View source for Simon Russell Beale

{{Short description|British actor (born 1961)}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix   = Sir
| name               = Simon Russell Beale
| honorific_suffix   = [[CBE]]
| image              = Simon Russell Beale.jpg
| caption            = Beale in 2011
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1961|01|12}}
| birth_place        = [[Penang]], [[Federation of Malaya]]
| occupation         = {{hlist|Actor|author|historian}}
| education          = [[Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br />[[Guildhall School of Music and Drama]] ([[Graduate diploma|GrDip]])
| years_active       = 1985–present
| awards             = [[List of awards and nominations received by Simon Russell Beale|Full list]]
| module             = {{Listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=Simon Russell Beale BBC Radio4 Desert Island Discs 08 July 2007 b007rwff.flac|title={{center|Simon Russell Beale's voice}}|type=speech|description={{center|[[:File:Simon Russell Beale BBC Radio4 Desert Island Discs 08 July 2007 b007rwff.flac|Recorded July 2007]] from the BBC Radio 4 programme ''[[Desert Island Discs]]''}}}}
}}
'''Sir Simon Russell Beale''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE}} (born 12 January 1961) is an English actor. He has been described by ''[[The Independent]]'' as "the greatest stage actor of his generation".<ref>{{cite news |author=David Lister |date=22 February 2008 |title=Inside the World of Theatre's Most Reluctant Hero |work=The Independent |location=London |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/inside-the-world-of-theatres-most-reluctant-hero-785209.html |access-date=27 January 2009}}</ref> He has received [[List of awards and nominations received by Simon Russell Beale|various accolades]], including two [[BAFTA Awards]], three [[Olivier Awards]], and a [[Tony Award]]. For his services to drama, he was [[knighted]] by [[Queen Elizabeth II]] in 2019.

Beale started his acting career at the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] and [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]]. He has received ten [[Laurence Olivier Award]] nominations, winning three awards for his performances in ''[[Volpone]]'' (1996), ''[[Candide (operetta)|Candide]]'' (2000), and ''[[Uncle Vanya]]'' (2003). For his work on the [[Broadway (theatre)|Broadway]] stage he has received a [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play]] nomination for his performance as George in the [[Tom Stoppard]] play ''[[Jumpers (play)|Jumpers]]'' in 2004. For his role as [[Henry Lehman]] in ''[[The Lehman Trilogy]]'', he won the [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play]] and was nominated for an [[Olivier Award]].

Beale made his film debut in [[Sally Potter]]'s period drama ''[[Orlando (film)|Orlando]]'' (1992). He gained prominence for his roles in ''[[Persuasion (1995 film)|Persuasion]]'' (1995), ''[[Hamlet (1996 film)|Hamlet]]'' (1996), ''[[My Week with Marilyn]]'' (2011), ''[[The Deep Blue Sea (2011 film)|The Deep Blue Sea]]'' (2011), ''[[Mary Queen of Scots (2018 film)|Mary Queen of Scots]]'' (2018), ''[[Benediction (film)|Benediction]]'' (2021), and ''[[The Outfit (2022 film)|The Outfit]]'' (2022). In 2017, he portrayed [[Lavrentiy Beria]] in [[Armando Iannucci]]'s ''[[The Death of Stalin]]'', for which he received the [[BIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor|British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actor]].

Beale has also appeared in the television projects ''[[The Young Visiters#Adaptations|The Young Visiters]]'' (2003), ''[[Dunkirk (TV series)|Dunkirk]]'' (2004), and ''[[Vanity Fair (2018 TV series)|Vanity Fair]]'' (2018). He earned two [[British Academy Television Awards]]: one for [[British Academy Television Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] for ''[[A Dance to the Music of Time (TV series)|A Dance to the Music of Time]]'' (1998), and the other for [[British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]] for ''[[Henry IV, Part I and Part II (film series)|Henry IV, Part I and Part II]]'' (2012). From 2014 to 2016, he was part of the main cast of [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]]'s ''[[Penny Dreadful (TV series)|Penny Dreadful]]'', and since 2024 in ''[[House of the Dragon]]''.

== Early life and education ==
Beale was born on 12 January 1961, one of six children of [[Captain (British Army)|Captain]], later [[Lieutenant General]], Sir [[Peter Beale (British Army officer)|Peter Beale]] and his wife Julia ''née'' Winter. He was born in [[Penang]], [[Federation of Malaya|Malaya]], where his father was serving in the [[Army Medical Services]]. His father later, from 1991 to 1994, served as [[Surgeon-General (United Kingdom)|Surgeon-General of HM Armed Forces]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Biography |url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/84/Simon-Russell-Beale.html |work=filmreference |year=2008 |access-date=22 January 2009}}</ref> Several other members of Beale's family have pursued successful careers in medicine.

Beale was first drawn to performance when, at the age of eight, he became a [[chorister]] at [[St Paul's Cathedral]] and a pupil at the adjoining [[St Paul's Cathedral School]]. His secondary education was undertaken at the independent [[Clifton College]] in Bristol.<ref>{{cite web | title=History of Clifton College established in 1862 by Dr John Percival | website=Clifton College | date=3 January 2024 | url=https://www.cliftoncollege.com/about/history/ | ref={{sfnref | Clifton College | 2024}} | access-date=19 July 2024}}</ref>

His first stage performance was as [[Hippolyta]] in ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'' at primary school.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Mick |last=Le Moignan |title=Generations in Harmony |journal=Once a Caian... |volume=15 |year=2015 |pages=12–13 |url=https://issuu.com/gonvillecaiuscollege/docs/once_a_caian._issue_15 }}</ref> In the sixth form at Clifton he also performed in ''[[Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead]]'', a play in which he would later star at the National Theatre.

After Clifton, he went to [[Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge]], and obtained a [[first class honours|first]] in English, after which he was offered a place to undertake a PhD. He pursued further studies at [[Guildhall School of Music and Drama]], graduating in 1983.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

== Career ==
=== Early work ===
Beale first came to the attention of theatre-goers in the late 1980s with a series of lauded comic performances, which were on occasion extremely camp, in such plays as ''The Man of Mode'' by [[George Etherege]] and ''Restoration'' by [[Edward Bond]] at the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] (RSC). He broadened his range in the early 1990s with moving performances as Konstantin in [[Chekhov]]'s ''[[The Seagull]]'', as Oswald in [[Ibsen]]'s ''[[Ghosts (play)|Ghosts]]'', Ferdinand in ''[[The Duchess of Malfi]]'' and as Edgar in ''[[King Lear]]''. At the first annual [[Ian Charleson Awards]] in January 1991, he received a special commendation for his 1990 performances of Konstantin in ''The Seagull'', [[Thersites]] in ''[[Troilus and Cressida]]'' and Edward II in ''[[Edward II (play)|Edward II]]'', all at the RSC.<ref>"Timely tributes for a new generation of actors", ''[[Sunday Times]]'', 13 January 1991.</ref>

It was at the RSC that he first worked with [[Sam Mendes]], who directed him as Thersites in ''Troilus and Cressida'', as ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]'' and as [[Ariel (Shakespeare)|Ariel]] in ''[[The Tempest]]'', in the last of which he revealed a fine tenor voice. Mendes also directed him as [[Iago]] in ''[[Othello]]'' at the [[Royal National Theatre]] and in Mendes's farewell productions at the [[Donmar Warehouse]] in 2002, Chekhov's ''[[Uncle Vanya]]'', in which Beale played the title role, and ''[[Twelfth Night]]'', in which he played [[Malvolio]]. He won the 2003 [[Laurence Olivier Award]] for ''Uncle Vanya''.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

Since 1995, he has been a regular at the National Theatre, where his roles have included Mosca in [[Ben Jonson]]'s ''[[Volpone]]'' opposite [[Michael Gambon]], George in [[Tom Stoppard]]'s ''[[Jumpers (play)|Jumpers]]'' and the lead in ''[[Humble Boy]]'' by Charlotte Jones, a part written specially for him. In 1997, he played the pivotal role of [[Kenneth Widmerpool]] in a television adaptation of [[Anthony Powell]]'s ''[[A Dance to the Music of Time]]'', for which he won the Best Actor award at the [[British Academy Television Awards]] in 1998. The following year, he was a key part of [[Trevor Nunn]]'s ensemble, playing in [[Leonard Bernstein]]'s ''[[Candide (operetta)|Candide]]'' (Voltaire/Pangloss), his "delivery of the lines [...] true to [[Voltaire]] in that it is simultaneously hilarious and horrible",<ref>[[Rodney Milnes|Milnes, Rodney]]. Best of all possible texts? Rodney Milnes on the RNT's 'Candide' (review of performance, April 1999). ''[[Opera (British magazine)|Opera]]'', June 1999, Vol.50, No.6, p.633-636.</ref> [[Edward Bulwer-Lytton]]'s ''Money'' and [[Maxim Gorky]]'s ''Summerfolk'' at the National. In autumn 2006, he played [[Galileo]] in [[David Hare (dramatist)|David Hare]]'s adaption of [[Brecht]]'s ''[[Life of Galileo]]'' and as Face in ''[[The Alchemist (play)|The Alchemist]]''.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

=== 2000s ===
In 2000, he played Hamlet in a production directed by John Caird for the National Theatre, a role for which he was described by ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' as "portly [and] relatively long in the tooth".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/ten-great-hamlets-of-our-time/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/ten-great-hamlets-of-our-time/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Telegraph – Hamlet|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=18 May 2016|last1=Cavendish|first1=Dominic}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In 2005, Beale was directed by [[Deborah Warner]] as Cassius in ''[[Julius Caesar (play)|Julius Caesar]]'' alongside [[Ralph Fiennes]] as Antony. That same year, he played the title role in ''[[Macbeth]]'' at the Almeida Theatre. In 2007, he reprised his 2005 [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] role as [[King Arthur]] in the [[Monty Python]] musical ''[[Spamalot]]'' at the [[Palace Theatre, London]].

From December 2007 to March 2008, he played Benedick in ''[[Much Ado About Nothing]]'' directed by [[Nicholas Hytner]] at the National Theatre and from February to July 2008, he played Andrew Undershaft in Hytner's production of Shaw's ''[[Major Barbara]]''; he then appeared in [[Harold Pinter]]'s ''[[A Slight Ache]]'' and ''[[Landscape (play)|Landscape]]''.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

In 2008, he made his debut as a television presenter, fronting the [[BBC]] series ''[[Sacred Music (TV series)|Sacred Music]]'' with [[Harry Christophers]] and [[The Sixteen]]. Various specials and a second series have since been produced; the most recent episode ''(Monteverdi in Mantua: The Genius of the Vespers)'' was broadcast in 2015. In spring 2009, Beale and Sam Mendes collaborated on ''[[The Winter's Tale]]'' and ''[[The Cherry Orchard]]'', in which Beale played Leontes and Lopakhin respectively, at the [[Brooklyn Academy of Music]], later transferring to the [[Old Vic Theatre]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://theater2.nytimes.com/2009/02/23/theater/reviews/23winter.html?pagewanted=1|title=Alas, Poor Leontes (That Good King Has Not Been Himself of Late)|last=Bradley|first=Ben|date=23 February 2009|work=The New York Times|access-date=25 June 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturecritics/charlesspencer/5493239/The-Winters-Tale-The-Cherry-Orchard-at-the-Old-Vic-review.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090722011335/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturecritics/charlesspencer/5493239/The-Winters-Tale-The-Cherry-Orchard-at-the-Old-Vic-review.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 July 2009|title=The Winter's Tale, The Cherry Orchard at the Old Vic, review|last=Spencer|first=Charles|author-link=Charles Spencer (journalist)|date=10 June 2009|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|quote=Simon Russell Beale, for my money this country's greatest stage actor, stars in both shows|access-date=25 June 2009|location=London}}</ref>

From 2009 to 2010, he played [[George Smiley]] in the [[BBC Radio 4]] adaptation of all the [[John le Carré]] novels in which Smiley featured. These were broadcast in nineteen 90-minute or 60-minute full cast radio plays.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/smiley-season/ |title=The Complete Smiley |access-date=21 May 2010 |date=19 May 2009 |work=BBC Radio 4 |publisher=BBC }}</ref> From March to June 2010, he played Sir Harcourt Courtly in ''[[London Assurance]]'', again at the National. In August 2010, he appeared in the first [[West End theatre|West End]] revival of ''[[Deathtrap (play)|Deathtrap]]'' by [[Ira Levin]]. In March 2011, he made his debut with [[The Royal Ballet]] in ''[[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]'' as the Duchess. In October 2011, he returned to the National to star as [[Joseph Stalin]] in the premiere of ''[[Collaborators (play)|Collaborators]]'', for which he won Best Actor at the 2012 [[Evening Standard Award]]s.

=== 2010s ===
In 2010–11, Beale played the Coalition [[Home Secretary]] William Towers in the two final series of [[BBC One]]'s spy drama, ''[[Spooks (TV series)|Spooks]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mf4b/features/full-credits|title=BBC One – Spooks – Full Credits|publisher=BBC}}</ref> He played the title role in ''[[Timon of Athens]]'' at the National Theatre from July to October 2012. The production was broadcast to cinemas around the world (as was ''Collaborators'' earlier) on 1 November 2012 through the [[National Theatre Live]] programme.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/70226/productions/timon-of-athens-cast-creative-team.html|title=nationaltheatre.org.uk|access-date=29 December 2020}}{{Dead link|date=June 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> He starred in a revival of [[Peter Nichols (playwright)|Peter Nichols]]' ''[[Privates on Parade]]'' as part of [[Michael Grandage]]'s new [[West End theatre|West End]] season at the [[Noël Coward Theatre]] from December 2012 to March 2013.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}

In 2013, he won the [[British Academy Television Award]] (BAFTA) for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Falstaff in the BBC's [[The Hollow Crown (TV series)|The Hollow Crown]] series of TV films about Shakespeare's historical dramas [[Richard II (play)|''Richard II'']]; ''[[Henry IV, Part 1]];'' ''[[Henry IV, Part 2]];'' and [[Henry V (play)|''Henry V'']].<ref name=GRDN>{{cite news|title=TV Baftas 2013: all the winners|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/may/12/baftas-2013-all-the-winners|access-date=13 May 2013|newspaper=The Guardian|date=12 May 2013|location=London}}</ref> That same year he appeared in ''[[National Theatre Live: 50 Years On Stage]]'' (2013).

Beale appeared alongside [[John Simm]] in [[Harold Pinter]]'s ''[[The Hothouse]]'' at the [[Trafalgar Studios]] from May to August 2013, directed by [[Jamie Lloyd (director)|Jamie Lloyd]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/west-end-theatre/news/03-2013/simon-russell-beale-and-john-simm-star-in-lloyds-h_854.html |title=Simon Russell Beale & John Simm star in Lloyd's ''Hothouse'' |first=Rosie |last=Bannister |work="Whats On Stage |date=15 March 2013 |access-date=22 March 2018}}</ref> From January 2014, he played the title role in ''[[King Lear]]'' at the National Theatre, directed once again by Sam Mendes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/07-2013/kate-fleetwood-anna-maxwell-martin-and-olivia-vina_31424.html |title=Kate Fleetwood, Anna Maxwell Martin and Olivia Vinall join Russell Beale in Mendes' ''Lear'' |first=Rosie |last=Bannister |work=Whats On Stage |date=26 July 2013 |access-date=22 March 2018}}</ref> Also from 2014 to 2016 he starred as a main cast member in Showtime's ''[[Penny Dreadful (TV series)|Penny Dreadful]]'', in which he played an eccentric Egyptologist. In 2014, Beale was appointed the Cameron Mackintosh Professor of Contemporary Theatre at [[Oxford University]], based at [[St Catherine's College, Oxford|St Catherine's College]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/node/244|title=The Cameron Mackintosh Professor of Contemporary Theatre|publisher=University of Oxford|access-date=10 February 2015|archive-date=6 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106045638/http://www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/node/244|url-status=dead}}</ref>

From May to July 2015, he starred in ''[[Temple (play)|Temple]]'', a new play at the [[Donmar Warehouse]] about the [[2011 United Kingdom anti-austerity protests]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.donmarwarehouse.com/whats-on/donmar-warehouse/coming-up/2015/temple|title=Temple|work=donmarwarehouse.com|access-date=9 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110025312/http://www.donmarwarehouse.com/whats-on/donmar-warehouse/coming-up/2015/temple|archive-date=10 November 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> In September and October 2015, he played [[Samuel Foote]] in ''[[Mr Foote's Other Leg]]'' at the [[Hampstead Theatre]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/hampstead-theatre-russell-beale-david-hare_37821.html |title=Simon Russell Beale and David Hare in new Hampstead season |first=Theo |last=Bosanquet |work=Whats On Stage |date=15 May 2015|access-date=22 March 2018}}</ref> It transferred to the [[Theatre Royal Haymarket]] from October 2015 to January 2016.

In November 2016, Beale returned to the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] in Stratford-upon-Avon, to play Prospero in ''[[The Tempest]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/stratford-upon-avon-theatre/news/simon-russell-beale-to-feature-in-new-rsc-season_39484.html |title=Simon Russell Beale to feature in new RSC season |first=Daisy |last=Bowie-Sell |work=Whats On Stage |date=11 January 2016|access-date=22 March 2018}}</ref> In June 2017, it transferred to the [[Barbican Centre]] in London. In July 2018, Beale returned to the National, starring opposite [[Ben Miles]] and [[Adam Godley]] in ''[[The Lehman Trilogy]]'', again directed by Mendes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/national-theatres-the-lehman-trilogy-will-star-sim_45560.html |title=Simon Russell Beale to star in National Theatre's ''The Lehman Trilogy'' alongside Ben Miles and Adam Godley|first=Alex |last=Wood |work=Whats On Stage |date=18 January 2018|access-date=22 March 2018}}</ref> It transferred to the [[Piccadilly Theatre]] in the West End in May 2019. Beale starred in the title role of ''[[Richard II (play)|Richard II]]'' at the [[Almeida Theatre]] from December 2018 to February 2019.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/simon-russell-beale-anne-washburn-almeida-2019_47643.html |title=Simon Russell Beale, Patsy Ferran and Anne Washburn return in Almeida's new season|first=Daisy|last=Bowie-Sell |work=Whats On Stage |date=20 September 2018 |access-date=22 November 2018}}</ref>

=== 2020s ===
During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], Beale contributed as a guest speaker to ''[[The Show Must Go Online]]'s'' performance of ''[[Timon of Athens]]''.<ref>{{Webarchive|title=The show must go online announce full cast for livestreamed reading of Timon of Athens|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211075443/https://www.atthetheatre.co.uk/the-show-must-go-online-announce-full-cast-for-livestreamed-reading-of-timon-of-athens/ |date=11 February 2023 }} ''At The Theatre'' Retrieved 2 October 2020.</ref>

In the summer of 2021, Beale played [[JS Bach]] in the world première of Nina Raine's ''Bach and Sons'', directed by frequent collaborator [[Nicholas Hytner]] at his company's Bridge Theatre in London.<ref>[https://bridgetheatre.co.uk/whats-on/bach-and-sons/ "Bach and Sons"], ''Bridge Theatre''. Retrieved 25 July 2021.</ref>

During this time he re-rehearsed for the post-COVID return in late September of the [[Broadway (theatre)|Broadway]] transfer of the National Theatre production of ''[[The Lehman Trilogy]]'' whose run had been halted on 12 March 2020 by the pandemic. Beale reprised his role (along with [[Adam Godley]]) but, due to stage commitments in London for the RSC in the third part of the ''Wolf Hall'' trilogy, [[Ben Miles]] was replaced by [[Adrian Lester]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.broadway.com/buzz/200613/adrian-lester-to-replace-ben-miles-in-the-lehman-trilogy-new-broadway-dates-announced/|title= Adrian Lester to Replace Ben Miles in ''The Lehman Trilogy''; New Broadway Dates Announced|website= Broadway|first=Caitlin |last=Moynihan|date=4 June 2021|access-date= 8 January 2023}}</ref> Beale won a [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play]] for his performance in ''The Lehman Trilogy''.

In April 2023, it was announced that Beale had been cast as Ser [[List of House of the Dragon characters#Simon Strong|Simon Strong]] in the second season of ''[[House of the Dragon]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Moreau|first1=Jordan |title='House of the Dragon' Casts Alys Rivers and Three More Characters|url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/house-of-the-dragon-alys-rivers-season-2-1235592500/|work=Variety |date=24 April 2023}}</ref>

In April 2025, Beale returned to the Royal Shakespeare Company to play the title role in [[Titus Andronicus|''Titus Andronicus'']] in the [[Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon]], directed by Max Webster.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Akbar|first1=Arifa|title=Titus Andronicus review|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/apr/30/titus-andronicus-review-simon-russell-beale-swan-theatre-stratford|work=The Guardian|date=30 April 2025}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Beale is a past president of the [[Anthony Powell Society]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.anthonypowell.org/home.php?page=G06 |title=anthonypowell.org |access-date=22 August 2015 |archive-date=22 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122033912/http://www.anthonypowell.org/home.php?page=G06 |url-status=dead }}</ref> a tribute to his portrayal of [[Kenneth Widmerpool]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Curtis|first1=Nick|title=Simon Russell Beale: Some people say that I'm a national treasure. I'd rather be a Bond villain|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/simon-russell-beale-some-people-say-that-im-a-national-treasure-id-rather-be-a-bond-villain-6501407.html|access-date=15 September 2014|newspaper=Evening Standard|date=10 August 2010}}</ref>

Beale is gay. In the ''[[Independent on Sunday]]'' 2006 [[Pink List]]&nbsp;– a list of the most influential gay men and women in the UK&nbsp;– he was placed at number 30.<ref>{{cite news|title=Gay Power: The pink list|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/gay-power-the-pink-list-406297.html|work=The Independent|date=2 July 2006}} {{subscription required}}</ref>

He was [[Knight Bachelor|knighted]] by [[Queen Elizabeth II]], at [[Buckingham Palace]], on 9 October 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.irishnews.com/magazine/entertainment/2019/10/10/news/sir-simon-russell-beale-a-bit-giggly-as-he-collects-knighthood-1735694/|title= Sir Simon Russell Beale 'a bit giggly' as he collects knighthood|website= Irish News|date= 10 October 2019|accessdate= 8 January 2023}}</ref>

== Acting credits ==
=== Film ===
{| class="wikitable unsortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1992
| ''[[Orlando (film)|Orlando]]''
| Earl of Moray
|
|-
| 1995
| ''[[Persuasion (1995 film)|Persuasion]]''
| Charles Musgrove
|
|-
| 1996
| ''[[Hamlet (1996 film)|Hamlet]]''
| Second gravedigger
|
|-
| 1999
| ''[[Blackadder: Back & Forth]]''
| [[Napoleon]]
| Short film
|-
| 2002
| ''[[The Gathering (2002 film)|The Gathering]]''
| Luke Fraser
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |2011
| ''[[The Deep Blue Sea (2011 film)|The Deep Blue Sea]]''
| William Collyer
|
|-
| ''[[My Week with Marilyn]]''
| Mr. Cotes-Preedy
|
|-
| 2014
| ''[[Into the Woods (film)|Into the Woods]]''
| Baker's Father
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |2016
| ''Cunk on Shakespeare''
| Himself
|
|-
| ''[[The Legend of Tarzan (film)|The Legend of Tarzan]]''
| Mr. Frum
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |2017
| ''[[My Cousin Rachel (2017 film)|My Cousin Rachel]]''
| Couch
|
|-
| ''[[The Death of Stalin]]''
| [[Lavrentiy Beria]]
| [[BIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor|British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actor]]
|-
| rowspan="3" |2018
| ''[[Museum (2018 film)|Museum]]''
| Frank Graves
|
|-
| ''[[Operation Finale]]''
| [[David Ben-Gurion]]
|
|-
| ''[[Mary Queen of Scots (2018 film)|Mary Queen of Scots]]''
| [[Robert Beale (diplomat)|Robert Beale]]
|
|-
| 2019
| ''[[Radioactive (film)|Radioactive]]''
| [[Gabriel Lippmann]]
|
|-
| 2020
| ''[[A Christmas Carol (2020 film)|A Christmas Carol]]''
| [[Ebenezer Scrooge]]
| Voice
|-
| rowspan="2" |2021
| ''[[Benediction (film)|Benediction]]''
| [[Robbie Ross]]
|
|-
| ''[[Operation Mincemeat (film)|Operation Mincemeat]]''
| [[Winston Churchill]]
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |2022
| ''[[The Outfit (2022 film)|The Outfit]]''
| Roy Boyle
|
|-
| ''[[Thor: Love and Thunder]]''
| [[Dionysus (Marvel Comics)|Dionysus]]
|
|-
| 2023
| ''[[Firebrand (2023 film)|Firebrand]]''
| [[Stephen Gardiner]]
|
|-
| 2025
| ''[[Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale]]''
| {{TBA}}
| Post-production
|-
| rowspan="2" |{{TableTBA}}
| ''[[The Magic Faraway Tree (film)|The Magic Faraway Tree]]''
| {{TBA}}
| Post-production
|-
| ''[[The Choral]]''
| {{TBA}}
| Post-production
|}

=== Television ===
{| class="wikitable unsortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1988
| ''[[A Very Peculiar Practice]]''
| Mark Stibbs
| Episode: "Art and Illusion"
|-
| 1992
| ''Downtown Lagos''
| Heron
| 3 episodes
|-
| 1993
| ''The Mushroom Picker''
| Anthony
| 3 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" |1997
| ''[[A Dance to the Music of Time (TV series)|A Dance to the Music of Time]]''
| Kenneth Widmerpool
| 4 episodes
|-
| ''The Temptation of Franz Schubert''
| [[Franz Schubert]]
| Television film
|-
| 1999
| ''[[Alice in Wonderland (1999 film)|Alice in Wonderland]]''
| King of Hearts
| Television film
|-
| 2003
| ''[[The Young Visiters]]''
| [[Prince of Wales]]
| Television film
|-
| 2004
| ''[[Dunkirk (TV series)|Dunkirk]]''
| [[Winston Churchill]]
| [[BBC]] Movie
|-
| 2006
| ''[[American Experience]]''
| [[John Adams]]
| Episode: "America's First Power Couple"
|-
| 2010–11
| ''[[Spooks (TV series)|Spooks]]''
| [[Home Secretary]]
| 13 episodes
|-
| 2012
| ''[[The Hollow Crown (TV series)|The Hollow Crown]]''
| [[Falstaff]]
| Episode: "[[Henry IV, Part I and Part II (film series)|Henry IV, Parts I & II]]"
|-
| 2014–16
| ''[[Penny Dreadful (TV series)|Penny Dreadful]]''
| Ferdinand Lyle
| 14 episodes
|-
| 2018
| ''[[Vanity Fair (2018 TV series)|Vanity Fair]]''
| John Sedley
| 6 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2024
| ''[[Mary & George]]''
| [[Sir George Villiers]]
| Miniseries
|-
| ''[[Douglas Is Cancelled]]''
| Bently
| Miniseries
|-
| ''[[House of the Dragon]]''
| [[List of House of the Dragon characters#Simon Strong|Ser Simon Strong]]
| Season 2
|-
|}

=== Theatre ===
'''Selected credits''':
{| class="wikitable unsortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Venue
|-
|1991 || ''[[The Seagull]]'' || Konstantin || Royal Shakespeare Company <br /> Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
|-
|1994 || ''[[The Tempest]]'' || [[Ariel (The Tempest)|Ariel]]|| Stratford, England
|-
|1995 || ''[[The Duchess of Malfi]]'' || Performer || Greenwich and West End
|-
|1995 || ''[[Volpone]]'' || Mosca || National Theatre, London
|-
|1996 || ''[[Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead]]'' || Performer || National Theatre, London
|-
|1997–98 || ''[[Othello]]'' || [[Iago]]|| National Theatre, London
|-
|1999 || ''Money'' || Alfred Evelyn || National Theatre, London
|-
|1999–2000 || ''Battle Royal'' || Performer || National Theatre, London
|-
|2001 || ''[[Hamlet]]'' || [[Hamlet]] || Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York City
|-
|2001 || ''[[Humble Boy]]'' || Performer || National Theatre, London
|-
|2002 || ''[[Uncle Vanya]]'' || Uncle Vanya || Donmar Warehouse, London <br />Brooklyn Academy of Music
|-
|2002 || ''[[Twelfth Night]]'' || [[Malvolio]]|| Donmar Warehouse
|-
|2004 || ''[[Jumpers (play)|Jumpers]]'' || George || [[Brooks Atkinson Theatre]], Broadway debut
|-
|2004 || ''[[Macbeth]]'' || [[Macbeth, King of Scotland|Macbeth]]|| Almeida Theatre
|-
|2005 || ''[[The Philanthropist (play)|The Philanthropist]]'' || Philip || Donmar Warehouse
|-
|2005–07 || ''[[Spamalot]]'' || [[King Arthur]] (replacement) || [[Shubert Theatre (New York City)|Shubert Theatre]], Broadway<br /> [[Palace Theatre, London|Palace Theatre]], London
|-
|2008 || ''[[Major Barbara]]'' || Andrew Undershaft  || Royal National Theatre
|-
|2009 ||''[[The Cherry Orchard]]''<br /> ''[[The Winter's Tale]]'' || Lopakhin<br />[[Leontes]]|| [[Brooklyn Academy of Music]]
|-
|2010 ||''[[London Assurance]]'' || Sir Harcourt Courtly || National Theatre, London
|-
|2011 ||''Bluebeard'' || Jimmy MacNeill || [[Atlantic Theater Company]]
|-
|2011 || ''[[Collaborators (play)|Collaborators]]'' || [[Joseph Stalin]] || Royal National Theatre, London<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/8863297/Collaborators-National-Theatre-review.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/8863297/Collaborators-National-Theatre-review.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Collaborators, National Theatre, review|last=Spencer|first=Charles|date=2 November 2001|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|access-date=9 November 2011|location=London}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
|-
|2012 || ''[[Timon of Athens]]'' || [[Timon of Athens (person)|Timon of Athens]]|| National Theatre, London
|-
|2012–13 || ''[[Privates on Parade]]'' || Captain Terri Dennis || Noël Coward Theatre
|-
|2014 || ''[[King Lear]]'' || [[Leir of Britain|King Lear]]|| National Theatre, London
|-
|2015 || ''Temple'' || Dean || Donmar Warehouse
|-
|2015 || ''Mr. Foote's Other Leg'' || Samuel Foote  || [[Hampstead Theatre]]
|-
|2016–17 || ''The Tempest'' || [[Prospero]]|| Royal Shakespeare Company <br /> Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Barbican Theatre, London
|-
|2018 || ''[[The Lehman Trilogy]]'' || [[Henry Lehman]] & [[Philip Lehman]] || National Theatre, London
|-
|2019 || ''[[The Tragedy of King Richard the Second]]'' || [[King Richard II]]|| [[Almeida Theatre]]
|-
|2019–20 || ''The Lehman Trilogy'' || Henry Lehman & Philip Lehman || [[Park Avenue Armory]], Off-Broadway<br /> Piccadilly Theatre, London
|-
|2020–21 || ''[[A Christmas Carol]]'' || [[Ebenezer Scrooge]] || [[Bridge Theatre]]
|-
|2021 || ''Bach & Sons'' || [[Johann Sebastian Bach]] || Bridge Theatre
|-
|2021–22 || ''The Lehman Trilogy'' || Henry Lehman & Philip Lehman || [[Nederlander Theatre]], Broadway<br /> [[Ahmanson Theatre]]
|-
|2022 || ''[[John Gabriel Borkman]]'' || John Gabriel Borkman || Bridge Theatre
|-
|2024–25
|''[[The Invention of Love]]''
|[[A. E. Housman]]
|Hampstead Theatre
|-
|2025
|[[Titus Andronicus|''Titus Andronicus'']]
|[[Titus Andronicus (character)|Titus Andronicus]]
|Royal Shakespeare Company <br /> [[Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon]]
|}
* Also appeared as Sir Politic Wouldbe, Volpone; title role, ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]''; and in ''[[The Man of Mode]]''; ''[[Troilus and Cressida]]''; ''[[The Trousers (play)|Die Hose]]'', Traverse Theatre; ''The Death of Elias Sawney'', Traverse Theatre; ''Sandro Manon'', Traverse Theatre; ''Look to the Rainbow'', Apollo Theatre; ''[[Women Beware Women]]'', Royal Court Theatre; ''[[A Winter's Tale]]''; ''Everyman in His Humour''; ''The Art of Success''; ''[[The Fair Maid of the West]]''; ''Speculators''; ''[[The Storm (Ostrovsky)|The Storm]]''; ''[[The Constant Couple]]''; ''Restoration''; ''Some Americans Abroad''; ''Mary and Lizzie''; ''Playing with Trains''; ''[[Edward II (play)|Edward II]]''; ''[[Love's Labour's Lost]]''; ''[[King Lear]]''; ''[[Ghosts (play)|Ghosts]]''; ''[[Candide]]''; ''[[Summerfolk]]''.

== Patronage ==
Beale is a [[patron]] of the following organisations:
* [[English Touring Theatre]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ett.org.uk/About_ETT/Patrons.html|title=ETT website|access-date=29 December 2020|archive-date=8 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100508235204/http://www.ett.org.uk/About_ETT/Patrons.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[South London Theatre]]
* [[London Symphony Chorus]]<ref name="LSO">{{cite press release | url=http://www.lsc.org.uk/about/news/321 | title=New Patron for LSC | access-date=20 December 2010 | date=14 December 2010 | publisher=London Symphony Chorus | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://archive.today/20121225001217/http://www.lsc.org.uk/about/news/321 | archive-date=25 December 2012 }}</ref>
* For Short Theatre Company<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://orpingtoncommunity.weebly.com/for-short-theatre-company.html|title=For Short Theatre Company|website=Orpington Community|access-date=29 December 2020}}</ref>
* Diamond Fund for Choristers<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cathedralmusictrust.org.uk/diamond-fund-choristers/about/dfc-patrons/|title=DFC Patrons|website=Friends of Cathedral Music|access-date=29 December 2020|archive-date=24 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124022627/https://cathedralmusictrust.org.uk/diamond-fund-choristers/about/dfc-patrons/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Awards and honours ==
{{Main|List of awards and nominations received by Simon Russell Beale}}
* 2003 – Appointed a [[Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire|CBE]] in the [[2003 Birthday Honours]]<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=56963 |date=14 June 2003 |supp=y |pages=7 }}</ref>
* 2005 – [[Honorary degree|Hon DLitt]] ([[University of Warwick|Warwick]])<ref>{{cite web |url=https://warwick.ac.uk/services/gov/hongrads/list |title=List of all Honorary Graduates and Chancellor's Medallists |publisher=University of Warwick |access-date=26 March 2020 }}</ref>
* 2010 – [[Honorary Bencher]] of [[Middle Temple]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.middletemple.org.uk/events|title=Diary of Events|publisher=Middle Temple|access-date=18 July 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210074204/http://www.middletemple.org.uk/Events|archive-date=10 December 2008}}</ref>
* 2010 – [[Honorary degree|Hon DUniv]] ([[Open University]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www8.open.ac.uk/students/ceremonies/files/ceremonies/file/graduate-directory-2010.pdf|title=Conferment of Honorary Degrees and Presentation of Graduates|publisher=Open University|access-date=12 November 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101008174609/http://www8.open.ac.uk/students/ceremonies/files/ceremonies/file/graduate-directory-2010.pdf|archive-date=8 October 2010 }}</ref>
* 2011 – Honorary [[Freedom of the City of London]] for services to drama<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/media_centre/news_2011/srb_freedom.htm|title=Granted the Freedom of the City of London|publisher=City of London|access-date=12 January 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120129090038/http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/media_centre/news_2011/srb_freedom.htm|archive-date=29 January 2012 }}</ref>
* 2015 – Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theatre, [[St. Catherine's College, Oxford]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/|title=St. Catherine's College Homepage|publisher=St. Catherine's College|access-date=27 February 2015}}</ref>
* 2018 – Premio Shakespeare Award<ref>{{cite web|title=La Royal Shakespeare Company anuncia el premio que le entregamos a Simon Russell Beale. {{!}} Fundación Romeo para las Artes Escenicas|url=http://www.fundacionromeo.org/la-royal-shakespeare-company-se-hace-anuncia-el-premio-que-le-entregamos-a-simon-russell-beale/|website=www.fundacionromeo.org|date=20 February 2018|language=es-ES}}</ref>
* 2019 – Made a [[Knight Bachelor]] in the [[2019 Birthday Honours]] for services to drama<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=62666|supp=y|page=B2|date=8 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Birthday Honours 2019: Olivia Colman and Bear Grylls on list |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48543826 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=8 June 2019 |access-date=8 June 2019 }}</ref>
* 2024 – Made Honorary Fellow of [[Somerville College, Oxford]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.some.ox.ac.uk/news/simon-russell-beale-awarded-honorary-fellowship/|title=Simon Russell Beale Awarded Honorary Fellowship|publisher=University of Oxford|date=11 June 2024}}</ref>

== Further reading ==
* Trowbridge, Simon, ''The Company: A Biographical Dictionary of the Royal Shakespeare Company'', Oxford: Editions Albert Creed, 2010. {{ISBN|978-0-9559830-2-3}}.

==See also==
* [[List of British actors]]
== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commonscat}}
* {{IMDb name|750971}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* [http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/?lid=4859 National Theatre: Platforms]
* [http://www.topix.net/who/simon-russell-beale Russell Beale news] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204053524/http://www.topix.net/who/simon-russell-beale |date=4 February 2012 }}
* [http://www.broadway.com/gen/Buzz_Story.aspx?ci=526110 Broadway.com Interview]
* [http://www.stratfordians.org.uk/ The Company: A Biographical Dictionary of the RSC: Online database]{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150924121613/http://www.debretts.com/people-of-today/profile/29671/Simon-RUSSELL-BEALE ''Debrett's People of Today'']

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Simon Russell Beale
|list =
{{British Academy Television Award for Best Actor}}
{{British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{BIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Actor}}
{{Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor}}
{{OlivierAward MusicalActor}}
{{OlivierAward PlayActor}}
{{OlivierAward PlaySupportingPerformance}}
{{RTS Programme Award for Best Performance by a Male Actor}}
{{TonyAward PlayLeadActor}}
{{Trewin Award for Best Shakespearean Performance}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beale, Simon Russell}}
[[Category:1961 births]]
[[Category:20th-century English LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century English LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:21st-century English male actors]]
[[Category:Actors awarded knighthoods]]
[[Category:Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama]]
[[Category:Audiobook narrators]]
[[Category:Best Actor BAFTA Award (television) winners]]
[[Category:Best Supporting Actor BAFTA Award (television) winners]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Critics' Circle Theatre Award winners]]
[[Category:English gay actors]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male musical theatre actors]]
[[Category:English male radio actors]]
[[Category:English male Shakespearean actors]]
[[Category:English male stage actors]]
[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:English male voice actors]]
[[Category:English music historians]]
[[Category:English people of Malaysian descent]]
[[Category:English television presenters]]
[[Category:Fellows of St Catherine's College, Oxford]]
[[Category:Knights Bachelor]]
[[Category:Laurence Olivier Award winners]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Male actors from Penang]]
[[Category:People associated with the Open University]]
[[Category:People associated with the University of Warwick]]
[[Category:People educated at Clifton College]]
[[Category:People educated at St. Paul's Cathedral School]]
[[Category:Royal Shakespeare Company members]]
[[Category:Tony Award winners]]