Iain Glen
{{Short description|Scottish actor (born 1961)}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Iain Glen
| image = Iain_Glen.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Glen in 2012
| birth_name =Iain Alan Sutherland Glen{{cite news |title=Gabriel and Me |url=http://iainglen.com/scotland-on-sunday-gabriel-and-me/ |last=Morrison |first=Lennox|access-date=23 October 2020 |work=Scotland on Sunday |date=28 October 2001}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1961|06|24|df=y}}
| birth_place = Edinburgh, Scotland
| years_active = 1986–present
| spouse = {{plainlist|
- {{marriage|Susannah Harker|1993|2004|end=div}}
- {{marriage|Charlotte Emmerson|2017}}
}}
| children = 3
| occupation = Actor
| nationality =
| education = {{Plainlist|
}}
Iain Alan Sutherland Glen (born 24 June 1961) is a Scottish actor.{{cite web|last=Murphy |first=Mekado |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/person/27225/Iain-Glen/biography |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080630055343/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/27225/Iain-Glen/biography |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 June 2008 |title=The New York Times |department=Movies & TV Dept. |publisher=Baseline & All Movie Guide |year=2008 |access-date=11 February 2017}} He has appeared as Dr. Alexander Isaacs/Tyrant in three films of the Resident Evil film series (2004–2016) and as Jorah Mormont in the HBO fantasy television series Game of Thrones (2011–2019). Other notable film and television roles include John Hanning Speke in Mountains of the Moon (1990), Larry Winters in Silent Scream (1990) for which he won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the Berlin International Film Festival, Manfred Powell in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), Brother John in Song for a Raggy Boy (2003), the title role in Jack Taylor (2010–2016), Sir Richard Carlisle in Downton Abbey (2011), James Willett in Eye in the Sky (2015), Bruce Wayne in Titans (2019–2021), Magnus MacMillan in The Rig (2023–present), and Dr. Pete Nichols in Silo (2023–present).
An accomplished stage actor, Glen has acted in a wide array of theatre including playing the titular roles in Shakespeare productions including Hamlet, Macbeth and Henry V. He received three Laurence Olivier Award nominations for his performances in the original production of the musical Martin Guerre, the West End production of The Blue Room and the 2006 West End revival of The Crucible, portraying John Proctor.
Early life and education
Glen was born on 24 June 1961 in Edinburgh, Scotland, and educated at the Edinburgh Academy, an independent school for boys (now co-educational), followed by the University of Aberdeen. He then trained in acting at the RADA in London,{{cite web |title=RADA Student & graduate profiles - Iain Glen |url=https://www.rada.ac.uk/profiles/iain-glen/ |work=rada.ac.uk |access-date=14 October 2023}} due to it being the only one holding auditions at that moment.{{cite web |last=Fisher |first=Mark |title=Out, out damned spotlight |url=https://archive.list.co.uk/the-list/1993-04-23/14/ |publisher=The List |access-date=30 October 2019 |date=23 April 1993}} He graduated in 1985 with an Acting (RADA) Diploma, having won the Bancroft Gold Medal. His older brother is Hamish Glen, artistic director of the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry and former artistic director of the Dundee Repertory Theatre.{{cite web |title=10 years at the top for our Artistic Director, Hamish Glen |url=http://www.belgrade.co.uk/news-and-blogs/news-list/10-years-at-the-top-for-belgrades-artistic-directo/ |website=Belgrade Theatre Coventry |access-date=10 July 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923171447/https://www.belgrade.co.uk/news-and-blogs/news-list/10-years-at-the-top-for-belgrades-artistic-directo/ |archive-date=23 September 2015}}
Career
Glen's big screen debut came in the 1988 film Paris by Night, alongside Charlotte Rampling and Michael Gambon. The same year, Glen appeared in Gorillas in the Mist with Sigourney Weaver. In 1990, Glen won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 40th Berlin International Film Festival for his role in Silent Scream.{{cite web|title=41st Berlin International Film Festival – Prizes & Honours 1991|url=https://www.berlinale.de/en/archive/jahresarchive/1991/03_preistraeger_1991/03_Preistraeger_1991.html|publisher=Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin|access-date=11 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191223140612/https://www.berlinale.de/en/archive/jahresarchive/1991/03_preistraeger_1991/03_preistraeger_1991.html|archive-date=23 December 2019|url-status=dead}} That year he was cast as Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, in Tom Stoppard's film adaptation of his play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.{{cite web |url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1990/03_preistr_ger_1990/03_Preistraeger_1990.html |title=Berlinale: 1990 Prize Winners |access-date=20 March 2011 |work=Berlinale.de |archive-date=24 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110124044311/http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1990/03_preistr_ger_1990/03_Preistraeger_1990.html |url-status=dead}}
In 1998, Glen was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Blue Room starring opposite Nicole Kidman.{{cite web |title=1999 Olivier Nominees Announced; Many To Reach Broadway |url=https://playbill.com/article/olivier-nominees-announced-many-to-reach-broadway-com-79460 |work=playbill.com |date=January 14, 1999}}
In 2002, Glen starred with Emilia Fox in the Italian-French-British romance-drama film The Soul Keeper, directed by Roberto Faenza.{{cite web |title=The Soul Keeper |url=https://variety.com/2003/film/reviews/the-soul-keeper-1200543956/ |work=variety.com|date=21 January 2003}} In 2008, Glen was Samson in the BBC Radio 3 production of Samson Agonistes directed by John Tydeman.{{cite web |title=John Milton season on Radio 3 - Drama On 3: Samson Agonistes |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/11_november/20/milton.shtml |work=bbc.co.uk|date=20 November 2008}}
Glen starred as John Fielding in the 2008 British TV mini-series City of Vice. Ian McDiarmid plays Henry Fielding (author of the novel Tom Jones) who along with his brother, John, started London's first professional police force.
In 2009, it was announced that Glen had joined the cast of the HBO series Game of Thrones, starring as Ser Jorah Mormont, a knight in exile from Westeros, who becomes adviser to Daenerys Targaryen (played by Emilia Clarke) when she joins the Dothraki.{{cite web |title=Game of Thrones Cast and Characters |url=https://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/cast-and-crew |work=hbo.com|access-date=15 January 2023}}
In 2010, he played the role of Father Octavian, leader of a sect of clerics who were on a mission against the Weeping Angels in "The Time of Angels"{{cite web |title=The Time of Angels - Doctor Who Series 5 Episode 4 of 13 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00s8dwd |work=bbc.co.uk|date=7 March 2014}} and "Flesh and Stone",{{cite web |title=Flesh and Stone - Doctor Who Series 5 Episode 5 of 13 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00s971z |work=bbc.co.uk|date=7 March 2014}} a two-episode story which formed part of the fifth season of the revived television series Doctor Who (played by Matt Smith). He appeared in the second series of Downton Abbey as Sir Richard Carlisle, a tabloid publisher who is a suitor to, and subsequently engaged to, Lady Mary.{{cite web |title=The 20 most despicable characters in Downton Abbey history, ranked |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/guide/article/2016/03/08/20-most-despicable-characters-downton-abbey-history-ranked |work=sbs.com.au|date=18 April 2016}}
From 2010 to 2016, Glen played the title character in the Irish TV crime series Jack Taylor, adapted from the novels by Ken Bruen, and set in Galway, Ireland.{{cite web |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/03/iain-glen-game-of-thrones-season-7-jack-taylor-jorah-mormont |title=Iain Glen's Jack Taylor Is the Perfect Fix for Your Game of Thrones Withdrawal |last=Robinson |first=Joanna |date=27 March 2017 |website=Vanity Fair |access-date=30 March 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170330014007/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/03/iain-glen-game-of-thrones-season-7-jack-taylor-jorah-mormont |archive-date=30 March 2017}}{{cite news |title=Game of Thrones actor plays hard-case private investigator Jack Taylor |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/game-of-thrones-actor-plays-hard-case-private-investigator-jack-taylor/S23O27YQ44TKKNXUGKW5G4TXAI/ |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=31 March 2017 |access-date=31 March 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212161504/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/game-of-thrones-actor-plays-hard-case-private-investigator-jack-taylor/S23O27YQ44TKKNXUGKW5G4TXAI/ |archive-date=12 February 2021}}
In the 2012 BBC drama series Prisoners' Wives, he plays Paul, the husband of Francesca, whose comfortable life comes crashing down when he is imprisoned for drug trafficking.{{cite web |title=Prisoners' Wives returns to BBC One |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2012/prisoners-wives2 |work=bbc.co.uk|date=21 December 2012}} The same year, he starred in a new four-part BBC Radio 4 adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo, written by Sebastian Baczkiewicz, and directed by Jeremy Mortimer and Sasha Yevtushenko.{{cite web |title=Radio 4 - Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01p53h9 |work=bbc.co.uk|access-date=15 January 2023}}
From December 2013 until early January 2014, Glen starred alongside Richard McCabe in Fortune's Fool at the Old Vic, directed by Lucy Bailey.{{cite web |title=Fortune's Fool; Middlemarch – review |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/jan/05/fortunes-fool-middlemarch-review|work=theguardian.com|date=5 January 2014}} He had been due to appear in the full run until late February 2014,{{cite web |title=Fortunes Fool |url=http://www.oldvictheatre.com/fortunes-fool/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131009035220/http://www.oldvictheatre.com/fortunes-fool|archive-date=9 October 2013}} but was forced to withdraw early to recover from illness, with his role taken by his understudy Patrick Cremin and then by William Houston, who joined the cast at around the same time as Glen's departure.{{cite web| url=https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/game-of-thrones-star-iain-glen-quits-play-with-mystery-illness-9048803.html| title=Game of Thrones star Iain Glen quits play with mystery illness| date=9 January 2014| work=Evening Standard| access-date=3 January 2016}}
In 2019, it was revealed that Glen would be portraying Bruce Wayne on the DC Universe TV series Titans.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/04/batman-game-of-thrones-star-will-portray-bruce-wayne-on-titans-dc-universe-1202593583/|title='Game Of Thrones' Star Will Portray Bruce Wayne/Batman On 'Titans'|first1=Geoff|last1=Boucher|date=11 April 2019}}
In 2023, Glen starred as Magnus MacMillan, in charge of the Kinloch Bravo oil rig in The Rig, in a cast that included Emily Hampshire, Martin Compston and Mark Addy.{{cite web |title=Meet the cast of The Rig |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/the-rig-prime-video-cast/ |work=radiotimes.com |date=6 January 2023}} The same year, he starred as William Carr in Operation Napoleon, a thriller directed by Óskar Þór Axelsson and based on Arnaldur Indriðason's best selling book of the same name.{{cite news |author1=Leo Barraclough |author2=Elsa Keslassy |title=Beta Cinema Sells Thriller 'Operation Napoleon,' Starring Iain Glen, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, to Key Territories (Exclusive) |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/global/beta-cinema-operation-napoleon-iain-glen-olafur-darri-olafsson-1235510212/ |access-date=4 February 2023 |work=Variety |date=2 February 2023}}
Glen plays Leonard in the upcoming Belgian film The Last Front, a story about a broken man who takes a stand during the First World War.{{cite news |last=De Wilde |first=Bas |date=25 August 2022 |title=Kortrijk wordt decor voor oorlogsfilm "The Last Front" |url=https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2022/08/24/oorlogsfilm-_the-last-front-opgenomen-in-kortrijk-voor-de-authen/ |work=VRT NWS |language=Dutch |access-date=28 August 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220828231843/https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2022/08/24/oorlogsfilm-_the-last-front-opgenomen-in-kortrijk-voor-de-authen/ |archive-date=28 August 2022}}{{Needs update|date=May 2024}}
Glen has received numerous nominations and awards for his performance in Game of Thrones. Notably, he won the Best Actor award at the 2016 Taormina Film Fest.{{Cite web |title=Taormina International Film Festival (2016) |url=http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000642/2016/1/ |access-date=7 August 2023 |website=IMDb}}
Personal life
Glen lives in south London with his wife and three children.{{Cite news |last=Glen |first=Iain |date=2022-04-28 |title=Iain Glen: 'The worst thing about being an actor? Producers think that we'll take drugs and get lost' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/iain-glen-worst-thing-actor-producers-think-take-drugs-get-lost/ |access-date=2024-05-18 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}
He is a keen cricketer, and has played for the Actors XI.{{cite news |last=Parkinson |first=Justin |date=26 July 2014 |title=Authors and actors revive cricket rivalry |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27903864 |work=BBC News Magazine|access-date=11 April 2019}}
Filmography
File:Ian glen.JPG on the set of Game of Thrones]]
| class="wikitable"
|+Key | style="background:#FFFFCC;"| {{dagger|alt=Not yet released}} |Denotes works that have not yet been released |
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| rowspan="2"|1988
| Wallace Sharp | |
| Gorillas in the Mist
| Brendan | |
| rowspan="4"|1990
| |
| Silent Scream
| Larry Winters |
| Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
| Hamlet | |
| Fools of Fortune
| William Quinton | |
| 1991
| Joey | |
| 1993
| Edward Foster | |
| 1998
| Mararía | Bertrand | |
| rowspan="2"|2000
| Tony | |
| Paranoid
| Stan | |
| rowspan="2"|2001
| Manfred Powell | |
| Gabriel & Me
| Dad | |
| rowspan="2"|2002
| Darkness | Mark | |
| The Soul Keeper |
| rowspan="2"|2003
| Brother John | |
| Spy Sorge
| |
| 2004
| Dr. Alexander Isaacs | |
| rowspan="4"|2005
| Alexander Auchinleck | |
| Vagabond Shoes
| Alec Murray | Short film |
| Tara Road
| Danny | |
| Kingdom of Heaven
| |
| 2006
| Small Engine Repair | Doug | |
| rowspan="3"|2007
| Orestes | |
| Resident Evil: Extinction
| Dr. Alexander Isaacs / Tyrant | |
| Mrs Ratcliffe's Revolution
| Frank Ratcliffe | |
| 2008
| Slapper | Red / Michael Simmons | Short film |
| rowspan="3"|2009
| Village Priest | |
| Harry Brown
| S.I. Childs | |
| The Case of Unfaithful Klara
| Denis | |
| 2011
| |
| 2013
| Uncle Ralph | |
| rowspan="2"|2014
| GuyQuezon | Narrator (voice) | Documentary |
| Monsters Behind the Iron Curtain
| Narrator (voice) | Documentary |
| rowspan="2"|2015
| Pasco | |
| Eye in the Sky
| James Willett | |
| rowspan="2"|2016
| Resident Evil: The Final Chapter | Dr. Alexander Isaacs | |
| Dusty and Me
| Mickey the Bubble | |
| 2017
| Nick Kendall | |
| rowspan="3"|2019
| Philip | |
| The Fabric of You
| Isaac (voice) | Short film |
| Isabel
| Colin | Short film |
| rowspan="3"|2020
| Jock Lawrence | |
| The Racer
| Sonny | |
| Black Beauty
| John Manly | |
| 2021
| Tides | Gibson | |
| 2022
| Hook | |
| 2023
| William Carr | |
| rowspan="2"|2024
| style="background:#FFFFCC;"|The Last Front | Leonard | Released in Belgium |
| style="background:#FFFFCC;"|What About Love {{dagger|alt=Not yet released}}
| American Ambassador | Post-production |
| TBA
| style="background:#FFFFCC;"|Quezon {{dagger|alt=Not yet released}} |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 1986
| Taggart | Scott Adair | Episode: "Knife Edge" |
| 1986–1989
| Allan Innes / Sailor / Ray | 3 episodes |
| 1988
| The Fear | Carl Galton | 5 episodes |
| 1991 |
| rowspan="2"|1992
| Tim Page | 4 episodes |
| Screen One
| Cmdr Powell | Episode: "Black and Blue" |
| 1993
| Missus | Father Pietro Salviati, Missus | Television film |
| 1996
| Biff | Television film |
| 1997
| Sebastian Stafford | 2 episodes |
| 1998
| Damon Morton | 2 episodes |
| 1999
| Mr. Preston | 4 episodes |
| rowspan="3"|2000
| Glasgow Kiss | Stuart Morrison | 6 episodes |
| The Wyvern Mystery
| Charles Fairfield | Television film |
| Anchor Me
| Nathan Carter | Television film |
| 2002
| Impact | Marcus Hodge | Television film |
| 2003
| Carla | Daniel | Television film |
| 2005
| 2 episodes |
| rowspan="2"|2007
| Gregor Dewhurst | Television film |
| The Relief of Belsen
| Television film |
| 2008
| 5 episodes |
| rowspan="3"|2009
| 5 episodes |
| Law & Order: UK
| Luke Slade | Episode: "Unsafe" |
| Into the Storm
| Television film |
| rowspan="2"|2010
| Father Octavian |
| Spooks
| Vaughn Edwards | 8 episodes |
| 2010–2016
| Jack Taylor | Series of television films |
| rowspan="2"|2011
| Crawford | 2 episodes |
| Downton Abbey |
| 2011–2019 |
| rowspan="2"|2012
| Haven | Roland Holloway | Episode: "Real Estate" |
| Henry IV, Part II
| Episode of The Hollow Crown |
| 2012–2013
| Paul |
| rowspan="4"|2013
| Borgia | 2 episodes |
| Ripper Street
| Colonel Madoc Faulkner | Episode: "The Weight of One Man's Heart" |
| Agatha Christie's Poirot
| Dr. David Willoughby | Episode: "Elephants Can Remember" |
| Breathless
| Inspector Ronald Mulligan | 6 episodes |
| 2014
| Jacob | 2 episodes |
| 2014–2017
| Autopsy: The Last Hours of... | Narrator (voice) | 10 episodes |
| 2016–2017
| Jarrod Slade | 12 episodes |
| 2016–2019
| Leo | 12 episodes |
| rowspan="2"|2018
| Narrator (voice) | 7 episodes |
| Mrs Wilson
| 3 episodes |
| 2019
| Ice Age: Return of the Mammoth | Narrator (voice) | Television documentary |
| 2019–2021
| Titans | 11 episodes |
| 2021–present
| Reyka | Angus Speelman | 8 episodes |
| 2023–present
| The Rig | Magnus MacMillan |
| rowspan="2"|2023–present
| Juste Belmont (voice) | 9 episodes |
| Silo
| Dr. Pete Nichols | 12 episodes |
Selected theatre
- Edward II, Royal Exchange, Manchester 1986
- The Man Who Had All the Luck Bristol Old Vic 1990
- Hamlet, Bristol Old Vic, 1991
- Macbeth (1993)
- Henry V (1995)
- Martin Guerre (1996–1997)
- The Blue Room (1998)
- A Streetcar Named Desire (2002)
- Hedda Gabler (2005)
- The Crucible (2006)
- Scenes of a Marriage (2008)
- Wallenstein (2009, Minerva Theatre, Chichester) – title role
- Separate Tables (2009) – roles of Mr Martin and Major Pollock – Chichester Festival Theatre
- Ghosts (2010) – also directed
- Uncle Vanya, The Print Room, 2012 – title role
- Fortune's Fool, The Old Vic, 2013{{cite web |url=http://www.oldvictheatre.com/fortunes-fool/ |title=Fortune's Fool |publisher=Oldvictheatre.com |date=4 October 2013 |access-date=11 February 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131009035220/http://www.oldvictheatre.com/fortunes-fool |archive-date=9 October 2013 |df=dmy-all}}
- The Seagull
- Here
- King Lear
- Coriolanus
- She Stoops to Conquer
- Hapgood
- Road
- Small Engine Repair
- The Recruiting Officer
- Love From A Stranger
Awards and nominations
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
!Award !Category !Work !Result |
|---|
| 1990
|{{won}} |
| rowspan="2"|1991
|Evening Standard British Film Award |Best Actor |Mountains of the Moon, Fools of Fortune, Silent Scream |{{won}} |
| Ian Charleson Award
|Special commendationLees, Caroline. "Classic recipes for success". Sunday Times. 9 February 1992 |{{won}} |
| 1994
|Evening Standard Theatre Award |Best Actor |{{nom}} |
| 1997
|rowspan="2"|Laurence Olivier Award |{{nom}} |
| rowspan="2"|1999
|rowspan="2"|The Blue Room |{{nom}} |
| Drama League Award
|Best Actor |{{nom}} |
| rowspan="2"|2007
|Best Actor |rowspan="2"|The Crucible |{{nom}} |
| Laurence Olivier Award
|{{nom}} |
| 2012
| rowspan="8" |Screen Actors Guild Award | rowspan="8" |{{nowrap|Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series}} |rowspan="2"|Game of Thrones |{{nom}} |
| rowspan="2"|2013
|{{nom}} |
| Downton Abbey
|{{won}} |
| 2014
| rowspan="5" |Game of Thrones |{{nom}} |
| 2015
|{{nom}} |
| 2016
|{{nom}} |
| 2018
|{{nom}} |
| 2020
|{{nom}} |
| 2016
|Best Actor |Game of Thrones |{{won}} |
| 2019
|Game of Thrones |{{won}} |
| 2021
|Almeria Film Festival |Land of Cinema Award |N/A (Lifetime Award) |{{won}} |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{official website|http://www.iainglen.com}}
- {{IMDb name|322513|Iain Glen}}
- {{IBDB name}}
{{navboxes
|title=Awards for Iain Glen
|list1=
{{EquityAward TVDramaCast}}
{{Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor}}
{{Silver Bear for Best Actor}}
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Category:20th-century Scottish male actors
Category:21st-century Scottish male actors
Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Category:Alumni of the University of Aberdeen
Category:Male actors from Edinburgh
Category:People educated at Edinburgh Academy
Category:Royal Shakespeare Company members
Category:Scottish male film actors
Category:Scottish male Shakespearean actors
Category:Scottish male stage actors
Category:Scottish male television actors
Category:Scottish male voice actors