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