Oliver Cotton

Acting · Creator

Born June 20, 1944, London, England, UK

After training at the Drama Centre London, he has worked extensively at the Royal National Theatre playing in many productions including The Royal Hunt of the Sun, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, Oedipus, In His Own Write, Hamlet, Tamburlaine, No Man's Land, The Passion, Despatches, Half Life, The World Turned Upside Down, Julius Caesar, The Madras House, The Man With the Flower in His Mouth, Tales from the Vienna Woods, The Crucible, Piano, Troilus and Cressida, Money, Summerfolk, The Villain's Opera, Life x 3. At the Royal Court Theatre, he has appeared in The Local Stigmatic, The Duchess of Malfi, Man is Man, The Enoch Show, Erronenous Zones, The Tutor by Brecht, Lear and Bingo by Edward Bond and Piano/Forte by Terry Johnson. He was a founder member of Joint Stock appearing in their inaugural production The Speakers by Heathcote Williams. At The Royal Shakespeare Company he has played in The Marrying of Ann Leete, Henry VI, Edward IV, Richard III, The Plain Dealer, Some Americans Abroad by Richard Nelson, Brand by Ibsen. His West End appearances include The Homecoming by Harold Pinter, Children of a Lesser God by Mark Medoff, Benefactors by Michael Frayn (in whose Liberty Hall he also appeared in at the Greenwich Theatre), An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde, Life x 3 by Yasmina Reza, and Brand by Ibsen. He has also played the title role in King Lear at the Southwark Playhouse and Malvolio in Shakespeare's Globe's all-male production of Twelfth Night. His many TV appearances have included The Borgias (Cesare Borgia), David Copperfield, The Year of the French, The Play on One, Redemption, Poirot, The Camomile Lawn, Westbeach, Zorro, Sharpe's Battle, Rhodes, All Quiet on the Preston Front, Innocents, Judge John Deed, Inspector Lynley, Waking the Dead, M.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team, Beastly Games, Sensitive Skin, Midsomer Murders, Hotel Babylon. His films include Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush, The Day Christ Died, Firefox, Oliver Twist, The Sicilian, Eleni, Hiding Out, Christopher Columbus, Son of the Pink Panther, The Innocent Sleep, Phoenix Blue, The Opium War, Beowulf, Baby Blue, The Dancer Upstairs, Shanghai Knights, The Bone Collector, Raindogs, Colour Me Kubrick.

Filmography

• 2026Tales of the Underworld — Flowers
• 2023Clancy Sigal: Hollywood Blacklist to 'A' List — Interviewee
• 2021The Last Duel — Jean de Carrouges III
• The English Game — Creator
• 2020Wonder Woman 1984 — Simon Stagg
• Killing Eve — Maciek
• 2017Pylon — The Chairman
• 2015North v South — Brian Galloway
• The Musketeers
• 2013Gangs of Tooting Broadway
• 2012Henry IV, Part 1 - Live at Shakespeare's Globe — King Henry IV
• 2012Henry IV, Part 2 - Live at Shakespeare's Globe — King Henry IV
• Ripper Street — Daniel Goldman
• 2012The Dark Knight Rises — 2 Star Air Force General
• Money — Lorne Guyland
• 2009Margaret — Michael Heseltine
• 2009Pope Joan — Arsenius
• 2008Attila the Hun — Actius
• Hotel Babylon — Mr. Dovic
• 2005Colour Me Kubrick — PC Metcalf (uncredited)
• Sensitive Skin — Sam
• New Tricks — Hugh Dryden
• Murder Investigation Team — Artyom Biartoulis
• 2003Out of the Ashes — Moshe Perl
• 2003Shanghai Knights — Jack the Ripper
• 2002The Dancer Upstairs — Merino
• 2001Baby Blue — Ron Wood
• Waking the Dead — Sir Charles Stewart
• 1999Beowulf — Hrothgar
• Midsomer Murders — Michael Maybury
• Dalziel and Pascoe — Keith Henshaw
• 1996The Innocent Sleep — Lusano
• 1995Joseph — Architect
• 1995Sharpe's Battle — Brigadier General Guy Loup
• (All Quiet on the) Preston Front — Declan
• Space Precinct — Tylan Gershom
• Harry — Paul Collier
• Sharpe — Loup
• 1993Son of the Pink Panther — King Haroak
• Westbeach — Alan Cromer
• 1992Christopher Columbus: The Discovery — Harana
• Heartbeat — Harry Adams
• The Camomile Lawn — Max
• 1991Redemption — Neville Nunn
• Hannay
• 1988The Party — Andrew Ford
• The Play on One — Andrew Ford
• 1987Hiding Out — Hit-Man
• 1987The Sicilian — Cmdr. Roccofino
• David Copperfield — Edward Murdstone
• Lovejoy — Frobel
• 1985Eleni — Katis
• Robin of Sherwood — Lord Owen of Clun
• 1982Firefox — Dmitri Priabin
• 1982Oliver Twist — Monks
• Bergerac — Jacques Laronde
• The Borgias — Cesare Borgia
• 1980The Day Christ Died — John
• 1979Henry VIII — Earl of Surrey
• 1978When the Actors Come — Istvan
• BBC2 Play of the Week — Istvan
• 1975Caesar and Claretta — Giacomo
• Space: 1999 — Spearman
• Churchill's People — Trooper John Roper
• Second City Firsts — Cyril
• 1970Sovereign's Company — Sender
• The Adventures of Don Quick — Beltane
• Strange Report — Young Man
• 1968Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush — Curtis
• Callan
• BBC Play of the Month — Turkish Captain
• Public Eye — Removal Man
• Thirty-Minute Theatre — Spy
• Raindogs — Duke