Ian McShane
Biography
Ian David McShane is a Scottish-English actor born on September 29, 1942, in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. With a career spanning decades, he has established himself as a prominent figure in both television and film. Known for his extensive body of work, McShane has accumulated 166 known credits throughout his professional life. He is recognized for his versatility in portraying complex characters across various genres. His contributions to the entertainment industry have earned him significant critical acclaim, including prestigious industry awards and nominations for his performances in high-profile television projects. McShane continues to be a respected presence in the acting community, maintaining a long-standing career that began in the early 1960s.
Career overview
Ian McShane first gained prominence in film with his role as Harry Brown in the 1962 production The Wild and the Willing, followed by his appearance as Charlie Cartwright in If It. His television career is marked by several iconic performances, most notably the title role in the BBC series Lovejoy, which aired from 1986 to 1994. He later achieved widespread recognition for his portrayal of Al Swearengen in the series Deadwood between 2004 and 2006, a role he reprised for the 2019 film continuation. Additionally, he portrayed Mr. Wednesday in the series American Gods from 2017 to 2021.
McShane has received significant industry recognition for his work on Deadwood. For his performance in the original series, he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series Drama and earned a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Beyond his acting contributions, he has also engaged in production work, receiving a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Television Movie as a producer for the Deadwood film. With 166 known credits to his name, McShane remains a prolific and decorated performer in the television and film landscape.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- Ballerina (2025) as Winston
- Deep Cover (2025) as Metcalfe
- Wick Is Pain (2025) as Self
- Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024) as Tai Lung (voice)
- American Star (2024) as Wilson
- American Star (2024) Producer
- ONE PIECE (2023) as Narrator (voice)
- John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) as Winston
- My Father's Dragon (2022) as Saiwa (voice)
- Robbo: The Bryan Robson Story (2021) as Narrator
- The Paley Center Salutes Law & Order: SVU (2020) as (archive footage)
- The Kelly Clarkson Show (2019) as Self
- John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019) as Winston
- Hellboy (2019) as Trevor "Broom" Bruttenholm
- Bolden (2019) as Judge Perry
- Deadwood: The Movie (2019) as Al Swearengen
- Deadwood: The Movie (2019) Executive Producer
- Master of Dark Shadows (2019) as Narrator
- Tales of the Wild Hunt: Hellboy Reborn (2019) as Self
- A Wizard's Tale (2018) as The Grump (voice)
- Age of Sail (2018) as William Avery (voice)
- American Gods (2017) as Mr. Wednesday / God Odin
- John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) as Winston Scott
- Jawbone (2017) as Joe Padgett
- Pottersville (2017) as Bart
- Grimsby (2016) as MI6 Spy Boss (uncredited)
- Doctor Thorne (2016) as Sir Roger Scatcherd
- The Hollow Point (2016) as Leland
- Bilal: A New Breed of Hero (2016) as Umayya (voice)
- Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014) as Self
- Off Camera with Sam Jones (2014) as Self
- John Wick (2014) as Winston
- Hercules (2014) as Amphiarus
- Cuban Fury (2014) as Ron Parfitt
- The Kid (2014) as Inglés
- Ray Donovan (2013) as Malcolm Finney
- Ray Donovan (2013) as Andrew Finney
- Jack the Giant Slayer (2013) as King Brahmwell
- How We Used to Live (2013) as Narrator
- Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) as Beith
- Game of Thrones (2011) as Brother Ray
- American Horror Story (2011) as Leigh Emerson
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) as Edward "Blackbeard" Teach
- The Pillars of the Earth (2010) as Waleran Bigod
- The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010) as Narrator (voice)
- Coraline (2009) as Mr. Sergei Alexander Bobinsky / Other Bobinsky (voice)
- Kings (2009) as King Silas Benjamin
- Case 39 (2009) as Detective Mike Barron
- 44 Inch Chest (2009) as Meredith
- 44 Inch Chest (2009) Executive Producer
- Trevor Horn and Friends - Slaves to the Rhythm (2009) as Self (archive footage)
- Kung Fu Panda (2008) as Tai Lung (voice)
- Death Race (2008) as Coach
- Shrek the Third (2007) as Captain Hook (voice)
- The Golden Compass (2007) as Ragnar Sturlusson (voice)
- Hot Rod (2007) as Frank Powell
- The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising (2007) as Merriman Lyon
- The Dame Edna Treatment (2007)
- The One Show (2006) as Self
- Scoop (2006) as Joe Strombel
- We Are Marshall (2006) as Paul Griffen
- Nine Lives (2005) as Larry
- Deadwood (2004) as Al Swearengen
- Real Time with Bill Maher (2003) as Self
- Agent Cody Banks (2003) as Brinkman
- Trust (2003) as Alan Cooper-Fozard
- Terror in Moscow (2003) as Narrator
- Nemesis Game (2003) as Jeff Novak
- The Twilight Zone (2002) as Chandler
- Man and Boy (2002) as Marty Mann
- Bollywood Queen (2002) as Frank
- Friday Night with Jonathan Ross (2001) as Self
- In Deep (2001) as Jamie Lamb
- Sexy Beast (2001) as Teddy Bass
- The Making of Sexy Beast (2001) as Self
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) as Toby Moore
- The West Wing (1999) as Nikolai Ivanovich
- D.R.E.A.M. Team (1999) as Oliver Maxwell
- Babylon 5: The River of Souls (1998) as Robert Bryson
- Traders of the Lost Scrolls (1997) as Narrator
- The Daily Show (1996) as Self
- Madson (1996) as John Madson
- Madson (1996) Producer
- The Naked Truth (1995) as Leland Banks
- Soul Survivors (1995) as Otis Cooke
- White Goods (1994) as Ian Deegan
- GMTV (1993) as Self
- Chillers (1990) as Steven Castle
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Desperate Deception (1990) as Andre Marchand
- The Simpsons (1989) as Artemis (voice)
- Young Charlie Chaplin (1989) as Charles Chaplin Snr
- Miami Vice: Freefall (1989) as Gen. Manuel Borbon
- Chain Letter (1989) as The Messenger of Death
- Dick Francis: Twice Shy (1989) as David Cleveland
- Dick Francis: Blood Sport (1989)
- Dick Francis: In the Frame (1989) as David Cleveland
- War and Remembrance (1988) as Philip Rule
- The Great Escape II: The Untold Story (1988) as Roger Bushell
- The Great Escape II: The Untold Story (1988) as Roger Bushell
- Going Live! (1987) as Self
- CBS Summer Playhouse (1987) as Marbury
- Grand Larceny (1987) as Flanagan
- Lovejoy (1986) as Lovejoy
- Lovejoy (1986) Director
- Rocket to the Moon (1986) as Willy Wax
- The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1986) as Prefet de police
- A.D. (1985) as Sejanus
- Evergreen (1985) as Paul Lerner
- Braker (1985) as Alan Roswell
- Miami Vice (1984) as Esteban Montoya
- Miami Vice (1984) as General Manuel Borbon
- Ordeal by Innocence (1984) as Philip Durant
- Too Scared to Scream (1984) as Vincent Hardwick
- Torchlight (1984) as Sidney
- Natural World (1983) as Narrator
- Exposed (1983) as Greg Miller
- Bare Essence (1983) as Niko Theophilus
- Grace Kelly (1983) as Prince Rainier of Monaco
- Wogan (1982) as Self
- American Playhouse (1982) as Willy Wax
- Marco Polo (1982) as Alì Ben Youssuf
- The Letter (1982) as Geoff
- Cheaper to Keep Her (1981) as Dr. Alfred Sunshine
- Magnum, P.I. (1980) as David Norman
- Magnum, P.I. (1980) as Edwin Clutterbuck
- High Tide (1980) as Curtis
- The Great Riviera Bank Robbery (1980) as The Brain (Bert)
- Minder (1979) as Jack Last
- The Fifth Musketeer (1979) as Fouquet
- Yesterday's Hero (1979) as Rod Turner
- Dallas (1978) as Don Lockwood
- Armchair Thriller (1978) as Curtis
- The Pirate (1978) as Rashid
- Life of Shakespeare (1978) as Christopher Marlowe
- Will Shakespeare (1978) as Christopher Marlowe
- Disraeli (1978) as Benjamin Disraeli
- Disraeli (1978) as Benjamin Disraeli
- Roots (1977) as Sir Eric Russell
- Jesus of Nazareth (1977) as Judas Iscariot
- The Fantastic Journey (1977) as Sir James Camden
- The Pirate (1977) as Rashid
- The Fantastic Journey (1977) as Sir James Camden
- Code Name: Diamond Head (1977) as Sean Donovan / Father Horton / Colonel Millard Butler
- Space: 1999 (1975) as Anton Zoref
- Matt Helm (1975) as Paul
- Journey into Fear (1975) as Banat
- The Lives of Jenny Dolan (1975) as Saunders
- Police Woman (1974)
- Ransom (1974) as Ray Petrie
- What Would You Do? (1974) as Derek
- The Last of Sheila (1973) as Anthony Wood
- Sitting Target (1972) as Birdy Williams
- Columbo (1971) as Leland St. John
- Villain (1971) as Wolfe Lissner
- Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You (1970) as Fred C. Dobbs
- Freelance (1970) as Mitch
- Performance. (1970) as Noel (voice) (uncredited)
- The Ballad of Tam Lin (1970) as Tom Lynn
- A Sound from the Sea (1970) as Tom
- ITV Saturday Night Theatre (1969) as David Garrick
- ITV Saturday Night Theatre (1969) as Ken Harrison
- Battle of Britain (1969) as Sgt. Pilot Andy
- If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969) as Charlie Cartwright
- Funeral Games (1968) as Caulfield
- ITV Playhouse (1967) as Caulfield
- ITV Playhouse (1967) as Tom
- ITV Playhouse (1967) as Derek
- Wuthering Heights (1967) as Heathcliff
- Wuthering Heights (1967) as Heathcliff
- Sky West and Crooked (1966) as Roibin
- You Can't Win (1966) as Joe Lunn
- The Pleasure Girls (1965) as Keith Dexter
- The Wednesday Play (1964) as Frank
- Redcap (1964) as Sapper Russell
- The Wild and the Willing (1962) as Harry Brown
- Armchair Theatre (1956) as Geoffrey
- Armchair Theatre (1956) as Roddy Cain
- Golden Globe Awards (1944) as Self - Presenter
- Golden Globe Awards (1944) as Self - Nominee