Ken Stott

Scottish stage, television and film actor

Not to be confused with Ken Scott (disambiguation).

Ken Stott

Stott at the Hobbitcon II convention in Bonn, Germany 2014

Born|

Kenneth Campbell Stott

(1954-10-19) 19 October 1954 (age 70)

Edinburgh, Scotland

Education|

* George Heriot's School
* Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts

Occupation| Actor
Years active| 1974–present
Known for|

* Rebus (2000–2007)
* Takin' Over the Asylum (1994)
* The Missing (2014)
* The Hobbit film trilogy (2012–2014)

Spouse|

Nina Gehl

(m. 2016)​

Children| 1
Awards|

* BAFTA Scotland (twice)
* Laurence Olivier (once)

Kenneth Campbell Stott (born 19 October 1954) is a Scottish stage, television and film actor who won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1995 in the play Broken Glass at Royal National Theatre. He portrayed the dwarf Balin in The Hobbit film trilogy (2012–2014).

His most notable roles in UK television include the title character DI John Rebus in the crime fiction-mystery series Rebus (2000–2007) and DCI Red Metcalfe in Messiah (2001–2005). He played Edward 'Eddie' McKenna in the Scottish BBC miniseries Takin' Over The Asylum (1994) co-starring with David Tennant, and Ian Garrett in the 2014 BBC TV mini-series The Missing alongside James Nesbitt.

## Early life

[edit]

Stott was born in Edinburgh.[1] His mother, Antonia (née Sansica), was a Sicilian lecturer,[1][2] his father, David Stott, was a Scottish teacher and educational administrator.[3][1] Stott was educated at George Heriot's School in Lauriston, Edinburgh.[1] For three years in his youth he fronted a pop-band,[1] but left to pursue his career in acting.[4]

After attending Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London, Stott began working in the theatre for the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), but for some years his earnings from acting were minimal and he was forced to support himself by also working as a double glazing salesman.[4]

## Career

[edit]

### Theatre

[edit]

Stott's career began in 1974 at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast.[1] His early work in theatre included a notable leading role in the dramatisation of Dominic Behan's play about the Northern Ireland troubles The Folk Singer,[5] where he also played the part of Judas in the first regional production of Jesus Christ Superstar directed by Michael Poynor (1973).[5]

In 1996, he created the leading role in The Prince's Play, a translation and adaptation by Tony Harrison of Victor Hugo's Le Roi s'amuse, for the National Theatre, London, 1996.[6] In 1997, he was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his role in the Yasmina Reza play Art, in which he appeared with Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay at Wyndham's Theatre.[7]

In 2008 Stott starred in another West End production of a Reza play, this time God of Carnage, alongside Tamsin Greig, Janet McTeer and Ralph Fiennes at the Gielgud Theatre.[8] He starred in a revival of Arthur Miller's A View From The Bridge at the Duke of York's Theatre in early 2009, and reprised his role of Michael in God of Carnage on Broadway (as a replacement for James Gandolfini) at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in New York.[8]

He returned to the Duke of York's Theatre in 2016 to play " Sir" (alongside Reece Shearsmith) in Ronald Harwood's The Dresser.[8]

### Television and Film

[edit]

Stott appeared in BBC series Secret Army (1977),[5] The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare (King Lear, 1982),[5] and Dennis Potter's The Singing Detective (1986).[5] He also featured in an advert for the British COI's "Drinking And Driving Wrecks Lives" campaign, playing a fireman.[5]

His television roles have included hospital radio DJ Eddie McKenna in BBC Scotland's Takin' Over The Asylum,[5] the leading character, DCI Red Metcalfe, in the BBC crime drama series Messiah (BBC One, 2001–05);[9] DI Chappell in ITV police drama The Vice (1999–2003);[9] as a drunk who fantasises about finding redemption by joining the Salvation Army in Promoted to Glory (ITV, 2003); as Adolf Hitler in Uncle Adolf (ITV, 2005),[9] and as a fictional Chancellor of the Exchequer in Richard Curtis's The Girl in the Café (BBC One, 2005).[9] 2006 saw him take over the title character in detective series Rebus,[1] a television adaptation of the Ian Rankin novels which had previously starred John Hannah.[9] In 2021, he appeared as Chief Superintendent Bob Toal in the police procedural Crime.

In 2008 Stott was nominated for a Scottish BAFTA for his performance as comedian Tony Hancock in BBC Four's Hancock and Joan.[9] He played the father of cookery writer Nigel Slater in the BBC One adaptation of Slater's autobiographical novel Toast,[9] opposite Helena Bonham Carter and Freddie Highmore.[9] In 2015, Stott played Arthur Birling in Helen Edmundson's BBC TV adaptation of J. B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls.[9]

On the big screen, he has tended to play mostly supporting parts, such as DI McCall in Shallow Grave (1994),[5] Ted in Fever Pitch (1997),[5] Marius Honorius in King Arthur (2004), an Israeli arms merchant in Charlie Wilson's War (2007),[9] and Trufflehunter, a badger loyal to Prince Caspian in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008).[9] However, he has had occasional starring roles in the cinema, most notably opposite Billy Connolly and Iain Robertson in The Debt Collector (1999),[9] and Plunkett and Macleane of the same year.[9] Most recently, he has starred as Balin in the live-action adaptation of The Hobbit,[9] and played the role to critical acclaim. Stott played a supporting role as Dexter Mayhew's father in One Day (2011) starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess.[9]

He narrated for the series Send in the Dogs, following the work of UK Police Officers and their canine partners.[9]

## Personal life

[edit]

Stott has a son, David (born 1985), by his first marriage, which ended in divorce. He married his long-time partner, the artist Nina Gehl, in 2016.[4] Stott is a supporter of Heart of Midlothian Football Club.[10]

## Filmography

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1977 | Secret Army | Baroja | Series 1 Episode 4: Child’s Play
1982 | King Lear | Curan | TV film
1983 | The Beggar's Opera | Jemmy Twitcher | TV film
1985 | Taggart | Dr. MacNaughten | TV series: 1 episode
1986 | The Singing Detective | Uncle John | TV miniseries: 2 episodes
1988 | London's Burning | Cyril | First episode
For Queen and Country | Civil Servant |
1990 | Your Cheatin' Heart | Fraser Boyle | TV series: 6 episodes
1991 | All Good Things | Lawrence Wilson | TV series: 5 episodes
1993 | Elvis and the Colonel: The Untold Story |  | TV
Anna Lee | Bernie Schiller | TV
Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life | Woland the Knifeman | Short film
Being Human | Gasper Diez |
1994 | Takin' Over the Asylum | Eddie McKenna | TV series: 6 episodes
Shallow Grave | DI McCall |
1996 | Saint-Ex | Prevot |
Silent Witness | Sergeant Bob Claire | TV series: 2 episodes
A Mug's Game | McCaffrey |
Rhodes | Barney Barnato | TV miniseries: 5 episodes
1997 | The Boxer | Ike Weir |
Stone, Scissors, Paper | Redfern | TV
Fever Pitch | Ted, the Headmaster |
1999 | Dockers | Tommy Walton | TV
The Debt Collector | Gary Keltie |
Plunkett & Macleane | General Chance |
Vicious Circle | Martin Cahill | TV
1999–2003 | The Vice | DI Pat Chappel | TV series: 16 episodes
Nominated–British Academy Television Award for Best Actor
2000–2007 | Rebus | DI John Rebus | TV series: 14 episodes
2000 | The Miracle Maker | Simon Peter | Voice only
2001 | Messiah | DCI Red Metcalfe | TV miniseries
2002 | Messiah 2: Vengeance is Mine | DCI Red Metcalfe | TV miniseries
2003 | Promoted to Glory | Mike | TV
The Key | Billy | TV
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead | Frank Turner |
2004 | Messiah 3:The Promise | DCI Red Metcalfe | TV miniseries
King Arthur | Marius Honorius |
Spivs | Jack |
2005 | Casanova | Dalfonso |
Messiah: The Harrowing | DCI Red Metcalfe | TV miniseries
The Girl in the Café | Chancellor |
The Mighty Celt | Good Joe |
Uncle Adolf | Adolf Hitler | TV
2007 | Charlie Wilson's War | Zvi Rafiah |
2008 | The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian | Trufflehunter | Voice only
Hancock and Joan | Tony Hancock | TV
Scottish BAFTA for Best Acting Performance in Television
Nominated–British Academy Television Award for Best Actor
2010 | Toast | Alan Slater | TV film
2011 | The Runaway | Joey Pasqualino |
One Day | Steven Mayhew |
2012 | The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | Balin |
2013 | The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug |
2014 | The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies |
Man Up | Bert |
The Missing | Ian Garrett | TV series

Nominated–British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor[11]

2015 | An Inspector Calls | Arthur Birling | TV film
2016 | War & Peace | Bazdeev | TV series
Café Society | Marty Dorfman |
100 Streets | Terence |
2017 | Fortitude | Erling Munk | TV series: Season 2
2018 | The Mercy | Stanley Best |
2018 | Strike | The Boss | Animated film; voice only
2021 | The Dig | Charles Phillips |
2021-2023 | Crime | Chief Superintendent Bob Toal | TV series

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

### BAFTA TV Awards

[edit]

0 win, 3 nominations

British Academy Television Awards Year  | Nominated work  | Category  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

2001  | The Vice | 2001 British Academy Television Award for Best Actor | Nominated  |
2009  | Hancock and Joan | 2009 British Academy Television Award for Best Actor | Nominated  |
2015  | The Missing | 2015 British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor | Nominated  | [11]

### BAFTA Scotland Awards

[edit]

2 win, 2 nominations

BAFTA Scotland Year  | Nominated work  | Category  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

2009  | Hancock and Joan | 2009 British Academy Scotland Awards for Best Actor in Television | Won  |
2015  | The Missing | 2015 British Academy Scotland Awards Best Actor in Television | Won  |

### Laurence Olivier Awards

[edit]

1 win, 4 nominations

Laurence Olivier Award Year  | Nominated work  | Category  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

1992  | The Recruiting Officer at the National Theatre  | 1992 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Nominated  |
1995  | Broken Glass at the National Theatre Lyttelton / Duke of York's  | 1995 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Won  |
1997 | Art at Wyndham's Theatre | Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor | Nominated  | [7]
2010  | A View from the Bridge as Eddie Carbone at the Duke of York's  | 2010 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actor in a Lead Role | Nominated

### Royal Television Society

[edit]

0 wins 1 nomination

Royal Television Society Year  | Nominated work  | Category  | Result

|
|
|

2002  | The Vice | Royal Television Society Award Best Actor | Nominated

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g Fulton, Rick (8 December 2005). "Born to be Rebus". The Daily Record. Archived from the original on 10 June 2011.
2. ^ Banks-Smith, Nancy (7 February 2007). "Last night's TV". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
3. ^ "Ken gets a taste of the past". The Daily Record. 3 February 2007.
4. ^ a b c Black, Claire (20 May 2009). "Ken Stott interview: View from the top". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016.
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Ken Stott biography". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
6. ^ Taylor, Paul (21 April 1996). "Theatre: The Prince's Play, Royal National Theatre". The Independent. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
7. ^ a b "Olivier Awards 1997". westendtheatre.com. 1 January 2009.
8. ^ a b c "Ken Stott - Past Performances". theatricalia.com. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Ken Stott Credits". tvguide.com. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
10. ^ "Edinburgh A-list stirred by Scottish Cup final derby". BBC Sport. 14 May 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
11. ^ a b Ritman, Alex (8 April 2015). "BAFTA TV Awards: Benedict Cumberbatch Gets Third Nomination for 'Sherlock'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 April 2015.

## External links

[edit]

* Ken Stott at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role

1976–1984|

| Merged|

* Margaret Courtenay (1976)

|

Actor|

* Nigel Hawthorne (1977)
* Robert Eddison (1978)
* Patrick Stewart (1979)
* David Threlfall (1980)
* Joe Melia (1981)
* David Healy (1982)
* Alan Devlin (1983)
* Edward Petherbridge (1984)

Actress|

* Mona Washbourne (1977)
* Elizabeth Spriggs (1978)
* Doreen Mantle (1979)
* Suzanne Bertish (1980)
* Gwen Watford (1981)
* Anna Massey (1982)
* Abigail McKern (1983)
* Marcia Warren (1984)

1985–1990|

| Merged|

* Imelda Staunton (1985)
* Paul Jesson (1986)
* Michael Bryant (1987)
* Eileen Atkins (1988)
* Michael Bryant (1989/1990)

|

1991–1995|

| Actor|

* David Bradley (1991)
* Oleg Menshikov (1992)
* Julian Glover (1993)
* Joseph Mydell (1994)
* Ken Stott (1995)

|

Actress|

* Sara Crowe (1991)
* Frances de la Tour (1992)
* Barbara Leigh-Hunt (1993)
* Helen Burns (1994)
* Dora Bryan (1995)

1996–2002|

| Actor|

* Trevor Eve (1997)
* Roger Allam (2000)
* Ben Daniels (2001)
* Toby Jones (2002)

|

Actress|

* Deborah Findlay (1997)
* Patricia Hodge (2000)
* Essie Davis (2001)
* Marcia Warren (2002)

Merged|

* Simon Russell Beale (1996)
* Sarah Woodward (1998)
* Brendan Coyle (1999)

2003–2009|

| Merged|

* Essie Davis (2003)
* Warren Mitchell (2004)
* Amanda Harris (2005)
* Noma Dumezweni (2006)
* Jim Norton (2007)
* Rory Kinnear (2008)
* Patrick Stewart (2009)

|

2010–present|

| Actor|

* Eddie Redmayne (2010)
* Adrian Scarborough (2011)
* Richard McCabe (2013)
* Jack Lowden (2014)
* Nathaniel Parker (2015)
* Mark Gatiss (2016)
* Anthony Boyle (2017)
* Bertie Carvel (2018)
* Chris Walley (2019)
* Adrian Scarborough (2020)
* No Ceremony (2021)
* Fred Davis, Daisy Franks, Romina Hytten, Tom Larkin, Habib Nasib Nader, Tom Stacy, and Scarlet Wilderink (2022)
* Will Keen (2023)
* Will Close (2024)
* Elliot Levey (2025)

|

Actress|

* Ruth Wilson (2010)
* Michelle Terry (2011)
* Nicola Walker (2013)
* Sharon D. Clarke (2014)
* Angela Lansbury (2015)
* Judi Dench (2016)
* Noma Dumezweni (2017)
* Denise Gough (2018)
* Monica Dolan (2019)
* Indira Varma (2020)
* No Ceremony (2021)
* Liz Carr (2022)
* Anjana Vasan (2023)
* Haydn Gwynne (2024)
* Romola Garai (2025)

Merged|

* Sheridan Smith (2012)

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International|

* ISNI
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National|

* Germany
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* BnF data
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Other|

* IdRef
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