Alexander Paul Weaver (born 3 January 1981)[1][2][3] is an English actor, writer, producer, and director, best known for his role as curate Leonard Finch in the ITV series Grantchester (2014-present). He is also known as the voice of Rex in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (2017).
Al Weaver | |
|---|---|
| Born | Alexander Paul Weaver 3 January 1981 Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England |
| Alma mater | Guildhall School of Music and Drama (BA) |
| Occupations | Actor, writer, producer, director |
| Years active | 2002–present |
Background
editWeaver was born and grew up in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. He went to Rivington and Blackrod High School, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in acting from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in June 2003.[4][5]
Career
editWeaver's first paid theatre role was in Trevor Nunn's 2004 production of Hamlet, at the Old Vic theatre in London. Weaver played the title role on Monday evenings and at all matinees, whilst Ben Whishaw took on the role for evening performances, from Tuesday to Saturday.[6]
British politician Michael Portillo lauded Weaver's interpretation of Hamlet in The New Statesman: "He [Weaver] gave meaning to the poetry, refusing to be rushed in the soliloquies or intimidated by them, varying volume and pace well. Frame by frame, he made credible Hamlet's progression from self-indulgence to nobility, so we could nearly believe Fortinbras' remark that 'he was likely, had he been put on,/To have proved most royally'."
Weaver has appeared in minor roles in Colour Me Kubrick (2005) (uncredited), The Merchant of Venice (2004), Marie Antoinette (2006), Unmade Beds (2009), and Me and Orson Welles (2009). He also played "The Kid" in Doom, Schwob in Colette, and an uncredited Gulf War soldier in Armistice (2014).
His television credits include D.C. Billy Slaven in The Inspector Lynley Mysteries episodes "In Pursuit of a Proper Sinner" and "A Cry for Justice", and National Antiquities Museum employee Andy Galbraith in the Sherlock episode "The Blind Banker". Weaver has also been in Five Days as Josh Fairley, Five Daughters as Tom Alderton, Secret State as Josh Leyton, Southcliffe as Anthony, Life in Squares as young Leonard Woolf, The Smoke as Tom, The Nativity as Thomas, and Personal Affairs as Crawford Crawford.
His theatre credits include Meshak in the Royal National Theatre's 2006-07 production of Helen Edmundson's Coram Boy.
Weaver plays fledgling Anglican curate Leonard Finch in the TV series Grantchester (2014 to present), who assists the Vicar of Grantchester, Sidney Chambers, and later, Will Davenport.[7] He also directed the third episode of season 8.[8]
Radio credits include Bach: The Great Passion, a 2017 biographical radio play by English writer James Runcie, where he played Christian Henrici.[9] Weaver also presents two radio shows at the Boogaloo, a pub based in north London: Film And Telly Stuff, alongside actor Luke Neal, and The Theme's Of Our Youth, with actor Jack Whitam.
In September 2017, the BBC announced he had joined the cast of the mini-series Press.[10]
Weaver is known for his voice role as protagonist Rex in the game Xenoblade Chronicles 2, released in December 2017.[11] He reprised the role for the character's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, as well as the trailer revealing Pyra and Mythra as playable characters.
In 2019, a fourth series of Grantchester aired, with Weaver reprising his role as Leonard Finch.[12]
In 2020, Weaver starred as Dr. Rees Wakefield in the choose-your-own-adventure style sci-fi thriller video game The Complex.
Personal life
editTessa Peake-Jones, who plays Mrs. Chapman on Grantchester, was Weaver's mentor while he was studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He is a bibliophile and a football fan, supporting Liverpool F.C..[5]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | The Merchant of Venice | Stephano | |
| 2005 | Planespotting | Steve | Television film |
| Colour Me Kubrick | Darren | Uncredited | |
| Doom | Mark "Kid" Dantalian | ||
| 2006 | Marie Antoinette | Charles, Count of Artois | |
| Viva Blackpool | Vibe | Television film | |
| 2008 | Me and Orson Welles | Sam Leve | |
| 2009 | Unmade Beds | Kevin | |
| 2010 | Spoiler | Tom | Short film |
| Honeymooner | Jon | ||
| 2011 | Powder | Helmet | |
| 2012 | Chemistry | Johan | Short film |
| The Frontier | Ben | Television film | |
| 2013 | The Theory of Everything | Hugo John Ellis | Short film |
| Armistice | Gulf war soldier | Uncredited | |
| Things He Never Said | Paul; also writer and producer | Short film | |
| 2015 | Kill Your Friends | Bill | |
| 2016 | Love Is Thicker Than Water | Adam Berliner | |
| 2017 | We Are Tourists | Edward | |
| The Last Photograph | Colin | ||
| 2018 | Colette | Schwob | |
| Macbeth | Banquo | ||
| Blue Iguana | Tommy Tresham | ||
| Peterloo | Magistrate Hulton | ||
| 2020 | The Complex: Lockdown | Rees Wakefield | |
| 2021 | I'm Not in Love (working title: Marriage Material) | Rob Lloyd; also executive producer | |
| 2024 | Torch Song | Gabe Alexander | |
| We Are Tourists | Edward |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Brum | Yellow Team | Episode: "Brum the Soccer Hero" |
| 2004 | The Inspector Lynley Mysteries | Billy Slaven | 2 episodes |
| 2007 | Five Days | Josh Fairley | Recurring role; 5 episodes |
| 2008 | The Devil's Whore | Christian | Mini-series; 2 episodes |
| 2009 | Personal Affairs | Crawford | Mini-series; 4 episodes |
| 2010 | Survivors | Kevin | 2 episodes |
| Five Daughters | Tom Alderton | Mini-series; 2 episodes | |
| Sherlock | Andy Galbraith | Episode: "The Blind Banker" | |
| The Nativity | Thomas the Apostle | Mini-series; 4 episodes | |
| 2012 | Secret State | Joss Leyton | Mini-series; 4 episodes |
| 2013 | Southcliffe | Anthony | Mini-series; 4 episodes |
| 2014 | The Smoke | Tom | Mini-series; 1 episode |
| 2014-present | Grantchester | Leonard Finch | Series regular; 66 episodes |
| 2015 | Life in Squares | Young Leonard Woolf | Mini-series; 2 episodes |
| 2016 | The Hollow Crown | Rivers | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Press | James Edwards | Series regular; 6 episodes |
| 2019 | The Mallorca Files | Richard Webb | Episode: "Number One Fan" |
| 2022 | The Chelsea Detective | Simon Turnball | Episode: "The Wages of Sin" |
| 2024 | Miss Scarlet and the Duke | Delaware | Episode: "Elysium" |
| Daddy Issues | Danny | Episode: "Happy Tears" |
Video games
edit| Year | Game | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Xenoblade Chronicles 2 | Rex | English version[11] |
| 2020 | The Complex | Rees Wakefield | |
| 2021 | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Rex | DLC, English version |
| 2022 | Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus? | Toby |
Theatre credits
edit| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Hamlet | Prince Hamlet | The Old Vic, London | |
| 2005 | All the Ordinary Angels | Lino Raffa | Royal Exchange, Manchester | |
| 2006 | Malvolio and His Masters | Sir Andrew Aguecheek | Southwark Playhouse, London | |
| Coram Boy | Meshak | Olivier Theatre, London | ||
| 2007 | The Waltz of the Toreadors | Gaston | Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester | |
| How to Curse | Nick | Bush Theatre, London | ||
| 2009 | Toyer | Peter | Arts Theatre, London | |
| 2010 | House of Games | Billy Hahn | Almeida Theatre, London | |
| Bea | Not Gay Ray | Soho Theatre, London | ||
| 2011 | The Seagull | Konstantin Gavrilovich Treplev | Arcola Theatre, London | |
| Inadmissible Evidence | Jones | Donmar Warehouse, London | ||
| 2013 | Rough Cuts | Royal Court Theatre, London | ||
| The Pride | Oliver | Trafalgar Theatre, London | ||
| 2018 | Moonlight | Jake | Harold Pinter Theatre, London |
References
edit- ↑ "Al Weaver". tvinsider.com. NTVB Media, Inc., publisher of TV Guide. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- ↑ "Al Weaver | Bio and Movies". Sooner Europe. ContentScope GmbH • Berlin, Germany. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- ↑ "Al Weaver Actor, Director, Producer, Writer". watch.plex.tv. Plex. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- ↑ "Al Weaver". linkedin.com. LinkedIn / Al Weaver. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- 1 2 Wolanin, Andrea (8 August 2023). "10 Facts About Al Weaver Of "Grantchester" And "Press"". wgbh.org. WGBH-TV. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
- ↑ "If it's Monday I must be Hamlet". The Guardian. 19 May 2004. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ↑ Young, Bill (15 July 2025). "'Grantchester' streets to be safe one final time". Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ↑ "Al Weaver Directs Episode 3". Masterpiece. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ↑ "BACH: The Great Passion". BBC. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ↑ "Charlotte Riley, Ben Chaplin and David Suchet lead cast of BBC's Press". IMDb. Archived from the original on 14 March 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
- 1 2 "Al Weaver (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 7 July 2026. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
- ↑ "Grantchester series 4 confirmed – but it's set to be James Norton's last". Radio Times.