Brian Cox

Brian Cox

Born 1946-06-01 (age 80) Dundee, Scotland, UK
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Biography

Brian Denis Cox (born June 1, 1946) is a Scottish actor. A classically trained Shakespearean actor, he is known for his work on stage and screen. His numerous accolades include two Laurence Olivier Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for a British Academy Television Award. In 2003, he was appointed to the Order of the British Empire at the rank of Commander.

Cox trained at the Dundee Repertory Theatre before becoming a founding member of the Royal Lyceum Theatre. He went on to train as a Shakespearean actor, starring in numerous productions with the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he gained recognition for his portrayal of King Lear. Cox received two Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Actor for his roles in Rat in the Skull (1984), for Royal Court, and Titus Andronicus (1988). He received two more Olivier Award nominations for Misalliance (1986) and Fashion (1988).

Known as a character actor in film, he played Robert McKee in Spike Jonze's Adaptation (2002) and William Stryker in X2 (2003). For his starring role in L.I.E. (2001), he received an Independent Spirit Award nomination. His other notable films include Manhunter (1986), Iron Will (1994), Braveheart (1995), The Boxer (1997), The Rookie (2002), Troy (2004), Match Point (2005), The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (2007), Coriolanus (2011), Pixels (2015), and Churchill (2017).

Cox won the Primetime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series for his portrayal of Hermann Göring in the television film Nuremberg (2001). The following year, he guest starred on the NBC sitcom Frasier, earning his second Emmy nomination in 2002. He portrayed Jack Langrishe in the HBO series Deadwood. He starred as Logan Roy on the HBO series Succession (2018-2023), for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series and was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards for Best Actor in a Drama Series.

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Known For

Troy
Troy

2004

as King Agamemnon

The Bourne Identity
The Bourne Identity

2002

as Ward Abbott

Braveheart
Braveheart

1995

as Argyle Wallace

Her
Her

2013

as Alan Watts (voice)

Pixels
Pixels

2015

as Admiral Porter

Zodiac
Zodiac

2007

as Melvin Belli

Rise of the Planet of the Apes
The Ring
The Ring

2002

as Richard Morgan

The Autopsy of Jane Doe
The Autopsy of Jane Doe

2016

as Tommy Tilden

Fantastic Mr. Fox
Fantastic Mr. Fox

2009

as Action 12 Reporter (voice)

The Bourne Supremacy
The Bourne Supremacy

2004

as Ward Abbott

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim

2024

as Helm Hammerhand (voice)

The Electric State
The Electric State

2025

as Popfly (voice)

The Bourne Ultimatum
The Bourne Ultimatum

2007

as Ward Abbott (voice) (archive footage) (uncredited)

RED
RED

2010

as Ivan Simanov

Match Point
Match Point

2005

as Alec Hewett

RED 2
RED 2

2013

as Ivan

Red Eye
Red Eye

2005

as Joe Reisert

Kiss the Girls
Kiss the Girls

1997

as Chief Hatfield, Durham PD

Adaptation.
Adaptation.

2002

as Robert McKee