Kenneth Campbell Stott (born 19 October 1954) is a Scottish stage, television, and film actor. His most notable roles include the title character DI John Rebus in the crime fiction-mystery series Rebus (2006–2007) and DCI Red Metcalfe in Messiah (2001–2005). Stott also appeared as the dwarf Balin in The Hobbit film trilogy (2012–2014).
Ken Stott | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Stott at the Hobbitcon II convention in Bonn, Germany 2014 | |
| Born | Kenneth Campbell Stott 19 October 1954 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Known for |
|
| Spouse |
Nina Gehl (m. 2016) |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards |
|
Stott received a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for the 1995 play Broken Glass at the Royal National Theatre. For his role as Ian Garrett in the 2014 BBC TV mini-series The Missing alongside James Nesbitt, Stott was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor and the BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actor in Television, winning the latter.
Early life and education
editKenneth Campbell Stott[1] was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on 19 October 1954.[2][3] His mother, Antonia (née Sansica), was a Sicilian lecturer,[3][4] his father, David Stott, was a Scottish teacher and educational administrator.[5][3] Stott was educated at George Heriot's School in Lauriston, Edinburgh.[3] For three years in his youth he fronted a pop band,[3] but left to pursue his career in acting.[6]
After attending Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London, Stott began working in the theatre for the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), but for some years his earnings from acting were minimal and he was forced to support himself by also working as a double glazing salesman.[6]
Career
editTheatre
editStott's career began in 1974 at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast.[3] His early work in theatre included a notable leading role in the dramatisation of Dominic Behan's play about the Northern Ireland troubles The Folk Singer,[7] where he also played the part of Judas in the first regional production of Jesus Christ Superstar directed by Michael Poynor (1973).[7]
In 1996, he created the leading role in The Prince's Play, a translation and adaptation by Tony Harrison of Victor Hugo's Le Roi s'amuse, for the National Theatre, London, 1996.[8] In 1997, he was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his role in the Yasmina Reza play Art, in which he appeared with Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay at Wyndham's Theatre.[9]
In 2008 Stott starred in another West End production of a Reza play, this time God of Carnage, alongside Tamsin Greig, Janet McTeer and Ralph Fiennes at the Gielgud Theatre.[10] He starred in a revival of Arthur Miller's A View From The Bridge at the Duke of York's Theatre in early 2009, and reprised his role of Michael in God of Carnage on Broadway (as a replacement for James Gandolfini) at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in New York.[10]
He returned to the Duke of York's Theatre in 2016 to play " Sir" (alongside Reece Shearsmith) in Ronald Harwood's The Dresser.[10]
Television and Film
editStott appeared in BBC series Secret Army (1977),[7] The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare (King Lear, 1982),[7] and Dennis Potter's The Singing Detective (1986).[7] He also featured in an advert for the British COI's "Drinking And Driving Wrecks Lives" campaign, playing a fireman.[7]
His television roles have included hospital radio DJ Eddie McKenna in BBC Scotland's Takin' Over The Asylum,[7] the leading character, DCI Red Metcalfe, in the BBC crime drama series Messiah (BBC One, 2001–05);[11] DI Chappell in ITV police drama The Vice (1999–2003);[11] as a drunk who fantasises about finding redemption by joining the Salvation Army in Promoted to Glory (ITV, 2003); as Adolf Hitler in Uncle Adolf (ITV, 2005),[11] and as a fictional Chancellor of the Exchequer in Richard Curtis's The Girl in the Café (BBC One, 2005).[11] 2006 saw him take over the title character in detective series Rebus,[3] a television adaptation of the Ian Rankin novels which had previously starred John Hannah.[11] In 2021, he appeared as Chief Superintendent Bob Toal in the police procedural Crime.[citation needed]
In 2008 Stott was nominated for a Scottish BAFTA for his performance as comedian Tony Hancock in BBC Four's Hancock and Joan.[11] He played the father of cookery writer Nigel Slater in the BBC One adaptation of Slater's autobiographical novel Toast,[11] opposite Helena Bonham Carter and Freddie Highmore.[11] In 2015, Stott played Arthur Birling in Helen Edmundson's BBC TV adaptation of J. B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls.[11]
On the big screen, he has tended to play mostly supporting parts, such as DI McCall in Shallow Grave (1994),[7] Ted in Fever Pitch (1997),[7] Marius Honorius in King Arthur (2004), an Israeli arms merchant in Charlie Wilson's War (2007),[11] and Trufflehunter, a badger loyal to Prince Caspian in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008).[11] However, he has had occasional starring roles in the cinema, most notably opposite Billy Connolly and Iain Robertson in The Debt Collector (1999),[11] and Plunkett and Macleane of the same year.[11] Most recently, he has starred as Balin in the live-action adaptation of The Hobbit,[11] and played the role to critical acclaim. Stott played a supporting role as Dexter Mayhew's father in One Day (2011) starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess.[11]
He narrated for the series Send in the Dogs, following the work of UK Police Officers and their canine partners.[11]
Personal life
editStott has a son, David (born 1985), by his first marriage, which ended in divorce. He married his long-time partner, the artist Nina Gehl, in 2016.[6]
Stott is a supporter of Heart of Midlothian Football Club.[12]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | For Queen and Country | Civil Servant | |
| 1993 | Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life | Woland the Knifeman | Short film |
| Being Human | Gasper Diez | ||
| 1994 | Shallow Grave | DI McCall | |
| 1996 | Saint-Ex | Prevot | |
| A Mug's Game | McCaffrey | ||
| 1997 | The Boxer | Ike Weir | |
| Fever Pitch | Ted, the Headmaster | ||
| 1999 | The Debt Collector | Gary Keltie | |
| Plunkett & Macleane | General Chance | ||
| 2000 | The Miracle Maker | Simon Peter | Voice only |
| 2003 | I'll Sleep When I'm Dead | Frank Turner | |
| 2004 | King Arthur | Marius Honorius | |
| Spivs | Jack | ||
| 2005 | Casanova | Dalfonso | |
| The Girl in the Café | Chancellor | ||
| The Mighty Celt | Good Joe | ||
| 2007 | Charlie Wilson's War | Zvi Rafiah | |
| 2008 | The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian | Trufflehunter | Voice only |
| 2011 | The Runaway | Joey Pasqualino | |
| One Day | Steven Mayhew | ||
| 2012 | The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | Balin | |
| 2013 | The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug | ||
| 2014 | The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies | ||
| Man Up | Bert | ||
| 2016 | Café Society | Marty Dorfman | |
| 100 Streets | Terence | ||
| 2018 | The Mercy | Stanley Best | |
| Strike | The Boss | Animated film; voice only | |
| 2021 | The Dig | Charles Phillips |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Secret Army | Baroja | Episode: "Child's Play" |
| 1982 | BBC Television Shakespeare | Curan | Episode: King Lear |
| 1985 | Taggart | Dr. MacNaughten | Episode: "Murder in Season" |
| 1986 | The Singing Detective | Uncle John | 2 episodes |
| 1988 | London's Burning | Cyril | First episode |
| 1990 | Your Cheatin' Heart | Fraser Boyle | Miniseries |
| 1991 | All Good Things | Lawrence Wilson | 5 episodes |
| 1993 | Anna Lee | Bernie Schiller | TV film |
| 1994 | Takin' Over the Asylum | Eddie McKenna | |
| 1995 | The Bill | Brian | Episode: "The Lives of Brian" |
| 1996 | Silent Witness | Sergeant Bob Claire | Episode: "Darkness Visible" |
| Rhodes | Barney Barnato | 6 episodes | |
| 1997 | Screen Two | Redfern | Episode: "Stone, Scissors, Paper" |
| 1999 | Dockers | Tommy Walton | TV film |
| Vicious Circle | Martin Cahill | ||
| 1999–2003 | The Vice | DI Pat Chappel | 22 episodes |
| 2000–2007 | Rebus | DI John Rebus | 10 episodes |
| 2001 | Messiah | DCI Red Metcalfe | Miniseries |
| 2002 | Messiah 2: Vengeance is Mine | ||
| 2004 | Messiah 3: The Promise | ||
| 2005 | Messiah: The Harrowing | ||
| Uncle Adolf | Adolf Hitler | TV film | |
| 2008 | Hancock and Joan | Tony Hancock | TV film
Scottish BAFTA for Best Acting Performance in Television |
| 2010 | Toast | Alan Slater | TV film |
| 2014 | The Missing | Ian Garrett | 5 episodes
Nominated–British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 2015 | An Inspector Calls | Arthur Birling | TV film |
| 2016 | War & Peace | Bazdeev | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Fortitude | Erling Munk | Season 2 |
| 2021-2023 | Crime | Chief Superintendent Bob Toal |
Awards and nominations
editBAFTA TV Awards
edit0 win, 3 nominations
| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | The Vice | 2001 British Academy Television Award for Best Actor | Nominated | |
| 2009 | Hancock and Joan | 2009 British Academy Television Award for Best Actor | Nominated | |
| 2015 | The Missing | 2015 British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | [13] |
BAFTA Scotland Awards
edit2 win, 2 nominations
| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Hancock and Joan | 2009 British Academy Scotland Awards for Best Actor in Television | Won | |
| 2015 | The Missing | 2015 British Academy Scotland Awards Best Actor in Television | Won |
Laurence Olivier Awards
edit1 win, 4 nominations
| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Recruiting Officer at the National Theatre | 1992 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Nominated | |
| 1995 | Broken Glass at the National Theatre Lyttelton / Duke of York's | 1995 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Won | |
| 1997 | Art at Wyndham's Theatre | Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor | Nominated | [9] |
| 2010 | A View from the Bridge as Eddie Carbone at the Duke of York's | 2010 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actor in a Lead Role | Nominated |
Royal Television Society
edit0 wins 1 nomination
| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Vice | Royal Television Society Award Best Actor | Nominated |
References
edit- ↑ "Birth registers". Scotland's People. Edinburgh, Scotland. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- ↑ "Ken Stott". IMDb. Seattle, Washington, U.S. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Fulton, Rick (8 December 2005). "Born to be Rebus". The Daily Record. Archived from the original on 10 June 2011.
- ↑ Banks-Smith, Nancy (7 February 2007). "Last night's TV". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
- ↑ "Ken gets a taste of the past". The Daily Record. 3 February 2007.
- 1 2 3 Black, Claire (20 May 2009). "Ken Stott interview: View from the top". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Ken Stott biography". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
- ↑ Taylor, Paul (21 April 1996). "Theatre: The Prince's Play, Royal National Theatre". The Independent. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
- 1 2 "Olivier Awards 1997". westendtheatre.com. 1 January 2009.
- 1 2 3 "Ken Stott - Past Performances". theatricalia.com. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "Ken Stott Credits". tvguide.com. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ↑ "Edinburgh A-list stirred by Scottish Cup final derby". BBC Sport. 14 May 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
- ↑ Ritman, Alex (8 April 2015). "BAFTA TV Awards: Benedict Cumberbatch Gets Third Nomination for 'Sherlock'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 April 2015.