Ian McShane was highly praised for his portrayal of Al Swearengen on HBO's Deadwood, which earned him a Golden Globe award for depicting the de facto head of Deadwood.  As the corrupt proprietor of The Gem Saloon, he forged a formidable position in the county, having the most popular place for drinking, gambling and prostitution, as well as a base of operations for various criminal endeavors that inflicts his control over the territory.  Cunning and manipulative, he showed no hesitation in resorting to violence and murder, making him the most cynically immoral of all the characters.  In the coming months, he'll be featured in numerous movies where he'll be using his acting expertise in action-adventure stories and lending his voice in several animated flicks.
On October 5, the former Deadwood star will be playing Merriman Lyon in The Dark is Rising.  Based on the acclaimed novel by Susan Cooper, the action-adventure film tells the story of Will Stanton (Alexander Ludwig), a young man who learns that he is the last of a group of warriors who must fight the forces of the Dark as the future of the world rests in his hands.

Before the year ends, Ian McShane will be featured in yet another adventure movie called The Golden Compass.  This time, however, he'll be providing the voice of Ragnar Sturlusson in a plot about a young Lyra Belacqua as she embarks on a journey to save her best friend and other kidnapped children from terrible experiments by a mysterious organization.  Scheduled for release on December 7, the film also includes Nicole Kidman and Dakota Blue Richards.

2008 appears to be a thriving year for the former Deadwood actor since he already has three movies lined up that are currently in post-production stages.  These include the animated fantasy-horror film Coraline, the horror thriller Case 39 and the animated comedy King Fu Panda.


-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of E! Online)