Brian Cox
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.
Known For
Credits
- 2025 · The Electric State as Popfly (voice)
- 2024 · The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim as Helm Hammerhand (voice)
- 2024 · That Christmas as Santa (voice)
- 2024 · Unsinkable as Robert Dodds
- 2023 · Quasi as Narrator (voice)
- 2022 · Bonnie as Self
- 2022 · The Independent as Nick Booker
- 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)
- 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 · Carpool Karaoke: The Series as Self
- 2017 · Churchill as Winston Churchill
- 2016 · The Autopsy of Jane Doe as Tommy Tilden
- 2016 · Medici: Masters of Florence as Bernardo Guadagni
- 2016 · Morgan as Jim Bryce
- 2016 · The Carer as Sir Michael
- 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 · Pixels as Admiral Porter
- 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 · Penny Dreadful as Jared Talbot
- 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 · RED 2 as Ivan
- 2013 · Shetland as Magnus Bain
- 2013 · The Last Leg as Self
- 2012 · Blood as Lenny Fairburn
- 2012 · A Touch of Cloth as Bill Ball
- 2012 · The Campaign as Raymond
- 2012 · The Straits as Harry Montebello
- 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 Veteran as Gerry
- 2011 · Ironclad as Albany
- 2011 · Coriolanus as Menenius
- 2010 · RED as Ivan Simanov
- 2010 · As Good As Dead as Reverend Kalahan
- 2009 · The Day of the Triffids as Dennis Masen
- 2009 · Fantastic Mr. Fox as Action 12 Reporter (voice)
- 2009 · The Good Heart as Jacques
- 2009 · The Take as Ozzy
- 2009 · Tell-Tale as Van Doren
- 2009 · Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword as Green Dragon (voice)
- 2008 · Red as Avery Ludlow
- 2008 · The Escapist as Frank Perry
- 2008 · The Colour of Magic as Narrator
- 2008 · Agent Crush as Spanners (voice)
- 2007 · The Water Horse as Old Angus
- 2007 · Trick 'r Treat as Mr. Kreeg
- 2007 · Battle for Terra as General Hemmer (voice)
- 2007 · The Bourne Ultimatum as Ward Abbott (voice) (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 2007 · Zodiac as Melvin Belli
- 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 · Match Point as Alec Hewett
- 2005 · The Colbert Report as
- 2005 · Red Eye as Joe Reisert
- 2004 · The Tony Danza Show as Self
- 2004 · The Bourne Supremacy as Ward Abbott
- 2004 · Troy as King Agamemnon
- 2004 · Deadwood as Jack Langrishe
- 2004 · The Reckoning as Tobias
- 2003 · One Life as
- 2003 · Real Time with Bill Maher as Self
- 2003 · Sin as Captain Oakes
- 2002 · 25th Hour as James Brogan
- 2002 · Adaptation. as Robert McKee
- 2002 · Top Gear as Self
- 2002 · The Ring as Richard Morgan
- 2002 · The Bourne Identity as Ward Abbott
- 2002 · The Rookie as Jim Morris Sr.
- 2001 · The Affair of the Necklace as Minister Breteuil
- 2001 · Richard & Judy as Self
- 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 · 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 · 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 Long Kiss Goodnight as Dr. Nathan Waldman
- 1996 · The Glimmer Man as Mr. Smith
- 1996 · Superman: The Animated Series as Dr. Earl Garver (voice)
- 1996 · Chain Reaction as Lyman Earl Collier
- 1996 · The Daily Show as Self
- 1995 · Braveheart as Argyle Wallace
- 1995 · Rob Roy as Killearn
- 1994 · Iron Will as Angus McTeague
- 1993 · Frasier as Harry Moon
- 1993 · Sharpe as Major Hogan
- 1992 · Macbeth as Macbeth
- 1992 · Shakespeare: The Animated Tales as Macbeth (voice)
- 1992 · The Lost Language of Cranes as Owen Benjamin
- 1991 · Performance as The Director
- 1990 · Have I Got News for You as Self
- 1990 · Perfect Scoundrels as Father Amedy
- 1989 · The Simpsons as Kostas Becker (voice)
- 1989 · Murder on the Moon as Voronov
- 1988 · LIVE with Kelly and Mark as Self - Guest
- 1988 · Red Dwarf as The King
- 1987 · French & Saunders as King Lear
- 1987 · Inspector Morse as Michael Steppings
- 1982 · A Cotswold Death as Dr. Gillespie
- 1980 · Hammer House of Horror as Chuck
- 1979 · Minder as Frank
- 1979 · Question Time as Self - Panellist
- 1978 · Out as McGrath
- 1977 · Target as Billy Voss
- 1974 · Playhouse as Dalhousie
- 1972 · Van der Valk as Stefan Szabo
- 1971 · Great Performances as Self - Narration (voice)
- 1970 · Play for Today as Dr. Gillespie
- Future · Have I Got a Bit More News for You as Himself - Panellist
- 2025 · VE Day 80 as Self
- 2025 · The Parenting as Frank
- 2023 · 007: Road to a Million as The Controller
- 2023 · Prisoner's Daughter as Max
- 2023 · Mending the Line as Ike Fletcher
- 2022 · Peter O'Toole: Along the Sky Road to Aqaba as Self
- 2020 · Last Moment of Clarity as Gilles
- 2019 · Pretenders as Henry
- 2016 · Alan Clarke: Out of His Own Light as Self
- 2014 · The Gospel of John as Narrator (voice) – King James Version
- 2013 · The Curse of Edgar as Edgar Hoover
- 2012 · Tooned as The Mechanic
- 2012 · All at Sea as Wally
- 2011 · The Key Man as Irving
- 2002 · Bug as Cyr
- 2001 · Strictly Sinatra as Chisolm
- 2000 · Saltwater as George Beneventi
- 2000 · The Making of 'Rushmore' as Self
- 1998 · Poodle Springs as Clayton Blackstone
- 1997 · Food for Ravens as Aneurin Bevan
- 1994 · Grushko as Colonel Yevgeni Grushko
- 1994 · Prince of Jutland as Aethelwine
- 1993 · Sharpe's Eagle as Major Michael Hogan
- 1992 · Deceptions as Carlton Heard
- 1990 · Hidden Agenda as Peter Kerrigan
- 1990 · Secret Weapon as Andrew Neil
- 1988 · The Modern World: Ten Great Writers as Henrik Ibsen (voice)
- 1987 · Shoot for the Sun as Dunny
- 1986 · Unnatural Causes as Vic
- 1985 · Florence Nightingale as Dr. McGregor
- 1984 · Pope John Paul II as Father Góra
- 1983 · King Lear as Burgundy
- 1975 · In Celebration as Steven Shaw
- 1971 · Nicholas and Alexandra as Trotsky
- 1967 · The Gamblers as Mickey
- 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
- 2022 · Brian Cox: How The Other Half Live as Presenter
- 2022 · Ukraine: Answering the Call as Self
- 2020 · John Rebus: The Lockdown Blues as John Rebus
- 2018 · The Etruscan Smile as Rory MacNeil
- 2015 · Killing Thyme as Norman
- 2014 · The Great War: The People's Story as Rev. Andrew Clark
- 2012 · Addicted to Pleasure as Self - Host
- 2012 · I Missed My Mother's Funeral as Old Man
- 2011 · Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster as Glover
- 2010 · On Expenses as
- 2007 · A Woman in Winter as Dr. Hunt
- 2006 · The Outsiders as Gabriel
- 2005 · Blue/Orange as Dr. Robert Smith
- 2004 · Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson as Other Voices (voice)
- 2002 · Aleister Crowley - The Wickedest Man in the World as Narrator
- 2002 · Rasputin: The Devil in the Flesh as Narrator
- 2002 · Smallpox 2002: Silent Weapon as Narrator
- 2001 · Inside 'Manhunter' as Himself
- 2000 · The Invention of Dr. Morel as Dr. Morel
- 1994 · The Negotiator as Charlie King
- 1992 · The Big Battalions as Edward Hoyland
- 1990 · The Making of 'Hidden Agenda' as self
- 1989 · The Blasphemers' Banquet as Rev. Wallace (voice)
- 1987 · Rat in the Skull as Detective Inspector Nelson
- 1986 · Home Cooking as Vic
- 1982 · The Privilege as Young Laird
- 1980 · Dalhousie's Luck as Dalhousie
- 1968 · The Year of the Sex Olympics as Lasar Opie
- Future · Succession as
- 1981 · House on the Hill as Leon Douglas
- 1978 · The Devil's Crown as Henry II
- 1976 · Clay, Smeddum and Greenden as George Simpson
- 1974 · The Changeling as Alsemero
- Future · Old Pals as Jimmy
- 2002 · The Trials of Henry Kissinger as
- Future · The Planets as
- 2025 · The Marbles as Self
- 2025 · Raoul Wallenberg: Missing Inaction as Self — Gustaf Wallenberg (voice)
- 2025 · AMR: Dying to Change the World as AMR
- 2024 · Skelly as Grandpa
- 2024 · Little Wing as Jaan Vari
- 2023 · Made of Money with Brian Cox as
- 2023 · Bill Douglas: My Best Friend as Narrator (voice)
- 2023 · An Interview with Brian Cox as Himself
- 2022 · Ooh the Banter! as Self
- 2022 · Piers Morgan Uncensored as Self
- 2020 · The Bay of Silence as Milton
- 2020 · Lawrence After Arabia as Father (Voice)
- 2019 · The Last Right as Father Reilly
- 2019 · Remember Me as Shane
- 2018 · Kubrick by Candlelight as The Narrator
- 2018 · Widdershins as voice
- 2017 · An Evening with Brian Cox as Himself
- 2017 · Bob the Builder: Mega Machines - The Movie as Conrad / Crunch (voice)
- 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
- 2015 · Pacific Warriors as Narrator
- 2015 · Andrew Carnegie: Rags to Riches, Power to Peace as Andrew Carnegie (voice)
- 2014 · Scotland In A Day as
- 2013 · An Adventure in Space and Time as Sydney Newman
- 2013 · Blumenthal as Harold Blumenthal
- 2013 · Bob Servant as Bob Servant
- 2011 · The Sinking of the Laconia as Captain Sharp
- 2009 · Brian Cox's Jute Journey as Self
- 2007 · The Secret of the Nutcracker as Drosselmeyer
- 2007 · Shoot on Sight as Daniel Tennant
- 2006 · The Flying Scotsman as Douglas Baxter
- 2006 · Carry On Ken as Self
- 2005 · The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes & Arthur Conan Doyle as Joseph Bell
- 2005 · Hitler in Colour as Narrator
- 2005 · Japan's War in Colour as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2004 · Murder by Numbers as Self
- 2003 · The Second Uncanny Issue of X-Men! Making 'X2' as
- 2003 · The Evolution of an American Filmmaker as Self
- 2003 · X2 as William Stryker
- 2002 · The Biographer as Michael O'Mara
- 2002 · Loch Lomond: Legend of the Loch as Narrator
- 2000 · Complicity as Inspector McDunn
- 2000 · Mad About Mambo as Sidney McLoughlin
- 2000 · Longitude as Lord Morton
- 1999 · The History of the British Police Force as Narrator (voice)
- 1996 · Witness Against Hitler as Judge Freisler
- 1994 · The Maltese Double Cross as Narrator (voice)
- 1993 · Sharpe's Rifles as Major Michael Hogan
- 1992 · Six Characters in Search of An Author as The Director
- 1992 · The Cutter as
- 1992 · The Cloning of Joanna May as Carl May
- 1991 · Red Fox as Geoffrey Harrison
- 1989 · Brian Cox on Acting in Tragedy as Self
- 1988 · Beryl Markham: A Shadow on the Sun as Jack Purves
- Future · A Modern Magician as The Voice
- 1988 · Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky as Voiceover Narrator
- 1987 · Acting as
- 1987 · Gramsci: Everything that Concerns People as Narrator
- Future · Wittgenstein's Poker as Bertrand Russell (voice)
- 1986 · Manhunter as Dr. Hannibal Lecktor
- 1985 · The Cantor of St Thomas's as Johann Sebastian Bach
- 1980 · Therese Raquin as Laurent
- 1970 · Manhunt as Anton
- 1965 · BBC Play of the Month as Alsemero
- 1965 · A Knight in Tarnished Armour as Nelson
- 1964 · Theatre 625 as Lasar Opie