Ian McShane

Ian McShane is an English actor born on 29 September 1942 in Blackburn, Lancashire. He grew up in Davyhulme, Manchester, and attended Stretford Grammar School before joining the National Youth Theatre. He subsequently trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art alongside Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt, sharing a flat with Hurt, whom he later described as his oldest friend in the profession. While still a RADA student, McShane appeared alongside Hurt in his first film, The Wild and the Willing (1962), playing the role of Harry Brown. In 1963 he played Satan in the York Mystery Plays.

McShane's stage career brought him to Broadway, where he performed from 1967 to 2007, appearing in The Homecoming and Promise. His most prominent Broadway engagement was the 40th anniversary revival of Harold Pinter's The Homecoming, in which he starred as Max at the Cort Theatre from 16 December 2007 to 13 April 2008. The production was directed by Daniel Sullivan and co-starred Eve Best, Raúl Esparza, and Michael McKean. McShane received the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance in 2008 for his work in that revival.

On British television, McShane became widely recognized for playing antiques dealer Lovejoy in the BBC series of the same name, which ran in 1986 and again from 1991 to 1994. Earlier television work included the role of Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights (1967), Judas Iscariot in Jesus of Nazareth (1977), and the title role in Disraeli (1978). He also appeared as Don Lockwood in Dallas and portrayed King Silas Benjamin in Kings (2009), a series drawn from the biblical story of David. In 2010 he played Bishop Waleran Bigod in The Pillars of the Earth, a historical drama adapted from Ken Follett's novel. In 2012 he appeared in two episodes of American Horror Story as a sadistic serial killer, and in 2016 he joined the cast of Game of Thrones in Season 6 as Septon Ray.

McShane's most celebrated television role internationally is that of Al Swearengen in the HBO series Deadwood, which ran from 2004 to 2006. The performance earned him the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series Drama and a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. He reprised the character in Deadwood: The Movie, released on 31 May 2019, for which he also served as a producer and received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Television Movie. He subsequently played Mr. Wednesday in the series American Gods from 2017 to 2021.

His film career spans more than six decades. Early credits include If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969), Villain (1971), and Sexy Beast (2000), in which he played crime boss Teddy Bass. Later film work includes Blackbeard in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) and Winston Scott in the John Wick franchise, beginning in 2014. In animation, McShane voiced Tai Lung in Kung Fu Panda (2008), a role for which he received an Annie Award nomination, and reprised the character in Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024). Additional voice roles include Captain Hook in Shrek the Third, Ragnar Sturlusson in The Golden Compass, and Mr. Bobinsky in Coraline.

Beyond acting, McShane served as narrator on Grace Jones' 1985 concept album Slave to the Rhythm, which sold more than one million copies worldwide. In 1992 he released a solo studio album, From Both Sides Now, consisting of cover versions of popular songs, which reached number 40 on the UK Albums Chart. Since 2010 he has narrated the opening segments of ESPN's coverage of The Open Championship.

McShane was first married to English actress Suzan Farmer in 1965; they divorced in 1968. He married his second wife, English model Ruth Post, on 8 June 1968, and they have two children, Kate and Morgan. On 30 August 1980 he married American actress Gwen Humble, and the couple resides in Venice, California. McShane has three grandchildren through his elder daughter.