Ken Stott

Ken Stott
Born Kenneth Campbell Stott
(1954-10-19) 19 October 1954
Edinburgh, Scotland
Occupation Actor
Years active 1974–present
Known for Rebus (2000–2007)
Takin' Over the Asylum (1994)
The Missing (2014)
The Hobbit film trilogy (2012–2014)

Kenneth Campbell "Ken" Stott (born 19 October 1954) is a Scottish stage, television and film actor who won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1995 in the play Broken Glass at Royal National Theatre. He is more recently known for his role as the dwarf Balin in The Hobbit film trilogy (2012–2014), and as Ian Garrett in the 2014 BBC TV mini-series The Missing starring alongside James Nesbitt. His many notable roles in UK television include the role of Edward 'Eddie' McKenna in the Scottish BBC miniseries Takin' Over The Asylum (1994) co-starring with a young David Tennant, the title character DI John Rebus in the crime fiction-mystery series Rebus (2000–2007) and also as DCI Red Metcalfe in Messiah (2001–2008).

Early life

Stott was born in Edinburgh. His mother, Antonia (née Sansica), was a Sicilian lecturer whose own father had previously been a priest.[1][2] His father, David Stott, was a Scottish teacher and educational administrator.[3][4][5] Stott was educated at George Heriot's School. For three years in his youth he was a member of a band called Keyhole, members of which later went on to form the Bay City Rollers. After attending Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London, Stott began working in the theatre for the Royal Shakespeare Company, but for some years his earnings from acting were minimal and he was forced to support himself by also working as a double glazing salesman. This is echoed in the character he plays in Takin' Over the Asylum.

Career

Ken Stott as Balin in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Stott's early work focused on theatre with a notable leading role in the dramatisation of Dominic Behan's play about the Northern Ireland troubles The Folk Singer (Belfast Lyric Theatre). Stott appeared in small roles in BBC series such as Secret Army (1977), The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare (King Lear, 1982), and Dennis Potter's The Singing Detective (1986). He also featured in an advert for the British COI's "Drinking And Driving Wrecks Lives" campaign, playing a fireman. He eventually began to earn starring roles on television in the 1990s.[6] He created the leading role in The Prince's Play, a translation and adaptation by Tony Harrison of Victor Hugo's Le Roi s'amuse, for the National Theatre, London, 1996.[7]

His highest-profile television roles have included hospital radio DJ Eddie McKenna in BBC Scotland's Takin' Over The Asylum the leading character, DCI Red Metcalfe, in the BBC crime drama series Messiah (BBC One, 2001–05); DI Chappell in ITV police drama The Vice (1999–2003); as a drunk who fantasises about finding redemption by joining the Salvation Army in Promoted to Glory (ITV, 2003); as Adolf Hitler in Uncle Adolf (ITV, 2005) and as a fictional Chancellor of the Exchequer in Richard Curtis's The Girl in the Café (BBC One, 2005). 2006 saw him take over the title character in detective series Rebus, a television adaptation of the Ian Rankin novels which had previously starred John Hannah. In 2008 Stott was nominated for a Scottish BAFTA for his performance as comedian Tony Hancock in BBC Four's Hancock and Joan. His played the father of cookery writer Nigel Slater in the BBC One adaptation of Slater's autobiographical novel Toast, opposite Helena Bonham Carter and Freddie Highmore. In 2015, Stott played Arthur Birling in Helen Edmundson's BBC TV adaptation of J. B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls.

On the big screen, he has tended to play mostly supporting parts, such as DI McCall in Shallow Grave (1994), Ted in Fever Pitch (1997), Marius Honorius in King Arthur (2004), an Israeli arms merchant in Charlie Wilson's War (2007) and Trufflehunter, a badger loyal to Prince Caspian in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008). However, he has had occasional starring roles in the cinema, most notably opposite Billy Connolly and Iain Robertson in The Debt Collector (1999) and Plunkett and Macleane of the same year. Most recently, he has starred as Balin in the live-action adaptation of The Hobbit, and played the role to critical acclaim. Stott played a supporting role as Dexter Mayhew's father in One Day (2011) starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess.

Stott has continued to act on stage, and in 1997 was nominated for Best Actor at the Laurence Olivier Awards for his role in the Yasmina Reza play Art in which had appeared with Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay. In 2008 Stott starred in another West End production of a Reza play, this time God of Carnage, alongside Tamsin Greig, Janet McTeer and Ralph Fiennes at the Gielgud Theatre. He starred in a revival of Arthur Miller's A View From The Bridge at the Duke of York's Theatre in early 2009 and reprised his role of Michael in God of Carnage on Broadway (as a replacement for James Gandolfini) at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in New York.

He is a popular choice for voice work, as narrator for series such as Trawlermen, a documentary following North Sea trawlers, and Send in the Dogs, following the work of UK Police Officers and their canine partners.

Personal life

Stott has a son, David (born 1985), by his marriage, which ended in divorce. He has not remarried.[8] Stott currently lives with his girlfriend, the artist Nina Gehl.[9] Stott is a supporter of Heart of Midlothian, with an irony, in that the character portrayed by him, Ian Rankin's most well known character, Inspector John Rebus, is in fact a Hibernian supporter. [10]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1977 Secret Army Baroja TV series
1982 King Lear Curan TV film
1983 The Beggar's Opera Jemmy Twitcher TV film
1985 Taggart Dr. MacNaughten TV series: 1 episode
1986 The Singing Detective Uncle John TV mini-series: 2 episodes
1988 London's Burning Cyril First episode
1988 For Queen and Country Civil Servant
1990 Your Cheatin' Heart Fraser Boyle TV series: 6 episodes
1993 Elvis and the Colonel: The Untold Story - TV
1993 Anna Lee Bernie Schiller TV
1993 Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life Woland the Knifeman Short film
1993 Being Human Gasper Diez
1994 Takin' Over the Asylum Eddie TV series: 6 episodes
1994 Shallow Grave DI McCall
1996 Saint-Ex Prevot
1996 Silent Witness Sergeant Bob Claire TV series: 2 episodes
1996 A Mug's Game McCaffrey
1996 Rhodes Barney Barnato TV mini-series: 5 episodes
1997 The Boxer Ike Weir
1997 Stone, Scissors, Paper Redfern TV
1997 Fever Pitch Ted, the Headmaster
1999 Dockers Tommy Walton TV
1999 The Debt Collector Gary Keltie
1999 Plunkett & Macleane Chance
1999 Vicious Circle Martin Cahill TV
1999–2003 The Vice DI Pat Chappel TV Series: 16 episodes
NominatedBritish Academy Television Award for Best Actor
2000 The Miracle Maker Simon Peter Voice Only
2001 Messiah (a.k.a. Messiah I: The First Killings) DCI Red Metcalfe TV mini-series
2002 Messiah 2: Vengeance is Mine DCI Red Metcalfe TV mini-series
2003 Promoted to Glory Mike TV
2003 The Key Billy TV
2003 I'll Sleep When I'm Dead Turner
2004 Messiah DCI Red Metcalfe TV mini-series
2004 King Arthur Marius Honorius
2004 Spivs Jack
2005 Casanova Dalfonso
2005 Messiah: The Harrowing DCI Red Metcalfe TV mini-series
2005 The Girl in the Café Chancellor
2005 The Mighty Celt Good Joe
2005 Uncle Adolf Adolf Hitler TV
2006–2007 Rebus DI John Rebus TV series: 10 episodes
2007 Charlie Wilson's War Zvi Rafiah
2008 The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Trufflehunter Voice only
2008 Hancock and Joan Tony Hancock TV
Scottish BAFTA for Best Acting Performance in Television
NominatedBritish Academy Television Award for Best Actor
2010 Toast Dad
2011 The Runaway Joey Pasqualino
2011 One Day Dexter's Dad
2012 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Balin
2013 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Balin
2014 The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Balin
2014 Man Up Bert
2014 The Missing Ian Garrett TV series

NominatedBritish Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor[11]

2015 An Inspector Calls Arthur Birling TV film
2016 War & Peace Bazdeev TV series
2016 Café Society Marty
2016 The Mercy Stanley Best Post-production

Awards and nominations

BAFTA TV Awards

0 win, 3 nominations

British Academy Television Awards
Year Nominated work Category Result
2001 The Vice 2001 British Academy Television Award for Best Actor Nominated
2009 Hancock and Joan 2009 British Academy Television Award for Best Actor Nominated
2015 The Missing 2015 British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated

BAFTA TV Awards Scotland

2 win, 2 nominations

BAFTA Scotland
Year Nominated work Category Result
2009 Hancock and Joan 2009 British Academy Scotland Awards for Best Actor in Television Won
2015 The Missing 2015 British Academy Scotland Awards Best Actor in Television Won

Laurence Olivier Awards

1 win, 4 nominations

Laurence Olivier Award
Year Nominated work Category Result
1992 The Recruiting Officer at the National Theatre 1992 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated
1995 Broken Glass at the National Theatre Lyttelton / Duke of York's 1995 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actor in a Supporting Role Won
1997 Art at the Wyndam Theatre 1997 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actor in a Lead Role Nominated
2010 A View from the Bridge as Eddie Carbone at the Duke of York's 1995 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actor in a Lead Role Nominated

Royal Television Society

0 wins 1 nomination

Royal Television Society
Year Nominated work Category Result
2002 The Vice Royal Television Society Award Best Actor Nominated

References

  1. Banks-Smith, Nancy (7 February 2007). "Last night's TV". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  2. "Old family scandal reduces Rebus star to tears". The Scotsman. 2007.
  3. "Ken Stott biography". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  4. "Ken gets a taste of the past". The Daily Record. 3 February 2007.
  5. Fulton, Rick (8 December 2005). "Born to be Rebus". The Daily Record. Retrieved 19 September 2010.
  6. "Ken Stott filmography". IMDb.
  7. Taylor, Paul (21 April 1996). "Theatre: The Prince's Play, Royal National Theatre". The Independent. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  8. "Ken Stott's press interview". Kenstott.info. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  9. Black, Claire (20 May 2009). "Ken Stott interview: View from the top". The Scotsman. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  10. "Edinburgh A-list stirred by Scottish Cup final derby". BBC Sport. 14 May 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  11. Ritman, Alex (8 April 2015). "BAFTA TV Awards: Benedict Cumberbatch Gets Third Nomination for 'Sherlock'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 April 2015.

External links

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