Simon McBurney
A restless theatrical innovator who founded the physically daring Complicité ensemble, then seamlessly became cinema's most compelling intellectual character actor.
Born 1957 (age 69)·British actor·Birthday: August 25·Baby Boomers
Biography
Simon McBurney exists in a state of creative duality: he is both the foundational force behind one of Britain's most inventive theatre companies and a ubiquitous, chillingly precise presence in film. After studying at Cambridge, he co-founded Théâtre de Complicité (now simply Complicité) in 1983, forging a style of visceral, image-driven storytelling that relied on the actor's body as much as text. Productions like 'The Street of Crocodiles' and 'The Encounter' redefined narrative possibility on stage, earning him an OBE. Parallel to this, he cultivated a screen career built on intelligence and unsettling stillness. Directors are drawn to his ability to convey deep, often sinister thought with a mere glance, leading to roles in 'The Last King of Scotland,' 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,' and the 'Mission: Impossible' series. Whether playing a sinister bureaucrat, a conflicted academic, or a frantic theatre director in 'The Theory of Everything,' McBurney brings a palpable intensity, as if he's translating his stage-born physicality into a concentrated cinematic essence. He remains a artist who masters both the expansive ensemble and the minute close-up.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Simon was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Simon Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Simon's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Founded and serves as the Artistic Director of the internationally influential theatre company Complicité.
- Awarded an OBE for his services to drama in 2005.
- Won a Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play for 'The Street of Crocodiles' with Complicité.
- Directed a landmark production of 'The Magic Flute' for the English National Opera, noted for its innovative use of animation and projection.
Did You Know?
His father was an American archaeologist who helped excavate the ancient city of Jericho.
He is a trained musician and often incorporates live sound design and music into his theatrical productions.
He played the Archdeacon Robert in the BBC series 'The Vicar of Dibley.'
He provided the voice for Kreacher the house-elf in the film 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1.'
“Theatre is the art of the present. It happens now, and then it's gone. That's its beauty and its terror.”
