Ian David McShane (born 29 September 1942) is a versatile English actor with a distinctive, purring voice. He first solidified his reputation in the British series Lovejoy, but his career experienced in renaissance with his fierce performance as Al Swearengen in Deadwood, which led to a prolific later career in a wide range of high-profile film and television productions.
His many roles on screen have been predominantly villainous, including Judas Iscariot in Jesus of Nazareth, Blackbeard in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Tai Lung in Kung Fu Panda, and bisexual Gayngster Teddy Bass in Sexy Beast. However, he also plays good guys, such as Mr. Bobinsky in Coraline and King Brahmwell in Jack the Giant Slayer. Incidentally, he was at drama school with John Hurt and they shared an apartment, leading to a lifelong friendship.
Oh, and that picture of him up there? He's 79, by the way.
Tropes related to his works:
- Affably Evil: His characters are usually pretty untrustworthy but that doesn't stop them from being charming, even if it's insincere due to his incredible charisma and dry wit.
- Badass Baritone: His mellifluous, purring voice is very distinctive.
- Classically Trained Extra: This is averted with his roles in Kung Fu Panda, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, American Horror Story, and Jack the Giant Slayer, which he, apparently, enjoyed immensely. He seems to enjoy the weirder, blockbuster-y roles just as much as classical theater. Though he does have fun with it and doesn't take it too seriously, famously referirng to Game of Thrones with:
"Get a fucking life! It's just tits and dragons!" - Cool Old Guy: Some of his later roles have him as this, most notably Winston and Septon Ray.
- Deadpan Snarker: His characters tend to get the best lines.
- Evil Brit: Frequently.
- Evil Old Folks: Can still play menacing villains well into his seventies.
- Evil Sounds Deep: He has a very deep voice and he plays villains a lot.
- Older Than They Look: He's aged very well. He's almost 80 but looks to be in his early sixties at the most and was sixty when he started Series/Deadwood but looked to be in his mid-forties/early fifties at the most.
- Oop North: He is from Manchester and has a notable accent.
- Playing Against Type:
- In Game of Thrones, where he plays one of the few unashamedly and unambiguous good characters in the series.
- Even moreso in Coraline, where he's a downright goofy Russian entertainer.
Film Roles
- 1967 Wuthering Heights as Heathcliff
- 1969 Battle of Britain as Andy
- 1973 The Last of Sheila as Anthony
- 2000 Sexy Beast as Teddy Bass
- 2003 Agent Cody Banks as Dr. Brinkman
- 2006 Scoop as Joe Strombel
- 2006 We Are Marshall as Paul Griffen
- 2007 Shrek the Third as Captain Hook
- 2007 Hot Rod as Frank Powell
- 2007 The Seeker as Merriman Lyon
- 2007 The Golden Compass as Ragnar Sturlusson
- 2008 Kung Fu Panda as Tai Lung
- 2008 Death Race as Coach
- 2009 Coraline as Mr. Bobinsky
- 2011 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides as Blackbeard
- 2012 Snow White and the Huntsman as Beith
- 2013 Jack the Giant Slayer as King Brahmwell
- 2014 Cuban Fury as Ron Parfitt
- 2014 Hercules (2014) as Amphiaraus
- John Wick as Winston
- John Wick (2014)
- John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
- John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019)
- 2019 Hellboy as Professor Trevor "Broom" Bruttenholm
Television Roles
- 1977 Jesus of Nazareth as Judas Iscariot
- 1986–1994 Lovejoy as Lovejoy
- 1989 Dallas as Don Lockwood
- 1989 Miami Vice as General Manuel Borbon
- 1990 Columbo as Leland (episode "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo")
- 2004–2006 Deadwood as Al Swearengen
- 2009 Kings as King Silas Benjamin
- 2010 The Pillars of the Earth as Waleran Bigod
- 2012 American Horror Story: Asylum as Leigh Emerson
- 2015 Ray Donovan as Andrew Finney
- 2016 Game of Thrones as Septon Ray
- 2017 American Gods (2017) as Mr. Wednesday/Odin.
