Sir David Mark Rylance Waters (born 18 January 1960 in Ashford, Kent, England) is an English actor, theatre director, and playwright. He was the first artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe in London, between 1995 and 2005. His film appearances include Prospero's Books (1991), Angels and Insects (1995), Institute Benjamenta (1996), and Intimacy (2001). Rylance won the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Rudolf Abel in Bridge of Spies (2015). Rylance played the title role in Steven Spielberg's The BFG (2016), a live-action film adaptation of the children's book by Roald Dahl, and appeared in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk (2017), based on the British evacuation in World War II. He appeared as James Halliday in Spielberg's 2018 film Ready Player One, based on the novel of the same name.

Filmography

• 2027On the Edge — (voice)
• 2027The Nightingale
• 2026Artificial — Geoffrey Hinton
• 2025Searching for Shakespeare
• 2024Bing & Friends: Birthday Celebration — Flop (voice)
• 2024Spirit of Place
• 2023Inland — Dunleavy
• 2022Bones and All — Sully
• 2022The Outfit — Leonard Burling
• 2022The Phantom of the Open — Maurice Flitcroft, Executive Producer
• The Undeclared War — John Yeabsley
• 2021Don't Look Up — Peter Isherwell
• 2020Bing’s Christmas and Other Stories — Flop
• 2020The Trial of the Chicago 7 — William Kunstler
• 2020Waiting for the Barbarians — The Magistrate
• 2019The Flaneur — Narrator
• 2018Ready Player One — Anorak / Halliday
• 2017Dunkirk — Mr. Dawson
• 2016The BFG — The BFG
• 2015Bridge of Spies — Rudolf Abel
• 2015The Gunman — Terrance Cox
• Wolf Hall — Thomas Cromwell
• Bing — Narrator / Flop (voice)
• 2014Days and Nights — Stephen
• 2012Twelfth Night — Olivia
• 2011Anonymous — Condell
• 2011Blitz — Roberts
• 2008The Other Boleyn Girl — Sir Thomas Boleyn
• 2005The Government Inspector — Dr. David Kelly
• 2004Measure for Measure: Live from The Globe — Vincentio, Duke of Vienna
• 2004Measure for Measure: Live from the Globe — Vincentio, Duke of Vienna
• Leonardo — Leonardo
• 2003Richard II - Live at Shakespeare's Globe — Richard II
• 2001Intimacy — Jay
• 1997Henry V at Shakespeare's Globe — Henry V
• 1996Loving — Charlie Raunce
• 1995Angels and Insects — William Adamson
• 1995Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream People Call Human Life — Jakob
• 1993In Lambeth — William Blake
• 1993Love Lies Bleeding — Conn Ellis
• 1991Incident in Judaea
• 1991Prospero's Books — Ferdinand
• 1991The Grass Arena — John Healy
• 1987Hearts of Fire — Fizz
• ScreenPlay — Conn Ellis
• 1986The McGuffin — Gavin
• Screen Two — Charlie Raunce
• Wallenberg: A Hero's Story — Nikki Fodor
• American Playhouse — William Adamson
• The South Bank Show
• Great Performances — King Henry V
• Nice Fish — Director, Screenplay, Producer
• The Way of the Wind — Satan

Appearances as themselves (13)

• Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg — Self
• My Grandparents' War — Self
• 2018Nothing Is Truer than Truth — Self
• 2016A Case of the Cold War: Bridge of Spies — Self
• 2016The Colorado — Self - Narrator (voice)
• 2015Wolf Hall: The Inside Story — Self
• 2014We Are Many — Self
• 2013Muse of Fire — Self
• 2010Inside The Institute — Self
• 2007Hamlet {Solo} — Self
• 2005Shakespeare's Globe — Himself
• 2001Much Ado About Something — Himself
• Tony Awards — Self - Winner