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Brian Cox

Acting

Born June 1, 1946 · Dundee, Scotland, UK

Also known as Brian Denis Cox · Brian Cox CBE · برایان کاکس

Biography

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.

Awards & recognition

  • Golden Globe Awards · 2020
  • Sitges Film Festival Best Actor award · 2008
  • Den Spillende Faun · 2007
  • Primetime Emmy Award · 2001
  • Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie · 2001
Show all 10 awards →
  • Lucille Lortel AwardOutstanding Lead Actor · 1998
  • Commander of the Order of the British Empire
  • Golden Globe AwardBest Actor – Television Series Drama
  • Laurence Olivier Awards
  • Order of the British Empire

Filmography50+ titles

The Biographer

2002as Michael O'Mara

Dexter: Resurrection

2025as New York Ripper

Succession

2018as Logan Roy

Bob the Builder: Mega Machines

2017as Conrad / Crunch (voice)

Deadwood

2004as Jack Langrishe

Oz

1997Director

Red Dwarf

1988as The King

Good Omens

2019as Death (voice)

Sharpe

1993as Major Hogan

The Simpsons

1989as Kostas Becker (voice)

Braveheart

1995as Argyle Wallace

Inspector Morse

1987as Michael Steppings

Peter O'Toole: Along the Sky Road to Aqaba

2022as Self

Penny Dreadful

2014as Jared Talbot

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

2014as God

Her

2013as Alan Watts (voice)

Fantastic Mr. Fox

2009as Action 12 Reporter (voice)

Medici

2016as Bernardo Guadagni

Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword

2009as Green Dragon (voice)

Superman: The Animated Series

1996as Dr. Earl Garver (voice)

Frasier

1993as Harry Moon

War & Peace

2016as Mikhail Kutuzov

Kings

2009as King Vesper Abaddon

Top Gear

2002as Self

Shetland

2013as Magnus Bain

The Take

2009as Ozzy

Zodiac

2007as Melvin Belli

The Bourne Identity

2002as Ward Abbott

Aqua Teen Hunger Force

2000as Anubis (voice)

The Bourne Ultimatum

2007as Ward Abbott (voice) (archive footage) (uncredited)

Match Point

2005as Alec Hewett

Rushmore

1998as Dr. Nelson Guggenheim

The Game

2014as Daddy

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

2011as John Landon

The Bourne Supremacy

2004as Ward Abbott

Adaptation.

2002as Robert McKee

25th Hour

2002as James Brogan

That Christmas

2024as Santa (voice)

The Graham Norton Show

2007as Self

Troy

2004as King Agamemnon

007: Road to a Million

2023as The Controller

Saltwater

2000as George Beneventi

Hammer House of Horror

1980as Chuck

The Gospel of John

2014as Narrator (voice) – King James Version

Trick 'r Treat

2007as Mr. Kreeg

X2: X-Men United

2003as William Stryker

Hidden Agenda

1990as Peter Kerrigan

Manhunter

1986as Dr. Hannibal Lecktor

Nicholas and Alexandra

1971as Trotsky

The Colbert Report

2005