Christian McKay
Christian McKay in 2013
Born
Christian Stuart McKay[1]

(1973-12-30) 30 December 1973[2]
Bury, Lancashire, England, UK
NationalityBritish
OccupationActor
Years active2001–present
SpouseEmily Allen (m. 2006)
Children2

Christian Stuart McKay (born 30 December 1973[2]) is an English stage and screen actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Orson Welles in the 2008 film Me and Orson Welles, for which he was nominated for over two dozen awards including the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor. He also appeared in movies such as Florence Foster Jenkins, The Theory of Everything, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Rush.

Early life

McKay was born in Bury, Lancashire. He has a sister, Karen. His mother, Lynn, worked as a hairdresser, and his father, Stuart, was a railway worker.[3] He studied piano as a youth,[4] and performed the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 at age 21.[3] McKay subsequently halted his concert career[5] and enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art to study acting.

Career

McKay's television appearances include portraying conductor Pierre Monteux in the BBC TV production Riot at the Rite (2005).[6] His first film appearance was in Abraham's Point (2008).

After seeing a performance of Rosebud at the 2007 "Brits Off Broadway" festival, Richard Linklater cast McKay as Welles in his film Me and Orson Welles, retaining McKay over the subsequent producer objections to his casting.[7] In this, his second film and first lead role, McKay received critical praise for his performance as Orson Welles.[8][9][10][11]

McKay has recently been seen in the biographical drama Rush, alongside Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl, the BAFTA-nominated music film Northern Soul, and the Oscar-winning biographical drama The Theory of Everything, alongside Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones. All of these were met with critical acclaim, with The Theory of Everything receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Theatre

McKay has portrayed Orson Welles in the one-man play Rosebud: The Lives of Orson Welles at a number of venues, including the Edinburgh Festival[12] and King's Head (London).[13] He subsequently reprised the role in the US at the 2007 "Brits Off Broadway" festival.[14]

In 2013, McKay played Gerard in Strangers on a Train[15] at London's Gielgud Theatre.[16]

Personal life

McKay was married to Emily Allen. They divorced in 2021.[4] He has two children, Maximilian Sidney McKay, born 2011 and Aniela Rita Lynn McKay, born 2015.

Selected filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2008 Abraham's Point Robert
2009 Me and Orson Welles Orson Welles Austin Film Critics Association Award for Breakthrough Artist
San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor
Utah Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated — British Independent Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer
Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Performer
Nominated — Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated — Denver Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated — Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated — Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male
Nominated — International Cinephile Society Award for Best Supporting Actor [17]
Nominated — London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actor of the Year
Nominated — National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor (3rd place)
Nominated — New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor (2nd place)
Nominated — San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated — Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Breakthrough Performance
2010 You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger Poker Friend
Mr. Nice Hamilton McMillan
2011 I Melt With You Tim
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Mackelvore
2013 Rush Alexander Hesketh
The Devil's Violinist John Watson
2014 Closer to the Moon Iorgu
Northern Soul Dad
The Theory of Everything Roger Penrose
2015 Creditors Grant Pierce Nominated — Blow-Up International Arthouse Film Festival for Best Actor [18]
2016 The Young Messiah Cleopas
Florence Foster Jenkins Earl Wilson
2017 The Leisure Seeker Will Spencer
Crooked House Roger Leonides
Provenance John
2018 The Talent Agent Jeff Rogers Short film
2019 The Second Hearing Short film
2022 Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris Giles Newcombe

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2004 Doctors Neville Gordon Episode: "Pardon"
2005 Riot at the Rite Pierre Monteux TV film
2008 Agatha Christie's Poirot Jefferson Cope Episode: "Appointment with Death"
2009 A Short Stay in Switzerland Carsten TV film
Margaret John Whittingdale
2010 The Road to Coronation Street Harry Elton
2011–2013 Borgia Cardinal Sforza
2012 Getting On Dr. Nigel Hoskins Episode #3.3
2015 Jekyll and Hyde Maxwell Utterson
2016 Churchill's Secret Christopher Soames TV film
Frontier Father James Coffin
2019 Grantchester Anthony Hobbs 4 episodes
2019-2020 Warrior Mayor Samuel Blake
2023 FDR President Franklin D. Roosevelt

References

  1. ↑ "FamilySearch.org". FamilySearch.org. (subscription required)
  2. 1 2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. 1 2 John Millar (6 December 2009). "Christian McKay's Obsession with Orson Welles". Daily Express. Retrieved 12 December 2009.
  4. 1 2 Sam Allis (6 December 2009). "Getting Orson Welles just right". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 10 January 2010.
  5. ↑ "Linklater's film depicts young Orson Welles". CBC News. 9 December 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2009.
  6. ↑ Kenneth Archer and Millicent Hodson (February 2006). "Reading the Riot Act". ballet.co magazine. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 10 January 2010.
  7. ↑ Cath Clarke (15 October 2009). "First sight: Christian McKay". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 January 2010.
  8. ↑ Philip French (6 December 2009). "Me and Orson Welles". The Observer. Retrieved 10 January 2010.
  9. ↑ Anthony Quinn (4 December 2009). "Me and Orson Welles (12A)". The Independent. Retrieved 10 January 2010.
  10. ↑ "Me and Orson Welles, review". The Telegraph. 3 December 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2010.
  11. ↑ A.O. Scott (25 November 2009). "When a Bombastic Young Man Bestrode the Boards of the Mercury Theater". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 January 2010.
  12. ↑ Lyn Gardner (17 August 2004). "Rosebud (Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh)". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 January 2010.
  13. ↑ Maddy Costa (9 January 2006). "Rosebud (King's Head, London)". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 January 2010.
  14. ↑ Gina Bellafante (6 June 2007). "Finding Room for an Actor Fit for the Stage". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 January 2010.
  15. ↑ "Strangers on a Train". delfontmackintosh.co.uk. Delfont Mackintosh. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  16. ↑ "Fatal Attraction and Strangers on a Train head to West End stage". bbc.co.uk/news. BBC News. 20 September 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  17. ↑ "International Cinephile Society Likes "Basterds," "Serious Man"". indieWire. 20 January 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  18. ↑ "Blow-Up film festival annual nominations and awards listing". Chicago. November 2015.
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