Саймон МакБёрни: Актер, режиссер и драматург

English actor, writer and director

Simon Montagu McBurney (born 25 August 1957) is an English actor, playwright, and theatre and opera director. He is the founder and artistic director of the Théâtre de Complicité, London. He has had roles in the films The Manchurian Candidate, Friends with Money, The Last King of Scotland, The Golden Compass, The Duchess, Robin Hood, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Magic in the Moonlight, The Theory of Everything, and Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. He played Cecil the choirmaster in BBC's The Vicar of Dibley.

McBurney was born on 25 August 1957 in Cambridge, England. His father, Charles McBurney, was an American archaeologist and academic of Scottish descent. His paternal great grandfather was American surgeon Charles McBurney, who was credited with describing the medical sign McBurney's point. Simon McBurney's mother, Anne Francis Edmondstone (née Charles), was a British secretary of English, Scottish and Irish ancestry. His parents were distant cousins who met during World War II. His older brother is composer and writer Gerard McBurney. He studied English literature at Peterhouse, Cambridge, graduating in 1980. After his father died, he moved to Paris and trained for the theatre at the Jacques Lecoq Institute. In 1997 he was awarded the Europe Prize Theatrical Realities, with the Théâtre de Complicité. He directed their productions of Street of Crocodiles (1992); The Three Lives of Lucie Cabrol (1994), which was adapted from the John Berger trilogy Into Their Labors; To the Wedding (another Berger collaboration); Mnemonic (1999); The Elephant Vanishes (2003); A Disappearing Number (2007); A Dog's Heart (2010); The Master and Margarita (2011), and The Kid Stays in the Picture (2017). A Disappearing Number was a devised piece conceived and directed by McBurney, taking as its inspiration the story of the collaboration between two of the 20th century's most remarkable pure mathematicians, the Indian genius Srinivasa Ramanujan, and Cambridge don G. H. Hardy. It played at the Barbican in autumn 2008 and toured internationally. In February 2009, McBurney directed the Complicite production Shun kin, based on two texts by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki. It was produced in London and Tokyo in 2010. On a freelance basis, McBurney directed the following: The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui and All My Sons (2008) (both in New York City), and live comedy shows, including Lenny Henry's So Much Things To Say and French and Saunders' Live in 2000. McBurney is an established screen actor. He played the recurring role of Cecil the choirmaster in The Vicar of Dibley, CIA computer whiz Garland in Body of Lies, Dr. Atticus Noyle in The Manchurian Candidate (2004), British diplomat Nigel Stone in The Last King of Scotland, the metrosexual husband Aaron in Friends with Money, Fra Pavel in The Golden Compass, Charles James Fox in The Duchess, and Oliver Lacon in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. He also wrote the story and was an executive producer for Mr. Bean's Holiday. From 2010 to 2014, he appeared in the BBC comedy television series Rev., portraying the role of Archdeacon Robert. McBurney provided the voice of Kreacher in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010). In the series The Borgias, he portrayed the canon law expert Johannes Burchart. He is the Artiste Associé of the 66th Festival d'Avignon (2012). He starred in The Encounter, about photographer Loren McIntyre becoming lost in the Javari Valley in Brazil and his experiences with locals, which premiered at the 2015 Edinburgh International Festival. In July 2015, he starred as Atlee, the director of MI6 in the film Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, and in 2016, he portrayed paranormal investigator Maurice Grosse in the horror film sequel The Conjuring 2. In 2013 he directed the English National Opera production of Mozart's The Magic Flute at the London Coliseum, and the same opera at the New York Metropolitan Opera in 2023. In September 2019, the Complicité production of The Encounter was ranked by The Guardian writers as the 13th best theatre show since 2000.

In 2007, he met concert pianist Cassandra "Cassie" Yukawa. They have since married, and reside in Stroud, Gloucestershire, with their three children, having previously lived in north London. His sister in law is violinist Diane Yukawa. In the 2005 New Year Honours, McBurney was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) "for services to Drama". He is an Ambassador for Survival International, the global movement for tribal peoples' rights.

Year Title Role Notes 1991 Kafka Assistant Oscar 1994 A Business Affair Salesman Being Human Hermas Tom & Viv Dr. Reginald Miller Mesmer Franz 1996 The Ogre Brigadier 1997 The Caucasian Chalk Circle Azdak the Judge Video 1998 Cousin Bette Vauvinet 1999 Onegin Monsieur Triquet 2000 Eisenstein Sergei Eisenstein 2003 Bright Young Things Sneath (Photo Rat) Skagerrak Thomas 2004 The Reckoning Stephen The Manchurian Candidate Dr. Atticus Noyle Human Touch Bernard 2006 Friends with Money Aaron The Last King of Scotland Nigel Stone 2007 The Golden Compass Fra Pavel 2008 Body of Lies Garland The Duchess Charles James Fox 2009 Boogie Woogie Robert Freign 2010 Robin Hood Father Tancred Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 Kreacher Voice 2011 Jane Eyre Mr. Brocklehurst Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Oliver Lacon 2013 For Those Who Can Tell No Tales Tim Clancy 2014 Magic in the Moonlight Howard Burkan The Theory of Everything Frank Hawking 2015 Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation Director Atlee 2016 The Conjuring 2 Maurice Grosse Allied S. O. E. Official2018The MercySir Francis Chichester 2020SiberiaMagicianWolfwalkersLord Protector Oliver Cromwell Voice2022The Pale Blue EyeCaptain Hitchcock 2024 A Mistake Post production The Actor Post production NosferatuHerr Knock Post production

Year Title Role Notes 1988 Screenplay Martin Episode: "Burning Ambition" 1989 The Two of Us The Man Episode: "Trust" 1992 The Bill Shaun Anderton Episode: "Man of the People" 1992–93 The Comic Strip Presents Mick / Madman 2 episodes 1994–2004 The Vicar of Dibley Choirmaster Cecil 4 episodes 1995 Performance Ancient Pistol Episode: "Henry IV" 1996 Absolutely Fabulous Conductor Episode: "The Last Shout (Part 1)" 1999 Midsomer Murders Henry Carstairs Episode: "Death of a Stranger" 2010–14 Rev. Archdeacon Robert 19 episodes 2011–13 The Borgias Johannes Burchart 6 episodes 2013 Utopia Christian Donaldson 3 episodes 2014 Knifeman Houdyshell Unsold pilot 2015 The Casual Vacancy Colin "Cubby" Wall Miniseries; 3 episodes 2019 The Loudest Voice Rupert Murdoch Miniseries 2019–2023 Carnival Row Runyan Millworthy Recurring 2023 Hijack Edgar Miniseries