Home   >   Movie Stars   >   M   >   Matthew MacFadyen   >   More Biographies

More Matthew MacFadyen Bios & Profiles

 

The most recent Matthew MacFadyen biography is published on the main page.
 


Biography #2 (for Death at a Funeral)

Matthew MacFadyen is currently filming Incendiary, adapted from the novel of the same name by Chris Cleave. A contemporary drama about the emotional aftermath of a suicide bombing in London, the film, from the producers of 'Girl With a Pearl Earring' also stars Michelle Williams and Ewan McGregor. Next, Matthew will start work on the feature film Frost/Nixon, based on the award-winning play written by Peter Morgan, which appeared at the Donmar Warehouse (London), London's West End and on Broadway. This version, directed by Ron Howard, sees Matthew playing the role of John Birt, the producer of Frost's TV show. The film retells the story of the post-Watergate television interviews between British talk show host David Frost and former president Richard Nixon.

Later this year Matthew will star in the black comedy Death at a Funeral, directed by Frank Oz and co-starring Rupert Graves, Ewen Bremner and Keeley Hawes. Also this year, Matthew will return to the stage in The Pain And The Itch at the Royal Court Theatre in June. Directed by Dominic Cooke, Matthew will play a wealthy stay-at-home father who hosts a Thanksgiving dinner for friends, but it all goes wrong when his daughter becomes ill and a Muslim friend drops dead. On television, Matthew has just been seen in the Channel 4 drama, Secret Life in which he plays a convicted paedophile newly released from prison and the drama has received outstanding reviews.

In September 2005, Matthew won critical acclaim for the lead role of Mr Darcy in the Oscar nominated adaptation of Pride and Prejudice directed by Joe Wright. The Working Title film starred Keira Knightley, Brenda Blethyn and Donald Sutherland. Also in this year, Matthew was nominated as Best Actor for his role in In My Father's Den at the British Independent Film Awards. Directed by Brad McGann, Matthew played the lead of Paul, a disillusioned war journalist. The film follows Paul, whose return home is wrecked when he becomes implicated in the mysterious disappearance of a teenage girl he has befriended.

Matthew's other film credits include: Middletown, directed by Brian Kirk, starring Daniel May and Eva Birthistle, released early this year, The Reckoning with Tom Hardy, Enigma directed by Michael Apted and also starring Kate Winslet and Tom Hollander, and Maybe Baby directed by Ben Elton.

He is well known for his television appearance in the second series of Spooks as Tom, starring alongside David Oyelowo. He also starred in the role of Paul Tibbenham in The Project, directed by Peter Kosminsky and Sir Felix Cadbury in The Way We Live Now directed by David Yates. Other television credits include: Perfect Strangers, Bloodline (BBC), Warriors (BBC) and Wuthering Heights (LWT).

As well as television and film, Matthew has appeared on stage in challenging roles such as Henry IV Parts 1 & 2 (National Theatre) Battle Royal (National Theatre/RSC/Stratford), School for Scandal (Barbican/Cheek by Jowl), Much Ado About Nothing (West End), Duchess of Malfi (West End/New York) and Midsummer Nights Dream (RSC).

Bio courtesy MGM for "Death at a Funeral" (16-Sep-2007)


Biography #3

Matthew MacFadyen (born 1974) is a British actor, best known for his role as MI5 agent Tom Quinn in the BBC television drama series Spooks.

After having studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts from 1992 to 1995, MacFadyen quickly became a well-known actor on the British stage, due primarily to his work with the stage company Cheek by Jowl, for whom 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 particularly memorable, played as an officer-class buffoon with a moustache and a braying laugh.

MacFadyen's major TV breakthrough came when he co-starred in a television adaptation of Emily Brontë's novel 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 much critical acclaim for his starring role in the prestige BBC Two drama serial Perfect Strangers, which was written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff.

In 2002 he took his highest-profile role to date, when he was picked to star in Spooks, which went on to become a huge popular and critical success when screen on BBC One. A longer second season was screened in 2003, and a third season is due to air in the autumn of 2004. The series has also found a following on cable television in the United States, where it airs as MI5 on the A&E Network.

MacFadyen has also appeared in several films, most notably Enigma (2001), in which he was oddly cast as a battle-scarred submarine commander. He is currently filming a starring role as Mr Darcy in a new film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, due for release in 2005.

In 2003 he began a relationship with his Spooks co-star Keeley Hawes, and they are expecting their first child later in 2004.

Article text released under CC-BY-SA. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Matthew MacFadyen" (22-Sep-2004)