Alun Armstrong
Biography
Alun Armstrong is a prolific English character actor.
Armstrong grew up in County Durham in North East England. He first became interested in acting through Shakespeare productions at his grammar school. Since his career began in the early 1970s, he has played, in his words, "the full spectrum of characters from the grotesque to musicals... I always play very colourful characters, often a bit crazy, despotic, psychotic."
His numerous credits include six different Dickens adaptations and seven series as eccentric ex-detective Brian Lane in New Tricks.
Armstrong is also an accomplished stage actor who spent nine years with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He originated the role of Thénardier in the London production of Les Misérables and he won an Olivier Award for playing the title role in Sweeney Todd.
Ask the Vault
Ask anything about Alun Armstrong.
Full filmography
- Play for Today (1970) as 1st Docker
- Play for Today (1970) as Mr Briggs
- Married... with Children (1987) as Trevor
- Great Performances (1971) as Thénardier
- New Tricks (2004) as Brian Lane
- Tales from the Crypt (1989) as Inspector Herbert
- BBC Play of the Month (1965) as Lightborne
- Inspector Morse (1987) as Superintendent Holdsby
- Penny Dreadful (2014) as Vincent Brand
- Van Helsing (2004) as Cardinal Jinette
- The Sweeney (1975) as Peter Jenner
- The Mummy Returns (2001) as Baltus Hafez
- Porridge (1974) as Spraggon
- Braveheart (1995) as Mornay
- The Hollow Crown (2012) as Northumberland
- Screen One (1989) as Det Supt Frank Burroughs
- Screen One (1989) as Evans
- Screen One (1989) as Charlie Foster
- Remembers… (2022) as Self
- The Storyteller (1988) as Troll (voice)
- Thriller (1973) as Mike
- Sleepy Hollow (1999) as High Constable
- BBC2 Play of the Week (1977) as Brodovich
- BBC2 Play of the Week (1977) as Mikhalevich