Tobias Menzies

Tobias Menzies

Menzies at the Outlander premiere in New York
Born 7 March 1974
London, England
United Kingdom
Education Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Occupation Actor
Years active 2000–present

Tobias Menzies (born 7 March 1974) is an English stage, television and film actor. He is best known for his TV roles as Brutus in Rome (2005–2007), Edmure Tully in Game of Thrones (2013) and as Frank Randall / Jonathan "Black Jack" Randall in the 2014 Starz period TV series, Outlander.

Early years

Menzies was born in North London, England, the son of a teacher and a BBC producer.[1]

Menzies attended the liberal Frensham Heights School near Farnham in Surrey at the same time as Hattie Morahan and Jim Sturgess. He went on to attend Stratford-upon-Avon College's "Year-out" drama course in 1993–94. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (1998) and was trained in the Steiner System, which includes movement, singing and musical instrumentation.

Career

Menzies worked with the Spontaneity Shop, a British improv comedy company. He began his TV and film career in some of British television's most popular series, including Foyle's War, Midsomer Murders and Casualty. He also appeared in A Very Social Secretary directed by Jon Jones, which launched UK Channel 4's spin-off station, More4.

He is best known to international audiences for his starring role as Marcus Junius Brutus, Julius Caesar's friend and later co-assassin, in the award-winning HBO/BBC epic series Rome (2005–07).[2]

Menzies had a major role in The Low Down with Aidan Gillen, and was featured in the 2006 reboot of the James Bond film franchise, Casino Royale, as M's aide, Villiers.

He has worked extensively on the stage, with credits including the young teacher Irwin in Alan Bennett's The History Boys (which Nicholas Hytner directed at the Royal National Theatre), and Michael Blakemore's West End production of Three Sisters for which he was nominated for the Ian Charleson Award. Of his role in The History Boys, one reviewer wrote:

There is a remarkable performance, too, from Tobias Menzies as the slick supply-teacher historian, who believes academic success is merely a matter of tricks and spin. But Menzies also discovers a surprisingly attractive vulnerability in the character I missed the first time around.

Menzies played the title role in Rupert Goold's production of Hamlet, at the Royal Theatre, Northampton to an appreciative critical reception:

One of Shakespeare's greatest innovations was to dramatise people's thought processes: the articulation of the mind's search for meaning and identity. This is where Menzies' performance is most thrilling. He shows how language strives to express the self and to pin down the truth. Who am I? What do I think and feel? Menzies' delivery of the "To be or not to be..." speech burns with intelligence. This is one of the finest and most exciting Hamlets I’ve seen. Observe his face: it seems to mature, grow softer, more observant and expressive, and his death becomes a fulfilment as well as a failure

The Independent noted that Menzies, "enjoying his antic disposition ... plays the fool dazzlingly: a stage natural.... He gives it everything, even the fight."

In April 2007 Menzies appeared as William Elliot in ITV's production of Jane Austen's classic, Persuasion, and also played Peter Trifimov in The Cherry Orchard with Joanna Lumley (at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield). The Yorkshire Post said, "The one who burns the brightest is Tobias Menzies as the idealistic perpetual student Trofimov. His performance is breathtaking."

He appeared as Derrick Sington in Channel 4's dramatisation of The Relief of Belsen broadcast 15 October 2007 and then he filmed Forget Me Not, a Quicksilver Films production, in which he starred alongside Genevieve O'Reilly.[3]

He also was the Home Secretary in the long-running television drama Spooks, since December 2009.

Menzies plays Edmure Tully, the heir to the House of Tully of Riverrun on HBO's Game of Thrones.

In 2012, he appeared in the political satire series The Thick of It during series 4 as Simon Weir, as part of the Goolding Inquiry.

In 2014, Menzies played Maggie Gyllenhaal's bodyguard, Nathaniel Bloom, in the TV mini-series The Honourable Woman.[4] The same year, Menzies also began co-starring in the Starz period TV series, Outlander as two characters: Frank Randall / Jonathan "Black Jack" Randall.[5][6][7]

Filmography

Radio

Year Title Role Notes
2012 John Charrington's Wedding Narrator BBC Radio 4 Extra

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2000 The Low Down John
2002 The Knowledge David short film
2004 Piccadilly Jim Reg
2004 Finding Neverland Theatre Patron
2005 Pierrepoint Lt. Llewelyn Titled Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman in the US
2006 Casino Royale Villiers M's assistant
2007 Atonement Naval Officer
2009 Jackboots on Whitehall Captain English (voice) Spoof war film using puppets.
2010 The Duel Von Koren adaptation of an 1891 novella by Anton Chekhov, The Duel
2010 Forget Me Not Will
2011 Hysteria Mr. Squyers
2014 Black Sea Lewis

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2000 Longitude Halleys Secretary
2000 Summer in the Suburbs School Psychologist
2000 Midsomer Murders Jack Dorset
2000 Casualty Frank Gallagher
2002 The Escapist Policeman
2002 I Saw You Vince
2002 Ultimate Force Box 500
2002 Foyle's War Stanley Ellis
2005 A Very Social Secretary Keith
2005–2007 Rome Marcus Junius Brutus
2007 Persuasion William Elliot
2007 The Relief of Belsen Derrick Sington
2009 Pulling Stephan
2009 Spooks Andrew Lawrence
2010 The Deep Raymond
2011 The Shadow Line Ross McGovern
2012 Eternal Law Richard Pembroke
2012 The Thick of It Simon Weir
2013 Black Mirror Liam Monroe Episode "The Waldo Moment"
2013 Game of Thrones Edmure Tully
2013 Doctor Who Lieutenant Stepashin
2014 Silent Witness Greg Walker
2014 The Honourable Woman Nathaniel Bloom
2014- Outlander Frank/Jonathan Randall
2015 Catastrophe Dr Harries

Theatre

Year Title Role Notes
2000 Light Directed by Simon McBurney for the Complicite theatre company
2000 The Way of the World Witwoud Directed by Matthew Lloyd at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester
2001 Platonov Sergei Voynitzev Directed by Jonathan Kent at the Almeida
2002 Arcadia Valentine Coverly Directed by Rupert Goold at the Northampton Royal
2003 Three Sisters Tusenbach Directed by Michael Blakemore at the Playhouse Theatre, London. Filmed by BBC Four and aired in 2004
2003 Serjeant Musgrave's Dance Hurst Directed by Sean Holmes. Oxford Stage Company
2005 Hamlet Hamlet Directed by Rupert Goold at the Royal Theatre, Northampton
2005 The History Boys Irwin Directed by Nicholas Hytner. Touring cast and Royal National Theatre, London
2007 The Cherry Orchard Peter Trofimov Directed by Jonathan Miller at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
2007 Cloud Nine Harry Bagley/Martin Directed by Thea Sharrock at the Almeida Theatre, London
2009 King Lear Edgar Directed by Rupert Goold at the Young Vic Theatre, London
2011 The Children's Hour Dr Joseph Cardin Directed by Ian Rickson at the Comedy Theatre, London[8]
2012 The Recruiting Officer Captain Plume Directed by Josie Rourke at the Donmar Warehouse, London

Awards and nominations

References

  1. ↑ Roberts, Alison (16 February 2011). "The man who kisses Keira, nightly". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  2. ↑ Friedlander, Noam (16 June 2007). "No place like Rome: Tobias Menzies tells Noam Friedlander why he hails the return of the BBC's lavish and lusty Roman series". Telegraph. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  3. ↑ Quinn, Anthony (6 May 2011). "Forget Me Not (15)". Independent. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  4. ↑ Debnath, Neela (11 July 2013). "Q&A interview with 'Game of Thrones' star Tobias Menzies". Independent. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  5. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (8 August 2013). "'Game of Thrones' Alum Nabs Dual Role in Starz's 'Outlander' (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  6. ↑ Abrams, Natalie (8 August 2013). "Game of Thrones' Tobias Menzies Joins Ron Moore's Outlander". TV Guide. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  7. ↑ Merriam, Allie (1 August 2014). "Outlander Star Tobias Menzies Promises Plenty of Bodice-Ripping" (VIDEO INTERVIEW). PopSugar. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  8. ↑ Wilson, Benji (16 April 2011). "In a taxi with... actor Tobias Menzies". Daily Mail. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  9. ↑ Nicol, Patricia (4 April 2004). "Do put your daughter on the stage". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  10. ↑ Paddock, Terri (29 March 2004). "Dillon Wins Ian Charleson Award for Master Builder". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 8 November 2014.

External links

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