Simon McBurney | |
|---|---|
 McBurney in The Encounter, August 2015 | |
| Born | Simon Montagu McBurney 25 August 1957 Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England |
| Alma mater | Peterhouse, Cambridge Lecoq International School of Theatre, Paris |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Spouse | Cassie Yukawa |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | Gerard McBurney (brother) Charles McBurney (great-grandfather) |
Simon Montagu McBurney OBE (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.
YouTube Encyclopedic
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Simon McBurney | 2015 International Festival Portraits
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Simon McBurney & The Master (contains strong language)
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Simon McBurney Discusses His Unique Broadway Show, "The Encounter" | BUILD Series
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Barbican Meets: Simon McBurney
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Simon McBurney Interview - The Theory of Everything Premiere
Transcription
For the Greek's, the word 'theatre' comes from 'theatros' which means 'the seeing place'. And I think that implied not only a question of the visual within the theatre, but also seeing as understanding. One of the things that happens in theatre is that we come together. That's to say, theatre is only interesting if its full. It's fine if you go the cinema and you're the only person sitting there. It can be actually rather wonderful at three o'clock in the afternoon all by yourself and you totally immerse yourself in the film. If you're the only person in the middle of a theatre you'd feel distinctly uncomfortable. You'd be aware that the actors were aware that you were the only person. And what happens of course with a piece of theatre that you love is it's changed and transformed in your memory, because memory itself is not a static thing, but a creative act. Every time you remember something you create it anew. It's not the same. No two memories are the same. And the key thing about the theatre is that it's a creative act on the part of the audience as much as on part of the writer, the creators, the theatre-makers and the actors that are there in front of you. It was extraordinary as a child because what was happening on stage seemed almost impossible. In the sense that it was-- they were really there and yet they were other people simultaeneously. And it was more exciting than anything could possibly be. In the theatre we can have very, very powerful sense of time and here I'm talking about the experience where you're sitting in the theatre and it seems as if it will never end. When theatre is boring, it is more boring than any other thing can possibly be boring. The feeling is that you don't know what is going to happen, but everything is possible. And so the feeling is one of hope, because here finally is the piece of the jigsaw puzzle which will make the... ...the thing complete. Because only when the audience is there, can you tell whether something will mean something or not. So you are merely a kind of instrument through which stuff is passing. And they will complete the picture. So, if you like, the experience when Artistotle talks about the experience of catharsis, there is a collective engagement with the subject matter, which can literally change people. It seems to me when talking about the nature of time and theatre, this is quite important. It's by Blaise Pascal, one of the things he talks about, "The present is never our end, the past and present are our means, the future alone our end. Thus, we never actually live, but hope to live. And since we are always planning how to be happy, it is inevitable, that we should never be so." And in a way the intensity of the moment of theatre in the present is about living. Living here and now. And that is why it is important. But only if its good!
Early life
McBurney was born on 25 August 1957[1][2] 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.[3] His parents were distant cousins who met during World War II.[4] His older brother is composer and writer Gerard McBurney.[5]
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.[4]
Career
McBurney is a founder and artistic director of the UK-based theatre company Complicite, which performs throughout the world.[6] In 1997 he was awarded the Europe Prize Theatrical Realities, with the Théâtre de Complicité.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10]
In 2013 he directed the English National Opera production of Mozart's The Magic Flute at the London Coliseum,[11] and the same opera at the New York Metropolitan Opera in 2023.[12]
In September 2019, the Complicité production of The Encounter was ranked by The Guardian writers as the 13th best theatre show since 2000.[13]
Personal life
In 2007, he met concert pianist Cassandra "Cassie" Yukawa.[14][15] They have since married, and reside in Stroud, Gloucestershire, with their three children, having previously lived in north London.[16] His sister-in-law is violinist Diane Yukawa.[17]
In the 2005 New Year Honours, McBurney was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) "for services to Drama".[18] He is an Ambassador for Survival International, the global movement for tribal peoples' rights.[19]
Filmography
Film
Television
| 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[21] | Recurring |
| 2023 | Hijack | Edgar | Miniseries |
Accolades
- 1997: Europe Prize Theatrical Realities (with the Théâtre de Complicité)[22]
- 1998: Laurence Olivier Award (Best Choreography for "The Caucasian Chalk Circle" ("Der kaukasische Kreidekreis"), Royal National Theatre, Olivier Stage, London)
- 1999: Critics' Circle Theatre Award (Best new play for "Mnemonic" at the Riverside Theatre)
- 2005: Officer of the Order of the British Empire, "New Years Honours List" of Queen Elizabeth II.
- 2007: Nestroy Theatre Prize (nomination Best Directing for "A Disappearing Number" at the Wiener Festwochen)
- 2007: Critics' Circle Theatre Award (Best new play for "A Disappearing Number" at the Théâtre de Complicité)
- 2008: Konrad Wolf Prize[23]
References
- ^ "Playbill Vault's Today in Theatre History: August 25". Playbill. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- ^ Wiśniewski, Tomasz (27 October 2016). Complicite, Theatre and Aesthetics From Scraps of Leather. Springer International Publishing. p. 58. ISBN 9783319334431.
- ^ Costa, Maddy (11 September 2010). "A life in theatre: Simon McBurney". The Guardian.
- ^ a b O'Mahony, John (1 January 2005). "Anarchy in the UK - Profile: Simon McBurney". The Guardian.
- ^ "Gerard McBurney | British Youth Music Theatre". britishyouthmusictheatre.org. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ Thorpe, Vanessa. "Sophie Hunter: The Opera Director Who Has to Dodge Paparazzie". Sophie Hunter Central.
- ^ "Europe Theatre Prize - V Edition - Reasons". archivio.premioeuropa.org. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
- ^ A Disappearing Number at the Barbican
- ^ "The Encounter". Edinburgh International Festival.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (17 September 2015). "'Harry Potter' Actor Simon McBurney Joins 'Conjuring 2' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
- ^ "The Magic Flute - review". The Guardian. 10 November 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
- ^ "This 'Magic Flute' Has Ringtones, Bird Tracks and a Foley Artist". The New York Times. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
- ^ Billington, Michael; Soloski, Alexis; Love, Catherine; Fisher, Mark; Wiegand, Chris (17 September 2019). "The 50 best theatre shows of the 21st century". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
- ^ Costa, Maddy (10 September 2010). "A life in theatre: Simon McBurney". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ Fingleton, Eamonn. "Wronged?: An Unwed English Mother, A Flinty Japanese Employer, And History's Worst Plane Crash". Forbes. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ Jacques, Adam (20 September 2011). "How We Met: Simon McBurney and Kathryn Hunter". The Independent.
- ^ Ward, David (8 March 2002). "Air crash payout after 17 years". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ "No. 57509". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2004. p. 12.
- ^ "Actor and director Simon McBurney becomes Survival International Ambassador". Survival International. 2 February 2017.
- ^ Squires, John (30 May 2023). "Filming on the Robert Eggers 'Nosferatu' Remake Has Reportedly Wrapped in Prague". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- ^ Petski, Denise (9 October 2017). "'Carnival Row' Casts Simon McBurney; Jonny Coyne Joins 'The Blacklist'". Deadline. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
- ^ "V EDIZIONE". Premio Europa per il Teatro (in Italian). Retrieved 21 December 2022.
- ^ Wildermann, Patrick (21 October 2008). "Bitte schnell was trinken". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Berlin. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
External links
- Simon McBurney at IMDb
- Simon McBurney at the Internet Broadway Database
- Profile: Simon McBurney at The Guardian
- American Theatre Wing's Working in the Theatre Episode on Solo Performance featuring McBurney
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This page was last edited on 19 December 2023, at 03:03