Angus Macfadyen
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
With his brooding dark looks and intense blue eyes, Angus Macfadyen made an auspicious debut and gained international prominence as Robert the Bruce in Mel Gibson's Oscar-winning epic "Braveheart" (1995).
Born in Scotland but raised in France, Macfadyen began his performing career as a child clown in a circus. He returned to Scotland to attend college and moved to London to attend drama school. He began making appearances with the Edinburgh Fringe Theatre, featured in such productions as "The Tempest" and "The Immortals." In 1991, his play "1905," which he has described as a sequel of sorts to Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya" won the Questor Award.
Macfadyen found frequent employment in British TV productions ranging from the Scottish series "Soldier, Soldier" to "The Lost Language of Cranes" (1992). In the latter, based on David Leavitt's novel, he was cast as Philip Benjamin, the gay son whose disclosure of his homosexuality leads to revelations about his father (Albert Finney). When the telefilm aired on PBS in the USA, it caused some controversy for brief nudity; a slightly edited version aired in some markets. The actor subsequently portrayed actor Richard Burton--to whom he bears a striking resemblance--in the unauthorized biopic "Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story" (NBC, 1995).
With his "Braveheart" performance as a direct ancestor of the current British royal family who eventually leads the Scottish commoners and nobles to independence, Macfadyen displayed both a magnetic screen presence and dramatic versatility. He next portrayed a German prisoner-of-war held in an Irish internment camp in "The Brylcreem Boys" (1996). Subsequently, he was cast as an art gallery owner conned by Joanna Going in "Still Breathing," played Amy Brenneman's estranged husband in the low-key thriller "Nevada" and was suitable villainous (although slightly over the top) as a warlord in the kidflick "Warriors of Virtue" (all 1997). Macfadyen next appeared as Orson Welles in Tim Robbins' ambitious period drama "Cradle Will Rock" and as Anthony Hopkins' son Lucius in "Titus" (both 1999).
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1991
Won the Questor Award for writing the play "1905," a sequel of sorts to Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya"
1992
Starred as a gay son in "The Lost Language of Cranes" for the BBC (later shown in the U.S. on PBS)
1995
Played Richard Burton in NBC's "Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story"
1995
Made feature film debut as Robert the Bruce in "Braveheart"
1997
Played villain in the children's movie "Warriors of Virtue"
1999
Appeared as Orson Welles in Tim Robbins' "Cradle Will Rock"
1999
Co-starred in Julie Taymor's film "Titus," based on Shakespeare's <i>Titus Andronicus</i>
2000
Portrayed Zeus in the NBC miniseries "Jason and the Argonauts"
2001
Landed a starring role in "A Woman's a Helluva Thing"
2002
Cast opposite Sandra Bullock in the "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood"
2003
Played Alva Keel on the ABC series "Miracles"
2006
Cast in the third installment of the horror film series "Saw III"
2007
Co-starred in the drag racing film "Redline"
2007
Reprised role for the fourth installment of the gory franchise "Saw IV"
2008
Appeared in a recurring role on the Showtime series "Californication"
2011
Cast in the Cameron Crowe directed family feature "We Bought a Zoo," starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson
Companions
