Alun Armstrong is a prolific English character actor. Armstrong grew up in County Durham in North East England. He first became interested in acting through Shakespeare productions at his grammar school. Since his career began in the early 1970s, he has played, in his words, "the full spectrum of characters from the grotesque to musicals... I always play very colourful characters, often a bit crazy, despotic, psychotic." His numerous credits include six different Dickens adaptations and seven series as eccentric ex-detective Brian Lane in New Tricks. Armstrong is also an accomplished stage actor who spent nine years with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He originated the role of Thénardier in the London production of Les Misérables and he won an Olivier Award for playing the title role in Sweeney Todd.

Filmography

• 2025The Choral — Herbert Trickett
• After the Flood — Alan Benson
• Tom Jones — Squire Western
• Sherwood — Gary Jackson
• 2021The Nicky Nack
• 2020Breaking The Codes
• Breeders — Jim
• 2019Out of Innocence — Detective Callaghan
• Year of the Rabbit — Chief Inspector Hugh Wisbech
• 2018Funny Cow — Lenny
• 2018Possum — Maurice
• Prime Suspect 1973 — Clifford Bentley
• Dark Angel — George Stot
• Frontier — Lord Benton
• 2016Golden Years — Sid
• Penny Dreadful — Vincent Brand
• The Hollow Crown — Northumberland
• The Mystery of Edwin Drood — Hiram Grewgious
• A Passionate Woman — Donald (1980s)
• 2010Les Misérables: 25th Anniversary in Concert — Monsieur Thenardier (1985 Cast)
• Garrow's Law — John Southouse
• 2008Filth: The Mary Whitehouse Story — Ernest Whitehouse
• Little Dorrit — Ephraim Flintwinch
• 2007The Dinner Party — Jim
• 2006Eragon — Uncle Garrow
• 2006The Girls Who Came to Stay — Bob Jenkins
• Bleak House — Inspector Bucket
• 2005Millions — Saint Peter
• 2005Oliver Twist — Magistrate Fang
• 2004Carrie's War — Mr. Samuel Evans
• New Tricks — Brian Lane
• 2004Van Helsing — Cardinal Jinette
• 2004Van Helsing: The London Assignment — Cardinal Jinetta (voice)
• 2004When I'm Sixty-Four — Jim
• Between The Sheets — Peter Delany
• 2003It's All About Love — David
• 2003Paradise Found — Camille Pissarro
• 2002Inquisition — Martin
• Sparkhouse — Richard Bolton
• Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years — George Mole
• Bedtime — Neil Henshaw
• Messiah — DCI Charlie McIntyre
• 2001Score — George
• 2001Strictly Sinatra — Bill
• 2001The Mummy Returns — Baltus Hafez
• 2000Harrison's Flowers — Samuel Brubeck
• 2000Proof of Life — Wyatt
• 2000This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper — Asst. Chief Const. George Oldfield
• This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper — Asst. Chief Const. George Oldfield
• 1999Aristocrats — Lord Holland
• David Copperfield — Dan Peggotty
• 1999G:MT Greenwich Mean Time — Uncle Henry
• Oliver Twist — Mr. Fleming
• 1999Onegin — Zaretsky
• 1999Sleepy Hollow — High Constable
• 1999With or Without You — Sammy
• In the Red — DCI Frank Jefferson
• 1998The Destruction of Troy and the Adventures of Odysseus
• 1997The Saint — Inspector Teal
• Underworld
• 1996Brazen Hussies — Jimmy Hardcastle
• 1996Breaking the Code — Mick Ross
• Our Friends in the North — Austin Donohue
• 1996Witness Against Hitler — Pastor Harold Poelchau
• 1995An Awfully Big Adventure — Uncle Vernon
• 1995Braveheart — Mornay
• 1995Les Misérables: 10th Anniversary Concert at the Royal Albert Hall — Monsieur Thénardier
• 1995Sorry About Last Night — Mickey
• 1994Black Beauty — Reuben Smith
• 1994Doggin' Around — Charlie Foster
• 1994MacGyver: Trail to Doomsday — Capshaw
• Goggle Eyes — Gerald 'Goggle Eyes' Faulkner
• 1993The Tempest — Caliban
• 1992Blue Ice — Osgood
• Goodbye Cruel World — Roy Grade
• 1992Patriot Games — Owens
• Shakespeare: The Animated Tales — Caliban (voice)
• 1992Split Second — Thrasher
• The Life and Times of Henry Pratt — Uncle Teddy
• 1991American Friends — Dr. Weeks
• 1991London Kills Me — John Stone
• Murder in Eden — Sgt McGing
• Stanley and the Women — Rufus Hilton
• 1990Looking After Number One — Dick
• 1990Sticky Wickets — Evans
• 1990The Widowmaker — Dad
• 1990White Hunter, Black Heart — Ralph Lockhart
• 1989A Night on the Tyne — Willy
• 1989Nineteen96 — Det. Supt. Frank Burroughs
• Screen One — Det Supt Frank Burroughs, Evans, Charlie Foster
• Tales from the Crypt — Inspector Herbert
• 1989That Summer of White Roses — Zemba
• 1989The Childeater — Stefano
• The Jim Henson Hour — The Troll (archive audio)
• 1988Number 27 — Murray Lester
• The Storyteller — Troll (voice)
• 1988The Storyteller: The True Bride — Troll (Voice)
• Inspector Morse — Superintendent Holdsby
• Married... with Children — Trevor
• ScreenPlay — Willy
• A.D. — Gamesmaster
• 1985Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire — Maxwell Randall, The Green Baize Vampire
• 1985Number One — Blackpool Police Sergeant
• 1985The Caucasian Chalk Circle — Singer
• Sharing Time — Luke
• 1984The House — Mr. Smeth
• 1983Krull — Torquil
• 1983Mr Moon's Last Case — Narrator
• The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby
• Get Lost! — Neville Keaton
• 1981The French Lieutenant's Woman — Grimes
• 1980Fear of God — Trahearne
• 1979All Day on the Sands
• 1979Measure for Measure — Provost
• Armchair Thriller — Trahearne
• Enemy at the Door — Louis Mendoza
• 1978Freedom of the Dig — Quinn
• 1978Liza — Mikhalevich
• The BBC Television Shakespeare — Provost
• 1977A Bridge Too Far — Cpl. Davies
• A Sharp Intake of Breath — Arthur Clegg, Terry, Jackson, Brian, Simon Wilson, Albert, Jack Dyson, Alec, Frank Grant, Barry, Les Buckley
• BBC2 Play of the Week — Brodovich, Mikhalevich
• 1977Our Day Out — Mr. Briggs
• Premiere — Quinn
• 1977Risking It — Richard Clewes
• Romance — Weaver
• 1977Shooting the Chandelier — Brodovich
• 1977The Duellists — Lieutenant Lacourbe
• 1976The Chester Mystery Plays — Lightborne
• 1976The Likely Lads — Tommy
• The New Avengers — Private George Harris
• The Stars Look Down — Joe Gowlan
• The Sweeney — Peter Jenner
• 1974Easy Go — First docker
• Father Brown — Joe
• Porridge — Spraggon
• Armchair 30 — Glazier
• Centre Play — Richard Clewes
• 1973Only Make Believe — Michael Biddle
• Second City Firsts — Ken
• Sporting Scenes — Bernie
• 1973The 14 — Tommy
• 1973The Eyes Have It — Mike
• 1973The Sex Victims — George
• Thriller — Mike
• Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? — Scaife
• New Scotland Yard — Ray Davies
• Six Days of Justice — P.C. Williamson
• Villains — Terence 'Tel' Bolden
• 1971Get Carter — Keith
• Great Performances — Thénardier
• Justice — Bob Graham
• Play for Today — 1st Docker, Mr Briggs
• BBC Play of the Month — Lightborne
• Public Eye — Vince Gregson
• My Little Eye — Dad
• The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole — Bert Baxter

Appearances as themselves (4)

• Remembers… — Self
• 2016Asunder — Self - Narrator (voice)
• Extinct — Himself - Narrator
• 20007 Up 2000 — Himself - Narrator