Angus Macfadyen (born September 21, 1963) is a Scottish actor and director, best known for his roles as Robert the Bruce in Braveheart, Vice-Counsel Dupont in Equilibrium, McCreedy in Cameron Crowe's We Bought a Zoo and his role in the Saw franchise.
He played Jeff Denlon in Saw III and Saw IV.
Early Life[]
Angus Macfadyen was born in Glasgow, Scotland and lived a colourful childhood, being brought up in such places as the Philippines, Africa, Singapore and France as his father was a doctor in the World Health Organisation. Macfadyen attended the University of Edinburgh and the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. He was once engaged to actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Career[]
Macfadyen's first role was Philip, a young man who must tell his parents that he is gay, in the television film The Lost Language of Cranes in 1991 along with fellow Scottish actor Brian Cox, who played his father. Macfadyen then acted in the television film 15: The Life and Death of Philip Knight in 1993 as well as the television series Takin' Over the Asylum in 1994 about a salesman who runs a radio station in a mental institution. That role eventually led to his portrayal of Robert the Bruce in Mel Gibson's film Braveheart in 1995.
After Braveheart won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, Macfadyen acted in the independent film Nevada in 1997, before giving the most over-the-top performance of his career as Komodo in the action/fantasy film Warriors of Virtue. He also co-starred alongside Don Cheadle and Ray Liotta when he played Peter Lawford in the HBO film The Rat Pack in 1998.
In 1999, Macfadyen played the role of Orson Welles in Tim Robbins's third directorial film Cradle Will Rock. Although the film received a nomination for the Palme d'Or at Cannes, it was a financial flop. Macfadyen's next appearance was in the Shakespearan film Titus, alongside Anthony Hopkins, where he played Lucius, eldest son of Titus Andronicus. Directed by Julie Taymor, the film was a critical triumph, but only received mediocre box office results.
After the noir film Second Skin in 2000, Macfadyen appeared in a number of poorly received films, such as the action fil Styx in 2001, which also starred American actor Peter Weller. A year later, he appeared in the comedy film Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood alongside a number of famous actors: Sandra Bullock, Ellen Burstyn, Maggie Smith and Ashley Judd. That same year, Macfadyen took on the role of Vice-Counsel Dupont in Equilibrium. The film, which also starred actor like Christian Bale, Sean Bean, Taye Diggs and Emily Watson, was set in the future, where a fascist regime forbid all emotions.
In 2006, Macfadyen acted as Marcus Crassus in the TV version of Spartacus, the character of Bill in The Pleasure Drivers, and the leading role in the dramatic film The Virgin of Juarez. After that, he played the pirate Blackbeard in a miniseries of the same name.
His next big role was that of Jeff Denlon in Saw III. Jeff was a man obsessed with revenge and was forced to overcome a series of traps to test his ability to forgive. The film was a big financial success, earning almost $200 million worldwide with a budget of only $10 million. Macfadyen then co-starred in the equally successful film Redline in 2007. The same year, he reprised his role as Jeff Denlon in Saw IV, which, like its predecessor was also a box office success.
Macfadyen continued making films, starring as the outlaw Will Tunney in his western film Shadowheart in 2009. He has appeared on television on the series Californication and Killer Wave and also acted in the mystery film San Saba and the thriller Clean Break.
Macfadyen later appeared in two thrillers: Pound of Flesh in 2010, alongside Malcolm McDowell, which revolves around a corrupt college professor, and the crime thriller Shadows of the White Nights, alongside Christian Slater. He starred as Lucas Blackstone in the Christian film Taken by Grace. Additionally, Macfadyen was part of the cast of the USA Network's television series Psych, the Cameron Crowe feature film We Bought a Zoo starring Matt Damon, and the final season of Chuck as the villain Nicholas Quinn.
In 2014, Macfadyen took on the roles of Robert Rogers in AMC's historical drama series Turn: Washington's Spies, and Allan Pinkerton on the first-run syndicated series The Pinkertons. Later that year, he began principal photography on Macbeth, a feature-length film adaptation of the Shakespearean play which he directed himself.
Filmography[]
Films[]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | The Lost Language of Cranes | Phillip Benjamin |
| 1995 | Braveheart | Robert the Bruce |
| 1997 | Still Breathing | Philip |
| Nevada | West | |
| Warriors of Virtue | Komodo | |
| Snide and Prejudice | Michael Davidson / Adolf Hitler | |
| 1998 | The Brylcreem Boys | Rudolph von Stegenbek |
| Lani Loa | Turner | |
| 1999 | Cradle Will Rock | Orson Welles |
| Facade | Frederic Colbert | |
| Titus | Lucius | |
| Joseph's Gift | Carl | |
| 2000 | Second Skin | Sam Kane |
| 2001 | A Woman's a Helluva Thing | Houston Blackett |
| Styx | Mike | |
| 2002 | Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood | Connor |
| Equilibrium | Dupont | |
| On the Roof | Jack | |
| 2005 | Hope for the Addicted | |
| Murder on the Yellow Brick Road | Michael Alberts | |
| Shooting Gallery | Tenderloin Tony | |
| 2006 | The Virgin of Juarez | Patrick Nunzio |
| Fatwa | Bobby | |
| The Pleasure Drivers | Bill Plummer | |
| Scoundrels, Scallywags, and Scurvy Knaves | ||
| Saw III | Jeff Denlon | |
| .45 | Al | |
| 2007 | Redline | Michael |
| Saw IV | Jeff Denlon | |
| 2008 | Impulse | Jonathan Dennison / Simon Phillips |
| Clean Break | Matt McKay | |
| San Saba | Bud | |
| 2009 | Shadowheart | Will Tunney |
| 2010 | Pound of Flesh | Detective Patrick Kelly |
| 2011 | We Bought a Zoo | Peter MacCready |
| 2012 | H4 | Sir John Falstaff |
| Hirokin | Moss | |
| 2013 | Sugar | Uncle Gene |
| Assassins Run | Richard | |
| Copperhead | Jee Hagadorn | |
| Taken by Grace | Lucas Blackstone | |
| 2015 | The Critic | Critic |
| 2016 | Macbeth Unhinged | Macbeth |
| The Lost City of Z | James Murray | |
| She Rises | Conor | |
| Timeless | Dr. Meier | |
| 2017 | The Gleaner | Lane |
| 2018 | F.R.E.D.I. | Grant |
| Alive | The Man | |
| 2019 | Buck Run | Angus Ford |
| Kaia | Scarlotth | |
| Purge of Kingdoms: The Unauthorized Game of Thrones Parody | Barbo | |
| Robert the Bruce | Robert the Bruce | |
| Business Ethics | Menlo Sartori | |
| 3022 | Richard Valin | |
| 2020 | Gangcheolbi 2: Jeongsanghoedam | U.S. President Smoot |
| 2022 | Curse of the Macbeths | Macbeth |
| 2024 | The Last Redemption | King Ferrel |
Television Series[]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Soldier Soldier | Lt Alex Pereira |
| 1994 | Screen One | Dexter |
| Takin' Over the Asylum | Fergus | |
| 2000 | Jason and the Argonauts | Zeus |
| 2003 | Miracles | Alva Keel |
| 2004 | Spartacus | Crassus |
| 5ive Days to Midnight | Roy Bremmer | |
| 2005 | Tilt | Roy 'Mac' McEntyre |
| 2005-2006 | Alias | Joseph Ehrmann |
| 2006 | Blackbeard | Blackbeard |
| 2007 | Killer Wave | John McAdams |
| 2008 | Eleventh Hour | Jason Cooper |
| Californication | Julian | |
| 2010 | Lie to Me | Jimmy Doyle |
| Psych | Logan Paget | |
| 2011 | Criminal Minds | Sean McAllister |
| 2012 | Chuck | Nicholas Quinn |
| 2013 | Republic of Doyle | Gerald Bryne |
| 2014-2015 | The Pinkertons | Allan Pinkerton |
| 2014-2017 | Turn | Robert Rogers |
| 2019 | Strange Angel | Aleister Crowley |
| 2021 | Superman & Lois | Jor-El |
| 2023 | Outlander | Brigadier General Simon Fraser |
| Bones of Crows: The Series | Kenner |
Television Films[]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 15: The Life and Death of Philip Knight | David McBride |
| 1995 | Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story | Richard Burton |
| 1998 | The Rat Pack | Peter Lawford |
| 2007 | The Rich Inner Life of Penelope Cloud | Claude |
Gallery[]
