Bio
Matthew Macfadyen is a British actor best known for his role as MI5 agent Tom Quinn in the BBC television drama series Spooks (2002-2004) and for starring as Fitzwilliam Darcy in the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice.
He also had a starring role as Philip, Prior of Kingsbridge who quickly learns the game of politics through his dealings with Waleran and the Hamleigh family, in the historical drama television miniseries The Pillars of the Earth, based on the book of the same name by Ken Follett.
In addition, Macfadyen stars as Detective Inspector Edmund Reid, the lead detective investigating the Jack the Ripper murders, in the period drama police procedural television series Ripper Street.
Macfadyen may have been born in Norfolk, but as the son of an oil worker he spent at least part of his childhood in Indonesia before finishing his education back in England and winning a place at RADA in 1992.
He was seen in the award-winning Frost/Nixon, a film based on the award-winning play by Peter Morgan which depicted the post-Watergate television interviews between British talk show host David Frost and former president Richard Nixon.
Directed by Ron Howard and starring Michael Sheen and Frank Langella, Matthew played the character of John Birt, the producer of Frost's TV show.
He can also be seen in the one-off drama for BBC Four, Enid Blyton's Great Adventure. The story tells of the life and career of the legendary author Enid Blyton which spanned a time of enormous social and cultural change. Matthew plays Hugh Pollock, Blyton's publisher and first husband, and father of her two daughters Gillian and Imogen alongside Helena Bonham Carter as Enid.
He can be seen in the Robin Hood directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe, William Hurt and Cate Blanchett. Matthew plays the Sheriff of Nottingham in this story of an archer in the army of Richard Coeur de Lion who fights against the Norman invaders and becomes the legendary hero known as Robin Hood.
Macfadyen was seen in Incendiary from the producers of Girl With a Pearl Earring, also starring Michelle Williams and Ewan McGregor. He also starred in the award-winning BBC adaptation of Little Dorrit with newcomer Claire Foy and played Inspector Neele in A Pocketful of Rye for ITV with Julia McKenzie, Rupert Graves, Helen Baxendale and Wendy Richard.
He is well known for his portrayal of Tom in the first three seasons of the BBC television drama Spooks, which won BAFTA & Royal Television Society awards.
He also starred in The Project (BBC), directed by Peter Kosminsky and Sir Felix Cadbury; The Way We Live Now (BBC), directed by David Yates; Perfect Strangers (Talkback TV), Bloodline (BBC); Warriors (BBC) and Wuthering Heights (LWT).
Matthew starred in Death at A Funeral, directed by Frank Oz and co-starring Rupert Graves, Ewen Bremner and Keeley Hawes. He was also seen in Secret Life which received outstanding reviews and also earned him a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor.
Macfadyen won critical acclaim for the lead role of Mr. Darcy in the adaptation of Pride and Prejudice directed by BAFTA winner Joe Wright. The Working Title film starred Keira Knightley, Brenda Blethyn and Donald Sutherland.
Matthew was nominated for Best Actor for his role in In My Father's Den at the British Independent Film Awards. Directed by Brad McGann, Matthew played the lead of Paul, a disillusioned war journalist.
Matthew's other film credits include Middletown, directed by Brian Kirk, starring Daniel May and Eva Birthistle, The Reckoning with Tom Hardy, Enigma directed by Michael Apted and starring Kate Winslet and Tom Hollander, and Maybe Baby directed by Ben Elton.
On stage Macfadyen has received critical acclaim in productions such as Henry IV Parts 1 & 2 (National Theatre); Battle Royal (National Theatre/RSC/Stratford) ; School for Scandal (Barbican/Cheek by Jowl); Much Ado About Nothing (West End); Duchess of Malfi (West End/New York); Midsummer Night's Dream (RSC); and The Pain And The Itch (Royal Court Theatre).
He has been married to fellow Spooks star Keeley Hawes since 2 October, 2004. They have two children.