Simon McBurney

1.1. Birth and family

McBurney was born on 25 August 1957, in Cambridge, England. His father, Charles McBurney, was an American archaeologist and academic of Scottish descent. His paternal great-grandfather was the American surgeon Charles McBurney, who is credited with describing the medical sign known as McBurney's point. Simon McBurney's mother, Anne Francis Edmondstone (née Charles), was a British secretary with English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry. His parents were distant cousins who first met during World War II. He has an older brother, Gerard McBurney, who is a composer and writer.

1.2. Education and training

McBurney pursued his academic studies at Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he read English literature and graduated in 1980. Following his father's passing, he relocated to Paris to further his theatrical education. There, he trained professionally at the Jacques Lecoq Institute, an experience that profoundly influenced his innovative approach to theatre.

2.1. Founding and leading Complicité

In 1983, Simon McBurney co-founded the UK-based theatre company Théâtre de Complicité in London, where he serves as the artistic director. The company is renowned for its distinctive physical and visually inventive theatre, performing throughout the world. In 1997, McBurney and Théâtre de Complicité were jointly awarded the prestigious Europe Prize Theatrical Realities, recognizing their significant contributions to contemporary theatre.

Under his artistic direction, Complicité has produced a series of critically acclaimed works. Notable productions include Street of Crocodiles (1992); The Three Lives of Lucie Cabrol (1994), an adaptation of the John Berger trilogy Into Their Labours; To the Wedding, another collaboration with Berger; Mnemonic (1999); The Elephant Vanishes (2003), based on the short stories of Haruki Murakami (象の消滅_{Zō no Shōmetsu}^Japanese); A Disappearing Number (2007); A Dog's Heart (2010); The Master and Margarita (2011); and The Kid Stays in the Picture (2017).

A Disappearing Number was a devised piece, conceived and directed by McBurney, which drew inspiration from the collaboration between two prominent 20th-century mathematicians: the Indian genius Srinivasa Ramanujan and Cambridge don G. H. Hardy. This production was staged at the Barbican in autumn 2008 and subsequently embarked on an international tour. In February 2009, McBurney directed the Complicité production Shun-kin (春琴_Shun-kin^Japanese), which was based on two texts by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki (春琴抄_{Shun-kin Shō}^Japanese and 陰翳礼讃_{In'ei Raisan}^Japanese). Shun-kin was produced in London and Tokyo in 2010. For his direction of Shun-kin, McBurney received the 16th Yomiuri Theatre Award for Best Director. In September 2019, The Encounter, another Complicité production, was ranked as the 13th best theatre show since 2000 by The Guardian writers.

2.2. Theatre and opera directing

In addition to his work with Complicité, McBurney has undertaken freelance directing projects in theatre and opera, showcasing his innovative and distinctive style. His theatre directing credits include The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui and All My Sons (2008), both staged in New York City. He also directed live comedy shows, such as Lenny Henry's So Much Things To Say and French and Saunders' Live in 2000.

In the realm of opera, McBurney directed the English National Opera production of Mozart's The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte_{The Magic Flute}^German) at the London Coliseum in 2013, and the same opera at the New York Metropolitan Opera in 2023. He also directed the opera A Dog's Heart, composed by Aleksandr Raskatov and based on Mikhail Bulgakov's novel of the same name. This opera was commissioned by the Dutch National Opera (DNO) and premiered at the Holland Festival in 2010, co-produced with the English National Opera. It was subsequently performed at La Scala in 2013, Opéra de Lyon in 2014, and restaged at the Amsterdam National Opera in 2017. In 1997, he directed Eugène Ionesco's play The Chairs in a co-production with the Royal Court Theatre, which later transferred to Broadway in 1998 and received six Tony Award nominations, including for Best Revival of a Play and Best Direction.

2.3. Acting career

McBurney is an established and versatile actor across both screen and stage. He played the recurring role of Cecil the choirmaster in the BBC comedy series The Vicar of Dibley from 1994 to 2004, appearing in four episodes. From 2010 to 2014, he portrayed Archdeacon Robert in the BBC comedy television series Rev., appearing in 19 episodes. He also took on the role of Johannes Burchart, a canon law expert, in The Borgias from 2011 to 2013, appearing in six episodes. His other television appearances include Christian Donaldson in Utopia (2013, 3 episodes), Colin "Cubby" Wall in the miniseries The Casual Vacancy (2015, 3 episodes), Rupert Murdoch in the miniseries The Loudest Voice (2019), Runyan Millworthy in Carnival Row (2019-2023), and Edgar in the miniseries Hijack (2023). Earlier in his television career, he appeared in Screenplay (1988), The Two of Us (1989), The Bill (1992), The Comic Strip Presents (1992-1993), Performance (1995), Absolutely Fabulous (1996), and Midsomer Murders (1999).

In film, McBurney has played a wide range of characters. He was Dr. Atticus Noyle in The Manchurian Candidate (2004), the metrosexual husband Aaron in Friends with Money (2006), and British diplomat Nigel Stone in The Last King of Scotland (2006). Other notable film roles include Fra Pavel in The Golden Compass (2007), Charles James Fox in The Duchess (2008), Garland in Body of Lies (2008), Oliver Lacon in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), and Howard Burkan in Woody Allen's Magic in the Moonlight (2014). He also portrayed Frank Hawking in The Theory of Everything (2014). McBurney provided the voice of Kreacher in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 (2010). In 2015, he starred as Atlee, the director of MI6, in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation. In 2016, he portrayed paranormal investigator Maurice Grosse in the horror film sequel The Conjuring 2 and an S.O.E. Official in Allied. He also played Sir Francis Chichester in The Mercy (2018), a Magician in Siberia (2020), and voiced Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell in the animated film Wolfwalkers (2020). More recently, he appeared as Captain Hitchcock in The Pale Blue Eye (2022), Andrew McGrath in A Mistake (2024), and Herr Knock in Nosferatu (2024). His upcoming film is The Actor (2025), which is currently in post-production.

2.4. Writing and producing

Beyond his work as a director and actor, Simon McBurney has also contributed to film as a writer and producer. He wrote the story and served as an executive producer for the 2007 comedy film Mr. Bean's Holiday.

3.1. Personal life

In 2007, Simon McBurney met concert pianist Cassandra "Cassie" Yukawa. They previously resided in north London and have three children. His sister-in-law is the violinist Diane Yukawa.

3.2. Social activities and advocacy

In the 2005 New Year Honours, McBurney was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his significant "services to Drama." He is also a dedicated Ambassador for Survival International, which is the global movement advocating for tribal peoples' rights. His involvement highlights his commitment to social justice and humanitarian causes.

4.1. Film

4.2. Television