Alun Armstrong

Born: 1946-07-17, Annfield Plain, County Durham, England, UK

Biography

Alun Armstrong is a prolific English character actor. Armstrong grew up in County Durham in North East England. He first became interested in acting through Shakespeare productions at his grammar school. Since his career began in the early 1970s, he has played, in his words, "the full spectrum of characters from the grotesque to musicals... I always play very colourful characters, often a bit crazy, despotic, psychotic." His numerous credits include six different Dickens adaptations and seven series as eccentric ex-detective Brian Lane in New Tricks. Armstrong is also an accomplished stage actor who spent nine years with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He originated the role of Thénardier in the London production of Les Misérables and he won an Olivier Award for playing the title role in Sweeney Todd.

Filmography

• Great Performances (1971)
• The BBC Television Shakespeare (1978)
• Penny Dreadful (2014)
• Tales from the Crypt (1989)
• Inspector Morse (1987)
• The Jim Henson Hour (1989)
• Van Helsing (2004)
• Braveheart (1995)
• Sleepy Hollow (1999)
• The Mummy Returns (2001)
• ScreenPlay (1986)
• Frontier (2016)
• The New Avengers (1976)
• The Hollow Crown (2012)
• Sherwood (2022)
• Breeders (2020)
• Patriot Games (1992)
• Krull (1983)
• Screen One (1989)
• The Saint (1997)
• Year of the Rabbit (2019)
• Bleak House (2005)
• The Storyteller (1988)
• Centre Play (1973)
• Public Eye (1965)
• A Bridge Too Far (1977)
• Eragon (2006)
• The Choral (2025)
• Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? (1973)
• Black Beauty (1994)