Richard McCabe (born William McCabe; 18 August 1960) is a Scottish actor who has specialised in classical theatre. He is an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).
McCabe is an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), best known for his roles, ranging from comedy (Puck, Autolycus, Thersites, Apemantus) to drama (King John, Iago, Flamineo). He first gained major attention as Puck in the 1989 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, with a production that featured punk fairies and a scrapyard set. As Autolycus, McCabe entered Act III in The Winter's Tale, hanging from a bunch of huge balloons (1992–93; RST, Barbican, UK and international tour). His first leading part was creating the role of Christopher Marlowe in Peter Whelan's School of Night, a new play commissioned by the RSC to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Marlowe's death in 1993 (1993–94). Other major roles with the RSC have been the title role in King John (2006; Josie O’Rourke, Swan); Iago opposite Ray Fearon in Othello (1999–2000; Michael Attenborough, RST & Barbican); Flamineo in John Webster’s White Devil (1996–97; Gale Edwards, Swan & The Pit).
McCabe has also been associated with Chichester's Festival Theatre, playing a range of contrasting roles including the title role in Scapino or The Trickster by Molière (Festival Theatre 2005), directed by Silviu Purcarete. In 2010, McCabe played the critic Moon in The Real Inspector Hound by Tom Stoppard, and Mr. Puff in The Critic by Richard Brinsley Sheridan in a double bill at the Minerva theatre, as well as Jonson in Bingo by Edward Bond that subsequently transferred to the Young Vic.
In 2011 McCabe played Jim Hacker in a nationwide tour of Yes, Prime Minister which then transferred to both the Apollo and Gielgud theatres. He played Tropachov in Fortune's Fool by Turgenev at the Old Vic theatre.
In September and October 2012, he played an older Romeo opposite Kathryn Hunter's Juliet in Ben Power's adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, called A Tender Thing (2009), directed by Helena Kaut-Hausen. He also played Hamlet over a period of three years (1999–2001) for Birmingham Rep's production directed by Bill Alexander. This included appearing at the Hamlet Festival at Elsinore Castle in Denmark in 2001.
At the 2013 Olivier Awards, McCabe won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role as PM Harold Wilson in the original production of Peter Morgan's The Audience at the Gielgud Theatre. He had previously been nominated for the same Olivier Award in 1994 for his role as Autolycus in the 1992 RSC production of The Winter's Tale.[1]
On 7 June 2015, at the 69th Tony Awards, McCabe won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor for the Broadway production of The Audience, starring Dame Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II. Mirren won the Best Actress Tony Award.[2] [3] He also won awards for Outstanding Featured Actor (Outer Critics Circle Awards)[4] and Distinguished Performance (Drama League Award).[5] In 2017, McCabe acted in the role of Major General David Harding in the Bollywood film, Rangoon.[6]
McCabe also played Cicero in the Imperium cycle of plays at the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2017/8.[7]
The 2022 English National Opera production of The Yeomen of the Guard at the Coliseum Theatre, London, featured McCabe as Jack Point.[8]
Described by Michael Billington of The Guardian as "One of our finest actors" and Charles Spencer of The Daily Telegraph as "One of the best actors of his generation", McCabe has received Olivier[9] and Tony Awards.
On television McCabe played Frank Gresham Senior, owner of Greshamsbury Park, in Julian Fellowes' adaptation for ITV of Anthony Trollope's novel Doctor Thorne.[10] He has also appeared in Poldark, Peaky Blinders, all four series of Wallander, Indian Summers, and The Best of Men. On film McCabe has appeared in Eye in the Sky, Mindhorn, The Constant Gardener, Master and Commander, Notting Hill, and Persuasion. Other films include Cinderella, The Invisible Woman, The Duchess, Vanity Fair, and Nightwatching.
| 1995 | Persuasion | Captain Benwick | ||
| 1999 | Notting Hill | Tony | ||
| 2003 | Mr. Higgins, Surgeon's Mate | |||
| 2004 | The Tulse Luper Suitcases, Part 2: Vaux to the Sea | Horace | ||
| 2004 | Vanity Fair | The King | ||
| 2005 | The Constant Gardener | Arthur Hammond | ||
| 2007 | Nightwatching | Bloemfeldt | ||
| 2008 | The Duchess | Sir James Hare | ||
| 2012 | Epithet | Alan | Short | |
| 2013 | National Theatre Live: The Audience | Harold Wilson | Recorded theatre performance | |
| 2013 | The Invisible Woman | Mr. Mark Lemon | ||
| 2015 | Cinderella | Baron | ||
| 2015 | Eye in the Sky | George Matherson | ||
| 2016 | Mindhorn | Jeffrey Moncrieff | ||
| 2017 | Rangoon | Major General Harding | ||
| 2017 | Goodbye Christopher Robin | Rupert | ||
| 2018 | The Little Stranger | Dr. Steely | ||
| 2019 | From Preacher to Prophet A Sam Kinison Story | Limo driver | Short | |
| 2019 | 1917 | Colonel Collins | ||
| 2020 | The Duke | Rab Butler | ||
| 2021 | Callum | |||
| 2021 | Cyrano | Priest |
| 1985, 1990, 1995 | The Bill | Steve Naylor/Darryl/Colin | 3 episodes | |
| 1987 | Bulman | Eddie | ||
| 1991 | For the Greater Good | Trusty | ||
| 1994 | Between the Lines | Philip Skinner | ||
| 1997 | Bramwell | Osborne | ||
| 1997 | A Prince Among Men | Tubby McFinnon | ||
| 1998 | Heat of the Sun | Theodore Watcham | Serial | |
| 1998 | Killer Net | D.I. Colby | Serial | |
| 1999 | The Vice | Michael Walden | ||
| 2000 | Trial & Retribution | Roger Barker | ||
| 2003 | The Family | Jeremy Davison | ||
| 2003 | Waking the Dead | Karl Meerman | ||
| 2003 | Family | Jeremy Davison | Serial | |
| 2003 | Foyle's War | Colin Fowler | ||
| 2004 | The Inspector Lynley Mysteries | Theatre Manager | ||
| 2005 | To the Ends of the Earth | Mr. Brocklebank | Serial | |
| 2006 | Midsomer Murders | Rev. Anthony Gant | ||
| 2006 | Jane Eyre | Mr. Brocklehurst | ||
| 2007 | The Whistleblowers | Charles Radford | ||
| 2007 | Heroes and Villains | Barras | TV series documentary | |
| 2008 | Lewis | Gavin Matthews | ||
| 2008 | Einstein and Eddington | Frank Dyson | TV movie | |
| 2008–15 | Wallander | Nyberg | ||
| 2009 | Spooks | Matthew Plowden | ||
| 2010 | Masterpiece Mystery | Nyberg | ||
| 2012 | Playhouse Presents | Tim Szabo | ||
| 2012 | The Best of Men | Dr Cowan | TV movie | |
| 2013 | Legacy | Gerry | TV movie | |
| 2013 | Borgia | King Federigo d'Aragona | ||
| 2014 | Peaky Blinders | Winston Churchill | ||
| 2014 | The Great Fire | Lord Hyde | Serial | |
| 2014 | The Game | Prime Minister | Serial | |
| 2015 | Indian Summers | Stafford Armitage | ||
| 2016 | Doctor Thorne | Frank Gresham Snr | Serial | |
| 2016–17 | Poldark | Mr. Trencrom | ||
| 2017 | Harlots | Justice Cunliffe | ||
| 2017 | Electric Dreams | Dr. Thaddeus Cutter | ||
| 2017 | Doc Martin | Trevor Dodds | ||
| 2018 | Collateral | Peter Westbourne | Serial | |
| 2020 | The English Game | Colonel Jackson | ||
| 2021 | Death in Paradise | Professor Roger Harkness | ||
| 2021 | A Very British Scandal | George Whigham | ||
| 2022 | The Pentaverate | Exalted Pikeman Higgins |
| Year | Ceremony | Award | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Winter's Tale | [11] | |||
| The Audience | [12] | |||
| 2015 | [13] | |||
| Outstanding Featured Actor | [14] | |||
| Distinguished Performance Award | [15] | |||