Matthew Macfadyen
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person David Matthew Macfadyen (Template:IPAc-en; born 17 October 1974) is an English actor. Known for his performances on stage and screen, he gained prominence for his role as Mr. Darcy in Joe Wright's Pride & Prejudice (2005). He gained wider recognition for playing Tom Wambsgans in the HBO drama series Succession (2018–2023), for which he received two Primetime Emmy Awards, two BAFTA TV Awards, and a Golden Globe Award.
Macfadyen made his television debut in 1998 as Hareton Earnshaw in Wuthering Heights. He portrayed Tom Quinn in the BBC One spy series Spooks (2002–2004, 2011), and Inspector Edmund Reid in the BBC mystery series Ripper Street (2012–2016). For his role in Criminal Justice (2009), he received the British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor. He also starred in various miniseries playing roles such as Henry Wilcox in Howards End (2017), Charles Ingram in Quiz (2020), and John Stonehouse in Stonehouse (2023).
In film, Macfadyen is known for his roles in Death at a Funeral (2007), Frost/Nixon (2008), Anna Karenina (2012), The Assistant (2019), and Operation Mincemeat (2021). In 2024, he played Mr. Paradox in the superhero film Deadpool & Wolverine.
Early life and education
Macfadyen was born on 17 October 1974<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead link</ref><ref>Template:Cite Instagram</ref> in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, the son of Meinir (née Owen), a drama teacher and former actress, and Martin Macfadyen, an oil engineer.<ref name=telegraph1/><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His paternal grandparents were Scottish and his maternal grandparents were Welsh.<ref name=telegraph1>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dl</ref> Macfadyen was brought up in a number of places, including Jakarta, Indonesia, as a result of his father's occupation.<ref name=telegraph1/>
He attended schools in England, including in Louth, Lincolnshire, as well as in Scotland and Indonesia. He went to Oakham School in Rutland before being accepted to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) at 17. As a student, he was inspired by Ingmar Bergman's Fanny and Alexander, which he thought was "[a]n example to follow – an example of people acting with each other...", and "[f]eatured just the most extraordinary acting I'd ever seen".<ref name="Macfadyen">Template:Cite news</ref> He studied at RADA from 1992 to 1995.Template:Cn
Career
After leaving RADA, Macfadyen became known in British theatre primarily for his work with the stage company Cheek by Jowl, for which he played Antonio in The Duchess of Malfi, Charles Surface in The School for Scandal, and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. His Benedick was played as an officer-class buffoon with a moustache and a braying laugh. In 2005, he played Prince Hal in Henry IV, Parts One and Two at the Royal National Theatre, with Michael Gambon in the role of Falstaff. In 2007, he returned to the stage, portraying an American, Clay, a stay-at-home father with a liberal attitude in the play The Pain and the Itch.Template:Cn
A TV breakthrough came when he appeared as Hareton Earnshaw in an adaptation of Wuthering Heights, screened on the ITV network in 1998. Further television drama work followed, including starring roles in the dramas Warriors (1999) and The Way We Live Now (2001), both for the BBC. Also in 2001, he earned acclaim for his starring role in the BBC Two drama serial Perfect Strangers, which was written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff. In 2002, he starred in The Project, a BBC drama charting New Labour's rise to power.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
He starred in Spooks, which became a success when screened on BBC One. A longer second season was screened in 2003, and a third season was broadcast in autumn 2004, with him leaving the series in the second episode. The series was aired as MI-5 on the A&E Network. In 2007 he appeared in the one-off Channel 4 drama Secret Life, which dealt with paedophilia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Macfadyen won the Best Actor award at the Royal Television Society 2007 Awards for this part, and was nominated for a BAFTA. He also appeared in a short sketch for Comic Relief as the bridegroom in Mr. Bean's Wedding, alongside Rowan Atkinson and Michelle Ryan.Template:Cn Macfadyen appeared in films including Enigma (released in 2001), and In My Father's Den, for which he received the New Zealand Screen Award for Best Actor.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He starred as the romantic lead Fitzwilliam Darcy in an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, released in the UK in September 2005.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Macfadyen starred in Frank Oz's Death at a Funeral and the film Incendiary, based on Chris Cleave's novel alongside Michelle Williams and Ewan McGregor. He also appeared in Ron Howard's film Frost/Nixon, in which he played John Birt. In 2008, he played the male lead Arthur Clennam in the BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit. In 2009 Macfadyen appeared alongside Academy Award-nominated actress Helena Bonham Carter in the BBC Four movie Enid, based on the life of Enid Blyton, as Hugh Pollock, Blyton's publisher and first husband.Template:Cn In 2010, he played the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood. He starred as Prior Philip in the TV serial The Pillars of the Earth, and was the middle-aged Logan Mountstuart in Any Human Heart. In June 2010, Macfadyen won a British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Criminal Justice.Template:Cn In 2011, Macfadyen made a final cameo in Spooks, and in 2012, he played Oblonsky in Joe Wright's film Anna Karenina. From December 2012, he began portraying Detective Inspector Edmund Reid in BBC One's Ripper Street.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2013–14, he played Jeeves in the production of Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense at the Duke of York's Theatre in the West End of London. The play won the 2014 Olivier award for Best New Comedy.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>2014 Laurence Olivier Awards</ref> In 2015, Amazon Prime picked up Ripper Street and, after good reviews, it was recommissioned for fourth and fifth seasons. Macfadyen said he was "delighted to be embarking on another dose of Ripper StreetTemplate:Spndblood and guts, pocket watches and Victorian headgear, wonderfully dark, moving and mysterious story lines from Mr Richard Wardlow".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The series also aired in the U.S. on BBC America. Also in 2015, he guest starred in the pilot episode of The Last Kingdom.Template:Cn
From 2018 to 2023, he starred as Tom Wambsgans in the HBO series Succession, for which he received Primetime Emmy Awards in 2022 and 2023 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 2020,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role on Television in 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2020, he appeared in the role of Major Charles Ingram in a three-part ITV drama, Quiz, based on the controversial coughing cheat scandal on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in 2001.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2024, Macfadyen played Mr. Paradox in the superhero film Deadpool & Wolverine.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He also starred as Charles J. Guiteau in the 2025 Netflix miniseries Death by Lightning.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In August 2025, it was announced that Macfadyen would be voicing Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions, a production of Audible and J.K. Rowling's Pottermore.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
In 2002, Macfadyen began a relationship with his Spooks co-star Keeley Hawes. They were married in November 2004.<ref name="showbiz">Template:Cite web</ref> The couple have two children.<ref name="showbiz" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Macfadyen is stepfather to Hawes's son from her previous marriage.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In March 2024, it was reported that Macfadyen is a member of the Garrick Club.<ref name="The guardian Garrick">Template:Cite news</ref>
Acting credits
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Maybe Baby | Nigel | |
| 2001 | Enigma | Lt. Cave | |
| 2002 | The Project | Paul Tibbenham | |
| 2004 | The Reckoning | King's Justice | |
| In My Father's Den | Paul Prior | ||
| 2005 | Pride & Prejudice | Fitzwilliam Darcy | |
| 2007 | Grindhouse | Eye Gouging Victim | Segment: Don't |
| Death at a Funeral | Daniel Howells | ||
| 2008 | Incendiary | Terence Butcher | |
| Frost/Nixon | John Birt | ||
| 2010 | Robin Hood | Sheriff of Nottingham | |
| 2011 | The Three Musketeers | Athos | |
| 2012 | Anna Karenina | Oblonsky | |
| 2014 | Lost in Karastan | Emil Forester | |
| 2015 | The von Trapp Family: A Life of Music | Georg von Trapp | |
| 2016 | Revolution: New Art for a New World | Vladimir Lenin (voice) | Documentary |
| 2017 | The Current War | J. P. Morgan | |
| 2018 | The Nutcracker and the Four Realms | Benjamin Stahlbaum | |
| 2019 | The Assistant | Wilcock | |
| 2021 | Operation Mincemeat | Charles Cholmondeley | |
| 2024 | Deadpool & Wolverine | Mr. Paradox | |
| 2025 | Holland | Fred Vandergroot |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Wuthering Heights | Hareton Earnshaw | Television film |
| 1999 | Warriors | Alan James | |
| 2000 | Murder Rooms | Brian Waller | Episode: "The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes: Part 1" |
| 2001 | Perfect Strangers | Daniel Symon | 3 episodes |
| The Way We Live Now | Sir Felix Carbury | 4 episodes | |
| 2002–2004, 2011 | Spooks | Tom Quinn | 19 episodes |
| 2007 | Mr. Bean's Wedding | The Groom | Short video |
| Secret Life | Charlie | Television film | |
| 2008 | Ashes to Ashes | Gil Hollis | Episode #1.7 |
| Little Dorrit | Arthur Clennam | 8 episodes | |
| Agatha Christie's Marple | Inspector Neele | Episode: "A Pocket Full of Rye" | |
| 2009 | Enid | Hugh Pollock | Television film |
| Criminal Justice | Joe Miller | 3 episodes | |
| 2010 | The Pillars of the Earth | Prior Philip | 8 episodes |
| Any Human Heart | Logan Mountstuart | 4 episodes | |
| 2012–2016 | Ripper Street | Det. Insp. Edmund Reid | 36 episodes |
| 2013 | Ambassadors | Prince of Darkness | 3 episodes |
| 2015 | The Enfield Haunting | Guy Playfair | 3 episodes |
| The Last Kingdom | Lord Uhtred | Episode #1.1 | |
| 2016 | Churchill's Secret | Randolph Churchill | Television film |
| 2017 | Howards End | Henry Wilcox | 4 episodes |
| 2018–2023 | Succession | Tom Wambsgans | Main role, 39 episodes |
| 2020 | Quiz | Maj. Charles Ingram | 3 episodes |
| 2023 | Stonehouse | John Stonehouse | Main role, 3 episodes;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> also executive producer |
| 2025 | Death by Lightning | Charles J. Guiteau | Netflix miniseries |
| Template:TBA | The Miniature Wife | Les | Main role; filming<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:TBA | A Legacy of Spies | George Smiley | In development<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
Theatre
Radio
| Year | Title | Author | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | The Voyage of the Beagle | Charles Darwin | BBC Radio 4 | <ref>RadioListings Database Template:Webarchive</ref> |
| 2001 | Trampoline | Meredith Oakes | BBC Radio 4 | <ref>RadioListings Database Template:Webarchive</ref> |
| 2004 | The Coma | Alex Garland | audio book | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Getting Away From It: The Island | Tim Pears | BBC Radio 4 | <ref>RadioListings Database Template:Webarchive</ref> | |
| 2005 | Stories We Could Tell | Tony Parsons | audio book | <ref>Template:Cite book</ref> |
| 2007 | The Making of Music | Template:N/a | BBC Radio 4 | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2025 | Harry Potter | J. K. Rowling | Audible | <ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref> |
Documentary
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Essential Poems (To Fall in Love With) | BBC Two | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2004 | The Hungerford Massacre | BBC One | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 2006 | The 9/11 Liars | Channel 4 | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial | BBC Two | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 2007 | The Blair Years | BBC One | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Last Party at the Palace | Channel 4 | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 2008 | Dangerous Jobs for Girls | Channel 4 | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Words of War | ITV1 | <ref>The Words of War on ITV Template:Webarchive</ref> | |
| 2009 | Wine | BBC Four | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Inside MI5 | ITV1 | ||
| 2014 | Horse Power | Sky Atlantic |
Video Games
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Robin Hood's Quest | Robin Hood |
Awards and nominations
See also
References
External links
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- Pages with broken file links
- 1974 births
- 20th-century English male actors
- 21st-century English male actors
- Actors from Great Yarmouth
- Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
- Best Supporting Actor BAFTA Award (television) winners
- Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (television) winners
- English male film actors
- English male Shakespearean actors
- English male stage actors
- English male television actors
- English people of Scottish descent
- English people of Welsh descent
- Living people
- Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
- People educated at Oakham School
- Royal Shakespeare Company members