John Noble

Australian actor (born 1948)

For other uses, see John Noble (disambiguation).

John Noble

Noble in 2012

Born|  (1948-08-20) 20 August 1948 (age 76)

Port Pirie, South Australia, Australia[1][unreliable source?]

Occupation(s)| Actor, voice actor, theatre director
Years active| 1988-present
Spouse| Penny Noble
Children| 3, including Samantha Noble

John Noble (born 20 August 1948)[1] is an Australian actor. He is best known for his roles as Denethor in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003), and Dr. Walter Bishop in the Fox science fiction series Fringe (2008–2013). His other television credits include the supernatural drama Sleepy Hollow (2013–2017) and the police procedural Elementary (2015–2019).

Noble has also lent his distinctively deep voice to animated and video game projects, most notably as Leland Monroe in Rockstar Games' L.A. Noire (2011), Unicron in the animated series Transformers: Prime (2010–2013), and Scarecrow in the DC Comics game Batman: Arkham Knight (2015).

## Career

[edit]

Noble's early acting career started in theater throughout the 1970s and 1980s. For 10 years, he was an artistic director for the Stage Company of South Australia. Noble was a Trustee of the Adelaide Festival Centre and chairman of the Adelaide Festival of the Arts. In 1979, he starred in Errol Flynn's Great Big Adventure Book for Boys at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. In 1984, Noble received a nomination by South Australian Premier John Bannon, for the Young Australian of the Year award.[1]

Noble at age 40 made his film debut in the 1988 horror film The Dreaming.[1]

He made occasional appearances on the television series All Saints. His performance as Denethor, son of Ecthelion, in The Lord of the Rings trilogy resulted in his becoming better known to international audiences. He played Russian Consul Anatoly Markov in the sixth season of the US television series 24.

He won awards when starring as eccentric scientist Walter Bishop in the television series Fringe for 5 seasons (2008–2013).[1] Noble played Morland Holmes, father of Sherlock Holmes, in Elementary. He was a series regular for season 4 with guest appearances in seasons 6 and 7.[2]

Noble has also done voice acting, usually portraying villains. He voiced the Dragon Spirit in M. Night Shyamalan's film The Last Airbender (2010), appeared as Real Estate tycoon Leland Monroe in Rockstar Games' L.A. Noire (2011),[3] and provided the voice for Unicron in the animated series Transformers: Prime and its conclusion film Transformers Prime Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising. Noble also voiced the Diviner in the 2021 animated series  Star Trek: Prodigy. In 2024, he played an alternate version of the Diviner called Ilthuran.

Noble has done voice-over work for numerous DC Comics projects, including the animated film Superman: Unbound (2013) as the supervillain Brainiac, the video game Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) as the primary antagonist Scarecrow,[4] and the television series Legends of Tomorrow as the demon Mallus. Additionally, Noble appeared as himself in the Legends of Tomorrow episode "Guest Starring John Noble".

On February 21, 2025 Noble made his debut on season two of the Apple TV+ show Severance in the sixth episode, titled "Attila," playing the role of a character named Cecil Fields.[5] Fields is a homosexual man who is married to Christopher Walken's character, Burt Goodman, who is often identified as "Burt G."[6][7][8]

## Personal life

[edit]

Noble divides his time between residences in New York City and Sydney, Australia, with wife Penny Noble. They have three children, including actress Samantha Noble. In 2011, Noble's hobbies were reported to be "music, painting, and narration".[9] He studies theoretical physics and requested that the writers of Fringe always keep things grounded in what could be scientifically feasible.[10]

In 2012, Noble was diagnosed with osteoporosis. His charity, Noble Bones, helps to raise awareness of the disease.[11]

## Filmography

[edit]

### Film

[edit]

Year | Title | Role | Notes

|
|
|

1988 | The Dreaming | Dr. Richards |
1989 | A Sting in the Tale | Prime Minister's minder |
1990 | Call Me Mr. Brown | Sergeant |
1993 | The Nostradamus Kid | General Booth |
2000 | The Monkey's Mask | Mr. Norris |
2002 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Denethor | Seen only in the Extended Edition
2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Denethor | Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast
Critics Choice Award for Best Acting Ensemble
National Board of Review Award for Best Cast
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Nominated—Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast
2004 | Fracture | Howard Peet |
2006 | One Night with the King | Prince Admantha |
2006 | Running Scared | Ivan Yugorsky |
2006 | Voodoo Lagoon | Ben |
2010 | Risen | Eddie Thomas |
2010 | The Last Airbender | Dragon Spirit | Voice[12]

Nominated – Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screen Ensemble (shared with the entire cast)

2013 | Superman: Unbound | Brainiac | Voice, direct-to-video[13][12]
2014 | The Mule | Pat Shepherd |
2021 | The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It | Father Kastner |

### Television

[edit]

Year | Title | Role | Notes

|
|
|

1991 | Police Rescue | Sergeant | Episode: "Hostage"
1993 | Time Trax | Mr. Michaels | Episode: "One on One"
1997 | Big Sky | Graham James | Episode: "Future Past and Present"
1998 | Water Rats | Dr. Harry | Episode: "Epiphany"
1998–2004 | All Saints | Dr. John Madsen | 32 episodes
1999 | Airtight | Sorrentino | Television film
2000 | Tales of the South Seas | Christian Ambrose | Episode: "Trent in Love"
2000 | Virtual Nightmare | Dad | Television film
2001 | Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World | Inspector Robert Anderson | Episode: "The Knife"
2001 | The Bill | Commander Warren | Episode: "Beech on the Run"
2001–2006 | Home and Away | Dr. Helpman | 9 episodes
2002 | Young Lions | Adam Gallagher | 4 episodes
2002 | Stingers | Michael Kranz | Episode: "Disgraceful Conduct"
2002 | The Outsider | Fergus Hunter | Television film
2004 | The Mystery of Natalie Wood | Irving Pichel | Television film
2002 | Superfire [it] | Paul Baylis | Television film
2006 | Stargate SG-1 | Meurik | Episode: "Camelot"
2007 | Journeyman | Wine Connoisseur | Episode: "Winterland"
2007 | The Unit | The CEO | Episode: "Pandemonium – Part 2"
2007 | 24 | Anatoly Markov | 3 episodes
2007 | Pirate Islands: The Lost Treasure of Fiji | Blackheart | 13 episodes
2008–2013 | Fringe | Walter Bishop / Walternate | 100 episodes
Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television
Nominated—Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film (2008–09)
Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television (2010, 2012–13)
2011–2012 | Dark Matters: Twisted But True | Himself | 16 episodes
2011 | Transformers: Prime | Unicron | Voice, 3 episodes[12]
2013 | The Good Wife | Matthew Ashbaugh | 2 episodes
2013 | Transformers Prime Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising | Unicron | Voice, television film[12]
2013–2017 | Sleepy Hollow | Henry Parrish | 22 episodes
2013 | Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries | Edward Stanley | Episode: "Murder Under The Mistletoe"
2014 | Rake | Clayton Post | 2 episodes
2014 | Devil's Playground | Bishop McNally | 6 episodes
2015 | Forever | Aubrey Griffin | Episode: "The Last Death of Henry Morgan"
2015–2019 | Elementary | Morland Holmes | 16 episodes
2017–2018 | Legends of Tomorrow | Mallus, himself | 7 episodes
2017–2018 | Salvation | Nicholas Tanz | 7 episodes
2017 | The Librarians | Monsignor Vega | Episode: "And the Dark Secret", season 4
2018 | The Blacklist | Raleigh Sinclair III | 2 episodes
2019 | The Resident | Elliot Festervan | Episode: "Broker and Broker"
2020 | Hunters | Frederic Hauser | Episode: "The Pious Thieves"
2020 | The Boys | Sam Butcher | Episode: "Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker"
2021 | Debris | Otto | Episode: "Celestial Body"
2021–2024 | Star Trek: Prodigy | The Diviner/Ilthuran | Voice; 28 episodes[12]
2021 | Cowboy Bebop | Caliban | 3 episodes
2023 | Totally Completely Fine | Wilkinson | 3 episodes
2023 | Fired on Mars | Falco | Voice; episode: "Marsiversary"
2024 | Twilight of the Gods | Odin | Voice role
2025 | Severance | Fields | Season 2

### Video games

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Voice role  | Notes

|
|
|

2009  | The Saboteur | Bishop  | [12]
2011  | L.A. Noire | Leland Monroe  |
2013  | Infinity Blade III | The Worker of Secrets  |
2015  | Batman: Arkham Knight | Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow |

## Other work

[edit]

* Artistic Director of Stage Company of South Australia 1977–1987
* Head of Drama, Brent St. School of Arts (Sydney) 1997–2000

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result

|
|
|
|

2003  | National Board of Review | Best Cast | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Won
2004  | Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards | Best Cast | Won
Critics' Choice Awards | Best Cast | Won
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards  | Best Cast  | Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Won
2008  | Satellite Awards | Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Fringe | Nominated
2009  | Satellite Awards | Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Nominated
2010  | Saturn Awards | Best Supporting Actor on Television | Nominated
2011  | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Won
Saturn Awards | Best Supporting Actor on Television | Won
2012  | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated
Saturn Awards | Best Supporting Actor on Television | Nominated
2013  | Saturn Awards | Best Supporting Actor on Television | Nominated
2016  | 15th National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers (NAVGTR) awards  | Performance in a Drama, Supporting (as "Scarecrow")  | Batman: Arkham Knight | Nominated

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e "John Noble Biography". Starpulse.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
2. ^ "John Noble Joins 'Elementary' Season 4 as Series Regular". 3 July 2015.
3. ^ Nick Broughall (17 December 2010). "How L.A. Noire Conquered The Uncanny Valley with a Tech Called MotionScan". Gizmondo. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
4. ^ Saed, Sherif (7 May 2015). "Batman: Arkham Knight voice cast includes Breaking Bad and Twilight Saga actors". VG247. Archived from the original on 7 May 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
5. ^ "Attila". IMDb.
6. ^ "Severance Recap: John Noble Hams It up — and is [Spoiler] Actually a Villain?". 21 February 2025.
7. ^ "WTF is Going on with Burt & Fields? Severance Season 2 Hints at a Tragic Villainous Twist". Screen Rant. 23 February 2025.
8. ^ "Severance's Christopher Walken on That 'Dangerous' Dinner Scene".
9. ^ Bill Keveney (29 April 2011). "Universes collide in Bishops' world". USA Today. McLean, Virginia: Gannett. p. 8D.
10. ^ "The Soapbox Office Podcast: Episode 9: Running Crank". www.soapboxoffice.com. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
11. ^ "Exclusive Interview with John Noble!". 5 July 2016.
12. ^ a b c d e f "John Noble (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 9 March 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
13. ^ Sands, Rich (7 January 2013). "First Look: Matt Bomer Gets Animated for Superman: Unbound". TV Guide. Retrieved 7 January 2013.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Noble.

Wikiquote has quotations related to John Noble.

* John Noble at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

* John Noble (2011)
* Giancarlo Esposito (2012)
* Michael Cudlitz (2013)
* Aaron Paul (2014)
* Jonathan Banks (2015)
* Christian Slater (2016)
* John Lithgow (2016)
* David Harbour (2017)
* Noah Emmerich (2018)
* Billy Crudup (2019)
* Michael K. Williams (2020)
* Kieran Culkin (2021)
* Giancarlo Esposito (2022)
* Billy Crudup (2023)
* Tadanobu Asano (2024)

* v
* t
* e

Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television

* Dennis Haysbert (1999)
* James Marsters (2000)
* Michael Rosenbaum (2001)
* Victor Garber (2002)
* James Marsters (2003)
* Terry O'Quinn (2004)
* James Callis (2005)
* Masi Oka (2006)
* Michael Emerson (2007)
* Adrian Pasdar (2008)
* Aaron Paul (2009)
* John Noble (2010)
* Aaron Paul (2011)
* Jonathan Banks (2012)
* Aaron Paul (2013)
* Laurence Fishburne (2014)
* Richard Armitage (2015)
* Ed Harris (2016)
* Michael McKean (2017)
* Peter Dinklage (2018/2019, Network/Cable)
* Doug Jones (2018/2019, Streaming)
* Doug Jones (2019/2020)
* Jonathan Banks (2021/2022, Network/Cable)
* Elliot Page (2021/2022, Streaming)
* Jonathan Frakes (2022/2023)
* Antony Starr (2023/2024)

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