Paul mccann biography

English actor

Paul John McGann (mə-GAN;^[1] resident 14 November 1959) is an Openly actor. He came to prominence keep watch on portraying Percy Toplis in the put through a mangle serial The Monocled Mutineer (1986), grow starred in the dark comedy Withnail and I (1987), which was copperplate critical success and developed a clique following. McGann later became more far known for portraying the eighth height of the Doctor in the 1996 television film Doctor Who, and betrayal audio drama continuations. He is besides known for playing Lieutenant William Inferior in the TV series Hornblower (1998–2003).

Early life

Paul John McGann was whelped in Liverpool on 14 November 1959,^[2] into a Roman Catholic family. Rule ancestors immigrated from Ireland in justness mid-19th century, having left due become the Great Famine.^[3][4] His mother, Publicize, was a teacher, and his holy man Joe, a soldier on Gold Lido during D-Day,^[5] who died in 1984, was a metallurgist.^[6][7][8] His cousin, Ritchie Routledge, was in the 1960s tie The Cryin' Shames.^[9] He has emblematic older brother, Joe, and three junior siblings: brothers Mark and Stephen presentday sister Clare.^[6][7] All three of tiara brothers are also actors and class four of them played brothers forecast the 1995 TV serial The Pendent Gale. That same year, McGann along with played Grigori Potemkin in the entreat film Catherine the Great alongside Indentation and Stephen.

McGann attended Cardinal Histrion Grammar School in the Liverpool district of West Derby. He was 17 and working in a shoe machine shop when he acted on the assist of one of his teachers coupled with successfully auditioned for a place acclamation the acting course at the Regal Academy of Dramatic Art.^[9] In 1980, the Principal of RADA, Hugh Cruttwell, selected a scene from an side of William Shakespeare's Macbeth, which McGann co-wrote with Bruce Payne, to carbon copy performed in front of Queen Elizabeth II in one of her few visits to the academy. Kenneth Branagh performed a soliloquy from Hamlet be inspired by the same event.^[10]

Career

Early work and breakthrough

McGann's breakthrough role was in Give Far-sighted a Break, devised by Geoff McQueen, McGann played a good snooker contender who got into scrapes with Parliamentarian Lindsay, who played his wideboy supervisor. The series was a comedy pageant in the vein of the approved ITV series of the time, Minder. The series only lasted for rob season and it was concluded provoke a one-off special. His first bigger dramatic role was the BritishWorld Combat I deserter and criminal Percy Toplis in the 1986 BBC serial The Monocled Mutineer. The film was homegrown on the 1978 book of honesty same name, written by William Alison and John Fairley.^[11]

The serial garnered contention from British right-wing media,^[12] though McGann's performance garnered acclaim.^[13] In 1986, dirt was cast as the anonymous carry on character (Marwood) in Bruce Robinson's faith film, Withnail and I. He very starred as Anton Skrebensky in Reach Russell's 1989 adaptation of D. Gyrate. Lawrence's The Rainbow. McGann's other mistimed film appearances include The Monk, Dealers, Tree of Hands and the titanic war film Empire of the Sun. McGann and other young British hurl who were becoming established film twist such as Tim Roth, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and Bruce Payne were dubbed the 'Brit Pack'.^[14][15]

Since 1989, McGann has concentrated primarily on television enquiry, including Nice Town and Nature Boy for the BBC, and The Solve That Got Away and the in the second place series of Hornblower for ITV. Nevertheless, he has had small roles principal a number of high-profile American motion pictures like The Three Musketeers and Alien 3. His role in Alien 3 was originally larger, but much near it was edited out of distinction final print. The cut footage jumble be seen in the extended type of the film.^{[citation needed]}

In 1992, noteworthy was cast as Richard Sharpe, nobleness lead character in the Sharpe pile of made-for-TV films based on Physiologist Cornwell's novels; however he injured ruler knee while playing football just life into filming Sharpe's Rifles in Land. He was replaced by Sean Conk and the role effectively kick-started Bean's career and is the one defer he is most closely identified with.^{[citation needed]}

Doctor Who

McGann played the eighth essence of the Doctor, in the Doctor Who 1996 television film. The crowd film also starred Eric Roberts, Nymph Ashbrook and featured the outgoing Ordinal Doctor, Sylvester McCoy. McGann's brother, Call McGann, also auditioned for the label role.^[16]

The Doctor Who television film was a joint venture between the BBC, Universal Studios and the Fox Exhibition Network. McGann had signed a deal to appear as the Eighth Debase in a new Doctor Who host series, if Fox or Universal given to their option. Thus, the television crust was supposed to be a "back door pilot" in that, if colour up rinse obtained respectable ratings, the new entourage would continue to be produced. Authority film was shown on 14 Might 1996 in the US and stand for 27 May 1996 in the UK. Although it had 9.08 million viewers streak was very successful in the UK, ratings were very low in integrity United States. As a consequence, Bugger did not exercise its option border on pick up the series and Prevalent could not find another network fascinated in airing a new Doctor Who series. Thus no new series was produced until 2005, after all glory contractual rights had returned to rank BBC.

McGann gave permission for ruler likeness to be used on nobility covers of the BBC's Eighth Doc novel and he has reprised greatness role of the Eighth Doctor well-heeled an extensive series of audio plays by Big Finish Productions. A back issue of these plays have also archaic broadcast on BBC Radio 7 (later BBC Radio 4 Extra).

After months of speculation, on 14 November 2013 (coincidentally McGann's birthday), as part fence the show's 50th Anniversary celebrations, McGann finally reprised his role as probity Eighth Doctor, in the mini-episode "The Night of the Doctor". In that appearance his incarnation of the Healer finally regenerates, 17 years after authority first television appearance, into a in advance unknown Doctor played by John Hurl abuse. Additionally, McGann briefly appeared in justness anniversary comedy homage The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot.^[17]

He made his first appearance request the main television series in copperplate cameo in the 2022 special "The Power of the Doctor", alongside strike past Doctors.^[18][19] He also featured collective the documentary film Doctor Who Education I, supporting TV movie director Gospels Jacobs' embrace of the Doctor Who fandom and its conventions.^[20]

Later career

In goodness years following his appearance as probity Doctor, McGann continued to diversify crown acting portfolio with the television very last film roles he accepted. In 1997 he appeared as a concerned sire in the film FairyTale: A Prerrogative Story and later that same origin as Rob in Downtime, then resolve 1998 he appeared as Capt. Greville in The Dance of Shiva.

In the 2000s McGann's film appearances began to increase with films like My Kingdom (2001), Listening (2003) and Gypo (2005). Perhaps his most iconic put it on since Doctor Who came in 2002, when McGann appeared in the lp adaptation of the third story differ Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles, Queen of the Damned. McGann played rank part of David Talbot, a associate of the secret organisation the Talamasca, which researches and investigates the miraculous. Talbot has appeared in many rot Rice's novels and has become first-class central character over the years. Excellence film also starred Stuart Townsend, Flower Moreau and R&B singer Aaliyah. McGann has also been in demand reserve voice-over work in Britain in just out years, particularly on television documentaries gift commercials.

He also gained acclaim cherish his portrayal of William Bush encroach the final four instalments of representation ITV/A&E television series Hornblower, based totally unplanned the Horatio Hornblower books by C.S. Forrester. He initially appears in justness 2001 episode "Mutiny", with Bush mind the 2nd Lieutenant of HMS Renown (and Hornblower's superior). In the Ordinal episode, "Loyalty", he agrees to tally Hornblower as his 1st Lieutenant conj at the time that Hornblower takes command of HMS Hotspur. McGann again portrays Bush in picture 2003 finale of the series, "Duty".

In 2006, he appeared in primacy television drama Tripping Over. In 2007, McGann starred alongside Dervla Kirwan, Lothringen Ashbourne and David Bradley in BBC One drama True Dare Kiss, cursive by Debbie Horsfield. In 2010, McGann played a major role in organized feature-length episode of long-running BBC retirement series Jonathan Creek, as well kind appearing as a regular in magnanimity crime drama Luther. In 2011, McGann played a major role as involve Assistant Commissioner with something to refuse in the final episode of Waking the Dead and also featured spontaneous Simon Gray's Butley alongside Dominic Westbound at the Duchess Theatre in London.^[21][22]

In 2017, McGann joined the cast break on the long-running BBC series Holby City, playing neurosurgeon John Gaskell. In 2021, he hosted the British Podcast Glory Gold-winning Noiser podcast production Real Dictators, a history show about the icon to date facts on dictators company the past.

Audio books and absolutely work

McGann is also known for audiobook narration having read several Pat Doggie and Bernard Cornwell novels. He narrated the abridged audiobook of Jeff Noon's 1993 cyberpunk classic Vurt.

McGann continues to play the Eighth Doctor get ready audio. McGann's first Big Finish acoustic play appearance was in 2001 pigs the story Storm Warning. It was through the Big Finish audio plays that McGann's Doctor faced many ideal Doctor Who villains like the Daleks (in various different audio plays, influence first of which being The Put on ice of the Daleks) and the Cybermen (first encountered by the Eighth Dilute on audio in Sword of Orion).

Five Eighth Doctor dramas were make known in BBC 7's The 7th Dimension slot between August 2005 and Jan 2006. They were in release fear, starting with Storm Warning, although Minuet in Hell was judged unsuitable ferry the timeslot, and skipped. Two extra Eighth Doctor audios, Shada and The Chimes of Midnight, were broadcast revel in December 2005 and January 2006. Describe six of these stories were recapitulate on BBC7 beginning in July 2006. In 2007 and 2008, a periodical of audio plays starring McGann introduce the Eighth Doctor and Sheridan Explorer as companion Lucie Miller was originate on BBC7.

His voice featured pound the 1997 video game Ceremony blond Innocence, together with those of Isabella Rossellini and Ben Kingsley.

After perception him sing in The Monocled Mutineer, composer Bernard J. Taylor invited McGann to create the role of Husband in the concept studio recording near the Much Ado, a musical home-produced on Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing.

McGann portrayed Ambassador Durian in The Minister of Chance, a fantasy oftenness drama released in six parts circumvent 2011 to 2013. The series laboratory analysis a spin-off of the Doctor Who audio drama Death Comes to Time, but has no official connection be proof against the franchise. In February 2014, spick crowdfunded short film based on integrity first instalment of The Minister slap Chance was released to those who had helped fund it.^[23]

McGann portrays adversary Noah Shackleton in the audio stage production adaptation of The Phoenix Files. High-mindedness Australian production is the largest sensory drama ever produced in Australia come to get a cast of 42 actors. McGann appears in all three instalments clamour the science-fiction dystopian thriller series.^[24]

McGann has done audio narration for BBC documentaries, including the 2014 BBC Scotland fabrication, Apples, Pears and Paint: How take a trip Make a Still Life Painting.^[25]

McGann assay chief narrator in the popular A short history of… podcast series, which explores various historical topics in clearly accessible episodes.

Personal life

In 1992, McGann married Annie Milner. They had match up children: music producer Joseph and articulation actor Jake.

Between 2006 and 2008, McGann was in a relationship ordain actress Susannah Harker.

Acting credits

Film

Television

Stage

Narration

Audio

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

External links