Simon Russell Beale facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir
Simon Russell Beale
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Beale in 2011
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| Born | 12 January 1961 |
| Education | Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge (BA) Guildhall School of Music and Drama (GrDip) |
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| Years active | 1985–present |
| Awards | Full list |
Sir Simon Russell Beale is a famous English actor. Many people think he is one of the best stage actors of his time. He was born on January 12, 1961.
He has won many awards for his acting. These include two BAFTA Awards, three Olivier Awards, and a Tony Award. In 2019, Queen Elizabeth II made him a "Sir" for his amazing work in drama.
Simon Russell Beale started his acting journey in theatre. He performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre. He has been nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award ten times. He won three of these awards for his roles in Volpone (1996), Candide (2000), and Uncle Vanya (2003).
On Broadway, he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. This was for his role as George in the play Jumpers in 2004. He later won a Tony Award for Best Actor for his part as Henry Lehman in The Lehman Trilogy.
Simon Russell Beale has also acted in many films. His first movie was Orlando in 1992. He became well-known for movies like Persuasion (1995) and Hamlet (1996). Other notable films include My Week with Marilyn (2011) and Mary Queen of Scots (2018). In 2017, he played Lavrentiy Beria in The Death of Stalin. For this role, he won a BIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor.
He has also appeared in television shows. He won two British Academy Television Awards. One was for Best Actor in A Dance to the Music of Time (1998). The other was for Best Supporting Actor in Henry IV, Part I and Part II (2012). From 2014 to 2016, he was a main actor in Penny Dreadful. Since 2024, he has been in House of the Dragon.
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Early Life and School
Simon Russell Beale was born in Penang, Malaya, on January 12, 1961. His father, Sir Peter Beale, was a high-ranking officer in the Army Medical Services. Simon was one of six children.
He first became interested in performing when he was eight years old. He joined the choir at St Paul's Cathedral and went to school there. Later, he attended Clifton College in Bristol.
His very first stage role was as Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night's Dream at primary school. In high school, he also acted in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. He would later star in this play at the National Theatre.
After Clifton College, he studied English at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He earned a top degree. He then continued his studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, finishing in 1983.
Acting Career Highlights
Starting Out in Theatre
Simon Russell Beale first became known in the late 1980s. He gave many praised performances in plays like The Man of Mode at the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). In the early 1990s, he showed his wide acting range. He played Konstantin in Chekhov's The Seagull and Edgar in King Lear. In 1991, he received a special award for his roles in The Seagull, Troilus and Cressida, and Edward II.
At the RSC, he began working with director Sam Mendes. Mendes directed him in Troilus and Cressida and as Ariel in The Tempest. Simon Russell Beale showed he had a beautiful singing voice in The Tempest. Mendes also directed him as Iago in Othello at the Royal National Theatre. In 2002, they worked together on Uncle Vanya, where Beale played the main role, and Twelfth Night, where he played Malvolio. He won an Laurence Olivier Award in 2003 for Uncle Vanya.
Since 1995, he has often performed at the National Theatre. His roles there include Mosca in Volpone and George in Jumpers. In 1997, he played Kenneth Widmerpool in a TV show called A Dance to the Music of Time. He won the Best Actor award at the British Academy Television Awards for this role in 1998.
Roles in the 2000s
In 2000, Simon Russell Beale played Hamlet in a National Theatre production. In 2005, he was Cassius in Julius Caesar alongside Ralph Fiennes. That same year, he played the main role in Macbeth at the Almeida Theatre. In 2007, he returned to his role as King Arthur in the musical Spamalot in London.
From 2007 to 2008, he played Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing at the National Theatre. He also appeared in Major Barbara.
In 2008, he started presenting a BBC series called Sacred Music. In 2009, he worked with Sam Mendes again on The Winter's Tale and The Cherry Orchard.
Work in the 2010s
From 2009 to 2010, he played George Smiley in a BBC Radio 4 series. This series adapted all the John le Carré novels featuring Smiley. In 2010, he performed in London Assurance at the National Theatre. He also appeared in Deathtrap in London's West End. In 2011, he made his debut with The Royal Ballet in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. In October 2011, he starred as Joseph Stalin in Collaborators. He won a Best Actor award for this role.
From 2010 to 2011, Simon Russell Beale played William Towers in the TV spy drama Spooks. He played the main role in Timon of Athens at the National Theatre from July to October 2012. This play was shown in cinemas worldwide. From December 2012 to March 2013, he starred in Privates on Parade.
In 2013, he won a British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor. This was for his role as Falstaff in The Hollow Crown TV series. He also appeared in National Theatre Live: 50 Years On Stage (2013).
From January 2014, he played King Lear at the National Theatre, directed by Sam Mendes. From 2014 to 2016, he was a main actor in Penny Dreadful. In 2014, he became a visiting professor at Oxford University.
From May to July 2015, he starred in Temple. In September and October 2015, he played Samuel Foote in Mr Foote's Other Leg. This play later moved to the Theatre Royal Haymarket.
In November 2016, Simon Russell Beale returned to the Royal Shakespeare Company. He played Prospero in The Tempest. In July 2018, he starred in The Lehman Trilogy at the National Theatre. This play later moved to the West End. From December 2018 to February 2019, he played King Richard II in Richard II at the Almeida Theatre.
Recent Work (2020s)
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Simon Russell Beale was a guest speaker for an online performance of Timon of Athens.
In 2021, he played JS Bach in a new play called Bach and Sons. This play was directed by Nicholas Hytner.
He also returned to Broadway in 2021 for The Lehman Trilogy. The show had stopped due to the pandemic. He won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performance in The Lehman Trilogy.
In April 2023, it was announced that he was cast as Ser Simon Strong in the second season of House of the Dragon. This season was released in 2024.
In April 2025, Simon Russell Beale returned to the Royal Shakespeare Company. He played the main role in Titus Andronicus at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon.
Personal Life
Simon Russell Beale was made a "Sir" by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on October 9, 2019.
Awards and Recognitions
- 2003 – Given the title CBE
- 2005 – Received an honorary degree from Warwick
- 2010 – Became an Honorary Bencher of Middle Temple
- 2010 – Received an honorary degree from Open University
- 2011 – Given the Honorary Freedom of the City of London for his contributions to drama
- 2015 – Became the Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theatre at St. Catherine's College, Oxford
- 2018 – Won the Premio Shakespeare Award
- 2019 – Made a Knight Bachelor for his services to drama
- 2024 – Became an Honorary Fellow of Somerville College, Oxford
Images for kids
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Beale in 2011
See also
In Spanish: Simon Russell Beale para niños
