Simon Russell Beale is an English stage and film actor, author and music historian. He has regularly appeared on films and stage in various roles. Some of his most notable movies include Operation Finale, The Death of Stalin, The Legend of Tarzan, Alice in Wonderland, Orlando, among others.
He is an associate of both the National Theatre and the Almeida Theatre in London. He has performed on theatre, television and in films, in the United Kingdom and abroad. In 2014, he was appointed a visiting professorship at Oxford University. He is also a patron of the English Touring Theatre, South London Theatre, London Symphony Chorus, For Short Theatre Company, and Diamond Fun for Choristers.
Born Name
Simon Russell Beale
Nick Name
Simon
Sun Sign
Capricorn
Born Place
Penang, Malaysia
Residence
Los Angeles, California, United States
Nationality
Education
Simon Russell Beale was a pupil at St. Paul’s Cathedral School, then joined Clifton College in Bristol, UK, and Gonville and Caius College, the University of Cambridge in England. Later, he started studies at Guildhall School of Music and Drama but left the studies before completion.
Occupation
Performance Artist, Actor, Author, Music Historian
Family
- Father – Lt. General Sir Peter Beale (Surgeon General of HM Armed Forces)
- Mother – Julia Winter (Doctor)
Manager
Simon Russell Beale is managed by –
- Anonymous Content (Talent Management Company), California, USA
- Dalzell and Beresford (Talent Agent), London, UK
Build
Average
Height
5 ft 6 in or 167.5 cm
Weight
88 kg or 194 lbs
Race / Ethnicity
White
He is of British descent.
Hair Color
Gray
Eye Color
Blue
Sexual Orientation
Gay
Distinctive Features
- Deep aristocratic voice
- Portly shape
Best Known For
- Acting in films such as Operation Finale, Persuasion, The Death of Stalin, The Legend of Tarzan, Alice in Wonderland, Orlando, among others
- Appearing in TV shows such as Vanity Fair, Penny Dreadful, The Hollow Crown, MI-5, A Dance to the Music of Time, The Mushroom Picker, Downtown Lagos, A Very Peculiar Practice, among others
- Performing on theatres stages such as the Traverse and Lyceum Theatres in Edinburgh, The Royal National Theatre: Olivier Stage, The Royal National Theatre Stage: Cottesloe Stage, the Donmar Warehouse, Broadway, The National Theatre in London, among others
First Film
Simon Russell Beale made his theatrical film debut as ‘Earl of Moray’ in the 1992 film Orlando.
First TV Show
He made his TV show debut playing the role of Mark Stibbs on the television series A Very Peculiar Practice in 1988.
Simon Russell Beale Facts
- He received attention in his comic roles at the Royal Shakespeare Company.
- Simon has a strong dislike of his looks, body, and voice. He has long believed that he is ugly.
- He has worked together with Sam Mendes for over 2 decades in numerous television and film projects.
- In the 2003 Queen’s Birthday Honour’s List, he was awarded the “Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)” for his services to drama.
- He has acted in 42 different television and film projects, and 32 diverse documentaries, presentations, and readings until 2019.
- Simon uses his full name since he began his acting career because he found a Simon Beale already registered at Equity when he joined.
- He has 8 audiobooks (as of early 2019) to his credit. In 2001, he performed the audiobook A Life of Shakespeare, Mimi and Toutou Go Forth in 2005, Charlie Bone and the Hidden King in 2006, Atticus the Storyteller’s 100 Greek Myths Volume 1 in 2007, The Keys To The Street in 2010, The Mistletoe Bride and Other Haunting Tales in 2013, de Profundis in 2015, and The Romanovs: 1613 –1918 in 2016.
- He has 5 radio plays to his credit as of early 2019. For BBC Radio 3, he performed the character of a fool in the 1992 radio play, ‘Hamlet Part II’. For the BBC Radio 4 play of 2003, ‘Piaf and Cocteau’ he performed the lead role, Jean Cocteau, and for the BBC World Service radio play of 2009, ‘Leaving’, he played the character of the author. In the 2013 BBC Radio 3 play ‘Copenhagen’, he played Niels Bohr. He performed in the BBC Radio 4 play, ‘Dead Girls Tell No Tales’.
- Simon has performed in 2 radio series (as of early 2019), both for BBC Radio 4. In 1997, he took on the role of Pierre in War and Peace.
- In the 2007 radio series Tom Jones, he played the role of Henry Fielding.
- For a while in 2009-2010, he acted as George Smiley in The Complete Smiley, for BBC Radio.
- In 1985 at the Apollo Theatre of London, he appeared in the revue Look to the Rainbow.
- He was ranked as the 30th “Most Influential Gay Men and Women” of the Independent on Sunday 2006 Pink List.
- In the TV documentary series Sacred Music, he presented the blossoming of Western sacred music.
- He acted in the musical Monty Python’s Spamalot as King Arthur on Broadway in 2005, and in London in 2007. At the Apollo Theatre in London, he acted in the musical Look to the Rainbow. He also performed in Bernstein’s musical Candide.
- At London’s Donmar Warehouse, he performed in the stage play Uncle Vanya as Vanya, and as Malvolio in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
- At Brooks Atkinson Theatre in New York City, he played George in Jumpers in 2004.
- He played various roles in many of Shakespeare plays. He was Cassius in Julius Caesar, Macbeth in Macbeth, Thersites in Troilus and Cressida, and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. Other roles include; the title role in Hamlet, Iago in Othello, Osric in Hamlet, a shepherd in The Winter’s Tale, Edgar in King Lear, Ariel in The Tempest, among others.
- He has acted in more than 40 stage plays so far as of early 2019.
- Simon Russell Beal performed in the 2011 ballet Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, at the Royal Opera House, London.
- Simon was nominated 5 times and won 6 awards so far as of early 2019. He won the 1998 BAFTA “Best Actor”, the 1998 Broadcasting Press Guild Award for “Best Actor”, and the 2013 BAFTA for “Best Supporting Actor.” Other awards include the 2014 WAFCA Award for “Best Acting Ensemble” which was shared with the cast, the 2017 British Independent Film Award for “Best Actor,” and the 2018 Evening Standard British Film Award for “Best Supporting Actor”.
- He does not seem to be active on social media.
Featured Image by Sky Arts / YouTube
Facts of Simon Russell Beale
- full nameSimon Russell Beale
- Date of Birth January 12, 1961
- Age 63 years 7 months
- Horoscope Capricorn
- Lucky Number 3
- Lucky Stone Topaz
- Lucky Color Brown
- Best Match for Marriage Scorpio, Virgo, Taurus
- height5 ft 6 in