Mark Dexter

Last updated

Mark Dexter
Born
Mark Lee Dexter

(1973-04-21) 21 April 1973 (age 49)
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England
NationalityBritish
OccupationActor
Years active1985–present

Mark Lee Dexter (born 21 April 1973) is an English actor who trained at RADA.

Contents

Life and career

Dexter was born in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England.

As a teenager, he was an early member of the Central Junior Television Workshop which led to various TV roles before he moved from Nottingham to London to attend RADA.

After graduating in 1995, Dexter's early successes were on stage, in particular with two high-profile productions of Tennessee Williams plays, beginning with Sam Mendes's 1995 Olivier Award-winning production [1] of The Glass Menagerie at the Donmar Warehouse, in which he played Jim O'Connor. This was soon followed by Trevor Nunn's Tony Award-winning production [2] of Williams's never-before-seen Not About Nightingales , which transferred from London's National Theatre to the Circle in the Square Theatre on Broadway in 1999.

Since then, Dexter has moved primarily into film and television. [3] Among an extensive list of credits, he is probably best known for his portrayals of prominent political figures including David Cameron in the Channel 4 political drama Coalition, Tony Benn in the Netflix drama The Crown , John Dean in Charles Ferguson's 2018 series Watergate - as well as the fictional 'UK Prime Minister' in Transformers: The Last Knight . In his native UK he is also known for his role of Timothy Gray in the 1950s-set ITV crime drama The Bletchley Circle , opposite screen wife Anna Maxwell Martin. He has made various appearances on British science fiction shows including Red Dwarf and multiple roles on Doctor Who - most notably with his 2020 portrayal of computer pioneer Charles Babbage.

Between October 2008 and January 2009, Mark Dexter made regular appearances on NBC in America, playing the role of Samuel Tuffley in eight episodes of Crusoe , a major 12-part mini-series. [4]

In summer 2009, Dexter returned to the National Theatre in London, playing Robin Conway in Rupert Goold's production of J. B. Priestley's Time and the Conways ; [5] he followed this by appearing alongside Kevin Spacey in the role of cynical journalist E.K. Hornbeck, [6] a thinly disguised portrayal of H. L. Mencken, in Trevor Nunn's revival of Inherit the Wind , at the Old Vic. [7]

During the first half of 2010, Dexter appeared in the recurring role of businessman Paul Stokes in Coronation Street . He played Count Skriczevinsky in Trevor Nunn's production of Flare Path at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket in 2011. [8] He played a lead role in the 2011 released feature Blooded by Ed Boase.

In 2012, Dexter appeared in episode "Trojan" of the Dave series Red Dwarf as Arnold Rimmer's brother Howard. [9]

In December 2012 in the UK (or January 2013 in the USA via BBC America), Dexter appeared as the principal villain, Sir Arthur Donaldson, in the opening episode of BBC's Victorian crime drama Ripper Street .

On 3 March 2013, Dexter portrayed the celebrated polar explorer Ernest Shackleton in episode 9 of the ITV series Mr Selfridge , and later that year he appeared as CIA Agent 'Marlow' in 24: Live Another Day , which was broadcast in the US and UK in spring 2014.

In October 2014, it was announced that Dexter would portray British Prime Minister David Cameron in political drama Coalition , a film for Channel 4 set to be broadcast in the run-up to the UK general election in 2015. [10] It was broadcast on 28 March 2015.

In April 2015, he played David Cameron once again in a new production of Peter Morgan's play The Audience, alongside Kristin Scott Thomas as Queen Elizabeth II, directed by Stephen Daldry. In this production at The Apollo Shaftesbury Avenue, Dexter also played former Prime Minister Tony Blair. [11]

Dexter was cast as SS Commander 'Dietrich' in the WWII drama The Exception directed by David Leveaux, which had special screenings at the Toronto and Tribeca film festivals (September 2016 & April 2017), ahead of its general release in June 2017.

In 2020, Dexter joined the cast of the HBO finance drama Industry playing Hilary Wyndham throughout Season 1. Later, in December of that year, a second season of the show was announced. [12]

Filmography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Spacey</span> American actor (born 1959)

Kevin Spacey Fowler is an American actor. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles before gaining a leading man status in film and television. Spacey has received various accolades for his performances on stage and screen including two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Tony Award, two Laurence Olivier Awards, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. He received nominations for a Grammy Award as well as twelve Primetime Emmy Awards. Spacey received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999, and was named an honorary Commander and Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2010 and 2015, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoë Wanamaker</span> British actress

Zoë Wanamaker is a British actress who has worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. Wanamaker was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2001 by Queen Elizabeth II. She's received numerous accolades including a Laurence Olivier Award and nominations for three BAFTA Awards, and four Tony Awards.

Sir Trevor Robert Nunn is a British theatre director. He has been the Artistic Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. He has directed dramas for the stage, like Macbeth, as well as opera and musicals, such as Cats (1981) and Les Misérables (1985).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny John-Jules</span> English actor, singer and dancer

Daniel John-Jules is a British actor, singer and dancer. He is best known for playing Cat in the sci-fi comedy series Red Dwarf, Barrington in the comic children's series Maid Marian and Her Merry Men, and policeman Dwayne Myers in the crime drama Death in Paradise. He was also a protagonist in the hit CBBC children's spy drama M.I. High, in which he portrayed Lenny Bicknall, the caretaker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Peck</span> English actor (1945–1999)

Robert Peck was an English actor who played Ronald Craven in the television serial Edge of Darkness, for which he won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor. He was also known for his role as game warden Robert Muldoon in the film Jurassic Park.

Robert Lindsay Stevenson is an English actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a British Academy Television Award, a Tony Award and two Laurence Olivier Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Rees</span> Welsh actor (1944–2015)

Roger Rees was a Welsh actor and director, widely known for his stage work. He won an Olivier Award and a Tony Award for his performance as the lead in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. He also received Obie Awards for his role in The End of the Day and as co-director of Peter and the Starcatcher. Rees was posthumously inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in November 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy Spall</span> English actor

Timothy Leonard Spall is an English actor and presenter. Spall gained recognition for his character actor roles on stage and screen. He is best known for his collaborations with director Mike Leigh acting in six of his films Home Sweet Home (1982), Life is Sweet (1990), Secrets & Lies (1996), Topsy-Turvy (1999), All or Nothing (2002) and Mr. Turner (2014). He was nominated for the BAFTA for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his role in Secrets and Lies and received the Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Award for his portrayal of J. M. W. Turner in Mr. Turner. In 2000, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alun Armstrong</span> English actor

Alan Armstrong, known professionally as Alun Armstrong, is an English character actor. He grew up in County Durham in North East England, and first became interested in acting through Shakespeare productions at his grammar school. Since his career began in the early 1970s, he has played, in his words, "the full spectrum of characters from the grotesque to musicals... I always play very colourful characters, often a bit crazy, despotic, psychotic".

Allan Leigh Lawson is an English actor, director and writer.

John Woodvine is an English actor who has appeared in more than 70 theatre productions, as well as a similar number of television and film roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">O-T Fagbenle</span> English actor

Olatunde Olateju Olaolorun "O-T" FagbenleListen is an Emmy-nominated English actor, writer, and director. He has appeared in several films, stage, and television productions. Fagbenle is best known for his role as Luke in The Handmaid’s Tale (2017–2022) and his portrayal of Barack Obama in The First Lady (2022).

David John Threlfall is an English stage, film and television actor and director. He is best known for playing Frank Gallagher in Channel 4's series Shameless. He has also directed several episodes of the show. In April 2014, he portrayed comedian Tommy Cooper in a television film entitled Tommy Cooper: Not Like That, Like This. In 2014, he starred alongside Jude Law in the thriller Black Sea. In 2022 he received a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play for his performance in the Martin McDonagh play Hangmen.

Clive Wood is an English actor, known for his television roles in Press Gang (1989–93), The Bill (1990), London's Burning (1996–99), and as King Henry I in The Pillars of the Earth (2010). His stage roles include playing Stephano in The Tempest at Shakespeare's Globe (2011) and Antony in Antony and Cleopatra at the Haymarket (2014). His film appearances include The Innocent (1985), Buster (1988) and Suffragette (2015).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Caird (director)</span> English theatre director and writer

John Newport Caird is an English stage director and writer of plays, musicals and operas. He is an honorary associate director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, was for many years a regular director with the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain and is the principal guest director of the Royal Dramatic Theatre, Stockholm (Dramaten).

<i>The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby</i> (play)

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby is an 8½ hour-long adaptation of Charles Dickens’ 1839 novel, performed in two parts. Part 1 was 4 hours in length with one interval of 15 minutes. Part 2 was 4½ hours in length with two intervals of 12 minutes. It was originally presented onstage over two evenings, or in its entirety from early afternoon with a dinner break. Later it was presented on television over four evenings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rory Kinnear</span> English actor and playwright

Rory Michael Kinnear is an English actor and playwright who has worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre. In 2014, he won the Olivier Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of William Shakespeare's villain Iago in the National Theatre production of Othello.

Suzanne Bertish is an English actress.

Sapphire Chrystalla Elia is an English actress, model and singer best known for her roles in musical drama Britannia High and the soap opera Emmerdale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Dawson (actor)</span> English actor

David Robert Dawson is an English actor. He has had a varied career on television, including roles in The Road to Coronation Street (2010), series 2 of Luther (2011), Ripper Street (2012–2016), The Secret Agent (2016), as King Alfred in The Last Kingdom (2015–2018), and as Joseph Merrick in Year of the Rabbit (2019).

References

  1. ↑ Official London Theatre Guide[ full citation needed ]
  2. ↑ Tony Awards.com[ full citation needed ]
  3. ↑ nytimes.com from Allmovie[ full citation needed ]
  4. ↑ NBC[ full citation needed ]
  5. ↑ Royal National Theatre[ full citation needed ]
  6. ↑ "Spacey Ages Decades for a Role, with His Sarcasm Intact". International Herald Tribune. 7 October 2009. Retrieved 30 September 2016– via The New York Times.
  7. ↑ Billington, Michael (1 October 2009). "Inherit the Wind". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  8. ↑ "Photo Flash: Miller, Purefoy & Smith Rehearse Flare Path", 21 February 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  9. ↑ Guide, British Comedy. "Red Dwarf Series X, Episode 1 – Trojan – British Comedy Guide" . Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  10. ↑ "Mark Gatiss to play Peter Mandelson in Channel 4 Nick Clegg drama Coalition" . Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  11. ↑ "The Audience / West End – Playful Productions" . Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  12. ↑ "Industry Renewed For Season 2 by HBO" . Retrieved 10 December 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.