2019.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Rylance at the [[Deauville American Film Festival]] in 2019]]

Rylance played the title role in Spielberg's ''[[The BFG (2016 film)|The BFG]]'', a film adaptation of the [[The BFG|children's book]] by [[Roald Dahl]]. Filming took place in 2015, and the film was released in July 2016.<ref name="BFG lead">{{cite news | url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mark-rylance-starring-steven-spielbergs-744126 | title=Three-Time Tony Winner Mark Rylance Nabs Lead in Steven Spielberg's 'The BFG' | work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=27 October 2014 | access-date=22 January 2015 | author=Siegel, Tatiana}}</ref> In 2016 Rylance co-wrote and starred in the new comedy play ''[[Nice Fish]]'' at [[St. Ann's Warehouse]], New York. The production subsequently transferred to the [[Harold Pinter Theatre]] in London's West End.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rickwald |first=Bethany |date=20 January 2016 |title=St. Ann's Warehouse Extends Nice Fish and A Streetcar Named Desire |url=http://www.theatermania.com/off-broadway/news/nice-fish-starring-mark-rylance-extends_75649.html |access-date=30 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Longman |first=Will |date=16 September 2016 |title=Mark Rylance's Nice Fish extends by three weeks |url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/mark-rylance-nice-fish-extends_41796.html |access-date=30 March 2017}}</ref> Rylance had a major role in [[Christopher Nolan]]'s 2017 action-thriller ''[[Dunkirk (2017 film)|Dunkirk]]'', based on the British [[Dunkirk evacuation|military evacuation]] of the French city of Dunkirk in 1940 during the [[Second World War]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Mark Rylance to star as Pope in Spielberg film|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-36023157|publisher=BBC|date=12 April 2016}}</ref> The film co-starred [[Tom Hardy]], [[Kenneth Branagh]], [[Cillian Murphy]] and [[Harry Styles]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/news/harry-styles-one-direction-christopher-nolan-dunkirk-1201728153/|title=Harry Styles, Fionn Whitehead to Star in Christopher Nolan WW2 Action-Thriller 'Dunkirk'|magazine=Variety|last=McNary|first=Dave|date=11 March 2016}}</ref> In 2018 Rylance made his third collaboration with Spielberg acting playing James Halliday in the science-fiction epic film ''[[Ready Player One (film)|Ready Player One]]''. That same year Rylance starred in ''[[Farinelli and the King]]'' on the Broadway stage earning a [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play]], his fifth career [[Tony Award]] nomination.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/2018-tony-awards-predictions|title= 2018 Tony Award Predictions|website= Time Out|accessdate= 12 April 2024}}</ref> Later that year 2018, he appeared in ''[[Waiting for the Barbarians (film)|Waiting for the Barbarians]]'', alongside [[Johnny Depp]] and [[Robert Pattinson]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://collider.com/johnny-depp-interview-fantastic-beasts-2/|title=Johnny Depp on 'The Crimes of Grindelwald' and His Most Iconic Roles|first=Helen|last=Barlow|website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]]|date=9 October 2018}}</ref> In June 2019, he resigned from the Royal Shakespeare Company due to its sponsorship deal with [[BP]]. He last appeared on stage for the RSC in 1989.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48721382|title=Rylance resigns from RSC over BP sponsor|work=BBC News|date=21 June 2019|access-date=21 June 2019}}</ref>

=== 2020–present ===
On 8 September 2019 Rylance revealed to ''[[AlloCiné]]'' that he was cast to play [[Satan]] in the American filmmaker [[Terrence Malick]]'s upcoming film ''The Last Planet'' (since renamed ''[[The Way of the Wind]]'').<ref>{{cite news |last=Pierrette |first=Maximilien |date=8 September 2019 |title=Jésus par Terrence Malick : Mark Rylance et Matthias Schoenaerts au casting |language=fr |work=[[AlloCiné]] |publisher=AlloCiné SA |url=http://www.allocine.fr/article/fichearticle_gen_carticle=18684043.html |access-date=9 September 2019}}</ref> In 2020 Rylance appeared in [[Aaron Sorkin]]'s legal drama ''[[The Trial of the Chicago 7]]'' which was  premiered on [[Netflix]]. He portrayed [[William Kunstler]], defence counsel, co-founder of the [[Center for Constitutional Rights]] (CCR), board member of the [[American Civil Liberties Union]] (ACLU), and active member of the [[National Lawyers Guild]]. The film received near universal praise and was nominated for six [[Academy Award]]s.

In the 2021 American political satire and science fiction film ''[[Don't Look Up]]'', directed by [[Adam McKay]], Rylance portrayed Peter Isherwell, a fictional eccentric billionaire CEO of tech company BASH and top supporter of President Janie Orlean.<ref>{{Cite web|date=24 January 2022|title=Mark Rylance in Don't Look Up Reminds Us of These Billionaires |url=https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/mark-rylance-in-dont-look-up-reminds-us-of-these-billionaires|access-date=31 January 2022|website=Netflix}}</ref> Delayed by the [[COVID-19 pandemic|COVID-19 Pandemic]], ''Dr Semmelweis'', a new play, based on the life of [[Ignaz Semmelweis]], written by [[Stephen Brown (playwright)|Stephen Brown]] and Rylance completed an extended run at the [[Bristol Old Vic]] in January and February 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|date=7 January 2022|title=Dr Semmelweis|url=https://bristololdvic.org.uk/whats-on/dr-semmelweis|access-date=9 January 2022|publisher=Bristol Old Vic}}</ref> Rylance played the lead role of Dr Semmelweis throughout the run in Bristol.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Mark Rylance to make his Bristol Old Vic debut this month|url=https://365bristol.com/story/2022/01/06/mark-rylance-to-make-his-bristol-old-vic-debut-in-dr-semmelweis-this-month/12932/|access-date=9 January 2022|website=365 Bristol}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=8 January 2022|title=Mark Rylance: 'Theatre is a thousand times more enjoyable than film'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/jan/08/mark-rylance-theatre-is-a-thousand-more-times-enjoyable-than-film|access-date=9 January 2022|work=The Guardian}}</ref> In 2022 Rylance appeared in ''[[The Outfit (2022 film)|The Outfit]]'',<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dargis |first1=Manohla |title='The Outfit' Review: The Violent Measure of a Man |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/17/movies/the-outfit-review.html |access-date=9 October 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=17 March 2022}}</ref> an American crime drama thriller film directed by [[Graham Moore (writer)|Graham Moore]] (his directorial debut), as an English tailor, or, as he prefers to be called, a "cutter", in Chicago whose main clients are a family of gangsters.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14114802/reference/ ''The Outfit'', at imdb.com (Retrieved 2 September 2022.)]</ref> In the same year, he appeared in the [[Luca Guadagnino]]-directed horror film ''[[Bones & All]]'', which premiered at the [[79th Venice International Film Festival]] on 2 September 2022,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2022/venezia-79-competition/bones-and-all|title=Biennale Cinema 2022 {{!}} Bones and All|website=[[Venice Biennale|La Biennale di Venezia]]|date=30 June 2022 |access-date=6 September 2022}}</ref> and ''[[Inland (2022 film)|Inland]]'', a British drama directed by Fridtjof Ryder in his directorial debut.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13002232/|title="Inland" (IMDb)|website=[[IMDb]] |access-date=2 October 2022}}</ref> In 2023 Rylance once again took the lead role in ''Dr Semmelweis'' as it transferred to the [[Harold Pinter Theatre]] in London's West End.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Evans |first=Connie |date=14 March 2023 |title=Sir Mark Rylance brings role as Dr Semmelweis to West End |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/mark-rylance-west-end-oscar-olivier-awards-government-b1067316.html |access-date=30 June 2023 |work=Evening Standard}}</ref><ref name=Stolworthy/> In 2024 he starred opposite [[J. Smith-Cameron]] in the West End revival of ''[[Juno and the Paycock]]'' at the [[Gielgud Theatre]].<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.playbill.com/article/mark-rylance-and-j-smith-cameron-will-star-in-west-end-revival-of-juno-and-the-paycock|title= Mark Rylance and J. Smith-Cameron Will Star in West End Revival of Juno and the Paycock|work= Playbill|accessdate= 14 May 2024}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
=== Marriage and family ===
In 1989 Rylance married the composer and playwright [[Claire van Kampen]], whom he met in 1987 while working on a production of ''The Wandering Jew'' at the [[National Theatre of Great Britain|National Theatre]]. They were married in [[Oxfordshire]].<ref name="Play On">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/11/18/play-on | title=Play On | magazine=[[The New Yorker]] | date=18 November 2013 | access-date=22 January 2015 | author=Schulman, Michael}}</ref> Through this marriage, he became a stepfather to her two daughters from a previous marriage, actress [[Juliet Rylance]] and filmmaker Nataasha van Kampen. Nataasha died in July 2012 at the age of 28, following which Rylance withdrew from his planned participation in the [[2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony]] in London and was replaced by [[Kenneth Branagh]].<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.thestage.co.uk/people/obituaries/2012/08/nataasha-van-kampen |title=Nataasha van Kampen |author=Baker, Richard Anthony |work=[[The Stage]]|date=1 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/06/mark-rylance-exits-olympics-opening |title=Mark Rylance exits from Olympics opening after step-daughter's death |author=Brown, Mark |work=[[The Guardian]]|date=6 July 2012}}</ref> Claire van Kampen died from cancer in 2025.<ref>{{cite news|url = https://variety.com/2025/theater/global/claire-van-kampen-dead-theater-composer-director-mark-rylance-wife-1236278002/|title = Claire van Kampen, Theater Composer, Director and Wife of Mark Rylance, Dies at 71|last = Shafer|first = Ellise|date = 18 January 2025|accessdate = 18 January 2025|work = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>

Rylance's brother, Jonathan Waters, died in May 2022 following a collision with a vehicle while cycling.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/jun/10/mark-rylance-pulls-out-of-three-jerusalem-shows-after-brothers-death | title=Mark Rylance pulls out of three Jerusalem shows after brother's death | website=[[TheGuardian.com]] | date=10 June 2022}}</ref>

=== Charity and activism ===
[[File:Mark Rylance (cropped).jpg|thumb|Rylance speaking at a rally of the [[Stop the War Coalition]] against the [[Syrian Civil War|war in Syria]] in [[London]] in 2015]]

Rylance became a patron of LIFT ([[London International Festival of Theatre]]) in 2013. He said about the festival: "I feel LIFT has done more to influence the growth and adventure of English theatre than any other organisation we have."<ref>LIFT website [http://liftfestival.com/blog_entry/1920/news/news/olivier_and_tony_winner_mark_rylance_announced_as_lift_patron "Olivier and Tony Winner Mark Rylance announced as LIFT Patron"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101120336/http://liftfestival.com/blog_entry/1920/news/news/olivier_and_tony_winner_mark_rylance_announced_as_lift_patron |date=1 November 2013}}, 23 May 2013.</ref> Rylance became patron of the London Bubble Speech Bubbles project in 2015. "I found a voice through making theatre and am proud to be the patron of Speech Bubbles, which helps hundreds of children to do the same."<ref>{{cite news|title=Announcing Mark Rylance as the patron of Speech Bubbles|url=http://www.londonbubble.org.uk/newsitem/2015-06-announcing-mark-rylance-as|publisher=London Bubble|date=27 April 2016}}</ref>

Rylance has been a supporter of the indigenous rights organisation [[Survival International]] for many years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatre-news/news/we-are-one-fundraising-performance-of-tribal-prose-and-poetry-at-apollo-with-west |title=We Are One a fundraising evening in aid of Survival International with performance of tribal prose and poetry from leading actors and musicians at Apollo Theatre 18 April |publisher=Londontheatre.co.uk |date= 8 March 2010|access-date=9 June 2014}}</ref> He is the creator and director of "We Are One", a fundraiser that took place at the [[Apollo Theatre]] in April 2010. The evening was a performance of tribal prose and poetry from some of the world's leading actors and musicians. Rylance is a patron of the London-based charity [[Peace Direct]] which supports grassroots peacebuilders in areas of conflict, and of the British [[Stop the War Coalition]].<ref>Stop the War Coalition, [http://www.stopwar.org.uk/index.php/officers "Stop the War Patrons, Officers and Steering Committee"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307144018/http://www.stopwar.org.uk/index.php/officers |date=7 March 2016}}, 2016.</ref> He is a member of the [[Peace Pledge Union]], a network of pacifists in the UK. He performed the life and words of Henri, a man living in war-torn eastern Congo, during a presentation in New York City in 2011. He is also patron of The Outside Edge Theatre Company.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://edgetc.org/our-patrons/ |title=Our Patrons |publisher=The Outside Edge Theatre Company |access-date=19 March 2022}}</ref> It works from the perspective of creating theatre and drama with people affected by substance abuse. It provides theatre interventions in drug and alcohol treatment and general community facilities throughout Britain, as well as producing professional public theatre productions that take place in theatres, studio theatres, and art centres.

Rylance has long been an enthusiastic supporter of [[Conscience: Taxes for Peace not War]], which works to change British tax law to allow [[conscientious objector]]s the right to redirect that portion of their taxes which would usually go to the military into non-violent methods of conflict resolution.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.conscienceonline.org.uk/2017/01/arise-sir-mark-rylance/ |title=Arise, Sir Mark Rylance! |last=Dolan |first=Shaughan |date=6 January 2017 |website=[[Conscience: Taxes for Peace not War]] |access-date=2 February 2017}}</ref> In November 2019, along with other public figures, Rylance signed a letter supporting [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] leader [[Jeremy Corbyn]] describing him as "a beacon of hope in the struggle against emergent far-right nationalism, [[xenophobia]] and racism in much of the democratic world" and endorsed him in the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 UK general election]].<ref name="nme">{{cite news |last=Neale|first=Matthew|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/new-letter-supporting-jeremy-corbyn-2568734|title=Exclusive: New letter supporting Jeremy Corbyn signed by Roger Waters, Robert Del Naja and more |work=[[NME]]|date=16 November 2019|access-date=27 November 2019}}</ref> In December 2019, along with 42 other leading cultural figures, he signed a letter endorsing the Labour Party under Corbyn's leadership in the 2019 United Kingdom general election. The letter stated that "Labour's election manifesto under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership offers a transformative plan that prioritises the needs of people and the planet over private profit and the vested interests of a few."<ref name="theguardian1">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/dec/03/vote-for-hope-and-a-decent-future|title= Vote for hope and a decent future |work=[[The Guardian]]|date=3 December 2019|access-date=4 December 2019}}</ref><ref name="theguardian2">{{cite news |last=Proctor|first=Kate|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/dec/03/coogan-klein-lead-cultural-figures-backing-corbyn-labour|title=Coogan and Klein lead cultural figures backing Corbyn and Labour|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=3 December 2019|access-date=4 December 2019}}</ref>

In 2020 he cut ties with the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] due to its sponsorship by [[BP]] stating, "I came to the incontrovertible conclusion that BP is neither sincere nor serious in addressing the climate crisis."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rylance |first=Mark |date=21 June 2019 |title=With its links to BP, I can't stay in the Royal Shakespeare Company |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jun/21/royal-shakespeare-company-rsc-bp-sponsorship-climate-crisis |access-date=21 June 2023 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> He has supported making [[ecocide]] a crime at the [[International Criminal Court]], saying, "I believe that ecocide law is very much needed and inevitably on its way. It will be an important step towards a deep connection with Nature. It will provide the moral impetus to change 'business as usual' and lead us towards a true humble love for our home, the Earth."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Supporters of Ecocide Law |url=https://www.stopecocide.earth/supporters |access-date=21 June 2023 |publisher=Stop Ecocide International}}</ref>

=== Interests ===
Rylance has expressed much interest in [[crop circle]]s<ref>{{Cite news|last=Bunbury |first=Stephanie |date=15 June 2016 |title='Crop circle counsellor' to Prince Charles, Mark Rylance also makes a superb BFG |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/mark-rylance-20160615-gpjazm.html |access-date=31 October 2022 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref> and bonded with [[King Charles III]] over them.<ref>{{Cite news |title=I'm Charles's crop circle counsellor, says Wolf Hall star Rylance |work=The Belfast Telegraph |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breakingnews/offbeat/im-charless-crop-circle-counsellor-says-wolf-hall-star-rylance-34816720.html |access-date=31 October 2022 |issn=0307-1235}}</ref> He rejects criticism of his views:<blockquote>But I've met Prince Charles a number of times now – because he's a great lover of Shakespeare – and I think he's a very conscious person and a good influence. ... Partly, in the end, I felt that because I have an interest in a number of subjects that people try to write off, like Shakespeare's authorship or crop circles – they say I'm insane or not mentally stable – that somehow, a knighthood makes it a little less easy to write me off.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Mark Rylance talks 'Dunkirk', war and politics |url=https://www.timeout.com/film/jerusalem-star-mark-rylance-on-new-war-blockbuster-dunkirk |access-date=2022-10-31 |website=Time Out Worldwide |date=17 July 2017}}</ref></blockquote>

Rylance has cited [[Robert Mitchum]] as one of his favourite actors and the 1975 [[Akira Kurosawa]] film ''[[Dersu Uzala (1975 film)|Dersu Uzala]]'' as his favourite film.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/columnists/gary_thompson/oscar-winner-mark-rylance-dunkirk-20170713.html|title=Oscar-winner Mark Rylance talks about his everyman role in 'Dunkirk'|date=13 July 2017 }}</ref><ref name=Stolworthy>{{cite news|url=https://news.yahoo.com/mark-rylance-names-favourite-film-104413762.html|title=Mark Rylance names his favourite film and Shakespeare role he found 'most challenging'|work=The Independent|last=Stolworthy|first=Jacob|date=18 June 2023|access-date=8 July 2023}}</ref>

==Acting credits and accolades==
{{Main| Mark Rylance on screen and stage|List of awards and nominations received by Mark Rylance}}
Rylance has received numerous nominations and awards for his performances, including wins at the [[Tony Award]]s and [[BAFTA Awards]]. At the [[88th Academy Awards]], Rylance won the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]] for his portrayal of [[Rudolf Abel]] in ''[[Bridge of Spies (film)|Bridge of Spies]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Actor in a Supporting Role|url=http://oscar.go.com/nominees/actor-in-a-supporting-role|publisher=Oscar.go.com|access-date=29 February 2016}}</ref> He has received three [[Tony Awards]], making him one of only eight actors to have twice won the [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play]], while his nominations for ''Richard III'' and ''Twelfth Night'' in 2014 make him one of only six to be nominated in two acting categories in the same year.

Rylance was created a [[Knight Bachelor]] in the [[2017 New Year Honours]] for services to theatre.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=61803 |supp=y|page=N2|date=31 December 2016}}</ref>

== Bibliography ==
* Mark Rylance, Louis Jenkins. ''Nice Fish: a Play''. Grove Press, 4 April 2017. {{ISBN|0-8021268-5-5}}.
* Mark Rylance. ''Play'' – ''A Recollection in Pictures and Words of the First Five Years of Play at Shakespeares's Globe Theatre''. Photogr.: Sheila Burnett, Donald Cooper, Richard Kolina, John Tramper. Shakespeare's Globe Publ., London, UK. 2003. {{ISBN|0-9536480-4-4}}.
* ''The Wisdom of Shakespeare Series'' by Peter Dawkins (Foreword by Mark Rylance):
* ''The Wisdom of Shakespeare in As You Like It''. I.C. Media Productions, 1998. Paperback. {{ISBN|0-9532890-1-X}}.
* ''The Wisdom of Shakespeare in The Merchant of Venice''. I.C. Media Productions, 1998. Paperback. {{ISBN|0-9532890-0-1}}.
* ''The Wisdom of Shakespeare in Julius Caesar''. I.C. Media Productions, 1999. Paperback. {{ISBN|0-9532890-2-8}}.
* ''The Wisdom of Shakespeare in The Tempest''. I.C. Media Productions, 2000. Paperback. {{ISBN|0-9532890-3-6}}.
* ''The Wisdom of Shakespeare in Twelfth Night''. I.C. Media Productions, 2002. Paperback. {{ISBN|0-9532890-4-4}}.
* Peter Dawkins. ''The Shakespeare Enigma'' (Foreword by Mark Rylance). Polair, UK. 2004. Illustrated paperback, 476pp. {{ISBN|0-9545389-4-3}}.
* [[John Abbott]]. ''Improvisation in Rehearsal'' (Foreword by Mark Rylance). Nick Hern Books, UK. 2009. Paperback, 256pp. {{ISBN|978-1-85459-523-2}}.
* Dave Patrick. ''The View Beyond: Sir Francis Bacon: Alchemy, Science, Mystery'' (The View Series) (Foreword by Mark Rylance, Ervin Lazslo, Rose Elliot). Deep Books, UK. 2011. Paperback, 288pp. {{ISBN|978-1-905398-22-5}}.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|753314}}
* {{IBDB name}}
*
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCpz3KnjFho Interview] on ''[[Farinelli]]'' (theatre play), ''[[Bridge of Spies (film)|Bridge of Spies]]'' etc. Oct-2015
* [http://www.sirbacon.org/markrylance.htm Interview with Mark Rylance at the Globe on wisdom, Sir Francis Bacon, Shakespeare Jun-94]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcE_eLR1JKc Mark Rylance performing the Peacebuilder, Henri Ladyi, Congo]
* [http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsR/rylance-mark.html doollee.com listing of Rylance's works written for the stage]{{subscription required}} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303230148/http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsR/rylance-mark.html |date=3 March 2016 }}
* [https://www.spotlight.com/news-and-advice/interviews-podcasts/self-motivating-through-difficult-times-with-ricardo-p-lloyd/ Spotlight.com Rylance's referenced by other stars]

{{Navboxes
|title = [[List of awards and nominations received by Mark Rylance|Awards for Mark Rylance]]
|list =
{{Academy Award Best Supporting Actor}}
{{AACTA International Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{AARP Movies for Grownups Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{British Academy Television Award for Best Actor 2000–2019}}
{{Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Actor}}
{{DramaDesk PlayOutstandingActor 2001–2025}}
{{Distinguished Performance Award}}
{{Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor}}
{{OlivierAward PlayActor 1985–2000}}
{{London Film Critics Circle Award for Supporting Actor of the Year}}
{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{Satellite Award Best Actor Television Miniseries or Film}}
{{TonyAward PlayLeadActor 2001–2025}}
{{TonyAward PlayFeaturedActor 2001–2025}}
{{TFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{Trewin Award for Best Shakespearean Performance}}
{{Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
}}
{{British Triple Crown of Acting winners}}

{{Portalbar|Biography|Film}}
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[[Category:1960 births]]
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[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
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[[Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]]
[[Category:Audiobook narrators]]
[[Category:Best Actor BAFTA Award (television) winners]]
[[Category:Best Supporting Actor AACTA International Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Supporting Actor BAFTA Award winners]]
[[Category:British pacifists]]
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[[Category:English male dramatists and playwrights]]
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[[Category:University School of Milwaukee alumni]]