Ian David McShane (born September 29, 1942) is a British actor who portrayed Al Swearengen in HBO's Deadwood, and later reprised his role in Deadwood: The Movie. Ian and Timothy Olyphant (Seth Bullock) were also listed as Executive Producers for the latter. McShane won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Drama and a TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama for his role on the show, and furthermore was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award, a Satellite Award, a TCA and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Biography[]
McShane was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, the only child of Irene (née Cowley; born 1921) and professional footballer Harry McShane (1920–2012). His father was Scottish, from Holytown, Lanarkshire, and his mother, who was born in England, was of Irish and English descent. McShane grew up in Davyhulme in Lancashire (now part of Greater Manchester), and attended Stretford Grammar School. After being a member of the National Youth Theatre, he studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), alongside Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt. McShane shared a flat with Hurt, whom he called his "oldest friend in the business", and was still a student at RADA when he appeared (along with Hurt) in his first film The Wild and the Willing (1962).[1]
He is known for his television performances, particularly the title role in the BBC series Lovejoy (1986–1994), Al Swearengen in Deadwood (2004–2006) and its 2019 film continuation, and currently portrays Mr. Wednesday in American Gods (2017–present). His film roles include Harry Brown in The Wild and the Willing (1962), Charlie Cartwright in If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969), Wolfe Lissner in Villain (1971), Teddy Bass in Sexy Beast (2000), Frank Powell in Hot Rod (2007), Tai Lung in Kung Fu Panda (2008), Blackbeard in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), and Winston in the John Wick film series (2014–2019).[1]
Credits[]
Season 1[]
- "Deadwood" Al Swearengen
- "Deep Water" Al Swearengen
- "Reconnoitering the Rim" Al Swearengen
- "Here Was a Man" Al Swearengen
- "The Trial of Jack McCall" Al Swearengen
- "Plague" Al Swearengen
- "Bullock Returns to the Camp" Al Swearengen
- "Suffer the Little Children" Al Swearengen
- "No Other Sons or Daughters" Al Swearengen
- "Mister Wu" Al Swearengen
- "Jewel's Boot Is Made for Walking" Al Swearengen
- "Sold Under Sin" Al Swearengen
Season 2[]
- "A Lie Agreed Upon: Part I" Al Swearengen
- "A Lie Agreed Upon: Part II" Al Swearengen
- "New Money" Al Swearengen
- "Requiem for a Gleet" Al Swearengen
- "Complications" Al Swearengen
- "Something Very Expensive" Al Swearengen
- "E.B. Was Left Out" Al Swearengen
- "Childish Things" Al Swearengen
- "Amalgamation and Capital" Al Swearengen
- "Advances, None Miraculous" Al Swearengen
- "The Whores Can Come" Al Swearengen
- "Boy-the-Earth-Talks-To" Al Swearengen
Season 3[]
- "Tell Your God to Ready for Blood" Al Swearengen
- "I Am Not the Fine Man You Take Me For" Al Swearengen
- "True Colors" Al Swearengen
- "Full Faith and Credit" Al Swearengen
- "A Two-Headed Beast" Al Swearengen
- "A Rich Find" Al Swearengen
- "Unauthorized Cinnamon" Al Swearengen
- "Leviathan Smiles" Al Swearengen
- "Amateur Night" Al Swearengen
- "A Constant Throb" Al Swearengen
- "The Catbird Seat" Al Swearengen
- "Tell Him Something Pretty" Al Swearengen
Movie[]
Filmography[]
| Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Young and Willing | Harry Brown | 1962 |
| The Pleasure Girls | Keith Dexter | 1965 |
| Gypsy Girl | Roibin | 1966 |
| If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium | Charlie Cartwright | 1969 |
| Battle of Britain | Sgt. Pilot Andy | |
| Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You | Fred C. Dobbs | 1970 |
| Performance | Noel (voice, uncredited) | |
| Tam Lin | Tom Lynn | |
| Freelance | Mitch | |
| Villain | Wolfe Lissner | 1971 |
| Sitting Target | Birdy Williams | 1972 |
| The Last of Sheila | Anthony | 1973 |
| The Terrorists | Petrie | 1974 |
| Journey Into Fear | Banat | 1975 |
| The Lives of Jenny Dolan (TV Movie) | Saunders | |
| Code Name: Diamond Head (TV Movie) | Sean Donovan / Father Horton / Colonel Millard Butler | 1977 |
| A Month in the Country (TV Movie) | Beliayev | |
| The Pirate (TV Movie) | Rashid | 1978 |
| The Great Riviera Bank Robbery | The Brain | 1979 |
| The Fifth Musketeer | Fouquet | |
| Yesterday's Hero | Rod Turner | |
| Cheaper to Keep Her | Dr. Alfred Sunshine | 1980 |
| The Letter (TV Movie) | Geoff | 1982 |
| Grace Kelly (TV Movie) | Prince Rainier of Monaco | 1983 |
| Exposed | Greg Miller | |
| Ordeal by Innocence | Philip Durrant | 1984 |
| Too Scared to Scream | Vincent Hardwick | |
| Torchlight | Sidney | |
| Braker (TV Movie) | Alan Roswell | 1985 |
| The Murders in the Rue Morgue (TV Movie) | Prefect of Police | 1986 |
| Grand Larceny (TV Movie) | Flanagan | 1987 |
| The Great Escape II: The Untold Story (TV Movie) | Roger Bushell | 1988 |
| Chain Letter (TV Movie) | The Messenger of Death | 1989 |
| Dick Francis: Blood Sport (TV Movie) | David Cleveland | |
| Dick Francis: In the Frame (TV Movie) | ||
| Dick Francis: Twice Shy (TV Movie) | ||
| Perry Mason: The Case of the Desperate Deception (TV Movie) | Andre Marchand | 1990 |
| Columbo: Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo (TV Movie) | Leland St. John | |
| White Goods (TV Movie) | Ian Deegan | 1994 |
| Soul Survivors (TV Movie) | Otis Cooke | 1995 |
| Babylon 5: The River of Souls (TV Movie) | Robert Bryson, Ph.D. | 1998 |
| D.R.E.A.M. Team (TV Movie) | Oliver Maxwell | 1999 |
| Sexy Beast | Teddy Bass | 2000 |
| Man and Boy (TV Movie) | Marty Mann | 2002 |
| Bollywood Queen | Frank | |
| Agent Cody Banks | Brinkman | 2003 |
| Nemesis Game | Jeff Novak | |
| Nine Lives | Larry | 2005 |
| Scoop | Joe Strombel | 2006 |
| We Are Marshall | Paul Griffen | |
| Shrek the Third | Captain Hook (voice) | 2007 |
| Hot Rod | Frank Powell | |
| The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising | Merriman Lyon | |
| The Golden Compass | Ragnar Sturlusson (voice) | |
| Kung Fu Panda | Tai Lung (voice) | 2008 |
| Death Race | Coach | |
| Coraline | Mr. Sergei Alexander Bobinsky / Other Bobinsky (voice) | 2009 |
| Case 39 | Detective Barron | |
| 44 Inch Chest | Meredith | |
| The Sorcerer's Apprentice | Narrator (voice, uncredited) | 2010 |
| Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides | Blackbeard | 2011 |
| Snow White and the Huntsman | Beith | 2012 |
| Jack the Giant Slayer | King Brahmwell | 2013 |
| Cuban Fury | Ron Parfitt | 2014 |
| Hercules | Amphiaraus | |
| El nino | Inglés | |
| John Wick | Winston | |
| Bilal: A New Breed of Hero | Umayya (voice) | 2015 |
| The Brothers Grimsby | MI6 Spy Boss (uncredited) | 2016 |
| The Hollow Point | Leland | |
| John Wick: Chapter 2 | Winston | 2017 |
| Jawbone | Joe Padgett | |
| Pottersville | Bart | |
| A Wizard's Tale | The Grump (voice) | 2018 |
| Hellboy | Professor Broom | 2019 |
| Bolden | Judge Perry | |
| John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum | Winston | |
| Deadwood: The Movie (TV Movie) | Al Swearengen | |
| My Father's Dragon | Saiwa (voice) | 2022 |
| John Wick: Chapter 4 | Winston | 2023 |
| American Star | Wilson | 2024 |
| Kung Fu Panda 4 | Tai Lung (voice) | |
| Deep Cover | Metcalfe | 2025 |
| Ballerina | Winston |
| Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|
| First Night | Max | 1963 |
| Z Cars | Barry Hepworth | 1964 |
| Love Story | George Mason | |
| The Sullavan Brothers | David Hemming | |
| Redcap | Sapper Russell | |
| Armchair Theatre | Geoffrey / Roddy Cain | 1962, 1966 |
| ITV Play of the Week | Mick / Frank Barnes / Arthur / Alan Gauge | 1963-1964, 1966 |
| You Can't Win | Joe Lunn | 1966 |
| The Wednesday Play | Frank | |
| Wuthering Heights | Heathcliff | 1967 |
| Rogues' Gallery | David Garrick | 1969 |
| ITV Sunday Night Theatre | Ken Harrison / David Garrick | 1969, 1972 |
| ITV Playhouse | Derek / Tom / Caulfield | 1968, 1970, 1974 |
| Space: 1999 | Anton Zoref | 1975 |
| Matt Helm | Paul | |
| Police Woman | Dan Markson | |
| Most Wanted | Colin Wyatt | 1976 |
| Roots | Sir Eric Russell | 1977 |
| The Fantastic Journey | Sir James Camden | |
| Jesus of Nazareth | Judas Iscariot | |
| Will Shakespeare | Christopher Marlowe | 1978 |
| Disraeli: Portrait of a Romantic | Benjamin Disraeli | |
| Armchair Thriller | Curtis | 1980 |
| Magnum, P.I. | Edwin Clutterbuck / David Norman | 1981-1982 |
| The Quest | 1982 | |
| Marco Polo | Ali Ben Yussouf | |
| Bare Essence | Niko Theophilus | 1983 |
| A.D. | Sejanus | 1985 |
| Evergreen | Paul Lerner | |
| American Playhouse | Willy Wax | 1986 |
| CBS Summer Playhouse | Marbury | 1987 |
| The Dirty Dozen | Lindberger | 1988 |
| Miami Vice | Gen. Manuel Borbon / Esteban Montoya | 1987, 1989 |
| War and Remembrance | Philip Rule | 1988-1989 |
| Minder | Jack Last | 1989 |
| Young Charlie Chaplin | Charles Chaplin Snr | |
| Dallas | Don Lockwood | |
| Chillers | Steven Castle | 1990 |
| Noel's House Party | 1993 | |
| Lovejoy | Lovejoy | 1986-1994 |
| Madson | John Madson | 1996 |
| The Naked Truth | Leland Banks | 1997 |
| Thieves | Jack | 2001 |
| In Deep | Jamie Lamb | 2002 |
| The West Wing | Russian Negotiator Nikolai Ivanovich | |
| Trust | Alan Cooper-Fozzard | 2003 |
| The Twilight Zone | Chandler | |
| Deadwood | Al Swearengen | 2004-2006 |
| SpongeBob SquarePants | Gordon (voice) | 2008 |
| Kings | King Silas Benjamin | 2009 |
| The Pillars of the Earth | Waleran Bigod | 2010 |
| American Horror Story | Leigh Emerson | 2012 |
| Ray Donovan | Andrew Finney | 2015 |
| Doctor Thorne | Sir Roger Scatcherd | 2016 |
| Game of Thrones | Brother Ray | |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Sir Tobias Moore | 2019 |
| American Gods | Mr. Wednesday | 2017-2021 |
| The Simpsons | Artemis (voice) | 2021 |
| One Piece | Narrator (voice) | 2023 |
| Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|
| John Wick Hex | Winston (voice) | 2019 |
| Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|
| One | Narrator (voice) | 2016 |
| Age of Sail | William Avery (voice) | 2018 |
