Simon McBurney

Born in 1957 in Cambridge, England, Simon McBurney studied English literature at university before succumbing to the acting bug. McBurney and a couple of compatriots founded the theater company Complicité in 1983, gaining in stature until they headlined arguably the most prestigious venue in European theater, the Avignon International Festival. They mounted an adaptation of Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita that has since toured the world.

Although McBurney's true passion is theater (acting and directing), he has been coaxed in front of the camera on a number of occasions. He played supporting roles in films like "Kafka" (1991), directed by Steven Soderbergh, and made a number of guest appearances on TV series (mostly British), including "Absolutely Fabulous" (BBC, 1992-2005) and "Midsomer Murders" (ITV, 1997-).

He was awarded the O.B.E. (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 2005 for his services to the stage. However, it wasn't until a recurring role in "The Borgias" (Showtime, 2011-13) and a series regular role in "Rev." (BBC, 2010-14) that McBurney gained real onscreen recognition.

In 2014, McBurney appeared in Woody Allen's "Magic In the Moonlight" (2014) as well as the Academy Award®-nominated "Theory of Everything" (2014). McBurney also played in the mini-series "The Casual Vacancy" (HBO, 2015) adapted from the book by JK Rowling.