Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and astrophysicist. He is the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. He was the co-founder of Queen with lead singer Freddie Mercury and drummer Roger Taylor, having previously performed with Taylor in the band Smile, and bass player John Deacon. As a member of Queen, he became regarded as a virtuoso musician and he was identified with a distinctive sound created through his layered guitar work, often using a home-built electric guitar called the Red Special. He has a short cameo in Queen's biographical film Bohemian Rhapsody (2018).

Filmography

• 2025Andrea Bocelli - The Celebration：30th Anniversary
• 2024Adam Lambert: Out, Loud and Proud
• 2024Jean-Michel Jarre - Bridge from the Future
• 2024Jean-Michel Jarre - Starmus: Bridge from the Future
• 2024Queen Rock Montreal — Brian May (self)
• 2024The Yardbirds - In Their Own Words
• 2022Rhapsody Over London — Self, Executive Producer
• 2018Bohemian Rhapsody — Producer, Music Producer, Songs
• 2017Queen: Rock the World — Self - Member Queen, Writer
• 201551 Degrees North — Original Music Composer
• 2014One Night in Hell — Music
• 2011My Chemical Romance: Reading Festival 2011
• 2007Queen: Rock Montreal & Live Aid
• 2007Queen: We Are The Champions - Live In Europe
• Dancing with the Stars — Thanks
• 2005Queen + Paul Rodgers: Return of the Champions — Self - Guitar, Vocals
• 2004Queen on Fire: Live at the Bowl — Self (Vocals / Guitar), Executive Producer
• 2001Queen - Heaven — Self, Producer
• 2001Queen - Rock Montreal
• 1999Furia — Original Music Composer
• 1997Queen: Made in Heaven — Music
• The Rhythm of Life
• 1994Paul Rodgers And Friends - Live At Montreux
• 1986Highlander — Songs
• 1986Queen: Live at Wembley Stadium — Guitars
• 1985Queen: Live Aid — Self - Guitar, Vocals
• 1985Queen: Live in Rio — Self - Vocal, Guitar
• 1982The Man Who Saved the World — Music
• The Tube
• 1982We Will Rock You — Self, Songs
• 1980Flash Gordon — Music
• Young Music Show
• 1973Queen: Queen I
• NHK Kōhaku Uta-Gassen — Queem + Adam Lambert
• Midnight Dreamers — Producer

Appearances as themselves (159)

• Live Aid at 40: When Rock ’n’ Roll Took on the World — Self
• 202460 Songs: BBC Two at 60 — Self (archive footage)
• 2024Andrea Bocelli 30: The Celebration — Self
• 2024Brian May: The Badgers, the Farmers and Me — Self
• 2024Katy Perry: Night of a Lifetime — Self
• 2024Queen: We Are the Champions – The Story of the Greatest Sports Anthem of All Time — Self
• 2024Rory Gallagher: Calling Card — Self
• 2024The Rory Gallagher Story — Self
• 2023Rock: the origin — Self (archive footage)
• 2023Zucchero | Sugar Fornaciari — Self
• 2022ABBA V Queen — Self (archive footage)
• 2022Freddie Mercury: The Final Act — Self
• 2022Meat Loaf - A Celebration Of Life — Self
• 2022Platinum Party at the Palace — Self
• 2022Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert — Self
• 2021Der Echte Freddie Mercury - Die Münchner Jahre — Self
• 2021Queen at the BBC — Self (archive footage)
• 2020Die Helene Fischer Show - Meine schönsten Momente — Self (archive footage)
• Newscast — Self
• 2020Queen + Adam Lambert: Fire Fight Australia — Self
• 2020Queen + Adam Lambert: Live Around The World — Self - Guitar
• 2020Queen + Adam Lambert: Tour Watch Party — Self
• 2020Queen: The Band that Rocked the World — Self
• Reunited Apart — Self
• 2020The Shadows At Sixty — Self
• 2020We are the Champions - 50 Jahre Queen — Self
• 201913 Moments That Made Freddie Mercury and Queen — Self (archive footage)
• 2019Bohemian Rhapsody: Recreating Live Aid — Self
• 2019Liam Gallagher: As It Was — Self
• 2019Queen + Adam Lambert - Great Lawn in Central Park — Self
• 2019Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2019 Induction Ceremony — Self
• 2019The Day We Walked on the Moon — Self
• 2019The Look and Sound of Queen — Self
• 2019The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story — Self - Guitar Player Queen
• 2018Freddie Mercury: The King of Queen — Self (archive footage)
• 2017Buddy Holly: Rave On — Self
• 2017Life After Flash — Self
• 2017QUEEN - News Of The World [40th Anniversary] — Self
• 2017Queen : The American Dream — Self (archive footage)
• 2016Freedom : La Story de George Michael — Self (archive footage)
• 2016Queen & Adam Lambert: Rock in Rio (Lisboa) — Self
• 2016Queen: A Night in Bohemia — Self (archive footage)
• 2016Tangerine Dream: Sound from Another World — Self
• 2015Queen and Adam Lambert: Rock in Rio 2015 — Self - Guitars
• 2015Queen: From Rags to Rhapsody — Self - Queen
• 2015The Ritchie Blackmore Story — Self
• 2014Bad Company | The Official Authorized 40th Anniversary Documentary — Self
• 2014Brian May & Kerry Ellis - The Candlelight Concerts Live at Montreux — Self
• 2014Die Helene Fischer Show 2014 — Self
• 2014Queen + Adam Lambert: Rock Big Ben Live — Self - Guitars
• 2014Queen: Will Rock You — Self
• 2014The Joy of the Guitar Riff — Self
• 2014The Nation's Favourite Queen Song — Self
• 2013Queen + Adam Lambert: iHeart Radio Music Festival — Self
• 2013Queen: Live at the Prince's Trust Rock Gala 2010 — Self
• 2013The Sunflower Superjam 2012 — Self
• Evening Urgant — Self
• Foxes Live: Wild in the City — Self
• 2012Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender — Self
• 2012London 2012 Olympic Closing Ceremony: A Symphony of British Music — Self
• London 2012 Olympic Games — Self
• 2012Queen + Adam Lambert: Live in Kyiv, Ukraine — Self
• 2012Queen: A Magic Year — Self (archive footage)
• 2012Queen: Budapest — Self
• The Story of Musicals — Self
• 2011Brian May's Brief History of 3D — Self - Host
• 2011Foo Fighters The Roundhouse Concert — Self - Guest Guitar
• 2011I Was There: When the Beatles Played the Cavern — Self
• 2011Queen: Days of Our Lives — Self
• 2011Story Of Queen: Mercury Rising — Self - Queen (uncredited)
• 2011Top of the Pops, 1964 to 1975 - Big Hits — Self
• 2011Vox Pop: How Dartford Powered the British Beat Boom — Self
• BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge — Self
• The Michael Ball Show — Self
• 2009Queen + Paul Rodgers: Live in Ukraine — Self
• 2008The Story of the Yardbirds — Self
• 2007Queen Under Review: 1973-1980 — Self (archive footage)
• 2007Queen: Rock Case Studies — Self (archive footage)
• Seven Ages of Rock — Self
• The Alan Titchmarsh Show — Self
• 2006Classic Albums: Queen - The Making of A Night at the Opera — Self
• 2006Foo Fighters: Hyde Park — Self - Guest
• 2006Freddie Mercury: A Kind of Magic — Self
• 2006Queen + Paul Rodgers: Super Live In Japan — Self
• 2006Queen: Bohemian Champions - Interviews — Self
• 2006Queen: Music Video Box Documentary — Self (archive footage)
• 2006Queen: On the Rock Trail — Self
• 2006The Very Best of Freddie Mercury and Queen — Self
• 2006VH1 Rock Honors — Self
• 2005Live Aid Against All Odds — Self
• 2005Live Aid: 20 Years Ago Today — Self
• 2005The Strat Pack: Live in Concert — Self
• 2004Live Aid — Self
• 2004The Story of Bohemian Rhapsody — Self
• 2004Zucchero | Zu and co.: Live at Royal Albert Hall — Self
• 2003Pavarotti & Friends for SOS Iraq — Self - Performer
• 2003Queen: Greatest Video Hits 2 — Self - Queen
• American Idol — Self
• 2002Inside the Rhapsody — Self
• 2002Jerry Lee Lewis and Friends — Self
• 2002Killer Queen! — Self (archive footage)
• 2002Party at the Palace: The Queen's Concerts, Buckingham Palace — Self - Performer
• 2002Queen - The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert 10th Anniversary Documentary — Self
• 2002Queen: Greatest Video Hits — Self (archive footage)
• 2002Queen: Live at the Museum Square Amsterdam — Self
• 2001Motörhead: 25 & Alive Boneshaker — Self
• 2000Freddie Mercury: The Untold Story — Self
• 1999Queen: Is This the Real Life? — Self
• Parkinson — Self
• Classic Albums — Self
• 1995Queen: Champions of the World — Self
• 1995The Queen Phenomenon — Self
• 1994The Brian May Band - Live at the Brixton Academy — Self
• 1993A Life of Extravaganza - The Genius Frank Zappa — Self
• 1993Brian May - Live in Barcelona 1993 — Self
• ECHO-Verleihung — Self
• 1992Metallica: A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica — Self
• 1992Pavarotti & Friends — Self
• 1992Queen - We Are The Champions - Final Live In Japan 1985 — Self
• 1992The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert — Self
• 1991Guitar — Self
• 1991Guitar Legends EXPO '92 at Sevilla - The Hard Rock Night — Self - Guitar
• 1991Queen: Days of Our Lives — Self
• 1991Queen: Greatest Flix I and II — Self (archive footage)
• 1991Queen: Greatest Flix II — Self (archive footage)
• 1990Bon Jovi | Access All Areas: A Rock & Roll Odyssey — Self
• 1989Hard 'N Heavy Volume 3 — Self
• 1989Queen : Rare Live – A Concert Through Time and Space — Self (archive footage)
• This Morning — Self
• Daytime Live — Self
• 1987Queen: Magic Years - A Visual Anthology — Self
• 1987Queen: The Magic Years vol. 1 — Self
• 1987Queen: The Magic Years vol. 2 — Self
• 1987Queen: The Magic Years vol. 3 — Self
• Téléthon — Self
• 1986Prince's Trust Rock Gala - Volume 1 — Self
• 1986Queen: Live in Japan 1982 — Self
• 1985Live Aid — Self
• MTV Video Music Awards — Self
• 1984Red Hot Rock — Self - Queen Guitarist
• 1982QUEEN - The Hot Space Box — Self
• 1981Concerts for the People of Kampuchea — Self
• 1981Queen: Greatest Flix — Self (archive footage)
• 1981Queen: Live in Argentina — Self
• 1980The Queen Special — Self
• 1979Live Killers — Self - Guitar
• 1979Queen: Live At Budokan — Self
• 1979Queen: Live in Tokyo — Self
• Question Time — Self - Panellist
• 1977Queen: An Evening At The Concert Hall — Self
• 1977Queen: Definitive Houston — Self
• 1977Queen: Live at Earl's Court Arena — Self
• The BRIT Awards — Self
• Domenica In — Self
• 1976Queen: Live in Hyde Park — Self
• Numéro un — Self - Queen
• 1975Queen: A Night at the Odeon — Self - Guitar
• 1974Queen: Live at the Rainbow '74 — Self
• Great Performances — Self