Brian Cox Biography

BRIAN COX

Date of Birth: June 1, 1946

This Dundee, Scotland native began his professional stage career at 14 when he joined Dundee Repertory Theatre as an apprentice. Two years later, he enrolled in the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts.

Over the next few years, Brian trained and performed at LAMDA, Royal Lyceum Edinburgh and the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Focusing much of his time on Shakespearian plays, Brian soon built a solid stage resumé that included As You Like It, the title role in Peer Gynt, Romeo & Juliet, Othello, When We Dead Awaken, In Celebration, Hedda Gabler and Cromwell.

After years on stage, Brian started directing stage performances such as The Man with a Flower in His Mouth and The Stranger, both in 1973, and I Love My Love in 1982 for the London stage.

Brian landed roles in a number of film and television productions, but it wasn't until 1986's Manhunter, in which he played Dr. Hannibal Lecter, that film audiences sat up and took notice. In the years that followed, Brian appeared in several TV movies, mini-series and specials both in England and the U.S. including King Lear, Florence Nightingale and Beryl Markham: A Shadow on the Sun. In 2000 he played Reichmarshal Hermann Goering in the telefilm Nuremberg, for which he earned multiple awards and nominations from the Golden Globes, Emmys and BAFTA.

With his busy television and theater schedule through the years, Brian's film appearances have been sporadic. He has, however, showcased a diverse array of characters in film including a policeman investigating a plot to kill the British prime minister in Hidden Agenda (1990), a wealthy supporter of the title character's rival in Iron Will (1994) and characters in The Prince of Jutland (1994), Braveheart (1995), Rushmore (1998), Adaptation (2002), X2: X-Men United (2003), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Coriolanus (2012), Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster (2012) and The Campaign (2012).

Brian has two children—Alan, who has also become an actor, and daughter Margaret, from his 18-year marriage to Caroline Burt, which ended in 1986. He has another son, born in 2002, with second wife, Nicole.

He was awarded the C.B.E. (Commander of the order of the British Empire) in the 2002 New Year's Eve Honours List. Cox has spent some time passing along his skills to future thespians through courses at Harvard University, Cal Arts and via a video training course, "Acting and Tragedy."

Filmography:

Churchill (2017)
The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
Morgan (2016)
Forsaken (2015)
Pixels (2015)
The Anomaly (2014)
Mindscape (2013)
Her (2013)
Believe (2013)
Blumenthal (2013)
Red 2 (2013)
Blood (2012)
The Campaign (2012)
Exit Humanity (2011)
Edwin Boyd (2011)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
The Veteran (2011)
The Key Man (2011)
Ironclad (2011)
Coriolanus (2011)
Red (2010)
Wide Blue Yonder (2010)
As Good as Dead (2010)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
The Good Heart (2009)
Tell-Tale (2009)
Agent Crush (2008)
The Escapist (2008)
Red (2008)
Shoot on Sight (2007)
Trick 'r Treat (2007)
The Water Horse (2007)
Battle for Terra (2007) (voix)
Zodiac (2007)
The Flying Scotsman (2006)
Running with Scissors (2006)
Match Point (2005)
A Woman in Winter (2005)
The Ringer (2005)
Red Eye (2005)
The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
Troy (2004)
The Reckoning (2004)
Sin (2003)
X2: X-Men United (2003)
25th Hour (2002)
The Ring (2002)
Adaptation (2002)
The Bourne Identity (2002)
L.I.E. (2002)
The Rookie (2002)
Bug (2001)
Morality Play (2001)
Murder by Numbers (2001)
The Affair of the Necklace (2001)
Cocozza’s Way (2001)
Saltwater (2000)
A Shot at Glory (2000)
Mad About Mambo (2000)
Complicity (2000)
Whipped (1999)
For Love of the Game (1999)
The Corruptor (1999)
The Minus Man (1999)
Merchants of Venus (1998)
Rushmore (1998)
Desperate Measures (1998)
A New Window Pane (1997)
The Boxer (1997)
Kiss the Girls (1997)
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
The Glimmer Man (1996)
Chain Reaction (1996)
Braveheart (1995)
Rob Roy (1995)
Iron Will (1994)
Prince of Jutland (1994)
The Eye of Vichy (1993)
Six Characters in Search of an Author (1992)
Hidden Agenda (1990)
Regi Andrej Tarkovskij (1988)
Manhunter (1986)
In Celebration (1975)
Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)