Sean Mathias facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sean Mathias
Mathias at a press junket at Sardi's restaurant for Waiting for Godot and No Man's Land in 2013
Born	Sean Gerard Mathias (1956-03-14) 14 March 1956 (age 69) Swansea, Wales
Occupation	Actor, director, writer
Years active	1977–present
Spouse(s)	Paul de Lange ​ (m. 2007)​
Partner(s)	Ian McKellen (1978–1988)

Sean Gerard Mathias (born 14 March 1956) is a talented Welsh actor, director, and writer. He is well-known for directing the film Bent. He has also directed many popular plays in famous cities like London, New York City, and Sydney.

In 2006, he was included in a list of influential people in Britain by the Independent on Sunday. Since 2011, Mathias has been a co-owner of The Grapes, Limehouse pub. He shares ownership with his business partners, actor Ian McKellen and businessman Evgeny Lebedev.

Sean Mathias's Career Highlights

Acting Roles

Sean Mathias started his acting journey in 1977. He had a small role in the BBC TV series Survivors. In the same year, he appeared in the film A Bridge Too Far.

In 1978, Mathias performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. There, he met the famous actor Ian McKellen. Mathias continued acting in the 1980s. He had minor parts in films like Priest of Love (1981) and The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982). A notable role was Gerald Portman in the 1988 film White Mischief. He also played Dafydd, a young darts player, in an episode of the TV show Minder in 1982.

Writing Plays and Books

Sean Mathias is also a writer. His play Cowardice was shown at the Ambassadors Theatre in London in 1983. In 1987, his play A Prayer For Wings won an award at the Edinburgh Festival. It later moved to the Bush Theatre in London.

Other plays he wrote include Poor Nanny (1989) and Swansea Boys (1990). He also wrote a novel called Manhattan Mourning, published in 1988. In 1992, his BBC TV film The Lost Language of Cranes was broadcast. Mathias also wrote a chapter for a book called For Ian Charleson: A Tribute in 1990.

Directing Theatre Productions

Mathias began directing plays in 1988 with a production called Exceptions. In 1989, he directed a new version of Bent. This play was very successful and starred Ian McKellen, Richard E Grant, and Ralph Fiennes. He directed it again in 1990 at the National Theatre, winning an award for Revival of the Year.

He directed many plays in London and on Broadway. These included Chekhov's Uncle Vanya (1992) and Alan Bennett's Talking Heads. In 1994, Mathias won the London Critics Circle Theatre Award for Best Director. This was for his work on Noël Coward's Design for Living and Jean Cocteau's Les Parents terribles. The latter play, renamed Indiscretions, moved to Broadway in 1995 and received nine Tony Award nominations.

In 1995, he directed his first musical, A Little Night Music, starring Judi Dench. He also directed Siân Phillips in Marlene (1997), which later went to Broadway in 1999. Other London plays he directed include Antony and Cleopatra (1998) with Alan Rickman and Helen Mirren.

Mathias then directed plays in New York. In 2001, he directed McKellen and Helen Mirren in Dance of Death on Broadway. He also directed The Elephant Man (2002) starring Billy Crudup. In 2002, he directed the musical Company in Washington, D.C.

For Christmas in 2004 and 2005, Mathias directed the pantomime Aladdin at the Old Vic in London. Ian McKellen played Widow Twankey in both successful shows. In 2006, he directed The Cherry Orchard in Los Angeles.

Sean Mathias has a home in South Africa. He directed his first play there, Antigone, in 2004. In 2008, he directed Ring Round the Moon in London. He also directed Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart in Waiting for Godot in 2009. This was his first show as the artistic director of the Theatre Royal Haymarket. He later directed Breakfast at Tiffany's there.

In 2013, Mathias directed Waiting For Godot and No Man's Land on Broadway. These plays starred Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart and received great reviews.

Directing Films

While he mostly directs plays, Sean Mathias is also known for his film work. His first feature film was Bent, released in 1997. It starred Clive Owen, Ian McKellen, and Jude Law. The film won an award at the Cannes film festival.

Mathias has also planned to direct a film called The Colossus, set in South Africa. Actors like Rachel Weisz and Ian McKellen were considered for roles. As of 2014, he was also set to direct a horror-adventure-comedy film called Somewhat Dead.

Personal Life

Sean Mathias was in a relationship with actor Ian McKellen from 1978 to 1988. In 2007, he married his partner, Paul de Lange, in South Africa. As mentioned earlier, Mathias is a co-owner of "The Grapes" pub with Ian McKellen and Evgeny Lebedev.

List of Works

Directing

• Exceptions (1988)
• Bent (1989), Adelphi Theatre, London
• Bent (1990), Lyttelton, National Theatre, London and Garrick Theatre, London
• Talking Heads (1990), Haymarket Theatre, London
• Noel and Gertie (1991), Duke of York's Theatre, London
• Uncle Vanya (1992), Cottesloe, National Theatre, London
• Ghosts (1993), Sherman Theatre, Cardiff
• Design for Living (1994), Donmar Warehouse, London and Gielgud Theatre, London
• Les Parents terribles (1994), Lyttelton, National Theatre, London
• A Little Night Music (1995), Olivier, National Theatre, London
• Indiscretions (formerly Les Parents terribles) (1996), Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York City
• Marlene (1997), London
• Antony and Cleopatra (1998), Olivier, National Theatre, London
• Suddenly Last Summer (1999), Comedy Theatre, London
• Marlene (1999), Cort Theatre, Broadway
• Dance of Death (2001), Broadhurst Theatre, Broadway
• Servicemen (2001), Theater at St Clement's, Off-Broadway
• The Elephant Man (2002), Royale Theatre, Broadway
• Company (2002), Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater, Washington, D.C.
• Dance of Death (2003), Lyric Theatre, London and Theatre Royal, Sydney
• Antigone (2004), Baxter Theatre Centre, Cape Town
• Aladdin (2004), Old Vic, London
• Shoreditch Madonna (2005), Soho Theatre, London
• Aladdin (2005), Old Vic, London
• The Cherry Orchard (2006), Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles
• Triptych (2007), Market Theatre, Johannesburg
• Ring Round the Moon (L'Invitation au Château) (2008), Playhouse Theatre, London
• Triptych (2008), Southwark Playhouse, London
• Waiting for Godot (2009), Theatre Royal Haymarket, London
• Breakfast at Tiffany's (2009), Theatre Royal Haymarket, London
• The Syndicate (2011), Chichester Festival Theatre and Theatre Royal, Bath
• No Man's Land and Waiting for Godot (2013), Cort Theatre, Broadway (in repertory)
• No Man's Land (2016), UK Tour and Wyndham's Theatre, London
• The Exorcist (2016), Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Phoenix Theatre, London and UK tour
• Ian McKellen on Stage (2019), UK and Ireland tour, Harold Pinter Theatre, London and Hudson Theatre, Broadway
• A Prayer For Wings (2019), King's Head Theatre, London

Selected Writing

• Cowardice (1983), Ambassadors Theatre, London
• A Prayer For Wings (1987), Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Bush Theatre, London
• Poor Nanny (1989), King's Head Theatre, London
• Swansea Boys (1990). National Theatre Studio, London
• A Prayer For Wings (2019), King's Head Theatre, London

Acting Roles

• Survivors (1977) – Mike
• A Bridge Too Far (1977) – Irish Guards lieutenant
• Priest of Love (1981) – Secretary
• Minder (1982) – Dafydd
• The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982) – Dispatcher
• One Summer (1983) – Owen
• White Mischief (1987) – Gerald Portman

Script-Writer

• The Lost Language of Cranes (1991), BBC TV

Books

• Manhattan Mourning, Brilliance Books, 1988, ISBN: 978-0946189373

Images for kids

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  Mathias at a press junket for Waiting for Godot and No Man's Land in 2013

See also

In Spanish: Sean Mathias para niños