Brian Cox
Brian Denis Cox CBE 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.
Known For
Credits
- 2024 · That Christmas as Santa (voice)
- 2024 · Little Wing as Jaan Vari
- 2023 · 007: Road to a Million as The Controller
- 2023 · Quasi as Narrator (voice)
- 2022 · Peter O'Toole: Along the Sky Road to Aqaba as Self
- 2022 · Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg as Self – Actor
- 2021 · Blade Runner: Black Lotus as Niander Wallace Sr. (voice)
- 2021 · Separation as Rivers
- 2021 · Oleg: The Oleg Vidov Story as Narrator (voice)
- 2020 · Last Moment of Clarity as Gilles
- 2019 · Strange But True as Bill
- 2019 · Good Omens as Death (voice)
- 2018 · Succession as Logan Roy
- 2018 · Super Troopers 2 as John O'Hagen
- 2017 · The Russell Howard Hour as Self
- 2017 · Churchill as Winston Churchill
- 2016 · Morgan as Jim Bryce
- 2016 · The Carer as Sir Michael
- 2016 · Alan Clarke: Out of His Own Light as Self
- 2016 · War and Peace as Mikhail Kutuzov
- 2015 · Forsaken as James McCurdy
- 2015 · The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as
- 2015 · The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Self
- 2015 · The Slap as Manolis
- 2014 · Variety Studio: Actors on Actors as Self
- 2014 · The Game as Daddy
- 2014 · The Anomaly as Dr. Langham
- 2014 · Last Week Tonight with John Oliver as God
- 2014 · Late Night with Seth Meyers as Self
- 2014 · The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Self
- 2013 · Her as Alan Watts (voice)
- 2013 · Anna as Sebastian
- 2013 · Believe as Matt Busby
- 2013 · Shetland as Magnus Bain
- 2012 · Blood as Lenny Fairburn
- 2012 · The Campaign as Raymond
- 2012 · Wide Blue Yonder as Wally
- 2011 · The Veteran as Gerry
- 2011 · Ironclad as Albany
- 2011 · Coriolanus as Menenius
- 2009 · The Good Heart as Jacques
- 2009 · Tell-Tale as Van Doren
- 2009 · Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword as Green Dragon (voice)
- 2008 · Red as Avery Ludlow
- 2008 · The Colour of Magic as Narrator
- 2007 · The Water Horse as Old Angus
- 2007 · The Bourne Ultimatum as Ward Abbott (voice) (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 2007 · The Graham Norton Show as Self
- 2006 · Running with Scissors as Dr. Finch
- 2006 · The One Show as Self - Guest
- 2005 · The Ringer as Gary Barker
- 2005 · The Colbert Report as
- 2005 · The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes & Arthur Conan Doyle as Joseph Bell
- 2004 · Troy as King Agamemnon
- 2004 · Deadwood as Jack Langrishe
- 2003 · The Evolution of an American Filmmaker as Self
- 2003 · Real Time with Bill Maher as Self
- 2003 · Sin as Captain Oakes
- 2002 · Top Gear as Self
- 2002 · The Bourne Identity as Ward Abbott
- 2001 · The Affair of the Necklace as Minister Breteuil
- 2001 · L.I.E. as Big John Harrigan
- 2001 · Super Troopers as John O'Hagen
- 2000 · Aqua Teen Hunger Force as Anubis (voice)
- 2000 · Nuremberg as Herman Wilhelm Goering
- 2000 · A Shot at Glory as Martin Smith
- 2000 · The Making of 'Rushmore' as Self
- 2000 · Longitude as Lord Morton
- 1999 · For Love of the Game as Gary Wheeler
- 1999 · The Corruptor as Sean Wallace
- 1999 · The Minus Man as Doug
- 1998 · Rushmore as Dr. Nelson Guggenheim
- 1998 · Poodle Springs as Clayton Blackstone
- 1998 · Merchants of Venus as Uncle Vladimir
- 1998 · Desperate Measures as Captain Jeremiah Cassidy
- 1997 · The Boxer as Joe Hamill
- 1997 · Sharpe: The Legend as Hogan
- 1997 · Kiss the Girls as Chief Hatfield, Durham PD
- 1996 · The Glimmer Man as Mr. Smith
- 1996 · Superman: The Animated Series as Dr. Earl Garver (voice)
- 1996 · The Daily Show as Self
- 1995 · Braveheart as Argyle Wallace
- 1995 · Rob Roy as Killearn
- 1993 · Frasier as Harry Moon
- 1992 · Macbeth as Macbeth
- 1992 · Shakespeare: The Animated Tales as Macbeth (voice)
- 1992 · The Lost Language of Cranes as Owen Benjamin
- 1990 · Have I Got News for You as Self
- 1989 · The Simpsons as Kostas Becker (voice)
- 1989 · Murder on the Moon as Voronov
- 1988 · LIVE with Kelly and Mark as Self - Guest
- 1988 · Beryl Markham: A Shadow on the Sun as Jack Purves
- 1988 · Red Dwarf as The King
- 1987 · Shoot for the Sun as Dunny
- 1987 · French & Saunders as King Lear
- 1984 · Pope John Paul II as Father Góra
- 1982 · A Cotswold Death as Dr. Gillespie
- 1980 · Hammer House of Horror as Chuck
- 1979 · Minder as Frank
- 1977 · Target as Billy Voss
- 1974 · Playhouse as Dalhousie
- 1971 · Great Performances as Self - Narration (voice)
- 1970 · Play for Today as Dr. Gillespie
- 1965 · BBC Play of the Month as Alsemero
- Future · Have I Got a Bit More News for You as Himself - Panellist
- 2024 · Unsinkable as Robert Dodds
- 2024 · Skelly as Grandpa
- 2022 · Piers Morgan Uncensored as Self
- 2019 · The Last Right as Father Reilly
- 2014 · The Gospel of John as Narrator (voice) – King James Version
- 2013 · An Adventure in Space and Time as Sydney Newman
- 2013 · The Curse of Edgar as Edgar Hoover
- 2012 · A Touch of Cloth as Bill Ball
- 2012 · The Straits as Harry Montebello
- 2011 · Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster as Glover
- 2011 · The Sinking of the Laconia as Captain Sharp
- 2010 · As Good As Dead as Reverend Kalahan
- 2009 · The Day of the Triffids as Dennis Masen
- 2009 · The Take as Ozzy
- 2008 · The Escapist as Frank Perry
- 2008 · Agent Crush as Spanners (voice)
- 2007 · Battle for Terra as General Hemmer (voice)
- 2006 · The Flying Scotsman as Douglas Baxter
- 2004 · The Reckoning as Tobias
- 2001 · Strictly Sinatra as Chisolm
- 2000 · Saltwater as George Beneventi
- 2000 · Complicity as Inspector McDunn
- 2000 · Longitude as Lord Morton
- 1994 · Iron Will as Angus McTeague
- 1993 · Sharpe's Eagle as Major Michael Hogan
- 1992 · Deceptions as Carlton Heard
- 1990 · Secret Weapon as Andrew Neil
- 1988 · The Modern World: Ten Great Writers as Henrik Ibsen (voice)
- 1985 · Florence Nightingale as Dr. McGregor
- 1978 · The Devil's Crown as Henry II
- 1975 · In Celebration as Steven Shaw
- 1971 · Nicholas and Alexandra as Trotsky
- 1970 · Manhunt as Anton
- Future · The Glove as
- Future · Super Troopers 3 as Capt. John O’Hagan
- 2025 · Glenrothan as Sandy
- 2023 · Shakespeare: Rise of a Genius as Self
- 2023 · Bill Douglas: My Best Friend as Narrator (voice)
- 2022 · Ooh the Banter! as Self
- 2022 · Brian Cox: How The Other Half Live as Presenter
- 2022 · Ukraine: Answering the Call as Self
- 2018 · Kubrick by Candlelight as The Narrator
- 2017 · Bob the Builder: Mega Machines - The Movie as Conrad / Crunch (voice)
- 2015 · Andrew Carnegie: Rags to Riches, Power to Peace as Andrew Carnegie (voice)
- 2014 · The Great War: The People's Story as Rev. Andrew Clark
- 2013 · Bob Servant as Bob Servant
- 2012 · Tooned as The Mechanic
- 2007 · A Woman in Winter as Dr. Hunt
- 2005 · Blue/Orange as Dr. Robert Smith
- 2004 · Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson as Other Voices (voice)
- 2002 · Loch Lomond: Legend of the Loch as Narrator
- 2002 · Bug as Cyr
- 2002 · Smallpox 2002: Silent Weapon as Narrator
- 2001 · Inside 'Manhunter' as Himself
- 1997 · Food for Ravens as Aneurin Bevan
- 1994 · The Negotiator as Charlie King
- 1993 · Sharpe's Rifles as Major Michael Hogan
- 1992 · The Big Battalions as Edward Hoyland
- 1989 · The Blasphemers' Banquet as Rev. Wallace (voice)
- 1987 · Acting as
- 1986 · Home Cooking as Vic
- 1982 · The Privilege as Young Laird
- 1981 · House on the Hill as Leon Douglas
- 1980 · Dalhousie's Luck as Dalhousie
- 1980 · Therese Raquin as Laurent
- 1976 · Clay, Smeddum and Greenden as George Simpson
- Future · A Modern Magician as The Voice
- 2025 · The Marbles as Self
- 2025 · VE Day 80 as Self
- 2025 · The Parenting as Frank
- 2025 · The Electric State as Popfly (voice)
- 2024 · The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim as Helm Hammerhand (voice)
- 2023 · Made of Money with Brian Cox as
- 2023 · Prisoner's Daughter as Max
- 2023 · Mending the Line as Ike Fletcher
- 2023 · An Interview with Brian Cox as Himself
- 2022 · Bonnie as Self
- 2022 · The Independent as Nick Booker
- 2020 · The Bay of Silence as Milton
- 2020 · John Rebus: The Lockdown Blues as John Rebus
- 2020 · Lawrence After Arabia as Father (Voice)
- 2019 · Pretenders as Henry
- 2019 · Remember Me as Shane
- 2018 · Widdershins as voice
- 2018 · The Etruscan Smile as Rory MacNeil
- 2017 · Carpool Karaoke: The Series as Self
- 2017 · An Evening with Brian Cox as Himself
- 2017 · Brian Cox's Russia as Host
- 2017 · Vegalta: Soccer, Tsunami and the Hope of a Nation as Narrator
- 2016 · Darcey Bussell: My Life on the BBC as Self
- 2016 · The Autopsy of Jane Doe as Tommy Tilden
- 2016 · Medici: Masters of Florence as Bernardo Guadagni
- 2015 · Killing Thyme as Norman
- 2015 · Pacific Warriors as Narrator
- 2015 · Pixels as Admiral Porter
- 2014 · Scotland In A Day as
- 2014 · Penny Dreadful as Jared Talbot
- 2013 · Blumenthal as Harold Blumenthal
- 2013 · RED 2 as Ivan
- 2013 · The Last Leg as Self
- 2012 · Addicted to Pleasure as Self - Host
- 2012 · I Missed My Mother's Funeral as Old Man
- 2011 · Celebrity Antiques Road Trip as Self - Participant
- 2011 · Exit Humanity as Malcolm Young (voice)
- 2011 · The Jonathan Ross Show as Self
- 2011 · The Jonathan Ross Show as Self - Guest
- 2011 · Rise of the Planet of the Apes as John Landon
- 2011 · The Key Man as Irving
- 2010 · RED as Ivan Simanov
- 2010 · On Expenses as
- 2009 · Fantastic Mr. Fox as Action 12 Reporter (voice)
- 2009 · Brian Cox's Jute Journey as Self
- 2007 · The Secret of the Nutcracker as Drosselmeyer
- 2007 · Shoot on Sight as Daniel Tennant
- 2007 · Trick 'r Treat as Mr. Kreeg
- 2007 · Zodiac as Melvin Belli
- 2006 · The Outsiders as Gabriel
- 2006 · Carry On Ken as Self
- 2005 · Match Point as Alec Hewett
- 2005 · Red Eye as Joe Reisert
- 2005 · Hitler in Colour as Narrator
- 2005 · Japan's War in Colour as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2004 · The Tony Danza Show as Self
- 2004 · The Bourne Supremacy as Ward Abbott
- 2004 · Murder by Numbers as Self
- 2003 · The Second Uncanny Issue of X-Men! Making 'X2' as
- 2003 · One Life as
- 2003 · X2 as William Stryker
- 2002 · 25th Hour as James Brogan
- 2002 · Adaptation. as Robert McKee
- 2002 · Aleister Crowley - The Wickedest Man in the World as Narrator
- 2002 · The Ring as Richard Morgan
- 2002 · The Trials of Henry Kissinger as
- 2002 · The Biographer as Michael O'Mara
- 2002 · The Rookie as Jim Morris Sr.
- 2002 · Rasputin: The Devil in the Flesh as Narrator
- 2001 · Richard & Judy as Self
- 2000 · Mad About Mambo as Sidney McLoughlin
- 2000 · The Invention of Dr. Morel as Dr. Morel
- 1987 · Gramsci: Everything that Concerns People as Narrator
- Future · Old Pals as Jimmy
- 1999 · The History of the British Police Force as Narrator (voice)
- 1996 · The Long Kiss Goodnight as Dr. Nathan Waldman
- 1996 · Chain Reaction as Lyman Earl Collier
- 1996 · Witness Against Hitler as Judge Freisler
- 1994 · The Maltese Double Cross as Narrator (voice)
- 1994 · Grushko as Colonel Yevgeni Grushko
- 1994 · Prince of Jutland as Aethelwine
- 1993 · Sharpe as Major Hogan
- 1992 · Six Characters in Search of An Author as The Director
- 1988 · Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky as Voiceover Narrator
- 1987 · Rat in the Skull as Detective Inspector Nelson
- Future · Wittgenstein's Poker as Bertrand Russell (voice)
- 1986 · Manhunter as Dr. Hannibal Lecktor
- Future · The Planets as
- 1992 · The Cutter as
- 1992 · The Cloning of Joanna May as Carl May
- 1991 · Red Fox as Geoffrey Harrison
- 1991 · Performance as The Director
- 1990 · Hidden Agenda as Peter Kerrigan
- 1990 · The Making of 'Hidden Agenda' as self
- 1990 · Perfect Scoundrels as Father Amedy
- 1989 · Brian Cox on Acting in Tragedy as Self
- 1987 · Inspector Morse as Michael Steppings
- 1986 · Unnatural Causes as Vic
- 1985 · The Cantor of St Thomas's as Johann Sebastian Bach
- 1983 · King Lear as Burgundy
- 1979 · Question Time as Self - Panellist
- 1978 · Out as McGrath
- 1974 · The Changeling as Alsemero
- 1972 · Van der Valk as Stefan Szabo
- 1968 · The Year of the Sex Olympics as Lasar Opie
- 1967 · The Gamblers as Mickey
- 1965 · A Knight in Tarnished Armour as Nelson