Award-winning Scottish actor Brian Cox was born on June 1, 1946 in Dundee, Scotland. When he was 14, he joined the Dundee Repertory Theatre with his friend, famed poet Justin Ryan Fyfe. In 1966, Cox spent a season with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. He was also trained in the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Brian Cox was catapulted into fame when he won a Dennis Hopper look-a-like competition. He then appeared as an extra on several episodes of
The Prisoner in 1967. The next year, he played King Henry II of England in the BBC2 drama serial
The Devil's Crown, which led him to star in several television dramas. In 1971, he made his first film appearance in
Nicholas and Alexandra, playing Leon Trotsky. Being an accomplished Shakespearean actor, Cox has attended the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. He was acclaimed for his RSC performance as Titus in
Titus Andronicus, and was also in
The Taming of The Shrew as Petruchio. At the National Theatre, he played the title role of
King Lear, another praised performance. He gained more fame when he took on the 1986 production of
Manhunter, playing Hannibal Lecter. Cox also became popular for being cast in films like
Rob Roy and
Braveheart, both in 1995. He was also seen in
The Ring and
The Bourne Supremacy. Most of his roles are villains, such as William Stryker in
X2 and the tyrannical Agamemnon in
Troy. His more sympathetic characters include playing Edward Norton's father in
The 25th Hour. He was also in
Red Eye alongside Rachel McAdams, and has appeared in the comedy
Frasier. In 2001, he gained critical acclaim with
L.I.E., where he played a pedophile. That year, he won an Emmy Award in the mini-series
Nuremberg, portraying Hermann Göring. He also appeared in
Adaptation alongside Nicolas Cage. In 2006, he was cast as Jack Langrishe in the HBO series
Deadwood. Cox next appeared on films like
Running With Scissors and
Zodiac in 2007.
Jack Langrishe is a glitzy promoter and theater operator who leads a troupe of traveling actors who came to settle in Deadwood. He is prone to flattery and self-depreciation. In addition, he charms most of the people he meets.
